August 2014 | Howard County Beacon

More than 30,000 readers throughout Howard CountyVOL.4, NO.8

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

The Howard County F R E E

I N S I D E …

FITNESS & HEALTH 3k Understanding food allergiesk Can we prevent Alzheimer’s?

THE SENIOR CONNECTION 16k Howard County Office on

Aging newsletter

LAW & MONEY 18k Better dividends abroad k Don’t give up on bonds

PLUS CROSSWORD, BEACONBITS, CLASSIFIEDS & MORE

LEISURE & TRAVELThe villages and hamlets (andsalad dressing) of New York’sThousand Islands; plus, Buffa-lo beckons beyond wings

page 23

ARTS & STYLEGilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates ofPenzance hams it up at Toby’sDinner Theatre

page 27

By Robert FriedmanDennis Ayers learned that an eighth gen-

eration great-grandaunt on his father’s sidewas one of the victims of the infamousSalem Witch Trials, hung as a witch in 1692.

Dottie Alshire found out that her grand-parents were arrested for selling whiskeyduring Prohibition in the 1920s.

And Ann Herron recently discovered ahost of relatives on her father’s side of thefamily in Benevento, Italy.

They are three of the 134 members ofthe Howard County Genealogical Society,which is helping residents study, preserveand collect family history records. Found-ed in 1976, the society is a local resourcefor those who share the country’s bur-geoning interest in tracing family history.

While hard figures are not easy to comeby, ABC News has noted that “genealogy ishot,” and is now probably the second fa-vorite hobby in the country after gardening.

The online genealogy site Ancestry.comwas recently sold to a European firm for $1.6billion. Tim Sullivan, the website’s formerowner, said that genealogy “is no longer aniche,” and that the website now has morethan 2 million paid subscribers and earned abillion dollars in revenue in 2012.

The majority of the Howard County so-ciety members are older adults. But whatwas once thought of as a pastime for littleold ladies in tennis shoes has also nowcaught on with many male retirees whohave the time — and the money — tospend on trips to garner information abouttheir families’ past lives.

Bewitching discovery Ellicott City resident Ayers, 71, who is

now president of the society, has been dig-ging into his family history for 20 years. Hisemotions were stirred, he said, when hefound out that his long ago relative was oneof the female witchcraft defendants at Salem.

Through his research, Ayers found thatMary Ayer (the “s” was later added to thefamily name) Parker insisted that she wasinnocent of the witchcraft charges forwhich she was hanged. Those defendantswho “confessed” to being a witch werespared their lives. Such was the judicialsystem of the early Puritans.

Ayers has been able to trace his family

tree even further back in time. His forefa-thers came from England to America in1635, and through English relatives helearned who was who in his family datingback to the Battle of Hastings in 1066 C.E.It gets dicey before that because there areno records of last names, Ayers said.

He explained that the original Americansettlers have a comparatively easier timeof finding out their family history than de-scendants of those who were part of themassive immigration from Europe in thelate 19th and early 20th centuries.

In general, it’s easier to trace records inthe United States, and those with ances-tors on the Mayflower and other earlyships from England have a fairly straight-

forward path for finding information —and it’s in English.

Centuries of wars, border changes, firesand famines, make finding ancestors moredifficult, but certainly not impossible, he said.

Teaching othersDottie Alshire — who has been digging

into her mostly Eastern European roots forthe past 30 years and has published threefamily histories — gives genealogy classesat Howard County Community College.

The Ellicott City resident said she tellsher students first to fill out a “pedigreechart” listing their name, date of birth,

Dennis Ayers, president of the Howard County Genealogical Society, has traced hisfamily tree back nearly 1,000 years, to the Battle of Hastings in England. The socie-ty meets monthly to help its members learn family research techniques and to enablethem to share their findings.

See FAMILY TREE, page 29

Branching out your family tree

PH

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AUGUST 2014

Expressing awe at anything nowadaysmakes one appear to be a simpleton, or atthe very least, uncool. Of course, my children and

their friends say “awesome”at almost any expression ofgood fortune. But I still thinktrue awe — expressingamazement, wonder or aston-ishment at something — is asentiment we are expected tokeep under wraps, in favor ofa more contemporary blaséattitude. So I’ve been feeling rather

uncool lately (no big surprisethere, my kids would say), asI’ve been finding myself surprised andawed on a near-daily basis. Subjects that I thought were interesting

in elementary school — genetics, space,medicine, cars and gadgets (think JamesBond) — now utterly amaze me. Or rather,what we have come to know about theworld around us, and the many ways wehave learned to master and manipulatethat world, make me stare in wonder.

In part, that’s probably because I alwaysremained a student of the liberal arts

rather than the hard sciences.I simply don’t understandmuch of the underlyingphysics and chemistry oftoday’s developments. Fortunately, one doesn’t

have to understand howthings are made or why theywork in order to benefit fromthem. (And perhaps not un-derstanding the inner work-ings makes their achieve-ments all the more wonder-ful!) At any rate, I love tolearn about, and where possi-

ble make use of, each day’s new discover-ies. You may have suspected this, if you are

a regular Beacon reader. Many of our sto-ries discuss a new means of medical diag-nosis, treatment or cure; a new website orapp to help make wise investments or savemoney on travel; a new gadget to help peo-ple save time or cope with a disability. It’s not a coincidence: I gravitate toward

stories that fascinate me, and it seems tome that the world is getting more andmore fascinating by the hour.This is why you will be seeing some

changes in the Beacon starting nextmonth. We will be introducing a new sec-tion of the paper — “Plain talk on tech” —focusing on the technologies and develop-ments that promise to make our lives bet-ter (assuming the technologies of destruc-tion don’t put an end to us first). We are conceiving this new section

broadly. Some of the stories will be thoseyou have come to expect from our Fitness& Health section or our Law & Money sec-tion, addressing an app or website or newtechnique that addresses a health or finan-cial need. Others will be written specifically for

this section, describing local initiatives andprograms that can help you learn to use(or use better) your computer, smart-phone, tablet and the like. There will also be explanatory pieces

delving into the practical side of technolo-gy: how to choose a new device, how totroubleshoot, as well as a question-and-an-swer column. And we will be bringing you interesting

information gleaned from websites, blogs

and social media sites that you might wantto visit yourself.Overall, the common thread of our new

section will be the changing technologiesthat affect how we live our lives, communi-cate with each other, interact with theworld, and express ourselves and our cre-ativity. If you’re a techno-phobe — one who

keeps your distance from new technolo-gies either because you fear you cannotlearn to use them or just feel you havenothing to gain from them — I urge you togive it a look anyway. While each articlewill address some new technology in someway, we will strive to make them as clear,readable and useful (or at least interest-ing) as we can.There’s so much more we can say. But I

will let our new section speak for itself.Please look for it next month. And let meknow what you think of it! Organizations and businesses interest-

ed in being a part of this new section areinvited to call us at (410) 248-9101.

2 More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com AUGU S T 2 0 1 4 — HOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON

BeaconThe Howard County

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

The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915(410) 248-9101 • Email: [email protected]: The Beacon welcomes reader contributions. Deadline for editorial and advertising isthe 1st of the month preceding the month of publication. See page 31 for classified advertising details.Please mail or email all submissions.

© Copyright 2014 The Beacon Newspapers, Inc.

The Beacon is a monthly newspaper dedi cated to in-form, serve, and en ter tain the citi zens of Howard County,Md. and is pri vate ly owned. Other editions serve GreaterBaltimore, Md., Greater Washington DC, and GreaterPalm Springs, Calif.Subscriptions are available via third-class mail ($12),

pre paid with order. Maryland residents add 6 percent forsales tax. Send sub scrip tion order to the office listedbelow.

Publication of advertising contained herein doesnot necessarily con sti tute en dorse ment. Signed col -umns represent the opinions of the writers, and notnecessarily the opinion of the publisher.

• Publisher/Editor ....................Stuart P. Rosenthal

• Associate Publisher..............Judith K. Rosenthal

• Vice President, Operations........Gordon Hasenei

• Director of Sales ................................Alan Spiegel

• Assistant Operations Manager ..........Roger King

• Managing Editor............................Barbara Ruben

• Graphic Designer ..............................Kyle Gregory

• Advertising Representatives ........Doug Hallock,

................................................ Steve Levin, Jill Joseph

• Editorial Assistant ........................Rebekah Sewell

• New Media Associate ..........................Kate Petersen

Awesome subjects

FROM THEPUBLISHERBy Stuart P. Rosenthal

Letters to the editorReaders are encouraged to share their opinion on any matter addressed in the Beacon as well as on political and social issues of the day. Mail your Letter to the Editor to The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD

20915, or e-mail to [email protected]. Please include your name, address and telephone number for verification.

Dear Editor:Heartfelt thanks for the $100 check in

your random drawing. I can no longer sayI’ve never won anything!

So many of us at Charlestown reallyenjoy your paper.

Peggy WixtedCatonsville, Md.

LITTLE ITALY SALUTES THE CINEMA

Since 1999, Baltimore’s Little Italy has hosted the popular Little

Italy Open Air Festival, screening both adult and family-friendly fare every Friday

night in July and August. This year’s offerings include Moonstruck, Gladiator, Sil-

ver Linings Playbook and Cinema Paradiso. Films begin at 9 p.m. Come early and

enjoy live entertainment and treats from Little Italy’s restaurants. Bring your own

lawn chair. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.promotioncenterfor-

littleitaly.org.

INFORMATION ON ADVANCE DIRECTIVES

An advance directive lets you decide who should make healthcare

decisions for you if you cannot do so yourself. You can also specify

what kind of treatments you do or do not want. For more information and advance

directive forms, contact the Maryland Attorney General’s Office at (410) 576-

7000 or www.oaf.state.md.us/health pol/directive.pdf; Caring Connections at

800-658-8898 or www.caringinfo.org; or Aging with Dignity, 800-594-7437 or

www.agingwithdignity.org.

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

Ongoing

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — A U G U S T 2 0 1 4 Say you saw it in the Beacon 3

WHEN FOOD MAKES YOU SICKWhat it means if you’re allergic, intolerant or sensitive to various foods

ANTI ANTIBIOTICSDoctors prescribe antibiotics less frequently for many good reasons

TWO FOR ONE DEALGetting cataract surgery? Consider also correcting your astigmatism

UNTANGLING ALZHEIMER’S Studies, including one recruiting locally, aim to prevent Alzheimer’s

HealthFitness &

By Dr. Michael MahrGenetically modified foods have been

around for years, but most people in theUnited States have no idea if they are eat-ing them.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration(FDA) said such foods don’t need to be la-beled, so some states are moving forwardon their own.

Vermont recently became the first stateto require labeling of genetically modifiedorganisms (GMOs). Bills and ballot initia-tives are pending in many more.

What about the rest of the country? Anddoes labeling matter?

There’s much confusion about geneti-cally modified foods and their safety. Oppo-nents, who at times have protested in thestreets, say consumers have the right toknow whether their food contains GMOs.

The food industry and companies that ge-netically engineer seeds have pushed backagainst the labeling laws, saying GMOs aresafe and labels would be misleading.

Here’s a look at the debate and some ofthe facts about genetically modified foods:

What are GMOs?Plants and animals are considered ge-

netically modified when genes copied from

other plants or animals are inserted intotheir natural DNA.

It’s not a new idea. Humans have beentinkering with genes for centuries throughselective breeding. Think dogs bred to bemore docile pets, cattle bred to be beefier,or tomatoes bred to be sweeter. Turkeyshave been bred to have bigger breasts —better for Thanksgiving dinner.

What’s different about genetically modi-fied or engineered foods is that the manip-ulation is done in a lab. There’s no need towait for nature to produce desirable genesand for farmers to breed the plants or ani-mals that have them. Engineers speed upthe process by transferring a gene fromone plant or animal to another.

What are the desired traits? Most of thenation’s corn and soybeans are geneticallyengineered to resist pests and herbicides. Apapaya in Hawaii is modified to resist a virus.

The FDA is considering an applicationfrom a Massachusetts company to approvea genetically engineered salmon thatwould grow faster than usual.

Most of the genetically modified corn andsoybeans are used in cattle feed or are madeinto ingredients such as corn oil, cornstarch, high fructose corn syrup and soy-bean oil. Only a small amount of sweet corn,

the corn we eat, is genetically modified.A few fruits and vegetables are engi-

neered — the Hawaiian papaya and somesquash and zucchini, for example. Butthere’s no genetically modified meat orfish, like the fast-growing salmon, current-ly in the market for human consumption.The FDA has yet to approve any.

Few risks foundThe vast majority of scientific research

has found genetically engineered foods tobe generally safe.

An Italian scientist’s review of 10 years ofresearch, published in 2013, concluded thatthe scientific research conducted so far hasnot detected “any significant hazard direct-ly connected with the use of GM crops.”

One French research team raised safetyquestions. But their much-criticized 2012study linking genetically modified corn torat tumors was retracted in 2013 by the sci-entific publisher, who cited weak evidencesupporting the conclusions.

Even the “food police” say GMOs aresafe. The Center for Science in the PublicInterest — a well-known critic of food com-panies and of artificial and unhealthy in-gredients in foods — has not opposed ge-netically modified foods, on the basis that

there’s no evidence they are harmful. Though what we are eating now appears

safe, the main concerns for the futurewould be new genetically engineeredfoods, from the United States or abroad,that somehow become allergenic or toxicthrough the engineering process.

The FDA said the foods they have evalu-ated to this point have not been any morelikely to cause an allergic or toxic reactionthan foods from traditionally bred plants.

The FDA is not required to approve ge-netically engineered crops for consump-tion. But most companies will go through avoluntary safety review process with FDAbefore they put them on the market.

There are clear benefits from GMOs forthe agricultural industry, such as cropsthat are engineered to ward off pests or totolerate herbicides.

Also, companies such as Monsanto,which produce modified seeds, say theirtechnologies will be needed to feed a risingworld population as they engineer crops toadapt to certain climates and terrains.

Advocates envision engineering cropsto make them more nutritious as well.

Food animals have been engineered to

The facts about genetically modified food

See GMOs, page 5

Research shows a common antidepres-sant may reduce production of one of thechief suspects behind Alzheimer’s, offeringa new avenue in the hunt for drugs to pre-vent the devastating brain disease.

It’s far too early for anyone worriedabout dementia to try the drug citalopram,which sells as the brand Celexa — andcomes with side effects.

“This is not the great new hope. This is asmall step,” cautioned Dr. Yvette Sheline ofthe University of Pennsylvania, who is lead-ing the research with Dr. John Cirrito ofWashington University in St. Louis.

Alzheimer’s is characterized by stickyplaques that form in patients’ brains 10 to 15years before the first memory symptomsare noticed. Scientists have tried treatmentsto clear away existing plaques, made of aprotein named beta-amyloid that somehowgoes awry and starts clumping together. Sofar, they haven’t had success.

The new study is a somewhat differentapproach, beginning to explore if it’s possi-ble to slow the plaque from building up byaltering the body’s production of amyloid.

Testing shows promiseFirst, researchers gave citalopram to older

mice with Alzheimer’s-like brain damage. Theanimals’ existing plaques didn’t go away, butthey quit growing. And dramatically fewernew plaques formed compared to mice givensugar water, the research team reported inthe journal Science Translational Medicine.

Next, researchers gave a single dose ofcitalopram or a placebo to 23 healthy youngadults, people who neither were depressednor old enough to have brain plaques. Testsof the volunteers’ spinal fluid over the nextday and a half showed their normal amyloidproduction dropped by 37 percent, the re-searchers reported.

It will take years of additional research to

tell if that translates into any protective ef-fect. Citalopram and similar drugs calledSSRIs alleviate depression by affecting lev-els of the brain chemical serotonin. Shelinesaid citalopram probably alters amyloid pro-duction in a completely different way.

More studies underwayIn fact, the next question is whether it’s

even possible to tamp amyloid productiondown for long periods or if the body wouldjust get used to the drug and adjust. Shelinehas begun enrolling healthy older adultsinto a study to see if using citalopram fortwo weeks has the same effect.

Alzheimer’s affects 1 in 9 people over age65, and about a third of those 85 and older,according to the Alzheimer’s Association.More than 35 million people worldwide haveAlzheimer’s or similar dementia, includingabout 5 million in the U.S. — numbers ex-pected to rise rapidly as the baby boomers

age. There is no cure, and today’s medica-tions only temporarily ease symptoms.

Scientists still don’t know exactly whatcauses Alzheimer’s. The leading theory isthat those amyloid plaques somehow startthe disease process, but that it takes anoth-er abnormal protein, named tau, to pushsomeone over the edge.

It’s crucial to investigate ways to intervenein the years before symptoms arise, saidHeather Snyder of the Alzheimer’s Associa-tion, who wasn’t involved in the new research.

Citalopram has been used to treat depres-sion for nearly two decades, but it does haveside effects and the Food and Drug Admin-istration has warned that higher doses maytrigger dangerous irregular heartbeats.

Still, separate research published earlierthis year suggested citalopram also mightcalm the agitation that people with ad-vanced Alzheimer’s can suffer.

— AP

Common drug may cut Alzheimer’s risk

Walk down the aisles of your local su-permarket, and you’ll see something youlikely wouldn’t have encountered a decadeago — shelves devoted entirely to gluten-free cereals, breads, muffins and otherfoods. Restaurants have also jumped onthe bandwagon, revising their menus to in-clude dishes without gluten, a proteinfound in wheat.

The gluten-free diet was designed forpeople with celiac disease, who can’t toler-ate any foods containing gluten becausetheir immune system reacts to it and dam-ages the small intestine in response.

Celiac disease is a very real, very un-comfortable, and potentially very seriouscondition. Left untreated, it can lead to ane-mia, osteoporosis and intestinal cancers.

About 1 percent of Americans, or 3 mil-lion people, have true celiac disease. An-other 6 percent, or 18 million people, aresensitive to gluten. Eating gluten-contain-ing foods doesn’t damage their intestines,but it can still produce gastrointestinal dis-comfort, along with symptoms likeheadaches and fatigue.

People in a third group are allergic towheat. When they’re exposed, they getmore traditional allergy symptoms —which can range from tingling around themouth, to hives, throat swelling and diffi-culty breathing.

“It’s confusing that people can have allthese different reactions to the same food,”said Dr. Ciaran Kelly, professor of medicineat Harvard Medical School and medical di-rector of the Celiac Center at Beth IsraelDeaconess Medical Center, Boston, Mass.

“It’s important to make the distinction be-tween food allergies and intolerances [seebelow], because there is a lot of confusionand there are differences in treatments,”Kelly said.

A number of foods — including wheat,milk, eggs and seafood — are notoriousfor triggering both food allergies and intol-erances. If you have symptoms when youeat certain foods, it’s important to distin-guish what kind of reaction you’re havingand which foods are triggering it.

Food intolerancesWhen you’re intolerant of a particular

food, it’s usually because your body lacksan enzyme needed to break down a com-ponent in that food (such as lactose, thesugar in milk). Or, your body might besensitive to a particular chemical or addi-tive in the food.

The process leading to food intoleranceoften starts early in life, but symptoms canbe too subtle to notice at first. “People maybecome more aware of intolerances asthey get older,” Kelly said.

Examples of food intolerance1. Lactose intolerance. Your body

can’t break down the sugar lactose be-cause your gut contains reduced levels ofthe intestinal enzyme lactase. Lactose isfound in dairy foods, such as milk or icecream. When you eat these foods, you candevelop uncomfortable gastrointestinalsymptoms like gas and diarrhea.

2. Gluten sensitivity. You have many ofthe same symptoms as someone with celiacdisease after eating wheat or other foodscontaining gluten (stomach pains, bloating,fatigue), but your immune system doesn’tproduce the blood test abnormalities seenin people with celiac disease, and there isno evidence of damage in the intestines.

3. Sensitivity to food additives. Youget symptoms like flushed skin and wheez-ing from eating additives such as sulfites(found in wine, dried fruits and cannedgoods), or headaches, palpitations ornumbness after eating foods flavored withmonosodium glutamate (MSG).

Symptoms of food intoleranceYou may be able to eat small amounts of

the food without having any reaction to it.Your symptoms will come on graduallyafter you’ve eaten a particular food.

Often, those symptoms will involve yourdigestive system — such as nausea, gas ordiarrhea. Your reaction will be uncomfort-able, but it’s usually not life-threatening.

How to deal with food intoleranceKeeping a food diary can help you iden-

tify the source of the problem. Every day,write down the foods you eat and anysymptoms that occur.

Once you pinpoint one or a few foods thatcoincide with your symptoms, you can trycutting them all out of your diet. This is called

an elimination diet. Then add one food backin every couple of days. When your symp-toms return, you’ve found the offending food.

Ask your doctor or a dietitian for helpidentifying your trigger food and eliminat-ing it from your diet.

Food allergiesA true food allergy involves your im-

mune system. Your body recognizes a nor-mally innocuous food, such as peanuts ormilk, as a potentially harmful foreign in-vader. It goes into defensive mode, produc-ing high levels of an antibody called im-munoglobulin E (IgE).

Often food allergies start when you’reyoung, but it’s not impossible for them to ap-pear for the first time later in life, Kelly said.

Examples of foods that commonlycause allergic reactions include eggs, fishand shellfish, milk, peanuts, soy, tree nuts(hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds) and wheat.

Symptoms of a food allergy1. You could have a reaction from eating

just a tiny amount of the food, or simplyfrom being around the food.

2. You may experience allergic symp-toms, such as hives, swelling and itchiness,as well as gastrointestinal symptoms, suchas abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea.

3. If your allergy is severe, you mighthave an anaphylactic reaction, which canbegin with a rash, swelling of the tongueand throat, trouble breathing, dizziness orfainting. It can be life-threatening.

How to treat a food allergySee an allergist with experience treating

food allergies. The doctor can do a skin test,placing a solution containing an extract of

Do you have a food allergy or intolerance?

4 Fitness & Health | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com A U G U S T 2 0 1 4 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

See FOOD ALLERGIES, page 5

the food just beneath the skin of your fore-arm or back. Or you may get a blood test tolook for IgE antibodies to the food.

If you have an allergy, you’ll need toavoid the food. If your allergy is severe,your doctor might also recommend thatyou carry around an epinephrine injector(EpiPen) to treat anaphylaxis.

[See also, “Natural remedies for commonallergies,” on page 13.]

Don’t shortchange your dietAvoid foods that bother you, but don’t

do a full-scale purge of your diet withoutgood cause (such as celiac disease or truefood allergies).

Because of the abundance of gluten-freefoods available, many Americans havebegun to think that all wheat and othergrain products are bad for them.

“There’s a way of thinking that gluten isan unhealthy food,” Kelly said. “Somehow,if a food is gluten-free, it’s consideredhealthier, and there’s little basis for that.”

In fact, cutting out foods like wheat, bar-ley and rye can rob your diet of nutrientssuch as fiber, calcium and B vitamins.

Going gluten-free could have a similareffect on your purse. One Canadian studyfound that gluten-free foods cost 242 per-cent more than comparable regular foods.

Work with a doctor or dietitian to create adiet that’s safe for your system, while stillhealthy and well rounded.

— Harvard Women’s Health Watch© 2014. President and Fellows of Harvard

College. All Rights Reserved. Distributed byTribune Content Agency, LLC.

be bred to be free of diseases, be cleanerin their environments, or grow more effi-ciently, though none has yet been ap-proved in the United States.

Should GMOs be labeled? There is an escalating political fight be-

tween labeling advocates and the food in-dustry.

In the absence of a federal labeling stan-

dard, GMO opponents have gone to thestates to try to get a patchwork of labelinglaws approved. That could eventually forcea national standard.

Ballot measures in California and Wash-ington state failed, but the legislative effortprevailed in Vermont. Maine and Connecti-cut have passed laws requiring labels, butthey don’t take effect unless other statesfollow suit. The food industry has said itwill challenge the Vermont law in court.

The state efforts aren’t slowing down.According to the National Conference of

State Legislatures, there are 85 pendingGMO labeling bills in 29 states.

In Congress, the food industry is push-ing a House bill that would head off effortsto enact mandatory labeling of geneticallymodified ingredients by proposing newvoluntary labels nationwide — an attempt-ed end run around the state-by-state laws.

Currently, the FDA said labeling of ge-netically modified foods isn’t needed be-cause their nutritional content is the sameas nonv-GMO varieties.

Consumers increasingly are interested

in what is in their food, including GMOs. Labeling proponents say it’s about trans-

parency, not technology. They say there isprecedent, like orange juice labels that saywhether the juice is from concentrate.

David Ropeik, the author of the bookHow Risky Is It, Really? Why Our FearsDon’t Always Match the Facts, said hethinks the food industry should endorselabeling so it can move past the debate.

“By supporting labeling, companieswould say, `There’s no risk, we have noth-ing to hide,” he said. — AP

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — A U G U S T 2 0 1 4 Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health 5

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GMOsFrom page 3

Food allergiesFrom page 4

“CONDUCTORCISE” TRAINING OFFEREDArea seniors are invited to a training session with Maestro DavidDworkin, founder of Conductorcise, an upper body workout com-

bined with classical music on Tuesday, Aug. 26 at First Evangelical LutheranChurch, 3604 Chatham Rd., Ellicott City. Sponsored by the Lutheran Village atMiller’s Grant, the free program is designed to improve muscle tone, strengthenthe heart and relieve stress. For more information and to register, visitwww.MillersGrant.org or call 1-877-900-6618.

EAT YOUR VEGGIESA free program explaining the many health benefits of fresh veg-etables and tips on how to prepare them will be held on Thursday,Aug. 21 from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Elkridge Senior Center, 6540

Washington Blvd., Elkridge. For more information, call (410) 313-5192.

BEACON BITS

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Q: I’m generally very healthy, butwhen I get bronchitis, the cough usu-ally lasts two weeks. I used to get anantibiotic. My new doctor says I don’tneed one. Is that right?

A: Yes, your doctor is correct in not pre-scribing an antibiotic. Antibiotics do notmake bronchitis symptoms less severe orhelp them go away sooner. We know thatbased on strong evidence from many studies.

Bronchitis is inflammation of thebronchial tubes (bronchi) that connect thewindpipe (trachea) to the lungs. It’s almostalways caused by a virus. Antibiotics areuseless against a viral infection.

The main symptom of bronchitis iscoughing. It can be a dry hack, but it mayalso produce phlegm (sputum), which can

be clear, yellow or green. Wheezing andchest tightness sometimes occur if inflam-mation has narrowed the bronchi.

For many people, these symptoms per-sist for two to three weeks. And it’s under-standable why patients still ask their doc-tors for an antibiotic. The cough from bron-chitis can be a constant nuisance and anembarrassment. It can prevent you fromgetting a good night’s sleep. Over-the-counter cough medicine doesn’t do much.

Many people remain convinced that an an-tibiotic gets them better faster. But the reali-ty is the cough and other symptoms wouldlast just as long with or without an antibiotic.

That’s not the same as saying there areno helpful treatments. Some ways to easethe symptoms of acute bronchitis include:

1. Get warm, moist air into the bronchi.Take hot showers or use a humidifier.

2. Get enough rest. You can still go towork or school. But schedule some downtime for yourself every day, and more timefor sleep at night.

3. Try an over-the-counter cough remedy.None of them work wonders, but you mightfind one that helps. It could be simple coughdrops. Ask your pharmacist for advice.

4. Consider asking your doctor for an in-haler to open the bronchi. It’s similar towhat people with asthma use. This canlessen the cough and ease the wheeze.

It can be hard to resist asking your doc-tor for an antibiotic. But you’re actuallydoing yourself a favor if you don’t. Antibi-otics won’t help, and you always run therisk of a major side effect from an antibiot-ic, such as diarrhea that lasts for weeks, ora rash that can be life-threatening.

Q: I share an apartment with anoth-er woman. She was told by her doctorthat she has a MRSA skin infection.What’s MRSA? Should I take an antibi-otic for protection?

A: MRSA stands for methicillin-resist-ant Staphylococcus aureus. It’s a type ofstaph bacteria.

When antibiotics were first invented,penicillin could kill this germ. But over timeit developed resistance to penicillin. Thatmeans penicillin could no longer kill it.

A newer antibiotic called methicillin wasdeveloped that could kill penicillin-resist-ant staph. But the bacteria developed re-sistance to methicillin, too.

MRSA behaves much like other staph. Itusually exists in the nose or on the skinwithout causing disease. But all staph bac-teria have the potential to cause trouble,from boils and other mild skin infections tolife-threatening lung and blood infections.

There are things you and your room-mate can do to prevent MRSA from gettingonto surfaces in your home, onto yourskin, and in your nose. But taking an an-tibiotic is not one of them; that won’t be ef-fective. And it could lead to you carryingan even more resistant bug.

Here are some preventive tips for bothof you:

1. Wash your hands often and thorough-ly throughout the day with soap and water.

2. Carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer(for times when you can’t wash your hands).

3. Don’t share personal items such as ra-zors, towels, sheets and athletic clothingor equipment.

4. Keep cuts or scrapes clean. Coverthem with a bandage.

5. Shower after you work out.6. Wash your gym clothes every time

you wear them.7. Wash sheets and towels in hot water.

Dry them in a hot dryer.— Howard LeWine, M.D., a practicing

internist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital,Boston, Mass., and Chief Medical Editor ofInternet Publishing at Harvard Health Pub-lications, Harvard Medical School.

©2014. President and Fellows of Har-vard College. All Rights Reserved. Distrib-uted by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Why don’t I get antibiotics like I used to?6 Fitness & Health | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com A U G U S T 2 0 1 4 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

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By Dr. Michael MahrDear Mayo Clinic: I need to have

cataract surgery, but I also have astig-matism. Is it possible to have themboth fixed at the same time? If so,what will the recovery be like?

Answer: In many cases, it is possible tocorrect astigmatism during cataract sur-gery. The specific technique for how it’sdone depends on your individual situation.

It is typically a straightforward proce-dure that minimizes the need for eyeglass-es. Recovery usually is brief. Most peoplecan return to their daily activities a day orso after surgery.

A cataract affects the natural lens insideyour eye. The lens is positioned behind thecolored part of your eye, called the iris. It fo-cuses light that passes into your eye, pro-ducing clear, sharp images on the retina.

Normally, the eye’s lens is transparentand clear. When the lens becomes cloudy,that’s a cataract. Cataract surgery involvesremoving the clouded lens and replacing itwith a plastic lens implant. The replace-ment lens sits in the same place your natu-ral lens had been.

The artificial lens placed during cataractsurgery can provide correction, if needed,for either distance or close-up vision. Tocorrect astigmatism requires a few moresteps.

Rather than affecting the lens of the eye,as nearsightedness and farsightedness do,astigmatism usually affects the eye’scornea — the dome-shaped transparenttissue at the front of the eye.

The cornea functions as a type of frontwindow for your eye. Normally, the corneais shaped like a basketball. With astigma-tism, the shape of the cornea is skewed,and it’s more like a football. Astigmatismblurs vision at all distances.

To correct astigmatism during cataractsurgery, a surgeon can change the shapeof the cornea with the incisions made inthe cornea during surgery, so it becomesshaped more like a basketball, matchingthe implanted lens and improving vision.

An alternative approach is to use a lensthat has a football-like shape similar to thecornea, but to implant it in an orientationopposite to that of the cornea’s shape. Thattype of lens placement negates the effectof the misshapen cornea and reduces thevision problems of astigmatism.

Your surgeon can determine which ap-proach is best for you based on an evalua-tion of your eye prior to cataract surgery.

Rarely, astigmatism can result from aproblem in the natural lens. When thathappens, cataract surgery alone will cor-rect astigmatism without any further inter-vention. If this is the case for you, your sur-

geon will be able to determine that beforeyour surgery takes place.

In almost all cases, cataract surgery isan outpatient procedure that takes lessthan 20 minutes. Astigmatism correctiongenerally adds just a few more minutes tothat time.

After surgery, your surgeon places ashield and patch on your eye, which need toremain in place for less than 24 hours. Oncethe patch and shield are removed, mostpeople can return to their usual activities.

A return appointment is scheduled for

several weeks after surgery to check theeyeglass prescription. Usually no furtherfollow-up visits are needed.

Talk to your eye surgeon about your in-terest in correcting your astigmatism dur-ing cataract surgery. The options availablefor doing so are safe and, for many people,they offer a reliable way to improve vision.

— Michael Mahr, M.D., is an ophthalmol-ogist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

©2014 Mayo Foundation for Medical Ed-ucation and Research. All Rights Reserved.Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Cataract surgery that fixes astigmatismH O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — A U G U S T 2 0 1 4 Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health 7

FREE BLOOD PRESSURE SCREENING Howard County General Hospital will offer free blood pressure

screening and monitoring on Thursdays Aug. 7 and Aug. 21 from 10 a.m. to noon

at the Bain Center, 5470 Ruth Keaton Way, Columbia. For more information, call

the center at (410) 313-7213.

CONSIDERING WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY?The Johns Hopkins Center for Bariatric Surgery is offering a free

program on weight loss surgery on Tuesday, Aug. 26 from 5 to

6:30 p.m. at the Howard County General Hospital Wellness Center, 10710

Charter Dr., Columbia. For more information, visit

hopkinsmedicine.org/jhbmc/bariatrics or call (410) 550-5669.

BEACON BITS

Aug. 7+

Aug. 26

By Heidi GodmanHistory is repeating itself in my family.

My mother has Parkinson’s disease, andmy father is her caregiver. Forty yearsago, my mom was the caregiver for herown mother, who had advanced Parkin-son’s disease and dementia.

I didn’t know my grandmother beforeshe became frail and sick, but I knew thather children adored her. They couldn’tbear to place her in a nursing home, sothey took six-month turns caring for her intheir own homes.

Every day, my mother would bathe mygrandmother, dress her, feed her and makesure she took her medications. She had noadditional help and no support from mygrandmother’s doctors. It was exhaustingfor my mother, and I felt her anguish.

That was in the mid-1970s, when being acaregiver wasn’t a defined role. Now it’s socommonplace that researchers study care-giving.

They estimate that 43.5 million people inthe U.S. provide in-home, long-term care forolder adult family members with a chronic

illness. There’s even an entire industry ofservices tailored to “aging in place.”

Caregivers on their ownBut despite the awareness of these

roles, and the support services now avail-able, the attention paid to caregivers isn’tmuch different from when I was a kid. Infact, a report published in March in theJournal of the American Medical Associa-tion (JAMA) finds that many physiciansoverlook caregiver burden.

“Most physicians haven’t been trainedto ask patients about it, and it’s a new clini-cal habit that you have to consciouslyadopt and work on,” said Dr. Anne Fabiny,a geriatrician and medical editor of “Care-giver’s Handbook,” a Special Health Re-port from Harvard Medical School.

The authors of the JAMA study found

that caregivers are typically women whospend about 20 to 40 hours a week provid-ing care. They also found that most care-givers feel abandoned and unrecognizedby the healthcare system.

Spousal caregivers face greater chal-lenges than caregivers helping a parent fora variety of reasons, one of which is thatthey tend to be older.

Of these caregivers, 32 percent have ahigh caregiver burden. There’s no medicalclassification for “caregiver burden,” butit’s generally known as the toll that care-giving takes on a person. It can manifest inmany ways — including physical ailments,mental illness, social isolation and financialproblems.

“Caregivers get depressed. Then they

Too many caregivers try to go it alone8 Fitness & Health | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com A U G U S T 2 0 1 4 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

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“CROP SWAP” OF SURPLUS FOOD Gardeners who have raised too much of one crop are encouraged

to bring extra produce to trade for a different crop from other atten-

dees at a “crop swap” on Saturday, Aug. 16 from 11 a.m. to noon at the Miller

Branch Library, 9421 Frederick Rd., Ellicott City. Leftovers will be donated to the

Howard County Food Bank. For more details, call the library at (410) 313-1950.

MAKE YOUR OWN JEWELRY Learn to design and create a necklace and matching bracelet in a

class on Friday, July 25 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Elkridge

Senior Center, 6540 Washington Blvd., Elkridge. Class fee is $5 per person; sup-

plies not included. For more information and to register, call the center at (410)

313-5192.

See CAREGIVERS, page 11

FREE SENIOR ADMISSION TO THE FAIR

The Howard County Fair will offer free admission to adults age 62

or more, plus free bingo on Tuesday, Aug. 5 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Howard

County Fairgrounds, 2210 Fairgrounds Rd., West Friendship. For more information,

call (410) 313-6410.

JAMES ROUSE EXHIBIT AT MALL

An exhibit of items chronicling the life and legacy of Columbia

founder James Rouse will be on display on Monday, Aug. 11

through Saturday, Aug. 24 at the Columbia Mall, 10300 Little Patuxent Pkwy.,

Columbia. Additional Rouse memorabilia is on display during his 100th birthday

anniversary year at the Columbia Archives in the American City Building at

10227 Wincopin Circle, Columbia. For more information, visit

[email protected] or call (410) 715-3103.

BEACON BITS

Aug. 5

Aug. 11

Aug. 16BEACON BITS

July 25

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By Lauran NeergaardHow old is too old for a colonoscopy? A surprising number of people older

than 75 haven’t ever been screened forcolon cancer. And in a recent report, re-searchers say that it’s not too late for themto get caught up. Some may even considerscreening into their 80s.

Colon cancer screening is powerful.The American Cancer Society recently cal-culated that, over the past decade, newcases of colon cancer dropped significantlyamong middle-aged and older adults,thanks largely to increasing use of colono-scopies that allow removal of precancer-ous growths before tumors have time toform.

Here are some things we have learnedfrom the latest research on colon cancerscreening:

National guidelines recommend regularchecks starting at age 50 and going up toage 75. Nearly two-thirds in this age grouphave been appropriately screened forcolon cancer, according to the latest gov-ernment estimates.

Those guidelines don’t recommend rou-tine screening after age 75. After all, acolonoscopy that delivers good news isn’tsupposed to be repeated for 10 years, be-cause it takes so long for those precancer-ous polyps to become dangerous. Average

life expectancy for an 80-year-old is eightto 10 years.

But the guidelines don’t address the 23percent of Americans over 75 who some-how missed out on screenings when theywere a bit younger, before a colon check inyour 50s and 60s had become the norm.

First-time screenings at 86?Researchers at Erasmus University in

the Netherlands and New York’s MemorialSloan Kettering Cancer Center examinedwhether it’s worth starting screening late inlife, when most people already have at leasta few other health problems, such as heartdisease, that could affect whether detectingan early-stage colon cancer prolongs life.

They used computer modeling to com-pare the potential effects of different colonchecks on 10 million previously un-screened people ages 76 to 90.

They found that someone who’s veryhealthy should consider some form ofscreening up to age 86. But even a personwith severe health problems could benefitfrom a first-time check up to age 80, the teamreported in Annals of Internal Medicine.

In the healthiest patients, a colonoscopywas the most effective choice up to age 83,while a stool test was the better choice for85- and 86-year-olds, the researchers found.

The results are a bit surprising, said Dr.

Richard C. Wender, the American CancerSociety’s chief of cancer control.

“Our sense was, if we’re going to screenbeyond age 75, it should only be in veryhealthy people,” said Wender, who wasn’tpart of the new study. “This model I thinkwill help us give clearer advice to the public.”

Certainly screen at 50+About 137,000 Americans will be diag-

nosed with colorectal cancer this year, thecancer society estimates. About 50,000colon cancer patients will die.

Upper age limits aside, public health of-ficials say not enough of the 50-and-oldercrowd get potentially life-saving checks.The cancer society’s new campaign aimsfor a screening rate of 80 percent, up fromtwo-thirds, by 2018.

“If you’re polyp-free at 70, we have sodramatically reduced your likelihood of a

death from colon cancer, you probablydon’t need to ever think about it again,”Wender said.

With a colonoscopy, doctors use a longflexible tube to examine the colon and re-move any polyps. While only needed oncea decade, it can be uncomfortable and isthe priciest form of screening.

Studies show a home stool test doneevery year can be equally effective. (Athird choice, sigmoidoscopy, uses a tubeto examine the lower colon. It isn’t com-monly used in the U.S.)

In the new study, stool testing was a bet-ter value for the oldest patients because ittargets larger polyps “that have a shorterperiod of time before they become a realthreat,” Wender explained.

But individual preference matters:“There’s a test out there for everybody,”he said. — AP

Almost never too old for a colonoscopyH O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — A U G U S T 2 0 1 4 Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health 9

BREAST CANCER SUPPORT GROUP

A discussion and support group for persons with breast cancer

will meet on Wednesday, Aug. 20 at 7 p.m. at the Howard County General

Hospital Wellness Center, 10710 Charter Dr., Columbia. To register or for more

information, call Mary P. Dowling at (410) 740-5858.

BEACON BITS

Aug. 20

Learn more by calling (410) 997-0610 or visit www.cogsmd.org

PLaTiNuM MEMbErHoward County General Hospital – A Member of Johns Hopkins Medicine

The Beacon NewspapersGoLD MEMbErS

Being There Senior Care, LLC • Howard County Office on AgingSiLvEr MEMbErS

Brooke Grove Retirement Village • Carney, Kelehan, Bresler, Bennett & Scherr, LLPCopper Ridge – EMA • Deborah L. Herman, CPA • Oasis Senior Advisors

The Bob Lucido Team of Keller Williams Select RealtorsbroNzE MEMbErS

Earl Wilkinson, M.D., ENT • Gentiva Health Services • Home Instead Senior CareHomewatch CareGivers • Lighthouse Senior Living Village at Ellicott City

Paladin Advisor Group • Professional Healthcare Resources, Inc.

PaTroN MEMbErSAlzheimer’s Association – Greater MD Chapter • Candle Light Funeral Home by Craig Witzke

Home Call of Maryland • Home With You Senior Care • Ivy Manor Normandy, Inc.New Life Assisted Living • Right At Home In Home Care & Assistance • Visiting Angels

Thank you to our 2014 Executive Members

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

Coalition of Geriatric Services

September MeetingNetworking ExtravaganzaDate: Wednesday, September 24, 2014Time: 8:30 – 10:00 a.m.

Location: Oasis Senior Advisors7230 Lee Deforest Drive, Suite 200, Columbia, MD 21043

Topic: Networking Extravaganza

By Lauran Neergaard In one of the most ambitious attempts yet

to thwart Alzheimer’s disease, a major studygot underway in June to see if an experimen-tal drug can protect healthy seniors whosebrains harbor silent signs that they’re at risk.

Scientists plan to eventually scan thebrains of thousands of older volunteers inthe U.S., Canada and Australia to find those

with a sticky build-up believed to play a keyrole in development of Alzheimer’s. It willbe the first time so many people withoutmemory problems get the chance to learnthe potentially troubling news.

Having lots of that gunky protein calledbeta-amyloid doesn’t guarantee someonewill develop dementia. But the big ques-tion: Could intervening early make a dif-

ference for those who do harbor it? “We have to get them at the stage when

we can save their brains,” said Dr. ReisaSperling of Boston’s Brigham and Women’sHospital and Harvard Medical School, whois leading the huge effort to find out.

Study at HopkinsResearchers are just beginning to re-

cruit volunteers. Locally, Johns HopkinsUniversity is participating.

The first volunteer in the trial, PeterBristol, 70, of Wakefield, R.I., figured hewas at risk because his mother died ofAlzheimer’s and his brother has it.

“I felt I needed to be proactive in seekingwhatever therapies might be available formyself in the coming years,” said Bristol,who said he was prepared when a PETscan of his brain showed he harboredenough amyloid to qualify for the research.

“Just because I have [amyloid] doesn’tmean I’m going to get Alzheimer’s,” hestressed. But Bristol and his wife are “goinginto the situation with our eyes wide open.“

He won’t know until the end of the so-called A4 Study — it stands for Anti-Amy-loid Treatment in Asymptomatic

Alzheimer’s — whether he receivedmonthly infusions of the experimentalmedicine, Eli Lilly & Co.’s solanezumab, ora placebo (dummy drug).

Curbing amyloidSolanezumab is designed to help catch

amyloid before it builds into the brainplaques that are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s.It failed in earlier studies to treat full-blownAlzheimer’s — but it did appear to helpslow mental decline in patients with milddisease, raising interest in testing it earlier.

Scientists now think Alzheimer’s beginsravaging the brain at least a decade beforememory problems appear, much like heartdisease is triggered by quiet cholesterolbuild-up. Many believe the best chance ofpreventing, or at least slowing, the diseaserequires intervening, somehow, when peo-ple still appear healthy.

The $140 million study, funded by theNational Institutes of Health, Lilly and oth-ers, will track if participants’ memory andamyloid levels change over three years.

Whether this particular drug works or


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Do You ExperienceMemory Problems?

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

Volunteer for study to prevent Alzheimer’s

ASK A MASTER GARDENERUniversity of Maryland Extension and Howard County Master

Gardeners discuss gardening questions and concerns at the Miller Branch Library

on Mondays from 7 to 8:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon (except holi-

day weekends). No registration is required. The library is located at 9421

Frederick Rd., Ellicott City. Call (410) 313-1950 for more information.

CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE BOOK GROUPDiscuss recent novels on the first Monday of the month from 7 to

8:30 p.m. at the Glenwood Branch Library. The book for the Aug.

4 discussion is The Emperor’s Children by Claire Messud. The library is located at

2350 State Route 97, Cooksville. For more information, call (410) 313-5577.

See ALZHEIMER’S STUDY, page 11

July 21+BEACON BITS

Aug. 4+

neglect their own health or they miss doctorappointments because they can’t extractthemselves from their caregiving role,”Fabiny said. “They just don’t have support,so things like exercising, getting enoughsleep or engaging in a social life all fall away,“

How physicians can helpThe JAMA study cites cases of elderly

caregivers who are so distraught that theytry to commit suicide just to get out of thesituation.

The authors of the JAMA report and oth-ers are urging physicians to help preventor reduce mounting desperation amongcaregivers by playing a part in assessingthe caregiver’s health during regular clinicvisits for the person who is chronically ill.

Physicians can evaluate the caregiver byasking:

1. How are you coping with these re-sponsibilities?

2. How would you describe your qualityof life these days?

3. How often do you get out?4. Do you have your own physician?The answers can help physicians direct

caregivers to various services and supportsystems. These include:

1. Respite for the caregiver, in the formof a home companion or an adult daycareprogram for the patient;

2. Help with non-medical services, suchas housekeeping and cooking;

3. Counseling about caregiver stressand its consequences, from either a thera-pist or support group;

4. Training so the caregiver learns howto care for her or his loved one without in-jury, such as learning how to lift the per-son without suffering back strain.

It’s the type of support that would haveeased my mother’s burden when I was a

kid. And it’s especially important to menow that my parents are in a spousal-care-giver relationship.

I might worry about my father, a princewho never complains, except that the situ-ation is a little different this time around.

First, my mother is not as ill as mygrandmother was. Second, my parentshave me, a bossy health reporter, who isaware of support options and quick toarrange them. Not everyone has that kindof inside scoop.

So I’m grateful that the medical commu-nity is stepping up to the plate and shiningthe spotlight on caregiver wellness.

“The person you’re caring for is only asgood as you are, and if you don’t take care ofyourself, you can’t take care of the person you

love and are responsible for,” Fabiny said.The “Caregiver’s Handbook” includes a

detailed questionnaire to help caregiversidentify problems and solutions for theircaregiving situations. It also offers sugges-tions for legal and financial planning, andtips for taking care of yourself as the care-giver — with emphasis on your own healthand remembering to exercise, eat right,and see friends and family.

To order the “Caregiver’s Handbook” for$20, visit www.health.harvard.edu/spe-cial_health_reports/caregivers-handbook.

Heidi Godman is Executive Editor of theHarvard Health Letter.

©2014. President and Fellows of HarvardCollege. All Rights Reserved. Distributed byTribune Content Agency, LLC.

not, the Alzheimer’s study is being watchedclosely as a chance to learn more abouthow amyloid works, and how people handlethe uncertainty of knowing it’s there.

“Amyloid we know is a huge risk fac-tor, but someone can have a head full ofamyloid and not decline” mentally, Sper-ling said. “We need to understand moreabout why some brains are resilient andsome are not.”

Who can take part? Before any brain scans, interested 65- to

85-year-olds will undergo cognitive tests tobe sure their memory is normal. Volun-teers also must be willing to learn theiramyloid levels, and researchers can turnaway those whose psychological assess-ments suggest they may not cope well withthe news.

The study seeks to enroll 1,000 adults whohave an “elevated“ level of amyloid plaque intheir brain. Physicians and researchers willuse an imaging test called a PET scan to de-termine whether a potential participant hasevidence of this plaque buildup.

During the study, participants will be

monitored for anxiety or distress. “It isbreaking new ground,“ said Dr. Laurie Ryanof the NIH’s National Institute on Aging.“We really do have to understand how[knowing they have plaques] affects peo-ple.“

Sperling expects to screen more than5,000 healthy seniors to find the needed1,000 participants.

The study lasts for three years, and par-ticipants will be required to visit the clinicalresearch site once a month for monitoringand memory tests. Participants will be ran-domly assigned to receive either the inves-tigational drug or a placebo.

Volunteers who do not show evidence ofelevated amyloid in their brains (and aretherefore not eligible for the study) may beasked to participate in a separate study.This group will not take any drug or place-bo, but will complete the same memorytests every six months to compare changesin cognition over time.

For more information about the study,contact Sarah Woody at Johns Hopkins at(410) 550-9054 or [email protected].

Also see the study’s website atwww.a4study.org.

— AP (with additional reporting byBarbara Ruben)


CaregiversFrom page 8

Alzheimer’s studyFrom page 10

SUNSET SERENADES WRAP UP SUMMER

The Wednesday night concerts sponsored by the Department of

Recreation and Parks conclude with performances at 7 p.m. by the all-female rock

band Wicked Jezebel on Wednesday, Aug. 6, and Proverbs Reggae Band on

Wednesday, Aug. 13 at Centennial Park South, 10000 Rt. 108, Ellicott City. Concerts

are free, but a $3 parking donation is requested. Canoes are available for rental; lawn

space is open for picnickers. For additional information, call (410) 313-4635.

BEACON BITS

Aug. 6+

if interested call: 410-605-7179 & Mention code: LiFT atBaltimore VA/University of Maryland Gerontology Recruitment Line

*You must be at least 65 years old and in good health*Participants will be seen at the Baltimore VA Medical Center and

University of Maryland School of Medicine*You will attend approximately 41 visits for 1 to 4 hours each per visit

CALL TODAY!

Want to Prevent Falls in the Elderly?Seeking Men and Women to participate in a research study

at the University of Maryland &Veterans Affairs of Baltimore to better understand balance and the

prevention of falls in aging individuals.You will receive:

• Health evaluation• Balance, step, strength, and/or flexibility exercises

• Compensation for your time

COMMUNITY AMENITIES• Beautiful club room with theatreand demonstration kitchen

• Salon• Indoor saltwater pool• Yoga studio & classes• Bingo, and many moreplanned activities

• Movie theatre & Billiards room• Business center – 24 hours• Incredible courtyard and meditation garden with koi pond and gazebo

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Regency Crest is an extraordinarily carefree community because ofthe convenient lifestyle enjoyed by those who live here. We go theextra mile to provide our residents with distinctive amenities andservice that cannot be found in ordinary active adult communities.

3305 Oak West DriveEllicott City, MD 21043855.446.1131

www.RegencySeniorApartments.comPLANNED ACTIVITIES SUCH ASWATER AEROBICS, RESIDENT MIXERS, COOKING CLASSES, ZUMBA, MOVIE NIGHTS, BBQ’S AND MANY MORE!

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Q: Are there foods or nutrients thatcan protect my skin from damage dueto sun exposure?

A: There is no substitute forprotecting yourself from UVlight, which is one of the mostimportant factors in the devel-opment of both melanoma andnon-melanoma skin cancer.

There are a handful of in-triguing lab studies on howcertain food components mayoffer UV protection, but fornow, there’s no clear evi-dence.

Cell and animal studies,and small human trials, sug-gest foods rich in lycopene(tomatoes, watermelon, papaya, pink orred grapefruit), as well as dark green leafyvegetables and deep orange vegetablesand fruits (including spinach, kale, broc-coli, carrots and cantaloupe) might helpprotect skin with long-term consumption.

Laboratory studies have also shown po-tential protection from compounds in theherb rosemary and the spice turmeric(which is part of curry powder). But wedon’t have studies in humans yet to showwhether amounts we get from enjoyingthem as seasonings makes a difference insun protection.

Green tea contains a compound calledEGCG studied for its cancer-preventive po-

tential. Researchers are look-ing at whether it may offerprotection against UV rays.

Finally, there are somestudies looking at whetheromega-3 fatty acids, found insome types of fish, might linkto lower risk for skin cancers.

Evidence is not strongenough to think that any ofthese foods provide protectionfor your skin. However, mak-ing a variety of vegetables andfruits a major part of everymeal is a move already recom-mended for lower overall can-

cer risk, and fish seems to support hearthealth.

But nothing replaces the protection youget from limiting your skin’s exposure toUV light (both from sunlight and from tan-ning beds) through limited time in the sunand by using sunscreen.

Q: I’d like to eat avocados moreoften, but I have trouble getting themat the right stage of ripeness and usingthem before they turn mushy. What’sthe secret?

A: Avocados, like most fruit, do have adistinct period in which they are best to

use. Color may change with ripeness, butthe best indicator of ripeness is by feel: aripe avocado yields to gentle pressure, butis not mushy.

If you happen to find a ripe avocado atthe grocery store or farmers’ market, andyou are ready to use it in the next day orso, that’s great.

However, don’t hesitate to buy too-firmavocados. To ripen avocados, store them atroom temperature. Normally they willripen in four to five days at about 65 to 75degrees; in extra hot weather, they willlikely ripen faster. Refrigerate to ripenmore slowly, or to hold your avocados twoor three days after they’ve reached desiredsoftness.

If you’d like to use firm avocados soon-er, put them in a brown paper bag with oneof the following fruits: apple, banana,peach, pear, kiwi, plum or papaya. All thesefruits produce and give off ethylene gas, aplant hormone that triggers the ripeningprocess.

Once your avocado is ripe, if you useonly half of it, sprinkle the remaining halfwith lemon or lime juice (or even orangejuice in a pinch), then cover tightly withplastic wrap to reduce exposure to air, and

refrigerate. It will still be good the nextday; if there is a trace of browning, justscrape it off and enjoy the rest of the fruit.

You can also mash or puree ripe avoca-do with lemon or lime juice (about one totwo teaspoons per avocado half) andfreeze for later use in guacamole or otherdips or salad dressings.

As long as you watch your portion sizeto control calories, avocados make a greataddition to many dishes. Although avoca-dos contain fat, saturated fat is very low.The vast majority of the fat consists of mo-nounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat(sometimes called MUFA and PUFA),both of which are healthful fats. And sodi-um content is zero.

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

Can foods protect you from skin cancer?

NUTRITIONWISEBy Karen Collins, MS, RD, CDM


If you, or a loved one, is Deaf, hard of hearing, Deaf-Blind, or have difficulty speaking, Maryland Relay offers many calling options to keep you connected by phone.

You may also qualify for a free assistive device through the Maryland Accessible Telecommunications program.

More ways to say “I love you.”

Calling Options

Just dial 7-1-1 to make a Relay call. Visit mdrelay.org to learn more.

800-552-7724 (Voice/TTY)443-453-5970 (VP)

TTY (Text Telephone)Voice Carry-Over Hearing Carry-OverSpeech-to-SpeechCaptioned TelephoneSpanish Relay

ARMCHAIR TOUR OF REGIONAL LIGHTHOUSES

Corey Talbott, from the United States Lighthouse Society

Chesapeake Chapter, will show slides and discuss the Lighthouses of the Mid-

Atlantic Region on Friday, Aug. 15 at 12:45 p.m. at the Arbutus Senior Center,

855 A Sulphur Spring Rd. RSVP by Aug. 12 to (410) 887-1410.

YOGA FOR STROKE SURVIVORS

This ongoing class at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center

(GBMC) is offered Mondays from 9 to 11 a.m. and Fridays 9 to 10:30 a.m., in the

Civiletti Conference Center. Call or email Kelli Bethel at (410) 302-7603 or

[email protected] for more information. GBMC is located at 6701 N.

Charles St. in Towson.

BEACON BITS

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Dear Pharmacist:I take loratadine because of my aller-

gies to pollen and grass. Is that thebest antihistamine, and arethere natural alternatives?

— S.M.Dear S.M.:

I like loratadine (Claritin)when it comes to choosing anti-histamines because it’s not se-dating. I take it on occasion, andI break the 10 mg. tablets inhalf, to get 5 mg. daily, becausethat works for me and doesn’tdry me up as much. I use plaintablets, because you can’t breakthe long-acting ones.

Diphenhydramine is anoth-er popular antihistamine, but it’s very se-dating. So take it at night, and expect amorning hangover.

These antihistamines — and alsoZyrtec, Allegra and Chlor-trimeton — areconstipating. Well, of course! They’re in-tended to dry you, so they dry up every-thing!

Ask your practitioner about some of thefollowing natural options and home reme-dies, which also help:

Probiotics (top of the list): Numerouswell-designed clinical trials, including onein the European Journal of Clinical Nutri-

tion, show that probiotics reduce allergysymptoms. In this particular trial, the par-ticipants noticed a reduction in hay fever

symptoms, but it took a coupleof months of daily supplemen-tation to see results.

Another interesting studyfound that babies born tomothers who supplementedwith probiotics had fewerproblems with allergies andasthma. The results were notas supportive if the babieswere started on probioticsafter birth, so tell friends andfamily to take their probioticsbefore and during pregnancy.

Quercetin: This is a pig-ment found in plants and citrus. It’s also apotent natural antihistamine in high doses,like 500 mg. two to three times daily. Thissmacks down histamine, the chemical thattriggers the assault, all the sneezing andbloodshot, itchy eyes. Vitamin C can besubstituted.

Green tea: This improves your chanceto fight against germs, and it reduces his-tamine and inflammatory chemicals(called cytokines).

Butterbur: This is the same herbal ex-tract I’ve talked about for migraine preven-tion, and guess what? It is also useful for al-

lergies, and for the same reason. It reduces leukotrienes, which are com-

pounds that upset your body, just like his-tamine. Leukotrienes are the chemicalsthat actually sustain the misery, theswelling and inflammation, the stuffinessin your nose and so forth.

Rather than get addicted to those nasalsprays, you can just reduce the productionof the compounds with Butterbur. It’s soldat health food stores nationwide as well asonline, like all the other supplementsabove.

Steam inhalation: I love easy! Heat upwater in a pot, and carefully inhale thewarm steam (add a drop of eucalyptus oil)to the water.

Eye wash: Every home should have

this in case a household cleanser splashesin your eye. It’s sold at pharmacies and on-line, from various brands, includingBausch & Lomb. Rinsing your hot, redeyes feels amazing. Then you can put acool compress on it. Try not to scratch!

Natural Similasin Allergy Eye Relief eyedrops are soothing, and you can also askfor a prescription for Zaditor (ketotofin)antihistamine eye drops.

This information is opinion only. It is notintended to treat, cure or diagnose your con-dition. Consult with your doctor before usingany new drug or supplement.

Suzy Cohen is a registered pharmacistand the author of The 24-Hour Pharmacistand Real Solutions from Head to Toe. Tocontact her, visit www.SuzyCohen.com.

Natural remedies for common allergies

DEAR PHARMACISTBy Suzy Cohen


KNIT ONE, READ TOO

Quilt, knit and get a sneak peek at books on needlecrafts,

including works of fiction, at the Central Branch Library on the third Wednesday

of the month from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in a group called Crafty Readers. The library is

located at 10375 Little Patuxent Pkwy., Columbia. Call (410) 313-7800 for

more information.

BEACON BITS

July 23+

Gemini Piano Trio | Thursday, July 24 • 7:30pm Tom Glenn | Tuesday, July 29 • 7:30pm Happy Hour | Wednesday, August 13 • 3:00pm Health Talk with Dr. Lazris | Friday, August 15 • 11:00am Martha Kumar “White House Communications”Monday, August 18 • 2:00pm

Call Jennifer at 410-988-3957 to reserve your spot.Space is limited call today. Ask about our new Free Signature Club Membership to receive special invitations to Vantage House Events.

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Dear Solutions:My husband is a pessimist. He calls

me a crazy optimist because I alwayswant to at least try things.

It’s true that a lot of timeshe’s right to be pessimistic,but not always. I often goalong with what he says inorder to keep the peace.

Now I have a big proj-ect that I want to do, andhe says I’ll be wasting mytime and my money be-cause it can’t work. I havemade plans and thoughtof special ways to do it.

What do you say tosomeone who keeps say-ing ‘it can’t be done’?

— NaomiDear Naomi:

Tell him to stop interrupting you whileyou’re doing what can’t be done!

You did mention “your money,” and I hopethat’s true because that can give you the in-dependence to take the chances you wish.

Also, tell him you appreciate his judg-ment, since his constantly spelling out theworst that can happen allows you to takethe worst into consideration, put it behindyou, and start from there.

At the same time, you probably help himkeep his spirits up by pointing out thegood things around him.

When he asks what present you wouldlike for your birthday or holiday, tell himto get you a big beautiful umbrella, whichyou can use when he rains on your parade.

Anyway, you know the optimist thinksthis is the best of all possible worlds, and thepessimist is afraid that’s true. Good luck.Dear Solutions:

Now that I’m widowed, my son justassumes that I must need help manag-ing my finances. I’ve told him that I did

most of the financial stuffeven when his dad was alive,but he argues with me andoften gets angry.

I think he thinks that Idon’t want him to knowwhat I have or don’t have.How can I put a stop to thisargument?

— MillieDear Millie:

“Yes” should come before“No.” Tell him that, yes, youwould love to share some ofthese chores with him so you

will feel more confident at how you’re han-dling them.

Remember that he feels good about step-ping in, now that his father is gone. It prob-ably helps him to feel close to his father, sotry to see this as a gift you can give him.

Make it mutual. Explain to him thatdoing most of this yourself helps you tohold on to a feeling of independence.

Also, see this as a bonus. Make it a foodand finance lunch for the two of you once amonth. And enjoy.Dear Solutions:

I have recently moved into an estab-lished community without knowinganyone there. I’m alone, and I’m won-dering if I made a big mistake, be-cause now I feel even more alone.

The agent who got me here also liveshere. He is having a party and urgesme to come. I panic at the thought ofwalking into a room where I know noone. Is there any easy way to do this?

— Alice

Dear Alice: There’s probably no easy way to be

“new in the neighborhood,” especially ifthe neighborhood is not new.

Okay, so the other people know eachother already. Be brave. Assume they’renice people who have also been throughthis sometime in their lives.

Try this: Walk over to any little grouptalking to each other and say, “I was as-sured by the hostess that, since I’m newhere, I’m allowed to break into other peo-

ple’s little groups and introduce myself.”(take a deep breath) “There, I said it, and Ididn’t have a heart attack.”

I’m willing to bet that you’ll walk out ofthat party knowing and being known. Letme know.

© Helen Oxenberg, 2014. Questions to be con-sidered for this column may be sent to: The Bea-con, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915.

You may also email the author [email protected]. To inquire aboutreprint rights, call (609) 655-3684

When an optimist is married to a pessimist

SOLUTIONSBy Helen Oxenberg,MSW, ACSW


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16 More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com A U G U S T 2 0 1 4 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

VOLUME 4, NO. 8 • AUGUST 2014

By Dayna Brown,Office on AgingAdministratorTo date, we have received

more than 1,100 responsesto our Master Plan for theAging Population onlinesurvey! Thank you toeveryone who shared their

perspectives about the types of older adult programsand services you would like to see offered inHoward County over the next 20 years. To stayinformed about the Master Planning process, andview survey results when they are ready, visitwww.howardcountymd.gov/agingmasterplan.Although the Master Plan will focus on

planning for the next two decades, the Office onAging has lots of new programs and eventshappening over the next two months as well. Weare especially excited to announce that the BainCenter and the Ellicott City Senior Center willnow offer evening programming on selecteddays of the week. Bain will be open until 8:30p.m. on Thursdays, and Ellicott City will extendits hours to 8 p.m. on Mondays andWednesdays. And don’t forget our EastColumbia 50+ Center is open until 8:30 p.m.on Mondays and Wednesdays. Come in out ofthe heat and join us!Howard County Fairgoers can also beat the

heat at Senior Day at the Fair on Tuesday, Aug.5 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Not only will you getfree admission to the Fair (if you are age 62 orolder), you’ll find a cool oasis at the 4-HActivities Building, with free entertainment, lotsof great exhibits, exercise demos and free bingowith great prizes. Don’t miss it!Staying active this summer has never been

easier, indoors or out. Check out the cushionedwalking tracks and fitness facilities at the NorthLaurel and Glenwood 50+ Centers, or join ourCycle2Health biking program (there’s even anew group for those just starting out, orreturning to cycling after a long absence).For more information on these and other

older adult fitness options, visitwww.howardcountyaging.org. Enjoy the rest ofyour summer!

Explore the Possibilities for“Your Next Chapter” at the

16th Annual 50+EXPODo you ever wonder what could be?

Explore the possibilities and begin planningyour own “Next Chapter” at the 16th annual50+EXPO, with the help of keynote speakerAnne Herbster, vice president of Marketing &Integration at AARP Servicesand the creative force behindthe “Life Reimagined, RealPossibilities” campaign. The premier event for

older adults in HowardCounty, the 50+EXPO willbe held on Friday, Oct. 17, from 9 a.m. to 4p.m. at Wilde Lake High School, 5460Trumpeter Rd. in Columbia.Herbster, a marketing and sales executive

with more than 20 years in financialservices and affinity marketing, describes the“Life Reimagined, Real Possibilities”campaign as a new way of thinking about“What’s Next” in your life. “It’s all aboutpossibilities — envisioning them, evaluatingthem and making them a reality throughunique tools, resources and experiences,”she says. Drawing on her experiences withLife Reimagined, Herbster’s keynote addresswill help 50+EXPO attendees identify“what’s next” possibilities for their own lives,in keeping with the event’s 2014 theme,“Your Next Chapter.” “Your Next Chapter” is all about helping

the 50+ community transition into the nextphase of their lives, whether it’s landing adream job, discovering a new passion, orfinding volunteer opportunities,” explainsStarr Sowers, manager of the Office onAging’s Health & Wellness Division, whichcoordinates the 50+EXPO each year. In addition, a variety of free seminars and

workshops will be offered, on topics relatedto financial, physical and mental well-being,including:Anatomy of a Scam — How toDetect and Avoid the Latest Cons, withRebecca Bowman, administrator of HowardCounty’s Office of Consumer Affairs;Designing Your Life’s Next Chapter, byCandy Spitz, career/life coach withUnlimited Paths Coaching; WisdomThrough the Ages with Leah Turner and

Molly Dearstine, acupuncturists fromWisdomWell Family Acupuncture &Wellness; Eat This, Treat That, by BrooksWuerdemann, WisdomWell’s Chinesemedicine practitioner; and Sleep from A to

Zzzzz’s: How to SleepWell as You Age, by Dr.Raya Wehbeh ofNeurExpand Brain Center. Each year, the

50+EXPO draws morethan 4,000 attendees and

features more than 150 commercial andnon-profit vendors of products and services,a comprehensive health fair with freescreenings, flu shots and more. The CapitolSteps will once again headline theentertainment this year, with two shows inthe James Rouse Theatre at noon and 2 pm. Vendor and exhibitor space is available on

a first-come, first-served basis; vendor packets,as well as information on sponsorshipopportunities, are available online atwww.howardcountyaging.org/50plusexpo.For more information, contact Lisa Coster,50+EXPO Coordinator, at 410-442-3734(voice/relay) or [email protected].

A Message from the Administrator

The Senior Connection is published monthlyby the Howard County Department of

Citizen Services’ Office on Aging.We welcome your comments and suggestions.

To contact us, or to join our email subscriber list, email

[email protected] with “subscribe” in the subject box.

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Advertising contained in the Beacon is not endorsed by the Howard County Office on Aging or by the publisher.

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — A U G U S T 2 0 1 4 Say you saw it in the Beacon 17

CALENDAR OF EVENTSTuesdays, July 15 – Aug. 12, 12:30 pm Downton Abbey: Season Four • Ellicott City Senior Center Join us for Season Four of Downton Abbey; view two episodes eachweek, plus a bonus feature after the season finale. Free; call 410-313-1400 to register.

Monday, Aug. 4, 10 to 11:30 a.m.Medicare 101 • Bain CenterLearn how Medicare Parts A (Hospital), B (Medical) and D(Prescription Drug) work, and what the benefits are. Free; sponsoredby SHIP. Call 410-313-7391 to register.

Tuesday, Aug. 5, 9 a.m. to noonClarity Audiology Hearing Screening • Ellicott City Senior CenterDr. Mary Carson from Clarity Audiology will perform free hearingscreenings. To schedule your 15 minute appointment, call 410-313-1400.

Tuesday, Aug. 5, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.Senior Day at the Fair • Howard County FairgroundsFeatures free all day fair admission for adults age 62+ plus music,exhibits, information and free bingo with great prizes – join us! Fordetails, call 410-313-6410.

Tuesday, Aug. 5, 6 to 8:30 p.m.National Night Out 2014 • North Laurel Community Center Join in America’s night out against crime, with a free concert, plus infofrom Howard County Police and concessions by the North LaurelSenior Council. For details, call 410-313-0390.

Wednesday, Aug. 6, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.Crab Feast • Bain CenterEnjoy crab soup, BBQ chicken, salads and more! Cost: lunch donation plus $15 per half dozen crabs; order by July 30. For details,call 410-313-7213.

Wednesday, Aug. 6, Noon Howard History Lunch • East Columbia 50+ CenterJoin us for lunch as we learn about the Ellicott City Colored School,the first public school for black children in Howard County. Cost:lunch donation; call 410-313-7680 to register.

Wednesdays, Aug. 6, 13 & 20, 1 to 3 p.m. Hatfield’s & McCoy’s • Glenwood 50+ CenterDoug Estep hosts this three-week series on the Hatfields and McCoys,whose infamous feud has become synonymous with the perils offamily honor, justice, and revenge. Free; call 410-313-5440 to register.

Monday, Aug. 11, 11 a.m.Golden Age of Broadway, Part II • Glenwood 50+ CenterSteve Friedman presents part II of the “Golden Age” of Broadway,focusing on the years 1963-1965. Enjoy live music and a discussion.Free; call 410-313-5440 to register.

Monday, Aug. 18, 10 to 11:30 a.m. Medicare 102 • Bain CenterLearn about Medicare Part C/Health Plans and Medicare SupplementPolicies (Medigap Plans). Free; sponsored by SHIP. Call 410-313-7391to register.

Tuesday, Aug. 19, 10 a.m. Healthy Tastings: Peachy Treats • North Laurel 50+ Center Join Nutrition Program Specialist Laurie Hunter in the lobby forinformation and recipes using summer’s favorite fruit — peaches.Sampling encouraged. For details, call 410-313-0380.

Wednesday, Aug. 20, 12:30 p.m.Surprise! Barbershop Quartet • Ellicott City Senior CenterSurprise’s talented quartet — Cross, John, Bob & Bruce — will entertainus with harmonious golden oldies and more. Free; call 410-313-1400for details.

Thursday, Aug. 21, 10 to 11:30 a.m. Love your Veggies • Elkridge Senior CenterFresh veggies are here; learn how to love them, and get great tips on how toshop and cook delicious veggie dishes. Free; call 410-313-5192 to register.

Tuesday, Aug. 26, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.End of Summer Cookout • Bain CenterEnjoy live entertainment by Men-N-Motion, voted the region’s #1Dance Band, and feast on cookout treats. Cost: lunch donation; call410-313-7213 to sign up by Aug. 20.

Wednesday, Aug. 27, 9 to 11 a.m.Pancake Breakfast • Elkridge Senior CenterStart your day right with an all-you-can-eat breakfast of homemadepancakes, sausage, eggs and fruit. Donations accepted; call 410-313-5192 to register.

Wednesday, Aug. 27, 1 p.m.Late Summer Sweets and Teas • East Columbia 50+ CenterSlow down and rediscover late summer bliss with the help of LeahTurner from WisdomWell. Teas and sweets will be served. Cost: lunchdonation; call 410-313-7680 to register.

Wed/Fri, Sept. 10 – Oct. 3, 10 a.m. to noonMatter of Balance • Elkridge Senior CenterTuesdays, Sept. 16 – Nov. 4, 1 to 3 p.m.Matter of Balance • North Laurel 50+ CenterLearn practical strategies to manage falls; control your fear of falling;set realistic activity goals; incorporate exercise to increase strength andbalance; and make changes to your environment to reduce risk factors.Cost: $28 includes supplies and a snack; call Wendy Farthing, 410-313-3506, for more information or to register.

Thursday, Sept. 25, 6:30 to 8 p.m.Prepare to Care • Owen Brown Community Center,6800 Cradlerock Way, ColumbiaLearn about services and programs to assist aging family members, how toassess needs, and design a care plan. Free; call 410-313-5980 to register.

FREE ADMISSION for ADULTS 62+Tuesday, August 5 • 10 am - 3 pm

VISIT THE ACTIVITIES BUILDING

FOR FUN THINGS TO DO...

Riding High with your Feet on the Ground!

SENIOR DAY AT THE FAIR

Howard County Fair 2014

Healthy Aging Programs Entertainment & Exhibits

Bingo, Games & PrizesGreat Information

Demonstrations

DON’T MISS

SENIOR DAY

AT THE FAIR!

DON’T MISS

SENIOR DAY

AT THE FAIR!

www.howardcountymd.gov/aging

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

The Senior Connection


MoneyDON’T ABANDON BONDSWhile bond funds have slipped in the lastfew years, they still have a place in yourportfolio

TAKING STOCKAlthough the stock market has surged so far this year, what does the rest of 2014hold?

ON THE FAST TRACKThose with certain illnesses, includingpancreatic cancer and ALS, get priorityfor Social Security disability benefits

Law &

By Anne Kates SmithAccording to a recent survey, one-third of

adults who combine finances with a partneror spouse have committed financial infidelity.

Of those who said they had cheated,three in 10 hid cash, a purchase, a state-ment or bill, or even a bank account fromtheir significant other. And 13 percent en-gaged in more-significant deceptions, suchas lying about how much they earn orwhat they owe.

Not surprisingly, a financial deceptionultimately caused an argument nearly halfthe time. What may surprise you, however,is that fights about money lead to divorcemore often than disagreements aboutchores, in-laws, spending time together oreven sex, according to research by UtahState University professor Jeffrey Dew, anexpert in money and family relationships.

You can often spot the signs of financialinfidelity the same way you spot the otherkind — by finding a stray receipt or a state-ment you don’t recognize.

Sometimes financial infidelity is a symp-tom of something more serious, such asaddiction, gambling or a compulsive buy-ing disorder. Or it could be deeper rela-tionship issues, such as a lack of trust oran abuse of power.

Extreme cases call for a therapistequipped to deal with money issues. In-creasingly, therapists are on staff or on callin financial-planning practices.

How to establish trustMost couples can address financial infideli-

ty with financial psychologist Brad Klontz’sfour-step process, which he calls SAFE.

First, “Speak the truth.” It’s crucial to

‘fess up, and then have a serious conversa-tion about your budget, spending habitsand goals for the future.

Start by determining whether you andyour partner are aligned in your moneyvalues. Maybe one of you is focused on thephysical comforts of life (a nice house, car,wardrobe), and the other cares moreabout experiences (travel, the arts or pro-fessional sports).

In Klontz’s program, A stands for “Agreeto a plan.” Determine joint goals (a down pay-ment on a home, say), then compromise bybudgeting for the vacation and the new car.

Maybe you’ll agree to keep a certainportion of your finances separate. (About35 percent of those committing financialinfidelity said they did it because they be-lieve some aspects of their finances shouldremain private.)

Or perhaps you’ll decide to have a dis-cussion when spending anything over acertain threshold — $100, $200, or whatev-er the two of you deem appropriate.

F is for “Follow the agreement,” whichsounds easier than it is. Revisit your planin a month or two, so that you can tweak itinstead of giving up.

Finally, “Establish an emergency plan.”If you’re fighting a lot or you’re at an im-passe, it’s time to consult with a counselor.Anne Kates Smith is a senior editor at

Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine.Send your questions and comments to [email protected]. And for more onthis and similar money topics, visitKiplinger.com.© 2014 Kiplinger’s Personal Finance; Distributed by Tribune Content Agency,

LLC.

By Stan ChoeIn the search for dividends, it can pay

for investors to head abroad. Markets outside the United States have

long been fertile ground for dividendhunters because their stronger cultures ofpaying dividends have resulted in higheryields.

U.S. companies have boosted their owndividends, and paid a record amount lastyear. But many mutual-fund managers saythe most attractive dividend stocks are stilloutside the country. Investors also areshowing a preference for foreign dividendpayers: That’s where they’re putting moreof their money.

“The U.S. is an actively hostile dividendmarket and has been for years,” saidDaniel Peris, senior portfolio manager atFederated Investors. He helps run theFederated International Strategic ValueDividend fund (IVFAX), among others.

Differing approaches In the U.S., companies often use their

cash to buy back stock instead of payingdividends. But in other developed mar-kets, Peris said there’s a strong assump-tion that companies will pay out much ormost of their earnings to shareholders as

dividends. Consider HSBC Holdings, the largest

company by market value in the UnitedKingdom. The financial giant paid out 58percent of its earnings per share last yearin the form of dividends. In the U.S., com-panies in the Standard & Poor’s 500 indexpaid about 35 percent of their earnings asdividends. That’s more than they paid justa few years ago, but it’s down from earlierdecades.

The yields are also higher abroad. U.K.stocks have an average dividend yield of3.3 percent, and stocks in Europe outsidethe U.K. offer 3.1 percent, according toMSCI indexes. Stocks from emerging mar-kets, such as Brazil and China, pay 2.7 per-cent. All are ahead of the 2 percent yield ofU.S. stocks.

Interest in dividends has climbed afterthey helped to stem losses during the “lostdecade” of 2000-09 for stocks. The S&P500 fell 24.1 percent after the dot-com bustand financial crisis swamped markets insuccession. But after including dividends,the decade’s loss was a less distasteful 9.1percent.

Besides potentially smoothing out theride of stock investing, dividend payerscan also supply income to investors con-

tending with relatively low interest rateson bonds.

Dividends = fiscal discipline? Perhaps most importantly, companies

that pay dividends force themselves to bemore disciplined in how they spendmoney, which can lead to better perform-ance, said David Ruff. He is a portfoliomanager at Forward Management andhelps run Forward Select Emerging Mar-kets Dividend (FSLRX) and other dividendfunds.

When a company has to budget for itsdividend, its managers are less likely towaste money on an ill-fitting acquisition orexpansion. And companies typically fightto maintain their dividend even whentimes are tight for fear of an investor back-lash.

That’s why Ruff sees a company’s prom-ise to pay a dividend as a signal of disci-pline. He also said he generally sees bettersignals for dividend stocks abroad than athome.

Investors plugged a net $6 billion intoforeign large-cap value stock mutual fundsthrough the first four months of the year,according to Morningstar. Such fundstend to focus on dividend-paying stocks,

and their U.S. counterparts attracted asmaller $4.5 billion over the same time,even though they’re a bigger category byassets.

Risks overseasTo be sure, foreign stocks present their

own set of risks. Emerging-market stocksin particular can gyrate sharply. Other con-siderations that investors should be awareof include:

Irregular schedule. In the U.S., in-vestors have become accustomed to com-panies paying out steady dividends everythree months. Abroad, the payment sched-ule isn’t uniform. Some companies paytwice a year, others four. And the amountsmay vary.

Nestle, for example, is the biggest non-U.S. company in the MSCI High DividendYield index. The Swiss-based companypays a dividend once a year, about a weekafter its annual general meeting. This year,it was paid on April 10.

Like Nestle, many European companiespay much or most of their dividends duringthe second quarter, from April through June.

HSBC meanwhile pays four dividends a

Investors looking abroad for dividends

Do you cheat on your spouse (financially)?

See DIVIDENDS ABROAD, page 19

year, but the amount varies. The first threequarterly payments are the same, but thefourth can swing depending on the compa-ny’s earnings. For 2013, HSBC paid an an-nual dividend of 49 cents per share. Thefirst three payments were 10 cents, andthe final one was 19 cents.

Currency risk. One of the main risksof foreign investing is that swings in cur-rency values can quickly erode any poten-tial profit.

If a stock’s price rises on the LondonStock Exchange, for example, but theBritish pound falls in value against the dol-lar, it could negate the gain for a U.S. in-vestor. The value of dividend paymentscan also take a hit.

Last quarter, for example, Japanesecompanies paid the equivalent of $2 billionin dividends, according to HendersonGlobal Investors. That’s down 21 percentfrom the first quarter of 2013, but half ofthat decline was due to the falling value ofthe Japanese yen.

— AP

HOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON — A UGU S T 2 0 1 4 Say you saw it in the Beacon | Law & Money 19

Common stock investors have certainlybeen pleased with the overall stock marketperformance over the last five years. Forexample, the S&P 500 index increased19.1 percent in that period;Vanguard’s total stock marketindex fund has increased 19.6percent.

Investors in bond funds, ex-cept for high-yield (junk)bond funds, saw their bondportfolios decrease approxi-mately 2 percent in 2013. As aresult, many investors havereduced the proportion ofbonds in their portfolios.

Based on the email I re-ceive, it seems many in-vestors are considering lower-ing the long-term allocation of bonds intheir portfolios even further. This is under-standable as many (if not most) bond ex-perts are predicting a 10-year return ofonly 2 to 3 percent for a conservative bondportfolio.

Those who forget the pastUnfortunately, many investors have

short memories. There is a blog postworth reading on Vanguard’s website, “Asecond look at bond investing in a rising-rate environment,” written by Brian Scott.

Scott points out that, historically, aggre-gate bond prices have shown a net lossonly 15 percent of the time, or one out ofsix years. Aggregate stock prices have de-

creased 25 percent of the time, or one outof four years.

He also points out that in the worst yearfor common stocks, prices fell 67.6 per-

cent, while in the worst yearfor bonds, prices fell only 13.9percent.

In the periods between Oc-tober 2007 and March 2009,common stocks fell 57 per-cent, high-yield bonds fell 26percent, and real estate in-vestment trusts fell 71 per-cent. The U.S. aggregatebond index increased 5 per-cent during that period; theTreasury Index increased 15percent.

What are the lessons fromthese statistics? To me, they prove thevalue of a diversified portfolio at all times.If you look at the five-year period prior tothe five years when common stocks hadsuch a great run, bonds outperformedstocks by a wide margin. If you had a 100percent stock portfolio during those fiveyears, you would have had a negative per-formance.

For the last 15 years, during my retire-ment, I have had a significant percentageof both bonds and common stocks in myportfolio (at least 40 percent in each). Ob-viously, I would have done better if I had a100 percent bond allocation for five yearsand then a 100 percent stock allocation forthe next five years. I don’t know anyone

who did that.

Shaping your portfolio My point is that peaks and valleys in

both the stock and bond market are unpre-dictable. It is true that on a long-term basisstocks have outperformed bonds, andeven retired investors should maintain asignificant percent of stocks in their port-folio.

I don’t think a 50 percent holding incommon stocks for most retirees is toohigh. With inflation at approximately 3 per-cent, and expected bond returns of 2 to 3percent, retirees should have a significantportion of their portfolio in stocks to pro-tect against inflation on an intermediate-term basis.

Most of my bond portfolio is in interme-diate-term mutual funds. Investing thisway provides reasonable interest without agreat deal of capital risk.

Short-term bonds currently pay verylow returns. According to Scott, invest-ments in 1- to 3-year bonds currently yieldonly 0.66 percent. Barclays U.S. AggregateBond Index (which has a longer duration)currently yields 2.4 percent.

Although long-term bonds yield a littlemore than the average intermediate-termbond portfolio, there is much greater capi-tal risk if interest rates do increase a greatdeal.

It would be great if we could predictpeaks and valleys in the stock and bondmarkets. No one can. There is a danger inhaving too high an allocation in eitherstocks or bonds. There is too great a temp-tation to make drastic changes at exactlythe wrong times.

At the end of 2008, and at the start of2009, many investors who had a high per-centage of their portfolio in commonstocks sold most or all of their holdings instocks, and missed most or all of the five-year boom.

If you maintain a diversified portfolio,balancing your positions on an annualbasis, you should be able to obtain reason-able returns without having to guess mar-ket tops and bottoms. You may not getrich, but you will be able to sleep soundly.Elliot Raphaelson welcomes your questions

and comments at [email protected] © 2014 Elliot Raphaelson. Distributed by

Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Despite performance, don’t purge bonds

THE SAVINGSGAMEBy Elliot Raphaelson

Dividends abroadFrom page 18

COUNTY SCAM ALERT WEBSITEThe county’s Department of Citizen Services has launched a newwebsite where residents can learn about the latest, most common

scams and how to identify and report them. The website is www.howardcoun-tymd.gov/scamalert.htm. The Office of Consumer Affairs urges residents who be-lieve they may have been contacted by a potential con artist, whether by phonecall, email, or door-to-door solicitation, to report the incident immediately via thewebsite or by calling (410) 313-6420. Residents who have lost money or feel thattheir personal safety is at risk due to a scam should contact the Howard CountyPolice using the non-emergency phone number (410) 313-2200 to file a report.

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By Judi HassonIt used to be that some people with seri-

ous disabilities would die before the SocialSecurity Administration finally got aroundto reviewing their applications for disabili-ty benefits. Today, applicants with one of225 of the severest medical conditions canwin approval within 15 days.

The government’s “compassionate al-lowances” program provides fast-track re-view of applicants who can prove they haveone of the medical conditions on the list,which includes various cancers, heart dis-ease, and immune system and neurologicaldisorders. (For the list, go to www.ssa.gov/

compassionateallowances.)Nearly 95 percent of compassionate al-

lowances applications are approved. Theother 5 percent are placed on an expeditedappeals process. The average monthlybenefit was $1,146 in December 2013. Aswith all applications for Social Security dis-ability benefits, compassionate allowancesapplicants must be unable to work.

The program was a godsend for RobertC., 55, a businessman who was diagnosedwith pancreatic cancer in January 2013.Robert, who did not want his last nameused, applied in March 2013 and startedreceiving $2,400 a month in April — the

full retirement benefit he would have re-ceived at age 66.

“It’s helped us retain our home andhelped us get back on our feet,” he said.

For those with urgent needThe program began in 2008 to help the

most severely ill cut through the hugebacklog of applications for disability bene-fits.

Before then, Social Security employeeshad no way to distinguish between themost urgent applications from tens ofthousands of other disability claims re-ceived each year. With a lengthy backlogand a time-consuming appeals process,many qualified applicants died before get-ting payments.

Diseases and conditions are added tothe list each year. There is no backlog forcompassionate allowances applications,even though the application rolls grow asnew diseases are approved. About 200,000people have received benefits through theprogram since it started.

The program is one of Social Security’s“best kept secrets,” said Cheryl Bates-Har-ris, senior disability advocate for the Na-tional Disability Rights Organization.

“In the past, disability decisions weremade by Social Security personnel whoweren’t medical professionals, and theywere unaware of unusual diseases andtheir outcomes. The compassionate al-lowances program makes it easier for peo-ple to get benefits without having to waittwo, three or five years,” she said.

Doctors send medical recordsHere’s how it works: Once an individual

claims a compassionate allowances condi-tion during the initial application, specialsoftware alerts the Social Security Admin-

istration that the case needs to be fast-tracked. Applicants must provide medicalevidence, including medical records andrecent test results.

After an applicant provides authoriza-tion, Social Security adjudicators will askthe applicant’s doctors for information if allmedical records aren’t supplied. When thecondition is confirmed, disability pay-ments start flowing. You don’t need alawyer or advocate to help as long as youhave a diagnosis that falls within the cate-gory.

“There are diagnoses, like pancreaticcancer, where the outcome is dire. If youcan prove you have the disease from yourmedical record, we will fast-forward yourapplication,” said Art Spencer, who recent-ly retired as Social Security’s associatecommissioner for the office of disabilityprograms.

For the quickest results, Bates-Harrissuggests applying immediately after a di-agnosis. Also, make sure every one of yourdoctors sends medical records quickly.

If your disability is not on the list, expecta lengthy wait. The average processingtime for an initial disability claim under thenormal procedures is 86 days, plus morethan 450 additional days for a rejected ap-plicant to complete the appeals process.

You can apply at www.ssa.gov/dib-plan/dapply.htm, by phone at 800-772-1213, or at your local Social Security office.You’ll need information about your health-care providers and medications, laborato-ry results, and any medical records youhave.Kimberly Lankford is a contributing edi-

tor to Kiplinger’s Personal Finance maga-zine. © 2014 Kiplinger’s Personal Finance; Dis-

tributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Some disability benefits are fast-tracked20 Law & Money | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com AUGU S T 2 0 1 4 — HOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON

410.337.8900 | www.frankelderlaw.com | 1.888.338.0400

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LEGAL AID FOR SENIORSMaryland Legal Aid provides a full range of civil legal services to

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state. For more information, visit www.mdlab.org.

LAWYERS OFFER ADVICE TO ARTISTS Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts delivers legal services and legal in-

formation to over 10,000 members of the arts community each

year. For information on services available in Maryland, contact Maryland Lawyers

for the Arts, 113 W. North Ave., (410) 752-1633, [email protected], or

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Three friends registering together get $30 off the annual membership fee. New Associate Memberships are available for classes held at the Vantage House Retirement Community in Columbia.

Registration is now open. Classes begin September 12. Call (410) 516-9719 for more information.

Ongoing

By Anne Kates SmithWe predicted in January that Standard

& Poor’s 500-stock index would finish theyear in the vicinity of 1900, and the DowJones industrial average would closeabove 17,000. We still think that’s a good,conservative bet, although it’s possiblethat stocks could tack on a little more —with the S&P 500 closing between 1950and 2000.

That would produce gains of 6 percentfor the year and would translate to roughly17,500 for the Dow. Stock returns will mir-ror growth in corporate earnings, whichanalysts estimate at 6 to 7 percent thisyear. Dividends will add another two per-centage points to the market’s return.

Where to look for growthBut the market has grown more compli-

cated. In order to prosper, you’ll have to bechoosier about where you invest.

In general, we think the rest of the yearwill favor larger companies over smallerones; companies that sell at reasonable val-ues over high-growth, high-priced stocks;and companies that are more sensitive toimprovement in the economy than thoseconsidered more defensive.

For the 5-year-old bull market to contin-ue, it will have to meet several midlife chal-lenges. The first will be making the transi-

tion from a market driven by super-easymonetary policies and little competitionfrom fixed-income investments to onemore focused on corporate profits.

The Federal Reserve is unwinding itsbond-buying program aimed at keepinglong-term rates low, and will eventuallylook toward raising short-term rates, mostlikely next year.

As investors begin to anticipate thattightening, the market could suffer a 5 to10 percent pullback, perhaps in the fourthquarter, said David Joy, chief market strate-gist at Ameriprise Financial. But if raisinginterest rates to a more normal level isseen as a vote of confidence in the econo-my, it won’t be the end of the bull market.

Focus on revenuesA second challenge: Companies must

become less dependent on the plump prof-it margins engineered by cost-cutting andother maneuvers and more reliant on rev-enue growth. Since the financial crisis, per-share earnings growth has been strong ascompanies have cut costs, refinancedhigh-cost debt, lowered tax bills andbought back shares.

A recent spike in mergers and buyoutsis aimed at buying revenue growth, saidJohn Toohey, who directs stock invest-ments for USAA. But he and others would

prefer to see more growth coming from ac-tually selling more goods and services.

Such growth will hinge on whether theeconomy can finally accelerate convincing-ly. Kiplinger’s expects gross domesticproduct to expand by 2.4 percent this year,up from 1.9 percent growth in 2013, withthe growth rate picking up to 3 percent or

better in the second half.Anne Kates Smith is a senior editor at

Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. Sendyour questions and comments to [email protected]. And for more on this andsimilar money topics, visit Kiplinger.com.©2014 Kiplinger’s Personal Finance; Dis-

tributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

HOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON — A UGU S T 2 0 1 4 Say you saw it in the Beacon | Law & Money 21

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Predicting the midyear outlook for stocks

ONLINE COURSES FOR ENTREPRENEURS

A variety of business and entrepreneur-focused courses, including

computers, languages and legal subjects, are available online from Howard County

Community College, with new sessions starting every six to eight weeks. Courses

are generally $120, although some cost more. Seniors can get $30 off each course.

For a complete listing, visit the website http://www.ed2go.com/howardcc.

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22 Law & Money | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com AUGU S T 2 0 1 4 — HOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON

TravelLeisure &TravelLeisure &TravelLeisure &

HOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON — A UGU S T 2 0 1 4 Say you saw it in the Beacon 23

By Glenda C. BoothThe great St. Lawrence River, which flows

from Lake Ontario to the Atlantic Ocean, isinviting. It invites curious travelers, outdoorenthusiasts, pumpkin catapulters and evenwould-be princes and princesses who harborfantasies of living in castles.

Throughout history, it has lured NativeAmericans, Canada’s First Nations people,fur traders, explorers, international mer-chants and warring nations.

The St. Lawrence River Seaway, whichincludes a system of rivers, canals, locksand dams from Lake Superior to the At-lantic, constitutes the largest freshwaterwaterway in the world, stretching 2,300miles.

But this story is about a very special 50-mile section of the St. Lawrence that strad-dles the border between New York stateand Ontario, Canada. It is dotted with1,864 chunks of rocky earth — islands thatrange from 50 square miles to the size of acarport.

Native Americans called the region the“Garden of the Great Spirit.” According toan Iroquois legend, the Great Spirit gavepeople a magical garden, on the conditionthat they not fight. The tribes started war-ring against each other, so the Great Spiritpicked up the paradise, and somehow thegarden slipped from the Spirit’s hands,shattering into many islands.

Today, adventurous ramblers can find nu-merous intriguing nooks and crannies on andoff the beaten path throughout the region.

Some highlights: Thirty lighthouses, 28of which are historic (some open to thepublic); a replica of an 18th century Euro-pean castle; a 19th century Army barracks;a town celebrating the War of 1812; uniquemuseums; a contest to catapult pumpkinsinto the river; and the place where Thou-sand Island Salad Dressing was created.

If you want to take a tour, there are boat,balloon and helicopter options. There arealso many excellent opportunities for fish-ing, boating, golfing and hiking. Diehardadventurers can dive for liquor bottlestossed overboard during Prohibition.

If you’re in your own car, New York’s 518-mile Seaway Trail bypasses busy interstatesand meanders from one small scenic townto the next. On the southern end, Route 12follows the shoreline through rolling greenfields punctuated by silos, dairy cows,barns, farmhouses, and villages right out ofa Norman Rockwell painting.

Sackets HarborI started my journey up the river in the

village of Sackets Harbor on Lake Ontario.I found the tourism director, CherylPayne, chatting on a bench in front of herstore, the Calla Lilies Shop, with TimothyScee, the town supervisor.

Tim instantly offered a personal tour,which started on Main Street, lined withpink roses, and wound through the Madi-son barracks, the battlefield and past thewater tower. Robust, 12-foot lilac bushesseemed to leap up everywhere.

Sackets Harbor resi-dents brag that their townwas a critical 19th centuryU.S. naval station andshipbuilding center, aswell as the stage for twobattles in the War of 1812where the British werevanquished. In the first,British warships arrivedbut then withdrew aftersuffering damage. In thesecond, the Americans re-pelled a landing force.The town is having athree-year-long bicenten-nial commemoration ofthe war through 2015.

The battlefield com-mandant’s house is fur-

nished as Commodore Josiah Tattnall’s wasin the mid-1800s. The Madison Barracks, aliving history museum of military architec-ture, had a role in every war from the Warof 1812 to World War II. For more history,visit http://paththroughhistory.ny.gov/.

Locals trumpet Funny Cide, the thor-oughbred winner of the 2003 KentuckyDerby and Preakness races, because theracehorse was owned by six locals. TheBoathouse Restaurant displays the jock-ey’s jersey and other paraphernalia.

Sackets Harborites are also proud ofCaroline, the 2013 American Girl doll hero-ine, modeled after a local girl whose fatherwas a shipbuilder taken prisoner in 1812by the Brits. There is a blonde-haired Car-oline doll in a long pink dress, as well asseven fiction books about her “life.”

For relief from war themes, Old McDon-ald’s Farm is a 1,000-cow dairy farm featuringa state-of-the-art milking parlor. Its computertechnology tracks a cow’s activities, milk pro-duction, breeding and calf delivery dates.

The town’s visitor center in the Federal-Georgian-style Augustus Sacket Housecan supply additional suggestions.

ClaytonThe hamlet of Clayton, perched on a

peninsula jutting out into the St. LawrenceRiver, was founded as a lumber and ship-building center and port in 1822.

A walking map from the Chamber ofCommerce on Riverside Drive will guideyour amble around the five-block historicdistrict. It consists of 31 buildings erectedbetween 1854 and the 1920s in Italianateand Richardsonian Romanesque styles.Some feature pressed metal and cast ironcornices and window crowns.

Given the town’s orientation to the river,locals are known as River Rats. So be sureto sample the local aged cheddar, River RatCheese.

The village centerpiece is the ThousandIslands Inn, which opened in 1897 to servevisitors arriving by rail. It’s the only one ofthree dozen inns in the 1,000 islands re-gion to survive from that era. Its early1900s décor is a step back in time, creatingan ambience that landed the hotel on tele-vision’s Travel Channel 33 times.

The Antique Boat Museum, brimmingwith over 320 boats, is home to the largestcollection of antique freshwater recreation-al boats in the U.S., from canoes to racingboats to the 106-foot, Gilded Age house-boat, La Duchesse, owned by hotel mag-nate George Boldt of Waldorf Astoria fame.

The houseboat has a steel hull, brass fire-place, nine bedrooms, five bathrooms, ser-vants’ quarters, a dancing deck, and a flowerpotting room. Museum exhibits explore

The unfinished Boldt Castle sprawls across one of the more than 1,000 islands in aportion of the St. Lawrence River that divides New York and Ontario. The castle, offthe coast of the town of Alexandria Bay, was being built by George Boldt, proprietorof the Waldorf-Astoria hotel, for his wife. He called off the project when she sudden-ly passed away during its construction in 1904.

Villages and hamlets of the 1,000 Islands

See 1,000 ISLANDS, page 24

Tibbetts Point Lighthouse, built in 1827, marks the pointwhere Lake Ontario meets the St. Lawrence River innorthern New York.

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Niagara Falls is a 20-minute drive fromBuffalo, N.Y. See story on page 25.

boating history, starting with dugout canoes. The Thousand Islands Museum at 312

James St. documents life along the St.Lawrence River. It features duck decoysand the Muskie Hall of Fame, dedicated tofishing for the large, elusive trophy fishknown as the muskellunge (or muskie).Guides take visitors out to snag bass, pike,walleye, trout, salmon and muskie.

Alexandria BayAlexandria Bay has the feel of a beach

town. When you tire of knickknack shops,sit back and gaze at the river, watch thecormorants and loons dive, and relax tothe soft, droning sounds of passing ships.The freighters’ lights shine like strings ofpearls in the black night.

The main attraction is the 127-room,Rhineland-style Boldt Castle on Heart Is-land, a 15-minute boat ride away (www.boldt-castle.com). Boldt, who was of Prussian ori-

gin, was building this ornate $2.5 million edi-fice for his wife, Louise, the love of his life.

Upon her sudden death in 1904, Boldtimmediately halted work by its 300 crafts-men. The unfinished mansion remainedthat way until the property was acquiredby the government over 70 years later.

Today a tourist attraction, the castle’sfirst floor looks as the Boldts intended.Modeled after European castles, BoldtCastle rises six stories from the indoorswimming pool to the highest tower room.

A visit to Ogdensberg’s Fredrick Rem-ington Museum, 36 miles north of Alexan-dria Bay, is worth a few hours. Reming-ton’s paintings and sculpture, many cen-tered on horses and Old West scenes, fill ahouse built in 1810.

What about the famous salad dressing?In the early 1900s, George LaLonde, a Clay-ton fishing guide, was hosting May Irwin, aprominent New York City actress and herhusband. Irwin commended the tasty saladdressing made by LaLonde’s wife, Sophia.Irwin requested the original recipe, nam-ing it “Thousand Island Dressing.”

Back in New York, Irwin gave the recipeto Boldt, and he immediately ordered hisWaldorf Astoria maitre d’ to put the dress-ing on the hotel restaurant’s menu, thus in-troducing it to the world.

It’s the only salad dressing named for a

region of the U.S. You can buy it online atwww.1000-islands.com/dressing.

If you goBefore taking a jaunt into Canada, re-

search border crossing requirements. Regu-lations change, so check both U.S. and Cana-dian regulations at http://www.cbp.gov/trav-el and www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca. A passport is ac-cepted at the borders, but check the sites forother acceptable types of identification if youdon’t have one.

The closest local airports are in Water-town (www.watertownairport.com) andKingston, Ontario (www.cityofkingston.ca/residents/airport). Sackets Harbor is onehour north of Syracuse, N.Y.

The least expensive roundtrip flight toSyracuse from BWI in mid-August is $481on Delta Airways. But if you fly from Rea-gan National Airport in Arlington, Va, thefare is only $215 on US Airways.

Visit the following websites for more in-formation:

Thousand Islands Tourism, www.visit1000Islands.com

The Seaway Trail, www.seawaytrail.comSackets Harbor, www.sacketsharborhis-

toricalsociety.org, www.visitsackets.com,www.sacketsharborny.com

Clayton, www.1000islands-clayton.com Alexandria Bay, www.alexbay.org

24 Leisure & Travel | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com AUGU S T 2 0 1 4 — HOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON

1,000 IslandsFrom page 23

Aug. 30: 1812 U.S. Marine GuardLiving History Camp, Sackets Harbor.http://www.sacketsharborbattlefield.org/schedule.htm

Sept. 20: 5th Annual Boldt CastleWine Festival and Farmers Market,Alexandria Bay. Tastings and sales,including cheese, chocolates and al-paca-fiber clothing. www.boldtcas-tle.com

Sept. 27 to 28: Doors Open Gananoque,Gananoque, Ontario. Visit historic publicand private homes, churches and muse-ums not normally open to visitors.www.gananoque.ca

Oct. 3 to Nov. 1: Pumpkinferno,Upper Canada Village, Morrisburg,Ontario. Thousands of hand-carved

pumpkins light up the 1800s village atnight. www.uppercanadavillage.com

Oct. 4: Oktoberfest at Thousand Is-lands Winery, Alexandria Bay. Germanfestival including live oompah band,grape-stomping competitions, wine,beer, food and vendors. www.thousan-dislandswinery.com

Oct. 11: Harvest Festival at CoyoteMoon Vineyard, Clayton. Live music,wine, beer, children’s activities and ven-dors. www.coyotemoonvineyard.com

Oct. 18: 3rd Annual Punkin Chunkinand BBQ Contest, Clayton. Competi-tors launch pumpkins into the riverfrom homemade catapults. Restau-rants compete for the best BBQ.www.1000islands-clayton.com

Upcoming 1,000 Islands events

SEE OKLAHOMA! IN PENNSYLVANIA

A bus trip to Allenberry Playhouse in Boiling Springs, Pa., will

leave at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 13 and return at 5 p.m. to see the musical

Oklahoma! Sponsored by the Department of Recreation & Parks, tickets are $93

and include a buffet lunch. For more information, call (410) 313-7279 or (410)

313-7275 to register.

LUNCH WITH “PIRATES” AT TOBY’S

A Recreation & Parks bus leaves at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday,

Aug. 27 for lunch and a performance of Gilbert & Sullivan’s

Pirates of Penzance at Toby’s Dinner Theatre in Columbia, with return trip sched-

uled for 3:30 p.m. The $49 fee includes lunch. Call (410) 313-7279 for more

information or to purchase tickets.

BEACON BITS

Aug. 13

Aug. 27

• Eye Care for All Ages • Specialists in Cataracts, Glaucoma, DiabeticRetinopathy and Macular Degeneration • Contact Lens Specialists

• LASIK - Laser Vision Correction • Plastic & Reconstructive Eye Surgery

Full In-House Optical DepartmentOutpatient No-Stitch Cataract Surgery • Laser Surgery

MEDICARE ASSIGNMENT ACCEPTEDLENARD H. HAMMER, M.D., F.A.C.S.GORDON LUI, M.D.SCOTT B. BECKER, M.D.MEDICARE EYE EXAMS

BRIAN J. WINTER, M.D.CRISTINA F. ROUILLER, O.D.

VANESSA LIMA, M.D.

410-997-99008860 Columbia 100 Parkway, Suite 101, Columbia, MD

By Brian HaydenLast winter, Buffalo was blanketed with

130 inches of snow, the seventh-snowiestseason since World War II. Even in yearswith more benign winters, moisture offLake Erie pushes the average snowfall toabout eight feet.

But while the Washington area sweltersduring July and August, Buffalo gets its re-ward: High temperatures average 78 to 80delightful degrees.

No matter the weather, Buffalo offers visi-tors numerous sites and activities to explore.

At the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, youcan see one of the world’s most impressivecollections of modern and contemporaryart, including works by Van Gogh, Picassoand Warhol. Across the street, you’ll findthe Burchfield Penney Art Center, whichis committed to the art of Buffalo andWestern New York.

Buffalo has some two dozen theaters,anchored by Shea’s Performing Arts Cen-ter, which hosts an annual Broadway se-ries. The Grammy Award-winning BuffaloPhilharmonic Orchestra is led by JoAnnFalletta, who has been hailed by the NewYork Times as one of the finest conductorsof her generation.

Buffalo’s emerging Canalside districtshowcases the city’s waterfront and histo-ry of shipping along Lake Erie and theErie Canal. The centerpiece of this districtis the commercial slip — the re-excavatedand restored western terminus of the ErieCanal, dating from 1825.

A system of bike trails, parks andboardwalks comprise Buffalo’s Outer Har-bor, offering stunning views of the lakeand city skyline.

That skyline features the work of someof the most renowned architects of the

19th and early 20th centuries, includingFrank Lloyd Wright, Louis Sullivan, H.H.Richardson, Richard Upjohn, and Eliel andEero Saarinen.

There are also two large residences de-signed by Wright open to visitors: the Dar-win Martin House complex, and the Mar-tin’s summer estate nearby, Graycliff. Bothcontinue to undergo restoration to theiroriginal magnificence.

Other unique sites include the spotwhere Teddy Roosevelt took the presiden-tial oath of office. The Theodore RooseveltInaugural National Historic Site was re-cently renovated.

Mark Twain spent time in Buffalo in thelate 19th century as a newspaper editor.Leaves from the original manuscript of theAdventures of Huckleberry Finn are ondisplay in the Mark Twain Room at down-

town’s central library. Learn about Buffalo’s Native American,

ethnic and industrial heritage at the Buffa-lo History Museum. The city is also filledwith African American heritage. DukeEllington, Dizzy Gillespie and other giantsof jazz performed at the Colored Musi-cians Club, which is now a museum andstill hosts regular gigs by area musicians.

Winging itWhile Buffalo is justifiably proud of its

chicken wings — and no trip to Buffalo iscomplete without a stop at the Anchor Bar,where Buffalo wings first took flight 50years ago this year — it also boasts 400 in-dependently-owned restaurants offeringdelicious local specialties, plus a pair of

Buffalo’s natural and man-made wonders HOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON — A UGU S T 2 0 1 4 Say you saw it in the Beacon | Leisure & Travel 25

REVEL AT THE RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL

The Department of Recreation & Parks is sponsoring a bus trip to

the Maryland Renaissance Festival in Annapolis on Saturday, September 13, leav-

ing at 9 a.m. and returning at 5 p.m. The $49 ticket covers entry fee and trans-

portation, lunch is not included. For more information, call (410) 313-7279. Call

(410) 313-7275 to register.

BEACON BITS

Sept. 13D.C. HOUSE AND EMBASSY TOUR

A bus trip to several Washington, D.C. landmarks will be offered

by the Department of Recreation & Parks on Sunday, Sept. 14. Leaving at 10:30

a.m., the tour will return at 6:30 p.m. Cost is $49, entry fee and lunch on your

own. Call (410) 313-7275 to register or (410) 313-7279 for more information.

NEW ORLEANS-NASHVILLE TOUR

The Department of Recreation & Parks is offering an early fall bus

trip to New Orleans and Nashville from Sept. 26 to Oct. 4. The fee is $1,700 for a

double room-per person. Call (410) 313-7279 for details.

BEACON BITS

Sept. 14

See BUFFALO, page 26

Sept. 26+

wine trails and vibrant farmers markets.Don’t miss some Western New York culi-

nary favorites, including beef-on-weck sand-wiches (thinly cut roast beef served on a saltand caraway seed topped kummelweckroll), sponge candy (made with chocolateand caramelized sugar, with a texture andtaste that even its creators say is hard to de-scribe), and charcoal broiled hot dogs.

Buffalo is also home to several brew-eries, including Flying Bison Brewing Co.and Hamburg Brewing Company. The firstdistillery in Buffalo since Prohibition,Lockhouse Distillery, opened in 2013 toproduce artisanal vodka.

Shoppers will find everything from hipboutiques in Buffalo’s trendy Elmwood Vil-lage, Allentown and Hertel neighborhoods,to major department stores at a number oflocal shopping centers and malls.

Sports fan? Buffalo has a wealth of op-tions, including the NFL’s Bills, NHL’sSabres, AAA baseball’s Bisons, world-classfishing, great skiing and fantastic watersports. Kayak through the city’s historicgrain elevator district on the Buffalo Riveror rock climb up those elevators on Silo CityRocks, which is set to open later this year.

Spend a day in the natural splendor ofthe Tifft Nature Preserve, only minutesfrom downtown Buffalo, or admire floralbeauty during a stroll in the Buffalo and

Erie County Botanical Gardens. A seriesof parks and parkways throughout Buffalodesigned by renowned landscape archi-tect Frederick Law Olmsted provide a sce-nic respite in the heart of the city.

The region also offers a host of family-friendly activities, from the Buffalo Zooand Buffalo Museum of Science to the Ex-plore and More Children’s Museum inEast Aurora.

Military buffs can view the submarine,destroyer and cruiser permanently dockedat the Buffalo harbor — part of the Buffaloand Erie County Naval and Military Park,the largest inland naval park in the country.

Upcoming festivals Buffalo seems to have a festival for

everything, ranging from the Taste of Buf-falo on July 12 and 13, the largest two-dayfood festival in the country, to Garden-Walk Buffalo, the nation’s largest free gar-den tour, celebrating its 20th anniversarythis year on July 26 and 27, to the ErieCounty Fair (Aug. 6 to 17), celebrating its175th, to the National Buffalo Wing Festi-val on Aug. 30 and 31.

Buffalo also offers a host of ethnic cele-brations, from two St. Patrick’s Day pa-rades to the Galbani Buffalo Italian Her-itage Festival, reflecting the city’s diverseroots. There’s also Dyngus Day, the dayafter Easter Sunday, when polka bands,Polish food and a parade ring in the end ofthe Lenten season.

Niagara Falls is 20 minutes away. At Ni-agara Falls State Park, you can get upclose to the roaring waters at the Cave ofthe Winds or venture to the base of thefalls on a Maid of the Mist boat tour. Besure to wear your souvenir rain ponchos!

Southwest Airlines has a roundtrip farefrom Baltimore-Washington InternationalAirport to Buffalo of $204 in mid-August,as does U.S. Airways from Reagan Nation-al Airport.

For more information about events, at-tractions and things to do in the Buffa-lo/Niagara area, go to www.visitbuffalonia-gara.com or contact Visit Buffalo Niagaraat 1-800-Buffalo.

[If you plan to visit the Canadian side ofthe Falls, see the “If you go” tips at the end of“Villages and hamlets of the 1,000 islands”for border-crossing information.]

Brian Hayden is communications man-ager with Visit Buffalo.

26 Leisure & Travel | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com AUGU S T 2 0 1 4 — HOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON

BuffaloFrom page 25

Fourth of July fireworks explode over the Erie Canal Harbor in Buffalo, N.Y. The cityhas several art museums, two dozen theaters, and a skyline filled with the works ofprominent 19th and early 20th century architects.

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HOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON — A UGU S T 2 0 1 4 Say you saw it in the Beacon 27

By Michael ToscanoA recent Sunday matinee performance of

Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance atToby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia probablydid not convince many of the kids in the audi-ence to become fans of light opera or satire.

It’s not because their doting parents andgrandparents did not try; there were quitea few pre-teens in attendance, evidencedby the number of electronic devices scat-tered on the tables along with the buffetfoods and drink.

And it is not that the work is inaccessi-ble to modern ears, despite being lightopera and having premiered in 1879 whenaudiences must have ridden their di-nosaurs to the theater.

Despite its age, the music remainscharmingly entertaining, and the storybegs for hammy, over-the-top performanc-es. And kids love that.

The problem is that this is a middlingproduction, neither particularly good norespecially bad. And with satire, there is nosuch thing as almost getting it right. Eitherit hits the spot, or it misses completely.

Director and choreographer Mark Min-nick has a cast seemingly capable enoughto handle the show. But he has staged aproduction that is a rote, by-the-numbersroll-out of the songs. There is no spark, noattempt to infuse the presentation with aspecific sensibility or attitude.

Hard to hear Helping to keep the show’s charms

largely hidden from the youngsters isToby’s sound system, which is marginal atbest. As satire, The Pirates of Penzance re-lies on snappy lyrics in its songs, often de-livered in rapid patter.

Lyrics can be understood in solos, pro-vided the music is in a quiet passage. Bal-lads, by their nature, are quieter than bigproduction numbers, and are usually sungby one or two voices. Those are mostlycommunicated competently.

But when there are more than one ortwo voices singing together, which is quiteoften, or when the orchestra swells, lyricsget lost in a muddy swirl of incoherentsound. Words sung by female choruses,with their higher registers, are particularlydifficult to understand.

Song after song flies by with lyrics com-pletely unintelligible. Forget the finerpoints of satire or the cleverness of therhyme; just figuring out the subject of thesongs is rendered impossible. The satiri-cal points have no punch. They don’t evenhave presence. And following the story?Forget that.

Pirates and their maidensThis is the tale of a group of orphaned,

dim-witted pirates who become captivatedby a group of lovely, but equally dim-wittedmaidens under the care of a major-general.There is the requisite pair of young loversat the center of the story.

A newly-21-year-old pirate struggles toleave that life, to which he was mistakenly in-

dentured as a lad, and wedone of the young ladies. Aswashbuckling but silly Pi-rate King schemes tothwart the young man,even as the major generalschemes to make the mostof the pirates’ ardor for hisgirls.

Toby’s says it is per-forming Joseph Papp’s“updated” version of theshow, which was a hit onBroadway in the early1980s. Papp beefed up thePirate King’s role andbroadened the humor. Hemoved the music awaysomewhat from its light

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David Jennings plays the Pi-rate King in Gilbert and Sul-livan’s comic operetta ThePirates of Penzance, whichruns at Toby’s Dinner The-atre through Aug. 31.

Swashbuckling pirates take centerstage at Toby’s Dinner Theater.

Pirates of Penzance goes adrift at Toby’s

TOBY’S DINNER THEATRE OF COLUMBIA • CALL 410-730-8311

D inner & ShhhooowTobysDinnerTheatre.com

RESERVE YOUR SEATS TODAY!

Based on availability. Due to the nature of theatre bookings, all shows,dates and times are subject to change.

“Always Be Yourself. Unless You Can Be A Pirate,Then Always Be A Pirate!”

THROUGH AUGUST 31

You won’t want to miss this updated versionof Gilbert and Sullivan's most popular

musical comedy.Wacky, irreverent and entertaining!

See PIRATES, page 28

opera origins, adapting a more genericmusical comedy style and leaving the bookmore or less intact.

But it no longer seems all that fresh. Infact, it is a bit dated. Many theater compa-nies have since staged versions with mod-ern references and settings, adding a layerof contemporary flair to this satire ofpower, duty and honor.

As produced here, Act One is playedwith little scenery. There’s the suggestionof a pirate ship, with a few rope laddersand a rudimentary mast. Act Two is placedmostly in “a ruined chapel,” so there are afew headstones and a center-stage foun-tain. It has the look of a scenic designerrummaging through a storage area andpulling out a few old pieces.

Lighting is mostly flat, and the orchestraseems uninspired by the scaled-downscore. Movement consists of a lot of gener-

ic swagger, sword brandishing, and broadstereotypical gestures from the maidens.

Some star singersNonetheless, there are a few stand-out

performances. Jane C. Boyle has a delightful voice,

used to good effect early in Act One as sheportrays Ruth — the nursemaid who mis-takenly gets her young charge bound overto the pirates, because she thinks she ishearing the word “pilots.”

Now that he is 21 and hunky, he longs toleave — and she is determined not to beleft behind. Boyle does not mine all thecomic gold layered in the part, but shesings beautifully in such numbers as“When Frederic was a Little Lad.”

Laura Whittenberger’s sweet soprano isdelicate and pure in the role of Mabel, theyoung lady who sets Frederic’s heart beat-ing faster. Whittenberger’s voice may besweet, but it is also powerful. Her trills ledto a few high notes that almost set the

water glasses on the table tinkling. As the Pirate King, David Jennings has a

robust voice and enough dashing charis-ma to swash his buckle around the set.He’s not afraid to appear silly, which helps.

Nick Lehan is earnest and appealing asFrederic. And in the supporting role as theSergeant of Police, David James bringsvaliant comic commitment to several of themost popular numbers.

Robert John Biederman 125 (this is theactor’s chosen name) does his best as theMajor-General, especially in what is proba-bly the show’s most famous song: “I Amthe Very Model of a Modern Major-Gener-al.” The lyrics come rapid-fire in an out-pouring of increasingly rapid patter, onlysome of which was audible over the or-chestra during the reviewed performance.

It is possible the performances will be-come sharper, and the parody and satiremore vibrant, as time goes by. Perhapssomebody will take charge of the sounddesign.

Toby’s generally does a more than capa-ble job with musicals. Some of its work is asgood as it gets. But these pirates are, at thispoint, on a ship with no wind in its sails.

Ticket informationThe Pirates of Penzance continues

through Aug. 31 at Toby’s Dinner Theatre,5900 Symphony Woods Rd., Columbia.

The show runs seven days a week withevening and matinee performances. Mon-day through Saturday evenings feature anall-you-can-eat dinner buffet, for whichdoors open at 6 p.m., followed by an 8 p.m.performance. On Sunday evenings, doorsopen for dinner at 5 p.m., followed by a 7p.m. performance.

Matinees are performed Wednesdaysand Sundays, preceded by an all-you-can-eat buffet brunch starting at 10:30 a.m. Thematinee performance begins at 12:30 p.m.

Reservations are required. Tickets, whichinclude the meal and basic drinks, but notspecialty drinks or waiter tip, range from$37.50 (for children under 12) to $56 (de-pending on which performance is selected).

There is ample, free parking on thepremises.

For reservations and information, call(410) 730-8311 or 1-800-88TOBYS (888-6297). You may also visit www.tobysdin-nertheatre.com.

28 Arts & Style | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com AUGU S T 2 0 1 4 — HOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON

PiratesFrom page 27

P R U N E L I M O N S G ME A S E L U T E R I P R OR I N G I N G I N T H E E A RD A L E O N S R E D O

I W A S C H I D E SF I N G E R I N T H E N O S EF L E E T S A S I AS L E E T A T E R E A C H

R O T C S T U D I OF R O G I N T H E T H R O A TR U N U P S M I S OI N A N W R E N P P DT W I N K L E I N T H E E Y EO A R A I L E D O A K E NS Y S Y E L L S I N E R T

ANSWERS TO SCRABBLE

ANSWERS TO CROSSWORD

FROM PAGE 30

Please tell ouradvertisers, “I saw you inthe Beacon.”

One of the most comprehensivelocal sites for those digging into theirfamily past is the Columbia MarylandFamily History Center, located on Co-lumbia Road in Ellicott City.

The center, which is operated by theMormon Church, has links to the hugenumber of genealogy records at theheadquarters of the Church of LatterDay Saints in Salt Lake City.

One of the core tenets of the Mor-mon faith is that the dead can be bap-tized as Mormons — a doctrineevolved from church beliefs that bap-tism is necessary for salvation and thatthe family can continue to exist togeth-er beyond mortal life if all its membersare baptized.

As Mormons put a high priority onfinding family roots, the Church hassent members all over the world to mi-

crofilm church, court and otherrecords for genealogical purposes.

The records — about 2.4 million rollsof microfilm containing 2 billion namesthat have been traced — are stored be-hind 14-ton doors in a climate-con-trolled repository designed to survive anuclear impact. The vault is built intothe Wasatch mountain range, about 20miles southeast of Salt Lake City.

The Family History Center is opento anyone free of charge, although ob-taining microfilm records incurs asmall fee. Many of its databases may besearched from its website.

For more information, includinghours of operation, see https://family-search.org/learn/wiki/en/Colum-bia_Maryland_Family_History_Cen-ter, call (410) 465-1642, or [email protected].

marital status, the name of their spouse,the names of their parents, when andwhere their parents were born, when andwhere they were married, etc.

Then the students are told to interviewall the living relatives they can find. “Askthem the background of their families, whatthey remember of your family. That’s thequickest way to get information,” she said.

Also to be checked are passenger lists(manifests) of ships sailing from the home-land of ancestors, possible newspaper ac-counts of their exploits, and census records.“Each step you take, each document youfind, tells you a story,” Alshire said.

She also has students look into the 1940census, whose full information was re-leased in 2012 after a 72-year waiting peri-od. The release of the 1940 recordsmarked the first time researchers, geneal-ogists and history hunters could find de-tailed records online in one place for free.

One group that gives free access to thecensus is the nonprofit FamilySearch.Search the census by name at https://fam-ilysearch.org/1940census.

Alshire said the release of the 1940 cen-sus records was “a very important ge-nealogical event for everyone who had afamily member who served in World WarII.” It was the last time the men andwomen killed in the war were recordedwith their families, she said.

The government kept the records frompublic view all these years to ensure privacyfor the respondents during their lifetimes.

Of course, the history can get convolut-ed, especially if, like Alshire’s family, mostof its members came to the U.S. in the1870s and 1880s from Poland, Austria, Ger-

many and Lithuania. You have to know European history —

what country was ruling what lands in Eu-rope at the time, who was speaking what lan-guage. Also, which wars, floods and fires mayhave taken their tolls on the census, church,tax, and other records in the old country.

“If you can trace your roots in EasternEurope back to the 1600s, you’re doingwell,” Alshire said.

Why has she spent so much of the last30 years digging into her family history?

“It’s a human thing,” Alshire said. “LikeSherlock Holmes, I need to know. One ofthe first things a child says is, ‘Where do Icome from?’ Everyone wants to know.”

The family finding that surprised Alshirethe most was a story in a newspaper abouther grandparents, who had owned a tavernin the family’s home town of Baltimore.During Prohibition, they opened a candystore. But old business interests apparentlywere difficult to leave behind, and hergrandfather and grandmother were arrest-ed for selling illegal liquor and fined $500.

“My grandmother was a tall, statelywoman. I’m sure she must have been greatlyembarrassed” to be arrested, said Alshire.

Finding her father’s familyAnn Herron joined the society about 10

years ago. Herron, who puts her age at“over 60,” said she is involved in findingher family history because “as we getolder, we want to have the history to passon,” in her case, to her daughter andgranddaughter.

Five years ago, Herron, whose parentswere of Italian origin, visited a small villagenear Benevento, Italy, which she knew wasthe hometown of her mother’s family.

She found to her surprise that her pater-nal side was also from the area. By show-

ing relatives there a photo of a cousin thatshe obtained after an aunt on her father’sside died, she was able to make contactwith her father’s family.

“It was a very serendipitous experience.It opened up a whole treasure chest of newrelatives for me,” Herron said.

The Howard County society charges itsmembers $15 a year and meets the second

Wednesday of each month, Septemberthrough June, at the Ellicott City SeniorCenter. Family history experts addressthe members, who also share their re-search techniques in trying to trace theirfamily roots.

Learn more about the society athttp://hcgsmd.org or by calling (410) 750-7430.

HOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON — A UGU S T 2 0 1 4 Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style 29

Family treeFrom page 1

Trace your pastthrough Mormon

records

FREE ALL STATE BAND CONCERTA free concert by the 2014 Maryland All State Community Bandwill be presented by the Columbia Bands on Sunday, Aug. 3 at 3

p.m. in the Jim Rouse Theater, 5460 Trumpeter Rd., Columbia. The All StateBand is composed of community band musicians throughout the state who audi-tioned to be part of it. The conductor is Dr. Harlan Parker, conductor of thePeabody Conservatory’s newly-formed Peabody Modern Orchestra. For more infor-mation, visit www.columbiabands.org or email [email protected].

BEACON BITS

Aug. 3

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].

Begins Here

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ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY

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• Ashland Terrace 410-276-6440

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BALTIMORE COUNTY

• Catonsville 410-719-9464

• Dundalk 410-288-5483

* Fullerton 410-663-0665

• Miramar Landing 410-391-8375

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* Rosedale 410-866-1886

• Taylor 410-663-0363

• Towson 410-828-7185

• Woodlawn 410-281-1120

EASTERN SHORE

• Easton 410-770-3070

HARFORD COUNTY

• Bel Air 410-893-0064

• Box Hill 410-515-6115

HOWARD COUNTY

• Colonial Landing 410-796-4399

• Columbia 410-381-1118

• Ellicott City 410-203-9501

• Ellicott City II 410-203-2096

• Emerson 301-483-3322

• Snowden River 410-290-0384

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY

* Bladensburg 301-699-9785

• Laurel 301-490-1526

• Laurel II 301-490-9730

New Your NewLifestyle

APARTMENT HOMES FOR THOSE 62 AND BETTER!

DESIGNED AND MANAGED FOR TODAY’S SENIORS AT THESE LOCATIONS:

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Scrabble answers on p. 28.

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62 63 64

65 66 67

7. “Put ___ high gear”8. Department store department9. Bit of food10. Distributer of grants to med. researchers11. Swimware sponsor of British Swimming12.Assigns letters to words13. Gloomy18.Approaches19. Julia’s Oscar title role24.Vacation in the Pacific Northwest,probably25. Phi phollower26. They keep the home fires burning27. DVR readouts28. ___ fitting (as baggy clothes)29. Spice Girl Victoria Beckham ___Adams30. “But of course!”31. Follower of Mao35. A.B.A. member37. Old-worlder38. Fuss39. “The Company” org.40. All the rage42. Switch positions43. Tour of duty44. Dip holders45. Model/airplane path46. Signs in a 43 Across47. Late 50’s detective with a jazzy soundtrack48. Revises a manuscript52. ___ known (such as Jack and Jill)53. Cambodian currency55. Lap dog, for short56. Textile worker58. Eleventh letter59. Overstate one’s credentials60. ___ polloi61. One who can cure 75% of this puzzle’s maladies

75% Solution by Stephen Sherr

Across1. Cut back, strategically6. Citrus flavor of Bacardi11. Mil. shorthand for “Sergeant Major”14. Flip chart holder15. Starter homes (biologically speaking)16. In favor of17. Signal that someone is talking about you20. NFC East city21. Looooonnng time22. Update the decor23. “__ blind, but now I see”25. Shakes ones finger at27. Uncouth posture32. Flotillas33. Home to 3 out of every 5 Earthlings34. Part of a “wintry mix”35. Had haddock36.Arrive at one’s destination41. Univ. marchers43.Where the news is cast44. Inability to speak clearly49. Event prelims.50.Appetizer at the sushi house51. Gone ___ instant52. Songbird54.Abbrev. on a box score with no score57. Light of one’s life62.Viking striking tool63. Had a tummy ache64. Like many whiskey barrels65. Part of Cable’s TBS, but not TNT66. Calls out “Geronimo”67. Motionless

Down1.According to2. Panty ___3.Annapolis inst.4.Woman’s nightwear5. Manning with most superbowl rings6. Dracula actor

Jumbles: CRAZE USURY JUGGLE BOILED

Answer: How the professor got his doctorate — BY DEGREES

NURSING STUDENT & LICENSED,bonded, highly experienced CNA seeks full-time, overnight caregiving position. Exten-sive resume & sterling references available.If interested, please call Jacqueline at 301-787-3555.

PROBLEM WITH YOUR PC/MAC ORNETWORK? Computer Systems Engineerwill come to you with help. Call: D. Guisset at301-642-4526.

ACCOUNTING, BOOKKEEPING, TAXES– conscientious CPA, 37 years experience,reasonable rates, looking for additional busi-ness, personal and eldercare clients. Call 410-653-3363.

CHOLESTEROL SPINACH and other me-dicinal plants for diabetes, hypertension,high cholesterol and triglycerides, kidneyproblems, etc. (propagate and grow your owneasily). Email: [email protected]. 301-854-9969.

2 SALVADOR DALI woodblock prints fromDante’s Divine Comedy. Signed and framed.Asking $900 for the pair. Can email picturesif desired. Call Steve 410-913-1653.

HAULING & JUNK REMOVAL – Low up-front pricing. Free estimates! 365 days. Li-censed and insured. Demolition, Estate andeviction services, Recycling and Organizing.Attic Sweepers Hauling. 443-838-2353.

BALTIMORE’S BEST JUNK REMOVAL –Clean Outs: Whole House, Emergency, At-tics/Basements. Furniture and Junk Re-moval, Yard Waste Removal, General Haul-ing, Construction Debris Removal. Free esti-mates. 10% Senior Discount. Licensed, Bond-ed and Insured. Call Jesse, 443-379-HAUL(4285).

SANFORD & SON HAULING & RECY-CLING. Trash + Junk removal, house & es-tate cleanouts, garage+ basement cleanouts.Demolition – Shed, deck fence + pool re-moval. Licensed + insured. Free estimatesover the phone. Call 7 days a week, 7 am to 7pm. 410-746-5090.

LEARN ENGLISH – SPANISH – ITALIAN– FRENCH – PORTUGUESE Conversa-tional. Grammatical. Private lessons. Reason-able Rates. Tutoring students. 443-352-8200.

WE BUY OLD AND NEW COINS, Jewelry,Silver and Gold, Paper Money too. Watches,Clocks and Parts, Military Badges and Patch-es Old and New. Call Greg, 717-658-7954.

VINYL RECORDS WANTED from 1950through 1985. Jazz, Rock-n-Roll, Soul, Rhythm& Blues, Reggae and Disco. 33 1/3 LPs, 45s or78s, Larger collections of at least 100 itemswanted. Please call John, 301-596-6201.

OLD AND NEW WE BUY Sterling SilverFlatware, Tea Sets or Single Pieces., Furniture,Tools, Cameras, Good Glassware, Artwork Too.Toys From Trains to Hotwheels, Action Figuresto Star Wars. Call Greg, 717-658-7954.

CASH BUYER for old costume jewelry, pock-et and wrist watches (any condition). Alsobuying watchmaker tools and parts, trainsets and accessories, old toys, old glassware &coins. 410-655-0412.

FINE ANTIQUES, PAINTINGS ANDQUALITY VINTAGE FURNISHINGSwanted by a serious capable buyer. I am verywell educated [law degree] knowledgeable[over 40 years in the antique business] andhave the finances and wherewithal to handlevirtually any situation. If you have a specialitem, collection or important estate I wouldlike to hear from you. I pay great prices forgreat things in all categories from orientalrugs to Tiffany objects, from rare clocks tofirearms, from silver and gold to classic cars.If it is wonderful, I am interested. No phonypromises or messy consignments. Referencesgladly furnished. Please call Jake Lenihan,301-279-8834. Thank you.

MILITARY ITEMS Collector seeks: hel-mets, weapons, knives, swords, bayonets, webgear, uniforms, inert ordnance, ETC.From 1875 to 1960, US, German, Britain,Japan, France, Russian. Please call Fred 301-910-0783, Thank you. Also Lionel Trains.

Personal Services

Wanted

Home/Handyman Services

HOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON — A UGU S T 2 0 1 4 More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com 31

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 on 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.

TO PLACE A CLASSIFIEDDeadlines and Payments: Ad text and payment is due by the 5th of eachmonth.Note: Only ads received and prepaid by the deadline will be included in thenext month’s issue. Please type or print your ad carefully. Include a numberwhere you can be reached in the event of a question. Payment is due withad. We do not accept ads by phone or fax, nor do we accept credit cards.

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

Business Text Ads: For parties engaged in an ongoing business enterprise.Each ad is $25 for 25 words, 50 cents for each additional word.

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

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

The Beacon, Howard County Classified Dept. P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915-2227

Computer Services

Caregivers

LOCAL ARTISTS FEATURED AT GALLERY

A juried show of works by artists from the Maryland and

Washington, D.C. areas will open at 10 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 4 and continue

through Friday, Aug. 29 at the Artists’ Gallery, American City Building, 10227

Wincopin Circle, Columbia. A reception and awards presentation will be held on

Friday, Aug. 8 from 6 to 8 p.m. For more information, visit www.artistsgalleryco-

lumbia.com or call (410) 730-9286.

BEACON BITS

Aug. 4+

HB8/14

Financial Services

For Sale

Home/Handyman Services

GREENBRIDGE POTTERY OPEN HOUSEGreenbridge Pottery will celebrate 30 years of creating colorful,practical and fanciful clay-based pottery at an open house on

Saturday, Aug. 2 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the studio and farm, 5159 GreenBridge Rd., Dayton. For more information, visit www.greenbridgepottery.com orcall (410) 531-5920.

OUTDOOR MOVIE To Catch a Thief (PG rated) is the free featured film at the outdoorshowing on Saturday, Aug. 16 at 9 p.m. at the Wine Bin, 8390Main St., Ellicott City. A wine tasting is offered before the screen-

ing and the Bin sells popcorn and bottled water to benefit Voices for Children ofHoward County. For more details, visit winebinec.com or call (410) 465-7892

BEACON BITS

Aug. 2

Thanks for reading!

Aug. 2

32 More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com A U G U S T 2 0 1 4 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

because what surrounds you really matters.

Partnering with national leaders in the field, we’ve set a new benchmark in memory support. All of our staff have specialized training in assisting people

with memory loss using redirection and anxiety-reducing techniques that decrease the need for medication. Creatively designed programs stimulate

memory and build independence and self-esteem.

Residential Cottages Assisted Living Skilled Nursing Care Memory support Rehabilitation

www.bgf.org

SIMPLY

DIFFERENT

Assisted living - memory support

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August 2014 | Howard County Beacon