august 2014 | baltimore beacon

More than 125,000 readers throughout Greater BaltimoreVOL.11, NO.8

I N F O C U S F O R P E O P L E O V E R 5 0AUGUST 2014

I N S I D E …

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

LAW & MONEY 17k Better dividends abroad k Don’t give up on bonds

PLUS CROSSWORD, BEACONBITS, CLASSIFIEDS & MORE

ARTS & STYLEGovernor’s arts award winnerhas a song in his heart; plus,Pirates of Penzance hams it upat Toby’s page 25

By Carol SorgenIt has been a long and increasingly diffi-

cult 20-year journey, but Patty Kelly knowsshe is coming to the end of her caregivingresponsibilities for her elderly mother.

The 56-year-old Westminster residenthas been providing an evolving array ofcaregiving functions since her mother wasfirst diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in1994. Now 90 and in a residential facility inVirginia, Kelly’s mother is no longer ableto speak or interact with her daughter.

But Kelly continues to make the 200-mile roundtrip every week to sit with hermother while she eats lunch. Kelly readsto her from the Bible, even clips her fin-gernails.

“It’s both a blessing and a curse,” saidKelly. “It breaks my heart to see her likethis, but I’m glad that I have the time and asupportive husband and sister, so that I amable to do what I can.”

Through the years, Kelly’s responsibili-ties have grown from mowing the lawnwhen her mother lived independently, tomanaging her medical care, to taking overher finances and selling her house (inthree days!) when it became clear hermother could no longer live independently.

“With every little step down the road,you grieve a little bit more,” Kelly said.“Your parent moves a little farther awayfrom you, and on top of being sad, you’reangry that they’re no longer there for you.”

Finding supportKelly has found much information and

support through the Alzheimer’s Associa-tion. The association’s website offers a large sect ion for caregivers a thttp://www.alz.org/care/overview.asp, in-cluding a message board, links to supportgroups, and health, legal and financial re-sources.

Check the association’s Maryland site,http://www.alz.org/maryland, for supportgroups and events. The association offersmore than 20 support groups in BaltimoreCity and County.

Kelly herself attends a monthly supportgroup, something that is strongly encour-aged by professional caregivers such asMichelle Mills, LCSW, Director of AdultDay Services at Levindale Hebrew Geri-atric Center and Hospital.

Caregiver support groups are offered atsuch locations as Jewish Community Serv-ices, St. Joseph Medical Center, KernanHospital and Northwest Hospital Center;there are also numerous disease-specificcaregiver support groups as well.

You can find more information at www.bal-timorecountymd.gov/Agencies/aging/care-givers/supportgroups.html. The BaltimoreCounty Dept. of Aging also publishes a quar-terly newsletter called “Caregiver Connec-tion,” available in print or online athttp://bit.ly/caregivernewsletter.

“Providing care for an elderly or ill lovedone is very stressful,” said Mills. “We sug-gest that caregivers find a support groupwhether in person or online. You have tocommit to taking care of yourself.”

Millions of caregiversAccording to the Alzheimer’s Associa-

tion, 43.5 million adult family caregiverscare for someone 50+ years of age, and14.9 million care for someone who hasAlzheimer’s disease or other dementia.Family caregivers are said to provide avalue of $450 billion a year in unpaid care.

Another sobering fact, according toAARP: As baby boomer caregivers agethemselves, there will be fewer caregiversavailable for them when they need care. In2010, the ratio of caregivers to patientsover the age of 80 was 7 to 1; by 2030, theestimated ratio will be 4 to 1; and in 2050, 3to 1, making for an ever increasing burden

Amy Goyer, AARP’s Family and Caregiving expert, moved across the country to helpcare for her parents, Robert and Patricia Goyer. Nationally, there are more than 43million caregivers to those over 50. While the job can be difficult, caregiving can alsobring families closer together.

See CAREGIVING, page 9

Ups and downs of caregiving

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

page 21

F R E E

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 interestingin elementary school — genetics, space,

medicine, cars and gadgets(think James Bond) — nowutterly amaze me. Or rather,what we have come to knowabout the world around us,and the many ways we havelearned to master and manip-ulate that world, make mestare in wonder. In part, that’s probably be-

cause I always remained astudent of the liberal artsrather than the hard sciences.I simply don’t understandmuch of the underlying

physics and chemistry of today’s develop-ments.

Fortunately, one doesn’t have to under-stand how things are made or why theywork in order to benefit from them. (Andperhaps not understanding the inner work-ings makes their achievements all themore wonderful!) At any rate, I love tolearn about, and where possible make useof, each day’s new discoveries. 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, blogsand 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.

Awesome subjects2 More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com AUGU S T 2 0 1 4 — B A L T IMORE B E A CON

BeaconThe

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 is the 1st of themonth preceding the month of publication. Deadline for ads is the 1st of the month preceding the monthof publication. See page 31 for classified advertising details. Please mail or email all submissions.

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• Publisher/Editor ....................Stuart P. Rosenthal• Associate Publisher..............Judith K. Rosenthal• Vice President, Operations........Gordon Hasenei• Director of Sales ................................Alan Spiegel• Assistant Operations Manager ..........Roger King• Managing Editor............................Barbara Ruben• Contributing Editor..........................Carol Sorgen• Graphic Designer ..............................Kyle Gregory• Advertising Representatives ............Steve Levin, ........................................................................Jill Joseph

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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.

TRACE YOUR FAMILY TREE

The Baltimore County Genealogical Society library contains more

than 4,000 volumes, plus other tools to help research your ancestors. The library

is open for research during July and August, the second Tuesday of every month

from 5 to 9 p.m., the second and fourth Thursday of every month from 10 a.m. to

2 p.m., and the second Saturday of every month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free for

members ($15/year); $3 user fee for non-members. The Baltimore County Ge-

nealogical Society is located at 8601 Harford Rd., Room 308, at the intersection

of Harford Road and Hiss Avenue. For more details, visit www.baltimoregenealo-

gysociety.org/BCGShome/library/ or call (410) 665-8769.

BEACON BITS

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GREAT RIVERS OF EUROPEJoin Senior Box Office on this Grand Circle River Cruise of theGreat Rivers of Europe, from Amsterdam to Vienna, Tuesday, Oct.

14 to Wednesday, Oct. 29. Cost starts at $4,770, double occupancy, and includesairfare from BWI. For information, visit www.seniorboxoffice.org or call (410) 882-3797 or 3798.

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B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N — A U G U S T 2 0 1 4 Say you saw it in the Beacon 3

HealthFitness &WHEN FOOD MAKES YOU SICKWhat it means if you’re allergic, intoler-ant or sensitive to various foods

ANTI ANTIBIOTICSDoctors prescribe antibiotics less fre-quently for many good reasons

TWO FOR ONE DEALGetting cataract surgery? Consider alsocorrecting your astigmatism

UNTANGLING ALZHEIMER’S Studies, including one recruiting local-ly, aim to prevent Alzheimer’s

By Dr. Michael MahrGenetically modified foods have been

around for years, but most people in the Unit-ed States have no idea if they are eating 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.A papaya in Hawaii is modified to resist avirus.

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, corn

starch, 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 yearsof research, published in 2013, concludedthat the scientific research conducted sofar has not detected “any significant haz-ard directly connected with the use of GMcrops.”

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 Public

Interest — 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 thatthere’s no evidence they are harmful.

Though what we are eating now appearssafe, 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 ris-

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

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 people

can 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 cataract

surgery 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 a

problem 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 forseveral 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 astigmatism4 Fitness & Health | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com A U G U S T 2 0 1 4 — B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N

BLOOD DONORS NEEDEDGive blood on Monday, Aug. 18 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at theArbutus Library, 855 Sulphur Spring Rd. Call the Arbutus Senior

Center at (410) 887-1410 to sign up.

HEAD AND NECK CANCER SUPPORT GROUPGBMC’s Center for Head and Neck Cancer sponsors a free patientand family support group the third Tuesday of every month from 7 to8:30 p.m., 6701 N. Charles St. Call (443) 849-2087 for information.

YOGA FOR STROKE SURVIVORSThis ongoing class at GBMC is offered Mondays from 9 to 11a.m. and Fridays 9 to 10:30 a.m., in the Civiletti ConferenceCenter. 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.

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Aug. 18

Aug. 19+

Ongoing

ing world population as they engineercrops to adapt to certain climates and ter-rains.

Advocates envision engineering cropsto make them more nutritious as well.

Food animals have been engineered tobe 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 ofState 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 non-GMO varieties.

Consumers increasingly are interestedin what is in their food, including GMOs.

Labeling proponents say it’s abouttransparency, not technology. They saythere is precedent, like orange juice labelsthat say whether the juice is from concen-trate.

David Ropeik, the author of the bookHow Risky Is It, Really? Why Our Fears Don’tAlways Match the Facts, said he thinks thefood industry should endorse labeling so itcan move past the debate.

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

— AP

B A L T I M O R E 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

GMOsFrom page 3

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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 samefood,” said Dr. Ciaran Kelly, professor ofmedicine at Harvard Medical School and

medical director of the Celiac Center atBeth Israel Deaconess 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 manyof the same symptoms as someone withceliac disease after eating wheat or otherfoods containing gluten (stomach pains,

bloating, fatigue), but your immune sys-tem doesn’t produce the blood test abnor-malities seen in people with celiac disease,and there is no evidence of damage in theintestines.

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 foodsthat coincide with your symptoms, you cantry cutting them all out of your diet. This iscalled an elimination diet. Then add onefood back in every couple of days. Whenyour symptoms return, you’ve found theoffending 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-

Do you have a food allergy or intolerance?

6 Fitness & Health | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com A U G U S T 2 0 1 4 — B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N

See FOOD ALLERGIES, page 7

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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 ofthe 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 common

allergies,” 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-free foods available, many Americanshave begun to think that all wheat andother grain products are bad for them.

“There’s a way of thinking that glutenis an unhealthy food,” Kelly said. “Some-how, if a food is gluten-free, it’s consid-ered healthier, and there’s little basis forthat.”

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.


Food allergiesFrom page 6

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BEACON BITS

Ongoing

Ongoing

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 notprescribing an antibiotic. Antibiotics donot make bronchitis symptoms less se-vere or help them go away sooner. Weknow that based on strong evidence frommany 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 may

also produce phlegm (sputum), which canbe 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 ease

the 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 to

work 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 time

it 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.

Why don’t I get antibiotics like I used to?8 Fitness & Health | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com A U G U S T 2 0 1 4 — B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N

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on fewer family caregivers.Some of the challenges caregivers face,

Mills said, are understanding the diseaseprocess and how to manage it; financialconsiderations; juggling work, family andcaregiving responsibilities; and, as Kellyobserved, grieving the loss of the personyou know, even if he or she is still living.

In addition to support groups, care-givers need to ask for help, whether fromother family members, friends or profes-sionals. For caregivers with jobs, a trust-worthy place to leave loved ones duringthe work day can be especially important.

“Adult day care centers, such as theones run by Levindale, not only provide asafe environment for elders during the day,but allow the caregiver to have some timefor him or herself, whether it’s to run someerrands, meet a friend, or take a nap,” saidMills. “If you burn yourself out, you won’tdo anyone any good,” she added.

Caring for the caregiverAmy Goyer agrees. “It’s important to

keep your own tank full,” said Goyer. The53-year-old is not only AARP’s Family andCaregiving Expert, but is the primarycaregiver for her 90-year-old father, whohas Alzheimer’s disease. She performedthe same role for her mother, who diednine months ago.

To be more fully involved in her parents’care, Goyer moved to Phoenix, and now com-mutes to Washington, D.C., when needed.

“Caregivers tend to ignore their ownphysical and emotional health,” saidGoyer, author of Juggling Work and Care-giving, an e-book available for free at thewww.AARP.org bookstore.

“Caregiving can be very isolating,” Goyercontinued. “It can take a lot of time, and in-terfere with your own social interaction.”

Goyer herself finds a lot of support onFacebook. Because she doesn’t have timeto attend a support group in person, Goyerrelies on her community of Facebookfriends, many of whom are also caregivers,to share her experiences and get theirfeedback and encouragement.

And while asking for help for your elder-ly relative is encouraged, so is asking — orarranging — for help for yourself. Ask afriend or neighbor to help with your ownchores, such as mowing the lawn, runningerrands, etc.

Or hire someone to do those chores foryou. Goyer uses a concierge service thattakes on some of her personal responsibili-ties. “That has been a huge help for me, so Ican be more present for my dad,” she said.

Support is also available from governmentand community agencies and organizations.Resources can be found through suchsources as www.eldercare.gov, your local de-partment of aging, www.aarp.org/taking-care, and — here in Maryland — through

Maryland Access Point (MAP), www.mary-landaccesspoint.info.

MAP is a statewide resource for infor-mation and assistance about long-termservices and supports to allow individualsto remain at home and plan for futureneeds. Tools on the site help individualsassess needs, understand care options andsearch for services. State partners on thesite include the Maryland Departments ofAging, Disabilities, and Health and MentalHygiene, as well as the regional Centersfor Independent Living.

Another challenge that caregivers face isthe disruption that can result within thefamily. Kathy McCarty lives in Baltimoreand visits her elderly mother in Providence,R.I., as often as possible. She works withher brother and sister to coordinate care fortheir mother. The strain has taken its toll ontheir relationship, however.

“I heard a gerontologist speak who saidthat caring for elders can create perma-nent anger and resentment in families be-cause one person tends to be saddled withthe lion’s share of work,” said McCarty.That task fell mainly to her sister, and now,McCarty says wistfully, “We wereclose...before these years of caregiving.”

Benefits as well as stressThe subject of caregiver stress has been

a focus of research for almost threedecades, said Leslie Morgan, PhD, co-di-rector of doctoral programs and professorof sociology at UMBC. But only recentlyhave gerontology specialists turned theirattention to the benefits caregiving canbring to caregivers.

“This is a time when you and your loved

CaregivingFrom page 1


We specialize in short-term rehabilitation and

long-term relationships.

“Everyone was so wonderful. I’m glad I came here.”

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Mary came to ManorCare Health Service – Woodbridge Valley debilitated from an infection. Mary couldn’t even get out of bed!

She told us ‘I didn’t know hat to expect. I’ve never

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After our rehab team worked with Mary, she was up on her own two feet,

managing all of her own needs and, in no time, was discharged and back to her regular routine.

As an added bonus, ManorCare’s exercise regimen jump-started a weight loss which helped her to resolve her diabetes. Mary says, “Thanks to ManorCare, I feel great!”

Mary came to ManorCare Health Service – Woodbridge Valley debilitated from an infection. Mary couldn’t even get out of bed!

She told us didn’t know

been hospitalized.’

After our rehab team worked with Mary, she was up on her own two feet,

managing all of her own needs and, in

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See CAREGIVING, page 10

HelPForYourFeeT.CoM

As a podiatrist with over 30 years experience, Ihave always focused on non-surgical treatment offoot and leg pain. I find that most people with footor leg symptoms (arthritic, aching, burning, cramp-ing or difficulty walking) , even those who have hadother treatments, including surgery of the foot (orback), can be helped, usually in 1 or 2 visits.— Dr. Stuart Goldman

I am a patient who had severefoot pain for 2 years, with no relief in sight....by the end of the4 days I was 85% pain free inboth feet. I thank God for Dr.Goldman and his passion for research in healing people withfoot and leg pain.– Alvin, Baltimore

Stuart Goldman, DPM410-235-23454419 Falls Road, Suite A, Baltimore 4000 Old Court Road, Suite 301, Pikesville

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Treating Difficulty Standing or Walking, attributed to Arthritis, Spinal Stenosis, Neuropathy, Poor Circulation or Poor BalanceHow fortunate I feel to have found a doctor whocould not only diagnose an underlying problem that manyspecialists missed, but who hasbeen able to find a painless andrapid method of relieving theworst symptoms.

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one can be together and get closer,” saidMorgan, “when, hopefully, you’ll have thetime to say things you might not otherwisehave said, and to show your affection foreach other.”

That’s how Baltimore City residentDonna Allnutt, 70, who has been a caregiv-er for numerous people, feels about it.

“As things come up, I just take care ofthem,” said Allnutt, who lived with hermother the last 10 months of her life, tooknight shifts for three months when her

cousin’s brother was dying in the hospital,has cared for a niece with cerebral palsy,and is currently offering her home to afriend receiving cancer treatment.

“I just believe in helping others,” saidAllnutt. As the mother of six, the personalchores, such as changing diapers, don’tbother her at all. “It comes naturally tome,” she said.

In her new book, The Caregivers: A Sup-port Group’s Stories of Slow Loss, Courageand Love, author Nell Lake talks about thesuicide of her grandmother, who took herown life seemingly in anticipation of a pos-sible diagnosis of cancer.

“It’s clear to me that, by committing sui-cide, my grandmother wanted to avoidbeing an invalid, dependent,” Lake writesin her prologue. “It also seems clear thatshe didn’t want to be cared for....I’ve real-ized not only the ambiguities of my grand-mother’s last act, but what she subse-quently missed what I missed: the intima-cy that may come with tending and beingtended to. The opportunity to love, tomove toward even what frightens us. Per-haps she ducked out to evade the in-evitable closeness, the letting go, thebeing known.”

In a study conducted by Johns HopkinsUniversity’s Center on Aging and Healthand published in the American Journal ofEpidemiology, lead author David Roth alsoreported on the benefits of caregiving. Ofthe caregivers surveyed — average age

64, more likely female and either white orAfrican-American — family caregiverswere 18 percent less likely to die than non-caregivers over the course of the six-yearstudy.

According to Leah Eskinazi, director ofoperations for the Family Caregiver Al-liance in San Francisco, many people findcaregiving rewarding, and feel good aboutthemselves for being able to give back totheir parents who did so much for them.And for adult children who may have haddifficult relationships with a parent, care-giving is an opportunity to heal some ofthe wounds they have carried with them.

For AARP’s Amy Goyer, who made themove across the country to be there forher parents, despite the challenges, themessage is simple. “This is your time to bewith them.”

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 practicinginternist 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 HarvardCollege. All Rights Reserved. Distributed byTribune Content Agency, LLC.

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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 evidence.

Cell and animal studies, andsmall human trials, suggestfoods rich in lycopene (toma-toes, watermelon, papaya, pinkor red grapefruit), as well as dark green leafyvegetables and deep orange vegetables andfruits (including spinach, kale, broccoli, car-rots and cantaloupe) might help protect skinwith long-term consumption.

Laboratory studies have also shown poten-tial protection from compounds in the herbrosemary and the spice turmeric (which ispart of curry powder). But we don’t havestudies in humans yet to show whetheramounts we get from enjoying them as sea-sonings makes a difference in sun protection.

Green tea contains a compound calledEGCG studied for its cancer-preventive po-tential. Researchers are looking at whetherit may offer protection against UV rays.

Finally, there are some studies lookingat whether omega-3 fatty acids, found insome types of fish, might link to lower riskfor skin cancers.

Evidence is not strong enough to thinkthat any of these foods provide protectionfor your skin. However, making a variety ofvegetables and fruits a major part of everymeal is a move already recommended forlower overall cancer risk, and fish seemsto support heart health.

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 withripeness, but the best indica-tor of ripeness is by feel: a ripeavocado yields to gentle pres-sure, but is not mushy.

If you happen to find a ripeavocado at the grocery storeor farmers’ market, and youare ready to use it in the nextday or so, that’s great.

However, don’t hesitate tobuy too-firm avocados. Toripen avocados, store them atroom temperature. Normallythey will ripen in four to fivedays at about 65 to 75 degrees;

in extra hot weather, they will likely ripenfaster. Refrigerate to ripen more slowly, orto hold your avocados two or three days

after they’ve reached desired softness. 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, andrefrigerate. 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


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BONE DENSITY OSTEOPOROSIS SCREENING

St. Joseph Medical Center, 7601Osler Dr., will offer free osteoporosisscreening on Thursday, July 24. Youmust not have been screened or hada DEXA scan in the past year. Thescreening involves an ultrasound testof the heel bone, plus education aboutosteoporosis. Appointments required.Call (410) 337-1479 to schedule.

BEACON BITS

July 24

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 also Zyrtec,Allegra and Chlor-trimeton — are consti-pating. Well, of course! They’re intended todry you, so they dry up everything!

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 one inthe European Journal of Clinical Nutrition,show that probiotics reduce allergy symp-

toms. In this particular trial, the participantsnoticed a reduction in hay fever symptoms,but it took a couple of months of daily sup-

plementation to see results. Another interesting study

found 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 cit-rus. It’s also a potent natural

antihistamine in high doses, like 500 mg.two to three times daily. This smacks downhistamine, the chemical that triggers theassault, all the sneezing and bloodshot,itchy eyes. Vitamin C can be substituted.

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 sold athealth food stores nationwide as well as on-line, like all the other supplements above.

Steam inhalation: I love easy! Heat upwater in a pot, and carefully inhale the

warm steam (add a drop of eucalyptus oil)to the water.

Eye wash: Every home should havethis 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 eye

Natural remedies for common allergies

DEAR PHARMACISTBy Suzy Cohen


See NATURAL REMEDIES, page 15

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 in

the U.S., Canada and Australia to find thosewith 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 someone

will 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 whenwe 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 AsymptomaticAlzheimer’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 and


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

Volunteer for study to prevent Alzheimer’s

See ALZHEIMER’S STUDY, page 15

MERCY MEDICAL CENTER SEEKS VOLUNTEERS

Mercy Medical Center has ongoing volunteer opportunities. Contact

Mercy’s Volunteer Office at (410) 332-9227; TTY (410) 332-9888 or

[email protected] to discuss volunteer opportunities or ask questions about

application requirements, and to share your interests, goals and skills.

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

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

amyloid levels change over three years. Whether this particular drug works or

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. Volunteersalso must be willing to learn their amyloidlevels, and researchers can turn away thosewhose psychological assessments suggestthey may not cope well with the news.

The study seeks to enroll 1,000 adults whohave an “elevated” level of amyloid plaque in

their 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 bemonitored for anxiety or distress. “It isbreaking new ground,” said Dr. Laurie Ryanof the NIH’s National Institute on Aging. “Wereally do have to understand how [knowingthey have plaques] affects people.”

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 investi-gational 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 changes

in 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)

drops are soothing, and you can also askfor a prescription for Zaditor (ketotofin)antihistamine eye drops.

This information is opinion only. It is not

intended to treat, cure or diagnose your con-dition. Consult with your doctor before usingany new drug or supplement.

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

Natural remediesFrom page 13


For more information, please call 410.494.0193

Enroll now in a clinical study at the NeurExpand Brain Center.A clinical study is underway to evaluate the effects of two dietary supplements, Fruitflow® (tomato extract) and Resveratrol (grape extract) on memory, blood flow, and fitness. lDr. Majid Fotuhi, Medical Director of the NeurExpand Brain Center is the Principal Investigator.

You may qualify to participate if you:

Call today to see if you are eligible.

SM

SM

www.NeurExpand.com

Do You ExperienceMemory Problems?

pMemory Problems?

Alzheimer’s studyFrom page 14

HEARTLAND HOSPICE SERVICES

Join the team at Heartland Hospice as it strives to make its

patients’ lives more comfortable and meaningful. Volunteers visit patients, read,

listen, play music, do crafts and provide much needed respite time for caregivers.

Volunteers receive 16 hours of training, followed by ongoing guidance and sup-

port. When training is complete, volunteers are assigned to patients in the area

of their choice. To learn more, visit www.hcr-manorcare.com.

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

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 appreciatehis judgment, since his con-stantly spelling out the worstthat can happen allows you totake the worst into considera-tion, put it behind you, andstart from there.

At the same time, you proba-bly help him keep his spirits upby pointing out the good thingsaround him.

When he asks what presentyou would like for your birth-day or holiday, tell him to getyou a big beautiful umbrella,

which you can use when he rains on yourparade.

Anyway, you know the optimist thinksthis is the best of all possible worlds, andthe pessimist 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 Idid most of the financial stuff evenwhen his dad was alive, but he argueswith me and often gets angry.

I think he thinks that I don’t wanthim to know what I have or don’t have.How can I put a stop to this argument?

— MillieDear Millie:

“Yes” should come before “No.” Tell himthat, yes, you would love to share some ofthese chores with him so you will feel moreconfident at how you’re handling 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 lives

here. 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?

— AliceDear 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 beconsidered for this column may be sent to:The Beacon, 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


MILITARY AVIATION PIONEEROn Monday, Aug. 4, at 7 p.m., hear Carl Bobrow, museum special-ist with the National Air and Space Museum, speak about Gen.

George Owen Squier, a pioneer in military aviation. This monthly speaker series isheld at the Glenn L. Martin Maryland Aviation Museum, 2323 Eastern Blvd.,Middle River. Although the event is free, a photo ID is required for entry. For moreinformation, call (410) 682-6122 or visit www.mdairmuseum.org.

BEACON BITS

Aug. 4

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 dividend huntersbecause their stronger cultures of paying div-idends have resulted in higher yields.

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 paying div-idends. But in other developed markets,Peris said there’s a strong assumption thatcompanies will pay out much or most of

their earnings to shareholders as dividends. Consider HSBC Holdings, the largest

company by market value in the UnitedKingdom. The financial giant paid out 58 per-cent of its earnings per share last year in theform of dividends. In the U.S., companies inthe Standard & Poor’s 500 index paid about35 percent of their earnings as dividends.That’s more than they paid just a few yearsago, but it’s down from earlier decades.

The yields are also higher abroad. U.K.stocks have an average dividend yield of 3.3percent, and stocks in Europe outside theU.K. offer 3.1 percent, according to MSCI in-dexes. Stocks from emerging markets, suchas Brazil and China, pay 2.7 percent. All areahead of the 2 percent yield of U.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 payers canalso supply income to investors contending

with relatively low interest rates on bonds.

Dividends = fiscal discipline? Perhaps most importantly, companies

that pay dividends force themselves to bemore disciplined in how they spend money,which can lead to better performance, saidDavid Ruff. He is a portfolio manager atForward Management and helps run For-ward Select Emerging Markets Dividend(FSLRX) and other dividend funds.

When a company has to budget for itsdividend, its managers are less likely towaste money on an ill-fitting acquisition orexpansion. And companies typically fight tomaintain their dividend even when timesare tight for fear of an investor backlash.

That’s why Ruff sees a company’s prom-ise to pay a dividend as a signal of discipline.He also said he generally sees better signalsfor dividend stocks abroad than at home.

Investors plugged a net $6 billion intoforeign large-cap value stock mutual fundsthrough the first four months of the year,according to Morningstar. Such funds tendto focus on dividend-paying stocks, andtheir U.S. counterparts attracted a smaller$4.5 billion over the same time, even

though they’re a bigger category by assets.

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 compa-nies paying out steady dividends every threemonths. Abroad, the payment schedule isn’tuniform. Some companies pay twice a year,others four. And the amounts may 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 ayear, but the amount varies. The first threequarterly payments are the same, but the

Investors looking abroad for dividends

See DIVIDENDS ABROAD, page 19

BA L T IMORE B E A CON — A UGU S T 2 0 1 4 Say you saw it in the Beacon 17

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

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

PASS IT ONWhen leaving a valuable collection toyour heirs, consider the effects of taxa-tion and get the right appraisal

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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 roughly

17,500 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-easy

monetary 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 wouldprefer 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 orbetter 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.

Predicting the midyear outlook for stocks18 Law & Money | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com AUGU S T 2 0 1 4 — B A L T IMORE B E A CON

BANK ON ITLearn about the latestbanking trends andthe impact they have

on older adults at a program present-ed by Wells Fargo at the AteazeSenior Center, 7401 Holabird Ave.,Dundalk. The talk takes place onTuesday, July 29 at 10 a.m. The pro-gram is free, but you must sign up atthe front desk. For more information,call (410) 887-7233.

LAWYERS OFFERADVICE TO ARTISTS Volunteer Lawyers forthe Arts delivers

legal services and legal informationto over 10,000 members of the artscommunity each year. For informationon services available in Maryland,contact Maryland Lawyers for theArts, 113 W. North Ave., (410) 752-1633, [email protected], orwww.mdartslaw.org.

BEACON BITS

July 29

Ongoing

fourth 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 risks offoreign investing is that swings in currencyvalues can quickly erode any potential profit.

If a stock’s price rises on the London Stock

Exchange, for example, but the Britishpound falls in value against the dollar, it couldnegate the gain for a U.S. investor. The valueof dividend payments can 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

Common stock investors have certainlybeen pleased with the overall stock marketperformance over the last five years. For ex-ample, the S&P 500 index increased 19.1 per-cent in that period; Vanguard’stotal stock market index fundhas increased 19.6 percent.

Investors in bond funds, ex-cept for high-yield (junk) bondfunds, saw their bond portfo-lios decrease approximately 2percent in 2013. As a result,many investors have reducedthe proportion of bonds in theirportfolios.

Based on the email I receive,it seems many investors areconsidering lowering the long-term allocation of bonds in theirportfolios even further. This is understand-able as many (if not most) bond experts arepredicting a 10-year return of only 2 to 3 per-cent for a conservative bond portfolio.

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 loss only15 percent of the time, or one out of six years.Aggregate stock prices have decreased 25percent of the time, or one out of four years.

He also points out that in the worst yearfor common stocks, prices fell 67.6 per-cent, while in the worst year for bonds,

prices fell only 13.9 percent. In the periods between October 2007

and March 2009, common stocks fell 57percent, high-yield bonds fell 26 percent,

and real estate investmenttrusts fell 71 percent. The U.S.aggregate bond index in-creased 5 percent during thatperiod; the Treasury Index in-creased 15 percent.

What are the lessons fromthese statistics? To me, theyprove the value of a diversifiedportfolio at all times. If youlook at the five-year periodprior to the five years whencommon stocks had such agreat run, bonds outperformedstocks by a wide margin. If you

had a 100 percent stock portfolio duringthose five years, you would have had a nega-tive performance.

For the last 15 years, during my retire-ment, I have had a significant percentage ofboth bonds and common stocks in my port-folio (at least 40 percent in each). Obviously,I would have done better if I had a 100 per-cent bond allocation for five years and then a100 percent stock allocation for the next fiveyears. 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, and evenretired investors should maintain a signifi-cant percent of stocks in their portfolio.

I don’t think a 50 percent holding in com-mon stocks for most retirees is too high.With inflation at approximately 3 percent,and expected bond returns of 2 to 3 percent,retirees should have a significant portion oftheir portfolio in stocks to protect against in-flation 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 capitalrisk if interest rates do increase a great deal.

It would be great if we could predict peaksand valleys in the stock and bond markets.No one can. There is a danger in having toohigh an allocation in either stocks or bonds.There is too great a temptation to make dras-tic changes at exactly the wrong times.

At the end of 2008, and at the start of2009, many investors who had a high per-centage of their portfolio in common stockssold most or all of their holdings in stocks,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

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

Dividends abroadFrom page 17

–THE PAPER TRAILWhat financial and medical papers should you keep, and where

should you keep them? Get the answers, as well as learn about

what a “grab and go box” is, at a program at Overlea Fullerton Senior Center on

Thursday, July 31 at 1 p.m. The center is located at 4314 Fullerton Ave. For more

information, call (410) 887-5220.

BEACON BITS

July 31

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

By Vickie ElmerDo you collect vintage radios, 19th-cen-

tury dolls or perhaps African sculptures? Itmay take some expert help to work outhow to pass these on to your heirs. Par-ents’ collectibles can hold emotional mean-ing for adult children, and some collec-

tions carry financial value as well.Before you choose a beneficiary for your

collection, sit down with your family andfind out who, if anyone, wants the items.Then consider whether you want to parcelout some items now, wait a few years, orhold on to everything until you die.

One reason to give away items beforeyou die: The joy of seeing beloved objectsbestowed now.

“Face-to-face giving is rewarding for thedonor,” said Michael Whitty, an estate-planning lawyer with Handler Thayer, inChicago. Whether you pass on collectionsnow or after you die, he suggests givingheirs a “user manual” on how to maintain,insure and sell the valuables.

Tax considerationsKeep the tax tab in mind before you de-

cide how to dispose of a valuable collec-tion. Each year you can give each benefici-ary up to $14,000 in cash, securities andother assets ($28,000 per beneficiary froma couple) without having to file a gift-taxreturn.

Anything above $14,000 counts againstthe estate-tax threshold — in 2014, $10.68

million ($5.34 million for an individual) —when you die. Therefore, couples whohave amassed an estate well above the fed-eral estate-tax threshold may want to par-cel out valuable collectibles to childrenand grandchildren year by year.

A lower estate-tax bill may be an incen-tive to donate the collection if your kidsdon’t want it.

If you decide to sell, you will pay a maxi-mum 28-percent capital-gains tax on col-lectibles — lower than the federal estate-tax rate. (Your state may also impose itsown estate or inheritance tax.)

Before you start divvying up your collec-tion, consider whether it is worth more in-tact or separated. A coin or stamp collec-tion is more valuable together than apart.Most art and antiques usually fetch moresold piece by piece.

Appraising your collectionIf you will gift a collection during your life-

time, you should get an appraisal done be-fore you start giving it away, and update theappraisal every five years or so. If you planto give one child a collection appraised at,say, $50,000, you could decide to give anoth-er child $50,000 in cash or other property.

Depending on the size of your estate,your heirs will need to get their own ap-praisal for estate-tax purposes. If the col-lection is unusual, such as antique Africancarvings, recommend an appraiser andhave it valued while you’re still alive.

To find an appraiser near you, go to thewebsite of the American Society of Apprais-ers (www.appraisers.org), the AppraisersAssociation of America (www.appraisersas-soc.org), or the International Society of Ap-praisers (www.isa-appraisers.org).Vickie Elmer is a freelance writer for

Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. © 2014 Kiplinger’s Personal Finance;

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Leaving a valuable collection to your heirs20 Law & Money | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com AUGU S T 2 0 1 4 — B A L T IMORE B E A CON

MAP OF BALTIMORECOUNTYMaryland Access

Point (MAP) of Baltimore County ispart of a nationwide effort to stream-line access to support, services andbenefits to older adults, persons withdisabilities, their families and careproviders. Call (410) 887-2594, oremail [email protected]. For statewide information,visit MarylandAccessPoint.info

LEGAL AIDFOR SENIORS Maryland Legal Aid

provides a full range of civil legalservices to financially qualified Mary-landers and people over 60 from 13offices around the state. For more in-formation, visit www.mdlab.org.

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

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.aging-

withdignity.org.

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

Ongoing

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We’re Celebrating Summer at Atrium Village!

Summer Safety Presentation and Vitality Check-ups

TUESDAY, JULY 29TH AT 1:00PM

July is Summer Safety Month. We want you to “beat the heat” during the sizzling summer days ahead.

Christina Haussener MS, OTR/L , Genesis Rehabilitation SeNices Program Manager will teach you ways to remain safe and

stay well as the heat and humidity rise. Christina will also be offering individual Vitality Check-ups aber her presentation. We will be serving frosty beverages and light refreshments.

SEATING IS LIMITED. PLEASE RSVP BY SATURDAY, JULY 26TH.

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TravelLeisure &TravelLeisure &

Niagara Falls is a 20-minute drive fromBuffalo, N.Y. See story on page 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 featur-ing a state-of-the-art milking parlor. Itscomputer technology tracks a cow’s activi-ties, milk production, breeding and calf de-livery 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 of

Commerce 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 recre-ational boats in the U.S., from canoes toracing boats to the 106-foot, Gilded Agehouseboat, La Duchesse, owned by hotelmagnate George Boldt of Waldorf Astoriafame.

The houseboat has a steel hull, brassfireplace, nine bedrooms, five bathrooms,

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 22

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

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servants’ quarters, a dancing deck, and aflower potting room. Museum exhibits ex-plore boating history, starting with dugoutcanoes.

The Thousand Islands Museum at 312James 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.boldtcastle.com). Boldt, who was ofPrussian origin, was building this ornate$2.5 million edifice for his wife, Louise, thelove 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 acquired

by the government over 70 years later. Today a tourist attraction, the castle’s

first 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, aClayton fishing guide, was hosting MayIrwin, a prominent New York City actressand her husband. Irwin commended thetasty salad dressing made by LaLonde’swife, Sophia. Irwin requested the originalrecipe, naming it “Thousand Island Dress-ing.”

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 aregion 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

22 Leisure & Travel | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com AUGU S T 2 0 1 4 — B A L T IMORE B E A CON

1,000 IslandsFrom page 21

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

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 the19th 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 ofwine trails and vibrant farmers markets.

Don’t miss some Western New Yorkculinary favorites, including beef-on-wecksandwiches (thinly cut roast beef servedon a salt and caraway seed topped kum-melweck roll), sponge candy (made withchocolate and caramelized sugar, with atexture and taste that even its creators sayis hard to describe), and charcoal broiledhot 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-class

fishing, great skiing and fantastic watersports. Kayak through the city’s historicgrain elevator district on the Buffalo Riveror rock climb up those elevators on Silo

City Rocks, which is set to open later thisyear.

B A L T IMORE B E A CON — A UGU S T 2 0 1 4 Say you saw it in the Beacon | Leisure & Travel 23

Buffalo’s natural and man-made wonders

See BUFFALO, page 24

CALL TOLL FREE 1.800.257.8920

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Spend a day in the natural splendor ofthe Tifft Nature Preserve, only minutesfrom downtown Buffalo, or admire floralbeauty during a stroll in the Buffalo andErie County Botanical Gardens. A series ofparks and parkways throughout Buffalodesigned by renowned landscape architectFrederick Law Olmsted provide a scenicrespite 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 GardenWalkBuffalo, the nation’s largest free gardentour, celebrating its 20th anniversary thisyear on July 26 and 27, to the Erie CountyFair (Aug. 6 to 17), celebrating its 175th, to

the National Buffalo Wing Festival 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. Be

sure to wear your souvenir rain ponchos! Southwest Airlines has a roundtrip fare

from Baltimore-Washington InternationalAirport to Buffalo of $204 in mid-August.

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.

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

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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BuffaloFrom page 23

Radio Flea Market

Cars, boats, furniture, antiques, tools, appliancesEverything and anything is sold on

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By Jennifer Waldera“I nearly fell off my seat when the Gover-

nor’s office called,” said Eugene Langbehn,recalling the moment he learned he was tobe presented with the Maryland Depart-ment of Aging’s Performance Arts Award.

The award is given annually as part ofthe Governor’s Leadership in AgingAwards, which honor Marylanders age 60and older for excellence in various cate-gories, including visual arts, performancearts, and health and vitality.

Described by his wife, Charlotte, as a“born showman,” Langbehn has beensinging for decades, beginning in 1944when he served as a staff radio announcerin the Army during his service in Icelandand Germany. That led to a life committedto sharing music with others.

“Music is a way of life. It makes lifeworth living,” Langbehn said.

Langbehn, 86, lives at the Charlestownretirement community in Catonsville. Hesings and performs regularly for fellowresidents, as well as in a variety of othervenues, including theatre productions andnight clubs in Baltimore and in CarrollCounty.

Meeting through musicLangbehn began singing at Charlestown

about 10 years ago, after he walked up toCharlotte as she played the piano one after-noon, and he started singing along. She en-couraged him to join the Charlestown Har-monizers, a chorus that practices regularlyand performs twice a year.

Soon, Langbehn and Charlotte beganperforming at Charlestown together, offer-ing a weekly “Musical Moments” act fortheir fellow residents. Charlotte accompa-nied Langbehn as he sang tunes made fa-mous by the likes of Frank Sinatra, PerryComo and Frankie Lane.

It must have dawned on them that theycould be making beautiful music togetherof a different sort, and so they decided toget married.

Now they often sing before the start ofdinner at Charlestown, perform karaokeon a regular basis, and take their show onthe road to other retirement communities,such as Carroll Manor.

“It’s wonderful to see people respond tomusic,” he said. “Even those who mayhave memory loss can connect with themusic from the ‘30s, the ‘40s, the ‘50s. It

means something to see that.”Though Langbehn was honored by the

Governor for his musical ability, he mighthave as easily been nominated for an awardfor his other passion — physical fitness.

He rides his stationary bike at least 20miles each week. So far, Langbehn is close

to having biked halfway around the world,with approximately 13,000 miles logged.

Always up for a challenge, Langbehnalso competed at the Maryland SeniorOlympics, where he earned both a silver

Arts &Style Swashbuckling pirates take centerstage at Toby’s Dinner Theater. Seestory on page 26.

Eugene Langbehn, a talented singer, won this year’s Governor’s Leadership in AgingAward for Performing Arts. He met his wife, Charlotte, one day when she was play-ing the piano at Charlestown retirement community, where they both lived. Sincethen, the couple has performed weekly for residents.

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Arts award winner has a song in his heart

See SINGER, page 27

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“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!


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 finer pointsof satire or the cleverness of the rhyme; justfiguring out the subject of the songs is ren-dered impossible. The satirical points haveno punch. They don’t even have presence.And following the story? Forget that.

This is the tale of a group of orphaned,dim-witted pirates who become captivated

by 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 wed one of the youngladies. A swashbuckling but silly Pirate Kingschemes to thwart the young man, even asthe major general schemes to make themost of the pirates’ ardor for his girls.

Toby’s says it is performing JosephPapp’s “updated” version of the show,which was a hit on Broadway in the early1980s. Papp beefed up the Pirate King’srole and broadened the humor. He movedthe music away somewhat from its lightopera 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 thewater glasses on the table tinkling.

As the Pirate King, David Jennings has arobust 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 brings

26 Arts & Style | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com AUGU S T 2 0 1 4 — B A L T IMORE B E A CON

Pirates of Penzance goes adrift at Toby’s

See PIRATES, page 29

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and a bronze medal. Recently, he decided to participate in a

triathlon at Charlestown — his first. “I triedsomething I had never done before... Bet-ter to try while still alive!” To his surprise,perhaps, he also medaled at the event.

In addition to competing in sports andperforming, this former New York native— who moved to Maryland after his Armyservice — also taught elementary schoolfor 28 years, and served as chaplain at thestate-run psychiatric hospital, Walter P.Carter Center.

Singing on the roadNow retired, Langbehn and his wife spend

much of their time traveling, which they con-sider “one of the great experiences” of life.

They often combine that love of travelwith their love of music, karaoke beingone of the Langbehns’ favorite activities on

their cruise vacations. Often, the couple will be invited to en-

tertain or help with events on the cruises.The two also travel both domestically andabroad on trips sponsored by Elderhosteland its Road Scholar program. Langbehnhas traveled on such trips since Elderhos-tel was established in 1975.

Langbehn’s passion for music, pairedwith his love of challenges, has helped himto achieve many awards. Still, he continuesto build new skills and talents, the most re-cent being mastery of the harmonica.

He was able to teach himself to play theharmonica quickly and now carries it withhim often. “What makes the harmonicaperfect,” Langbehn reflected, “is that it isone of the only portable instruments!”Well, portable in one’s pocket.

Langbehn enthusiastically tackles newchallenges, and enjoys pursuing his pas-sion for music alongside his wife.“Music isimportant for us. It sustains our marriageand it motivates us,” he said.

B A L T IMORE B E A CON — A UGU S T 2 0 1 4 Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style 27

SingerFrom page 25 DOWNTON IN DELAWARE

Senior Box Office repeats this sell-out trip on Wednesday, Sept.17, when it travels to the Winterthur Museum and Country Estate

in Wilmington, Delaware, with its premiere collection of decorative arts and thecurrent exhibit of costumes from “Downton Abbey.” Cost is $53 per person. Forinformation, visit www.seniorboxoffice.org or call (410) 882-3797 or 3798.

POP-ROCK AT PIER SIXSinger-songwriters Gavin DeGraw and Matt Nathanson will per-form on Aug. 12 at Pier Six Pavilion in the Inner Harbor. Tickets

range from $29 to $65. For more information, visit www.piersixpavilion.com.

BEACON BITS

Sept. 17

CANYON COUNTRYJoin the Pikesville Senior Center on this eight-day tourWednesday, Oct. 15 to Thursday, Oct. 23 through Scottsdale, Oak

Creek Canyon, Kaibib National Forest, Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, MonumentValley, Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion National Park, Las Vegas and more.Cost is $2,499 per person, double occupancy, and $3,249 single occupancy. Call(410) 484-5285 for more information and reservations.

BEACON BITS

Oct. 15+

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Aug. 12

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

LifeChecksm

When we fill your prescription, our LifeCheckcomputer system lets our pharmacists triplecheck your prescriptions.*

Satellite Linksm

Since all of our Pharmacies are linked bysatellite network, we can access your prescription profile and fill your prescription at any location.*

Refills By PhoneRefills just got easier. Call the Pharmacynumber on your prescription bottle, enter the prescription I.D. number printed on the labeland we will tell you when it will be ready.

Internet RefillsWith Internet Refills, you can order your pre-scription without ever leaving the house. Justgo to www.riteaid.com and click “Refill Now”,select Store Pick-up or Mail Delivery andsimply enter prescription information.

Rite AdviceWith every prescription, you will receive written information on the dosage, sideeffects and potential drug interaction.

Vitamin ProgramOnly Rite Aid pharmacists are speciallytrained to know vitamins. Ask your Rite Aid pharmacist for a personal vitamin profile.

“Being injured on the job is hard enough. Your Rite Aid Pharmacist is here to personally help youalong your road to recovery.” Ask us about ourWorkers’ Compensation Prescription Program.There are no hassles, no delays and no out-of-pocket expenses.

Flavor RxWe make children’s medicines a lot lessyucky. Ask the pharmacist to add any ofour 20 great flavors to any of your liquidmedications.

That’s why we give you more.Our pharmacists are at the heart

of everything we do.They can counsel you on your medica-

tions, side effects, drug interactions...even vitamins. We give you more thanyour medications; we’ll give you theadvice you need.

Plus a series of pharmacy benefits likeno other drugstore.

Workers’ Compensation

We want to be your Family’s Pharmacy

*If on file at another Rite Aid store.

valiant comic commitment to several of themost popular numbers.

Robert John Biederman 125 (this is the

actor’s chosen name) does his best as theMajor-General, especially in what is prob-ably the show’s most famous song: “I Amthe Very Model of a Modern Major-Gen-eral.” The lyrics come rapid-fire in an out-pouring of increasingly rapid patter, only

some of which was audi-ble over the orchestraduring the reviewed per-formance.

It is possible the per-formances will becomesharper, and the parodyand satire more vibrant, astime goes by. Perhapssomebody will take chargeof the sound design.

Toby’s generally does amore than capable jobwith musicals. Some of itswork is as good as it gets.But these pirates are, atthis point, on a ship withno wind in its sails.

Ticket informationThe Pirates of Penzance

continues through Aug. 31at Toby’s Dinner Theatre,

5900 Symphony Woods Rd., Columbia. The show runs seven days a week with

evening and matinee performances. Mondaythrough Saturday evenings feature an all-you-can-eat dinner buffet, for which doors open at6 p.m., followed by an 8 p.m. performance.On Sunday evenings, doors open for dinnerat 5 p.m., followed by a 7 p.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.

B A L T IMORE B E A CON — A UGU S T 2 0 1 4 Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style 29

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 CROSSWORD

FROM PAGE 30

PiratesFrom page 26

Senior ApartmentsLIVE WELL FOR LESSRoland View Towers

• One- and Two-Bedroom as wellas Efficiencies

• Rents from $447-$751*

Utilities Included! • 24/7 on-site Maintenance and

Reception Desk • Beauty/Barber Shop on

premises • Bus Trips and Social Events

and many more amenities! • Only 2 blocks from Hampden’s

‘The Avenue’

*All residents must meet specific income guidelines.

For your personal tour contactArthur or Laura Ruby at

410-889-8255St Mary’s Roland View Towers

3838/3939 Roland Ave • Baltimore, MD 21211www.smrvt.com

Mention the Beacon forFirst Month’s Rent FREE!

Spectacular View

Rooftop Restaurant

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and let us take care of all the details!

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:##=5".3"/68#+")C'/)"#;8)-"5:##B'/-.'11"&DE66"))#=/-.8:##F%,.#;%1'/:##=1">%-'.):##;5'2"DG."":##;5%11#?"-)#H"16'5"

For more information, call

410-526-3380TTY: 711 EQUAL HOUSING

OPPORTUNITY

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BY

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RIS

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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.

30 More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com AUGU S T 2 0 1 4 — B A L T IMORE B E A CON

Crossword PuzzleDaily crosswords can be found on our website: www.TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Click on Puzzles Plus

Answers on page 29.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16

17 18 19

20 21 22

23 24 25 26

27 28 29 30 31

32 33

34 35 36 37 38 39 40

41 42 43

44 45 46 47 48

49 50

51 52 53 54 55 56

57 58 59 60 61

62 63 64

65 66 67

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

A DAY AT THE BEACH IN PASADENAEnjoy a day of seafood and social fun at Kurtz’s Beach inPasadena on Saturday, Aug. 16. Cost of the trip is $52. Call

Reisterstown Senior Center at (410) 887-1143 to save a spot.

LITTLE ITALY SALUTES THE CINEMASince 1999, Little Italy has hosted the popular Little Italy OpenAir Festival, screening both adult and family-friendly fare everyFriday night in July and August. This year’s offerings include

Moonstruck, Gladiator, Silver Linings Playbook and Cinema Paradiso. Films beginat 9 p.m. Come early and enjoy live entertainment and treats from Little Italy’srestaurants. Bring your own lawn chair. Admission is free. For more information,visit www.promotioncenterforlittleitaly.org.

BALTIMORE COUNTY’S HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODSLocal historian Ray Chism will give a talk at the Arbutus SeniorCenter, 855 A Sulphur Spring Rd., on the Relay and Saint Denishistoric neighborhoods located in Southwest Baltimore County on

Friday, Aug. 22, at 12:45 p.m. RSVP by Aug. 19 to (410) 887-1410.

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

Aug. 22

410-288-2000

3455 Dundalk Avenue Dundalk, MD 21222www.GreensAtLoganField.com

EQUAL HOUSINGOPPORTUNITYTTY-Dial 711

55 Dundalk Avenue Dundalk, MD 212www GreensAtLoganField com

Aug. 16

NURSING STUDENT & LICENSED, bond-ed, highly experienced CNA seeks full-time,overnight caregiving position. Extensive re-sume & sterling references available. If inter-ested, please call Jacqueline at 301-787-3555.

ACCOUNTING, BOOKKEEPING, TAXES –conscientious CPA, 37 years experience, reason-able rates, looking for additional business, per-sonal and eldercare clients. Call 410-653-3363.

WE BUY HOUSES FOR CA$H – Call today,240-670-6797. Iwant2helpyou.com.

GARDENVILLE – LARGE, QUIET, cleanbedroom + private bath for rent in private homewith refrigerator and microwave included. Rea-sonable. 410-485-1702.

TEN HARDBACK WESTERN books – in-cludes 4 leather-bound by L’Amour – $35 –Also: Send for list of 40 Civil War Rare and Col-lectible Books – Some sets. 410-866-2373.

MEADOWRIDGE MEMORIAL PARK – 3side-by-side lots for sale, one or all, in originalsection. $2,500 each or $6,000 for all three. CallMadalyn, 443-286-4700.

TWO SIDE-BY-SIDE CRYPTS in CloistersMausoleum at Dulaney Valley Gardens. Retailvalue, $15,000. Sell for $7,500 or best offer. 410-870-1442.

2 SALVADOR DALI woodblock prints fromDante’s Divine Comedy. Signed and framed.Asking $900 for the pair. Can email pictures ifdesired. Call Steve, 410-913-1653.

SANFORD & SON HAULING & RECY-CLING. Trash + Junk removal, house & estatecleanouts, garage + basement cleanouts. Demo-lition – Shed, deck fence + pool removal. Li-censed + insured. Free estimates over thephone. Call 7 days a week, 7 am to 7 pm. 410-746-5090.

BALTIMORE’S BEST JUNK REMOVAL –Clean Outs: Whole House, Emergency,Attics/Basements. Furniture and Junk Re-moval, Yard Waste Removal, General Hauling,Construction Debris Removal. Free estimates.10% Senior Discount. Licensed, Bonded and In-sured. Call Jesse, 443-379-HAUL (4285).

LEARN ENGLISH – SPANISH – ITALIAN –FRENCH – PORTUGUESE Conversational.Grammatical. Private lessons. ReasonableRates. Tutoring students. 443-352-8200.

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.

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

FINE ANTIQUES, PAINTINGS ANDQUALITY VINTAGE FURNISHINGS want-ed by a serious capable buyer. I am very welleducated [law degree] knowledgeable [over 40years in the antique business] and have the fi-nances and wherewithal to handle virtuallyany situation. If you have a special item, col-lection or important estate I would like to hearfrom you. I pay great prices for great things inall categories from oriental rugs to Tiffany ob-jects, from rare clocks to firearms, from silverand gold to classic cars. If it is wonderful, I aminterested. No phony promises or messy con-signments. References gladly furnished.Please call Jake Lenihan, 301-279-8834.Thank you.

OLD AND NEW WE BUY Sterling SilverFlatware, Tea Sets, Single Pieces, FountainPens, Lighters, Tools, Cameras, Glassware, ArtWork. Toys From Trains to Hotwheels to StarWars. Call Greg, 717-658-7954.

MILITARY ITEMS Collector seeks: helmets,weapons, knives, swords, bayonets, webgear,uniforms, inert ordnance, ETC. From 1875 to1960, US, German, Britain, Japan, France,Russian. Please call Fred 301-910-0783, Thankyou. Also Lionel Trains.

CASH BUYER FOR OLD COSTUME JEW-ELRY – pocket and wrist watches (any condi-tion). Also buying watchmaker tools and parts,train sets and accessories, old toys, old glass-ware & coins. 410-655-0412.


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; Mis-cellaneous; Personals; Per son al Services;Va ca tion Opportunities; and Want ed. Forsub mis sion guide lines and dead lines, seethe box on the right.

CAVEAT EMPTOR!The Beacon does not know ing ly ac cept

ob scene, of fen sive, harmful, or fraudulentadvertising. How ev er, we do not in ves ti -gate any ad ver tis ers or their prod ucts andcan 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 should al ways use cau tion andtheir best judg ment.

EMPLOYMENT & REAL ESTATE ADS: We will not knowingly or intentionally

accept ad ver tis ing in violation of federal,state, and local laws pro hib it ing dis crim i -na tion based on race, color, national origin,sex, fa mil ial sta tus or handicap in connec-tion with employment or the sale or rentalof real estate.

TO PLACE A CLASSIFIEDDeadlines and Payments: Ad text and payment is due by the 5th of each month.Note: Only ads received and prepaid by the deadline will be included in the next month’sissue. Please type or print your ad carefully. Include a number where you can be reachedin the event of a question. Payment is due with ad. We do not accept ads by phone orfax, nor do we accept credit cards.

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

Business Text Ads: For parties engaged in an ongoing business enterprise. Each ad is $25 for 25 words, 50 cents for each additional word.

Note: Each real estate listing counts as one business text ad. Send your classified ad with check or money order, payable to the Beacon, to:

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

Thanks for reading!

BB8/14

Personal Services

Wanted

Home/Handyman Services

For Sale

Caregivers

Financial Services

For Rent

For Sale

Wanted Wanted

HOT MUSIC FESTIVALThe Hot August Music Festival will be held on Saturday, Aug. 16at Oregon Ridge State Park, 13401 Beaver Dam Rd. This daylong

blues and roots musical festival, now in its 22nd year, features such bands as OldCrow Medicine Show, Dr. Dog, Tab Benoit, Elm, Nickel Creek and more. Ticketsrange from $49 to $148. For more information, call 1-877-321-FEST or visitwww.hotAugustmusicfestival.com.

RIVER CRUISE AND CRAB FEASTEnjoy a 90-minute cruise on the Choptank River followed by athree-hour crab feast at Suicide Bridge Restaurant in Hurlock,Md., on Thursday, Aug. 14. Cost of the trip is $78. Call Ateaze

Senior Center at (410) 285-0481 for reservations.

ARMCHAIR TOUR OF REGIONAL LIGHTHOUSESCorey Talbott, from the United States Lighthouse SocietyChesapeake Chapter, will show slides and discuss theLighthouses 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.

BEACON BITS

Aug. 16

Aug. 14

Aug. 15

TAKE A TRIP TO WILMINGTONEnjoy a crab feast at Fisherman’s Inn and then some gambling atDelaware Park Casino, on Wednesday, Aug. 13. Cost is $80, with $30

back in slot play. Call Edgemere Senior Center at (410) 477-2141 to reserve a spot.

BEACON BITS

Aug. 13

32 More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com A U G U S T 2 0 1 4 — B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N

We’ve all had nights when we just can’t lie down in bed and sleep, whether it’s from heartburn, cardiac problems, hip or back aches – could be a variety of reasons. Those are the nights we’d give anything for a comfortable chair to sleep in, one that reclines to exactly the right degree, raises feet and legs to precisely the desired level, supports the head and shoulders properly, operates easily even in the dead of night, and sends a hopeful sleeper right off to dreamland.

Our Perfect Sleep Chair is just the chair to do it all. It’s a chair, true – the finest of lift chairs – but this chair is so

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And there’s more! The overstuffed, oversized biscuit style back and unique seat design will cradle you in comfort. Generously filled, wide armrests provide enhanced arm support when sitting or reclining. The high and low heat settings along with the dozens of massage settings, can provide a soothing relaxation you might get at a spa – just imagine getting all that in a lift chair! Weight capacity 375 lbs. Shipping charge includes white glove delivery. Professionals will deliver the chair to the exact spot in your home where you want it, unpack it, inspect it, test it, position it, and even carry the packaging away! Includes one year service warranty. Your choice of fabrics and colors – Call now!

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