F R E E

VOL.1, NO.5

I N F O C U S F O R P E O P L E O V E R 5 0AUGUST 2011More than 25,000 readers throughout Howard County

By R.A. PropperSooner or later we all make large purchas-

es — a home, car or a college education forour kids. But how many of us buy a wholetown to preserve its history and uniqueness?One area resident did, buying the tiny

hamlet of Oella, on the banks of the Patap-sco River between Catonsville and historicEllicott City. Charles Wagandt, now 86,purchased the town in 1973 just after thetextile mill that had been in his familysince 1887 closed its doors.Home to generations of mill workers,

the 80-acre town includes 242 houses,most of which were constructed from justbefore the War of 1812 through the early20th century. Some are 200-year-old stonehomes, while log cabins are tucked intothe rocky hillsides, and numerous WorldWar I-era cottage-style kit homes linesome streets.The original mill was built in 1808 and

sold toWagandt’s great-grandfather 80 yearslater. William J. Dickey & Sons Textile Millbecame known as one of the country’s pre-mier producers of fancy menswear woolens.In its earliest days, the bustling mill, then

known as the Union Manufacturing Mill,briefly became the largest cotton mill in thecountry, and Oella itself is named after thefirst woman in America to spin cotton.

Stepping up to the plateBut once the mill was shuttered, the

town’s fate was in question as buildings dete-riorated and developers waited in the wingsfor a prime piece of Patapsco River property.“I believe in historical preservation.

Through the voices and fabric of Oella, Iwanted to offer a glimpse into a way of lifethat is no more,” Wagandt said of his inter-est in saving the town.Wagandt’s work to preserve Oella’s past

garnered him the 2008 Calvert Prize fromthe Maryland Historical Trust for having“significant impact at the broadest statelevel.”

Rodney Little, director of the MarylandHistoric Trust, puts Wagandt‘s efforts tosave Oella this way: “Without Charles, Ithink it would have deteriorated and prob-ably not be there any more.”Wagandt served as chairman of the board

of the Trust from 1981 to 1986, transform-ing it from a quasi-public entity that handed

out preservation information to a stateagency with the power to enforce laws.

A home at the millBut Wagandt wasn’t always interested in

history and preservation. In fact, he wasn’teven sure if he wanted to work for the fam-ily business at the mill when he graduatedfrom Princeton in 1948.“When I got out of college I didn’t know

what the heck I wanted to do. That’s whenI went to my uncle, who was running theOella mill, and said to him, ‘I’m trying tofigure out what I want to do.’“My uncle replied, ‘Why don’t you come

work for me here at the mill and learn

something about the textile business, be-cause you might have some interest in itsometime in the future.’”That sounded more pragmatic than Wa-

gandt’s other career aspiration.“The only other job I was interested in,”

he said, “was working in the library at theBaltimore Sun. I love libraries, but I didn’tsee myself making a career of it.”So Wagandt dove into working at the

mill, took textile courses, and along theway got a masters degree from the Univer-sity of Pennsylvania — all at the same time.He also ran for a few elective offices:

He bought a town to preserve it

Charles Wagandt, pictured at the 1904 church that serves as his office, stepped in topurchase and preserve the town of Oella after its historic mill — owned by his familysince 1887 — closed its doors. His ongoing work garnered an award from the Mary-land Historic Trust.

See WAGANDT, page 12

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I N S I D E …

FITNESS & HEALTH 4k Hospitals face drug shortagesk Do you need testosterone?

THE SENIOR CONNECTION 16k Howard County Office onAging newsletter

LAW & MONEY 18k Billions waiting to be claimedk Medicare costs jump for some

PLUS CROSSWORD, BEACONBITS, CLASSIFIEDS & MORE

LEISURE & TRAVELA smorgasbord of to-dos inPennsylvania; plus, the aquari-um celebrates its 30th anniver-sary, and cutting your losseswhen a trip gets canceled

page 24

A R T S & S T Y L EBetty White dishes on love andwork in her new book; plus,witches weave a wickedly goodspell at the Kennedy Center

page 28

The Howard County

I truly look forward to receiving lettersand emails from readers. I value your com-ments and suggestions, andam eager to hear what youthink.

That’s really how the Bea-con has grown and changedover the years: by trying toaddress the needs and inter-ests of readers and incorpo-rate their recommendations.

I always like to tell how,within hours of our very firstissue hitting the streets backin 1989, we got a telephonemessage from an angry read-er saying, “Your crossword puzzle cluesare TOO SMALL!”

Of course, I much prefer to read lettersthat praise the Beacon or hear from read-ers who agree with something I’ve written.

But I have to admit that the most valu-able letters I get are those that take me totask for an opinion I’ve expressed. Notonly do I get to learn how others may dis-agree, sometimes violently, with my views.

Sometimes I get to see how well (or poor-ly) I’ve expressed my own thoughts.

For example, I learnedfrom a recent letter that I ap-parently gave the completelywrong impression in a recentcolumn about Social Security.The reader took me to taskfor an argument he thought Ihad made, then proceeded toset me straight by giving abeautiful presentation of thevery point I had tried to ex-press myself!

Honestly, I think my failureto communicate in that in-

stance derived from the fact that I had writ-ten two columns on the subject of SocialSecurity: one in June and one in July. Thereader apparently only saw the latter one,which led him to misinterpret where I wascoming from.

But this is itself instructive. Complexpublic policy issues like what, if anything,to change about Social Security orMedicare cannot be boiled down into

sound bites or even 500-word columns.The background and history are rele-

vant. The present issues and potential fu-ture problems must be explored. Possiblesolutions need to be described and theirramifications considered.

It takes time and space to develop andexplain a serious, well-thought-out position— more time (and space) than most peo-ple (and publications or websites) are will-ing or able to devote to writing and/orreading.

As a result, most written arguments —and probably all spoken ones — are inher-ently incomplete and, on some level, mis-leading.

I think that’s why it comes so naturallyto many of us to criticize others for theiropinions and jump to conclusions abouttheir motives.

We don’t really know whether peoplehave thought their opinions through or ex-plored the subject matter deeply. We onlyknow what we take in from a brief en-counter. So we may be judging them tooharshly, or without understanding theirtrue positions.

On the other hand, sometimes peopledo parrot positions they’ve heard else-where or that fall within their “comfortzone” politically speaking, without devot-ing much of their own energy to thinkingabout them.

And ironically, it’s probably most diffi-cult to argue with people who haven’t real-

ly thought about the positions they hold. Ifthey’ve adopted an opinion thoughtlessly,then they aren’t likely to let reason swaythem to another point of view, are they?

Anyway, I urge you not to jump to con-clusions about what we should be doingabout Social Security and Medicare untilyou have explored the issues in somedepth.

They are both vitally important pro-grams, extremely costly ones, and onesthat all of us have paid into for most of ourlives.

They certainly shouldn’t be jettisonedor gutted. But they also need to betweaked or adjusted to reflect how Ameri-cans’ work lives, healthcare system, life ex-pectancy and demographics have changedover the years and will be changing inyears to come.

I believe there are any number of mod-est, reasonable revisions that could bemade to keep the programs sound for thefuture. Each one affects one or more con-stituencies: workers, employers, benefici-aries, doctors.

There will no doubt be some pain in-volved in making these changes, but I be-lieve we can, as a society, find a way tospread that pain fairly.

On being misunderstood

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

FROM THEPUBLISHERBy Stuart P. Rosenthal

BeaconThe

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

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

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

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The Beacon is a monthly newspaper dedicated toinform, serve, and entertain the citizens of HowardCounty, and is privately owned.Subscriptions are available via third-class mail

($12), prepaid with order. Maryland residents add6 percent for sales tax. Send subscription order to theoffice listed below.

Publication of advertising contained hereindoes not necessarily constitute endorsement.Signed columns represent the opinions of thewriters, and not necessarily the opinion of thepublisher.

NOMINATE A VOLUNTEER OF THE YEARThe call is out for the 2011 “Volunteer of the Year” awards, recog-nizing individuals and organizations or businesses that have

demonstrated an ongoing commitment to the community. Nominees must be ei-ther residents of Howard County or do their volunteer work in Howard County. Thisannual recognition is sponsored by Howard County Government and the VolunteerCenter Serving Howard County. Visit www.howardcountymd.gov and click on theVolunteer of the Year nomination form link under “What’s New.”

FARMERS MARKET AT THE HOSPITALGood health begins with good eating! Find fresh locally grown pro-duce, baked goods, fruit, flowers and specialty items at theHoward County General Hospital’s Farmers Market. The market

will be open every Friday through October 26 from 2 to 6 p.m. at 10710 CharterDr., Suite 100, Columbia.

COPING THROUGH EXERCISELearn exercise techniques to cope with frustration, fatigue, painand isolation often associated with chronic conditions of high bloodpressure, heart disease, diabetes and obesity. In addition, pick up

tips on how to communicate more effectively with family, friends and health profes-sionals. Class and accompanying materials cost $28. Sessions will be held onThursdays July 28 through Sept. 1 from 1 to 3:30 p.m. at the East Columbia Li-brary, 6600 Cradlerock Way, Columbia. Persons interested in learning more aboutthe program should contact Maryland Access Point (MAP) at (410) 313-5980.

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July 28+

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

July 29+

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — A U G U S T 2 0 1 1 More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com 3

Bravo Health plans are offered by subsidiaries of Bravo Health, Inc. A Medicare Advantage organization with a Medicare contract. This plan isavailable to anyone who has both Medical Assistance from the State and Medicare. Enrollment is open year round. All cost-sharing is based on yourlevel of state medical assistance - premiums, copays, coinsurance, and deductibles may vary based on your income. The benefit information providedherein is a brief summary, not a comprehensive description of benefits. For more information contact the plan. Benefits, formulary, premiums, andcopayments may change on January 1, 2012. H2108_11_0034 File and Use 12142010

I want more than I amgetting from OriginalMedicare and Medicaid.

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A few of Bravo Health’s benefits:

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4 AUGU S T 2 0 1 1 — HOWARD COUNT Y B E ACON

MALE MENOPAUSE?Low testosterone can bring onmenopause-like symptoms for some

GO FOR THE GOLDSign up now for the Maryland SeniorOlympics, which begin in August

A SHOT IN THE ARMYou may need up to nine vaccines tokeep you healthy as you age

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HealthFitness &

By Lauran NeergaardWait a minute, Doc. You want me to share

my appointment with 10 other patients?Group appointments aren’t just for psy-

chotherapy anymore. Put diabetes, highblood pressure and maybe even Parkin-son’s disease on the list.

Shared checkups aim to help patientswho are battling certain chronic diseases,and they’re far from the typical 15-minuteoffice visit. They’re stretched over 90 min-utes or even two hours, offering more timeto quiz the doctor about concerns, learnabout managing the disease, and get tipsfrom fellow patients.

What’s in it for the doctor? A neurologistfound he learned more about how hisParkinson’s patients were faring by watch-ing them interact with others than whenhe had them one-on-one.

“I can see if you’re getting worse overthe course of the visit, your ability to eat, towalk, to converse and to think,’’ said Dr.Ray Dorsey, who led a pilot study of groupcheckups for Parkinson’s patients at theUniversity of Rochester Medical Center.

“This is a new way of delivering health-

care,’’ added Dorsey, now at Johns Hop-kins University. “People are thirsting forbetter ways.’’

A growing practiceIt’s a small but slowly growing trend

that promises to get more attention withthe tight supply of primary care physi-cians, who find it hard to squeeze in timeto teach their patients how to deal withcomplex chronic illnesses like diabetes.

An American Academy of Family Physi-cians survey found more doctors tryingthe group approach — about 10 percent ofits active members in 2009, up from fewerthan 6 percent in 2005.

Peer pressure among patients helps, saidfamily physician Dr. George Whiddon ofQuincy, Fla. He has about 40 diabetic pa-tients divided into groups for shared check-ups at Tallahassee Memorial Family Medi-cine Quincy, and he wants to add more.

One woman with uncontrolled diabetesfor years confessed to fellow patients thatshe’d ignored Whiddon’s “eat better, takeyour meds” advice for too long.

“Now I only have one toe left. I should

have listened,’’ Whiddon recalled her say-ing. “That had more impact [on the oth-ers] than anything I said all day.’’

Group appointments don’t replace thepatient’s annual in-depth physical. Butmany people with chronic illnesses, espe-cially if they’re not well-controlled, are sup-posed to have additional follow-up visitsabout every three months— an opportuni-ty for shared checkups that stress patienteducation.

As good as, or better than, 1-on-1But how well do these group visits

work?An Italian study published last year

found that diabetics who took part in themlowered their blood sugar, blood pressureand cholesterol more than similar patientswho got regular individual office visits.

A separate study at two Veterans AffairsMedical Centers, in North Carolina andVirginia, tracked people with poorly con-trolled diabetes and blood pressure andalso concluded shared appointments canimprove care for some people.

Those in group visits significantly im-

proved their blood pressure and needed lessemergency care, but there was no differencein diabetes improvement between patientswho had shared checkups or regular ones.

Parkinson’s marks the newest attempt.Dorsey recruited 30 Parkinson’s patientsand assigned half of them to 90-minutegroup checkups, and the rest to regular pri-vate visits that lasted a generous half-hour.During group visits, everyone got a fewmin-utes for private discussion with the doctor.

Then Dorsey gave an educational talkabout a Parkinson’s topic the patients hadpreviously requested — from the newestresearch, to why symptoms vary so widely,to how patients cope at work — and tookgroup questions.

Medically, both sets of patients faredequally well during the year-long study,showing that group visits are feasible,Dorsey reported in the journal Neurology.

What the study couldn’t measure,Dorsey said, was how he watched patients’interactions for subtle signs that theyneeded prescriptions adjusted, things like

By Lauran NeergaardA growing shortage of medications for a

host of illnesses — from cancer to cystic fi-brosis to cardiac arrest — has hospitalsscrambling for substitutes to avoid patientharm, and sometimes even delaying treat-ment.

“It’s just a matter of time now before wecall for a drug that we need to save a pa-tient’s life and we find out there isn’t any,”said Dr. Eric Lavonas of the American Col-lege of Emergency Physicians.

The problem of scarce supplies or evencompletely unavailable medications isn’t anew one, but it’s getting markedly worse.The number listed in short supply hastripled over the past five years to a record211 medications last year.

While some of those shortages havebeen resolved, another 89 have occurredin the first three months of this year, ac-cording to the University of Utah’s DrugInformation Service. It tracks shortagesfor the American Society of Health-SystemPharmacists.

The vast majority involve injectable med-ications used mostly by medical centers —in emergency rooms, ICUs and cancerwards. Particular shortages can last forweeks or for many months, and there aren’talways good alternatives. Nor is it just aU.S. problem, as other countries reportsome of the same supply disruptions.

Health at riskAt Miami Children’s Hospital, doctors

had to postpone for a month the last roundof chemotherapy for 14-year-old CarolinePallidine because of a months-long nation-wide shortage of cytarabine, a drug con-sidered key to curing a type of leukemia.

“There’s always a fear, if she’s going solong without chemo, is there a chance thiscancer’s going to come back?” said hermother, Marta Pallidine, who said she’ll benervous until Caroline finishes her finaltreatments.

“In this day and age, we really shouldn’tbe having this kind of problem and puttingour children’s lives at risk,” she added.

There are lots of causes for the short-ages — from recalls of contaminated vials,to trouble importing raw ingredients, tospikes in demand, to factories that tem-porarily shut down for quality upgrades.

Some experts pointedly note that pricierbrand-name drugs seldom are in shortsupply. The Food and Drug Administra-tion agrees that the overarching problemis that fewer and fewer manufacturers pro-duce older, cheaper generic drugs, espe-cially the harder-to-make injectable ones.

So if one company has trouble — or de-cides to quit making a particular drug —there are few others able to ramp up theirown production to fill the gap, said ValerieJensen, who heads FDA’s shortage office.

Which drugs are in short supply?The shortage that’s made the most

headlines is a sedative used on death row.But on the healthcare front, shortages arewide-ranging, including:

• Thiotepa, used with bone marrowtransplants,

• A whole list of electrolytes — in-jectable nutrients crucial for certain pre-mature infants and tube-feeding of the crit-ically ill,

• Norepinephrine injections for septicshock,

• A cystic fibrosis drug named acetyl-cysteine,

• Injections used in the ER for certaintypes of cardiac arrest,

• Certain versions of pills for ADHD, at-tention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and

• Some leuprolide hormone injectionsused in fertility treatment.

No one is tracking patient harm. But lastfall, the nonprofit Institute for Safe Medica-tion Practices said it had two reports ofpeople who died from the wrong dose of asubstitute painkiller during a morphineshortage.

“Every pharmacist in every hospitalacross the country is working to makesure those things don’t happen, but short-

Hospitals face acute shortages of drugs

New healthcare trend: Group checkupsSee DRUG SHORTAGES, page 5

See CHECKUPS, page 6

ages create the perfect storm for a medica-tion error,” said University of Utah phar-macist Erin Fox, who oversees the short-age-tracking program.

What can be done?The FDA has taken an unusual step,

asking some foreign companies to tem-porarily ship to the U.S. their own versionsof some scarce drugs that aren’t normallysold here. That eased shortages of propo-fol, a key anesthesia drug, and the trans-plant drug thiotepa.

Affected companies say they’re workinghard to eliminate backlogs. For instance,Hospira Inc., the largest maker of those in-jectable drugs, said it is increasing produc-tion capacity and working with FDA “to ad-dress shortage situations as quickly aspossible and to help prevent recurrence.”

But the Generic Pharmaceutical Associ-ation said some shortages are beyond in-dustry control, such as those caused byFDA inspections or stockpiling that can

exacerbate a shortage.“Drug shortages of any kind are a com-

plex problem that require broad-based so-lutions from all stakeholders,” added thePharmaceutical Research andManufactur-ers of America, a fellow trade group.

Lawmakers are getting involved. Sen.Herb Kohl, D-Wis., is urging the FederalTrade Commission to consider if anypending drug-company mergers wouldcreate or exacerbate shortages.

Also, pending legislation would requiremanufacturers to give FDA advance noticeof problems such as manufacturing delaysthat might trigger a shortage.

The FDA cannot force a company tomake a drug, but was able to prevent 38close calls from turning into shortages lastyear by speeding approval of manufactur-ing changes or urging competing compa-nies to get ready to meet a shortfall.

“No patient’s life should have to be atrisk when there is a drug somewhere” thatcould be used, said Sen. Amy Klobuchar,D-Minn., who introduced the bill.

— AP

HOWARD COUNT Y B E ACON — AUGU S T 2 0 1 1 More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com | Fitness & Health 5

Drug shortagesFrom page 4

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SMOKE-FREE LUNGSThis free program provides tips for those wanting to quit smokingand support for those who have already quit. Meetings are held

monthly at the Howard County General Hospital Wellness Center at the MedicalPavilion, 10710 Charter Dr., Suite 100, Columbia. For information or to register,call (410) 740-7601 or register online at www.hcoh.org.

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MEDICAREASSIGNMENTACCEPTEDLENARD H. HAMMER, M.D., F.A.C.S.GORDON LUI, M.D.SCOTT B. BECKER, M.D.MEDICAREEYEEXAMS

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By Dr. J. Taylor Hays, M.D.Menopause refers to the end of menstru-

ation and fertility in women. It’s caused by adramatic drop in production of the femalehormone estrogen by a woman’s ovaries.There’s no equivalent in men.

But men do experience a hormonalchange as they get older. Clear evidenceindicates that they gradually produce lesstestosterone, the primary male hormone,throughout adulthood.

Even taking this age-related decline intoconsideration, the testosterone level ofmost men stays within what’s considered anormal range, and they don’t experiencesigns or symptoms.

However, if a man’s testosterone pro-duction clearly drops below normal levels,say, as the result of using medicine to treatprostate cancer, he may experience symp-toms akin to menopause in women.

These might include hot flashes, fa-tigue, trouble sleeping, difficulty concen-

trating, and reduced sexual drive and per-formance. Erectile function may or maynot be affected.

The underproduction of testosterone iscalled hypogonadism. In addition toprostate cancer treatment inducing this con-dition, hypogonadism can be inherited or re-sult from a past injury or infection of the tes-ticles. It also can occur simply with aging.

Hormone replacement therapyMen who suspect they’re suffering from a

low testosterone level should see their doc-tor. In addition to the symptoms describedabove, the condition can cause a decrease inmuscle mass and loss of bone mass (osteo-porosis), similar to postmenopausal women.

Some men who are diagnosed with hy-pogonadism can be helped with testosteronereplacement therapy, which slows the loss ofmuscle and improves bone density.

Some people worry about the treat-ment’s potential side effects. They think of

anabolic steroid use in athletes, for exam-ple, which can cause liver problems andmale infertility.

But our primary concern with testos-terone replacement therapy in older menis prostate growth and prostate cancer, be-cause the prostate gland grows under theinfluence of testosterone.

While there’s not a great deal of evi-dence that patients who receive testos-terone replacement therapy are at in-creased risk of prostate cancer, this possi-bility is an unresolved issue.

Testosterone replacement therapy canproduce other unwanted side effects, how-ever, including the development of ob-structive sleep apnea and the overproduc-tion of red blood cells in some men.

Because of these risks, those consider-ing the therapy should be sure their doctorevaluates their symptoms, measures theirblood cell count, examines their prostate,and checks their prostate-specific antigen(PSA) blood level.

In men whose testosterone still regis-ters in the normal range, there is no evi-dence indicating that supplemental testos-

terone therapy is helpful. Also, researchdoes not tell us if testosterone therapy im-proves muscle strength, muscle mass orphysical performance measurements.

A doctor can diagnose underproductionof testosterone with a simple blood test. Asample is usually taken in the morningafter fasting, and typically is measured onmore than one occasion because testos-terone production can vary slightly fromday to day.

A diagnosis of hypogonadism is based onthe presence of symptoms suggesting lowtestosterone, and at least two or three ab-normally low testosterone blood tests.Medical Edge from Mayo Clinic is an ed-

ucational resource and doesn’t replace regu-lar medical care. To submit a question,write to: medicaledge@mayo.edu, or Med-ical Edge from Mayo Clinic, c/o TMS, 2225Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buf falo, NY,14207. For health information, visitwww.mayoclinic.com.© 2011 Mayo Foundation for Medical

Education and Research. All rights re-served. Distributed by Tribune Media Serv-ices, Inc.

Do men go through a ‘male menopause’?6 Fitness & Health | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com AUGU S T 2 0 1 1 — HOWARD COUNT Y B E ACON

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cognitive problems or if medications woreoff too quickly. One meeting even devoted45 minutes to the pros and cons of im-planted brain stimulators to curb tremors.

“Many heads are better than one. Theythink of questions you wouldn’t normallythink of by yourself,’’ said Jim Euken, a retired judge and Parkinson’s patient fromBelmont, NY. He began exercising on a bi-cycle after one of Dorsey’s group visits dis-cussed research showing some patientsstill can bike when they can barely walk,for unknown reasons.

Euken joined some fellow study partici-pants who petitioned the hospital, unsuc-

cessfully, to continue group visits whenthe study ended: “It’s not that I don’t getgood care. I do. But I still think I learnedmore and I think the process was betterdoing it in a group format.’’

More research is needed to determinewhich patients fare better with group vis-its, plus they take a lot of doctor prepara-tion, cautioned study co-author Dr. KevinBiglan of the University of Rochester.

Medicare will reimburse the doctor foreach patient in a shared checkup withproper documentation that the visit in-cludes certain elements, said Florida’sWhiddon. For his office, that means break-ing even, as long as at least six peopleshow up for his two-hour diabetes groups.

— AP

CheckupsFrom page 4

SOCIAL CLUB FOR EARLY STAGE MEMORY LOSS

A twice-weekly pilot program for persons diagnosed with early

stage dementia, the Kindred Spirits Club, offers activities, exercise and trips, activi-

ties that help to develop coping techniques, and a monthly support group for partic-

ipants and their care partners. A fee of $26 per day covers activity costs, snacks

and lunch. The group meets Wednesdays and Fridays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the 50+

Center at the Gary J. Arthur Community Center, 2400 Route 97, Glenwood. For

more information, visit www.alz.org/Maryland or call (410) 561-9099.

FARMER’S MARKET CHEF

Before visiting the nearby Glenwood Farmers Market, stop in at

the Glenwood Library for a program on creative ideas for using

seasonal produce or community-supported agriculture (CSA) shares. The free infor-

mation session will be held from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the Glenwood Branch Library,

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

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HOWARD COUNT Y B E ACON — AUGU S T 2 0 1 1 More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com | Fitness & Health 7

GARY L. KAUFMAN FUNERAL HOMEat MEADOWRIDGE MEMORIAL PARK, INC.

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Preplanning can help to protect you from inflation by securingtoday’s prices for goods and services. For your family, preplan-ning allows them to spend their time supporting one another,sharing memories and celebrating the life that you lived. It liftsthe burden of decision-making from their shoulders.

Prearranging your funeral or cremation service is a decision onlyyou can make,but it is a decision that affects the people you love.

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We Simply Offer More...

By Arlene WeintraubKathleen Cole was browsing an Internet

drugstore when an ad popped up too tanta-lizing to resist. A company called Synderowas featuring a 14-day free trial of Der-mitage, a cream that promised to fadewrinkles and restore youthful-lookingskin.

Cole, 70, was happy with how shelooked, but what, she wondered, did shehave to lose? So she handed over her cred-it card number with the understandingthat it wouldn’t be charged unless she wassold on Dermitage at the end of the trial.

What Cole didn’t realize was that she’dactually just agreed to pay $99 a month formonthly shipments, and that the free-trialclock would start ticking the day the prod-uct shipped.

Only because she suffered an allergicreaction and called to ask how to returnthe cream did Cole find out about these de-tails — and that she had just five days left

to send the product back in order to avoidthe charges.

“It was so hidden within the jargon ofthe fine print that I missed it, and I have amaster’s degree,” said Cole, a freelancebook editor in Denver, Colo. She did haveto shell out $50 to ship the cream back tothe company’s Canadian warehouse, andto be safe, she put a block on her creditcard to ensure that there’d be no chance ofsurprises later.

A flood of cosmetics and other elixirsadvertised as magic against old age ispulling in consumers on the Internet thesedays, often to their later dismay.

Complaints from consumers like Coleabout tactics often used to sell the prod-ucts — the so-called free trials, the month-ly commitment, an often complicated anddifficult cancellation process — havecaught the attention of federal lawmakers,who are looking into the problem.

“When an anti-aging company said ‘free

trial, give us your credit card,’ it’s almostalways a ‘gotcha,’” said Joe Stanganelli, alawyer in Boston, Mass.

Little evidence of benefitOften, the companies that sell the cos-

metic concoctions, colon cleansers andsupplements make anti-aging claimsbacked by little or no scientific evidence.

In some cases, the pitches even comewith phony celebrity endorsements. Lastyear, OprahWinfrey and physician MehmetOz sued more than 50 Internet vendors forimproperly using their names and likeness-es, and in some cases, clips from “TheOprahWinfrey show” to sell products.

While both stars have discussed thelikes of Brazilian acai berry and resvera-trol on air, they’ve never endorsed any par-ticular product.

Barbara Summers was persuaded bythe come-ons twice. The retired court re-porter fromMorgantown, W.Va., ordered afree trial of an acai supplement promisingnot only to keep her young but also to helpher lose weight. She didn’t realize she’dsigned up for regular shipments until shefound two months’ worth of charges onher credit card.

Later, Summers was offered a free trialof a wrinkle cream in return for filling out asurvey from an online retailer. “I used itfor two weeks, but I couldn’t tell the differ-ence. My kids couldn’t tell the difference,”said Summers, 53. She was able to getthrough to customer service and cancelbefore monthly charges started, thoughshe did get slapped with the return ship-ping costs.

What’s legal?Nationally, the Better Business Bureau

and other consumer protection agencieshave heard so often about bogus free trialsthat the Federal Trade Commission is nowin discussions with Congress about requir-ing online retailers to clearly disclose whatthe deals involve, according to LeonardGordon, director of the FTC’s northeastregional office.

At the moment, retailers can imposemonthly charges as long as they disclosewhat they’re doing in their terms and con-ditions, he said, which they often bury in“mouseprint” on their websites. TheNorthern California BBB office has field-

ed more than 300 complaints about SanFrancisco-based Syndero, said Lori Wil-son, vice president of operations for thatbranch.

Andrea O’Brien, Syndero’s vice presi-dent of customer service, stated in an e-mail that “The information regarding theterms and conditions associated with allDermitage products and offers are clearlystated and provided in full to every con-sumer.” She also said that Dermitagecream got a thumbs-up from 86 percent ofa test group of more than 250 women,“who told us their skin looked youngerafter using our products for 21 days.”

Research company and conditionsAnyone tempted to buy from an unfamil-

iar Internet retailer should first check thewebsites of the local BBB and the state at-torney general’s office to ensure there areno complaints on record. Even if not, it’snever a good idea to hand over your creditcard information without reading the termsand conditions page to make sure you’renot agreeing to any automatic charges.

If it indicates that the free trial periodstarts the day the company ships the prod-uct, be aware that there’s a risk you won’tget it in time to return it. Typical returndeadlines are just two weeks from the dateshipped.

Also be wary if the company’s return ad-dress is overseas, as you might have to paya large postage bill to return the goods.

Still feel compelled to take a chance on aproduct? Consider protecting yourselfagainst a run-up in charges by using a cardwith a low credit limit. Also, it’s wise tocheck with your card issuer to make sureyou’re allowed to block companies fromcharging the card.

Many people who file complaints aboutonline retailers report that when they callcustomer service, they always get busysignals or full voicemail boxes. JohnBreyault, vice president of public policy forthe National Consumers League, suggeststesting a company’s customer service de-partment before you place an order. “Youshouldn’t have to jump through hoops tocancel,” he said.

Arlene Weintraub’s book “Selling theFountain of Youth” was published in August2010 by Basic Books.

© 2011 U.S. News and World Report

Beware free trials of anti-aging products8 Fitness & Health | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com AUGU S T 2 0 1 1 — HOWARD COUNT Y B E ACON

TAKE CARE OF YOURSELFThis free seminar focuses on common sense steps to maintaining

one’s own health. Presenters Carolyn Moore and Sue Bender from the Holistic

Approach will discuss how to create long-lasting health, happiness and productivi-

ty on Thursday, July 21, 5:30 to 7 p.m. at East Columbia Senior Center, 6600

Cradlerock Way, Columbia. This program and many others that bring older adults

together with peers are sponsored by SPRING (Senior Peer Resources,

Individuals, Networks & Groups) Peer Support Program. To register, or for a

schedule of other programs, call (410) 313-7466 or email Karen Hull at

khull@howardcountymd.gov.

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Medicare offersfree preventive

servicesHere’s a deal that’s hard to beat: Free.As of this year, thanks to the Affordable

Care Act (the health reform law passedlast year), Medicare is offering a numberof preventive services with no fees, no co-pays and no deductibles.

Now Medicare will pay the full cost foran annual “wellness visit.” Previously, itpaid only for a one-time “Welcome toMedicare” physical for new enrollees, andit only paid 80 percent of the cost. The“Welcome to Medicare” exam, which is amore complete physical than the annualwellness visits, is still offered during thefirst 12 months after enrolling in MedicarePart B. Now, however, there’s no co-payfor it.

It’s one of a number of preventive serv-ices and exams for which Medicare will nolonger charge a 20 percent co-payment. (Ifyou have Medigap supplemental insur-ance, it may have paid your co-pays in thepast for these services.)

The new no co-pay services includecolonoscopies, hepatitis B shots, nutritiontherapy, bone mass measurements, flushots, mammograms and PAP tests.

In addition, some other tests, such asglaucoma tests and a fasting blood glucosetest to screen for diabetes, are available atno cost if you are considered at high riskof developing the disease.

To get these services at no charge, youneed to visit a doctor who accepts assign-ment (i.e., agrees not to charge above thestandard Medicare rate). Fortunately,most doctors in Howard County accept as-signment. Keep in mind that some of theservices have frequency limits. For exam-

ple, Medicare will generally pay for mam-mograms and for prostate tests only onceevery 12 months.

If you have questions about thesechanges — or other Medicare and healthinsurance issues — call the Senior HealthInsurance Assistance Program (SHIP) at(410) 313-7392. They can sometimes pro-vide answers on the phone, or can set upone-on-one counseling sessions to addressyour personal questions.

— Bill Salganik, SHIP counselor

Sign up forMaryland

Senior OlympicsAre you an ace ping pong player or into

shooting hoops? These and 19 othersports will be represented at the 2011Maryland Senior Olympics, which will beheld from Aug. 13 through Nov. 6 at ven-

ues in Howard and Montgomery counties.More than 2,000 athletes are expected

to compete in over 100 events at this year’sMaryland Senior Olympics, which areopen to all Maryland residents 50 andolder.

The Maryland games, some of the old-est in the country, began in 1980 as a one-day event with 300 athletes. Success inMaryland helped spur other states to hosttheir own games and helped lead to thecreation of the biennial National SeniorGames in 1985.

The first Howard County competitionthis year will be in volleyball on August 13at Meadowbrook Athletic Complex in Elli-cott City. Basketball events will take placeat the same location the next day.

Track and field events will be held Aug.20 to 21 at Howard Community College inColumbia. Ten-pin bowling competitionsare scheduled for Sept. 12 and 13 atBrunswick Normandy Lanes in EllicottCity. Singles and doubles table tennis

games take place on Sept. 17 at MarylandTable Tennis Association in Eldersburg.

Archery competitors will take aim onSept. 25 at Genesse Valley Outdoor Learn-ing Center in Parkton. Horseshoe throw-ers will gather on Oct. 3 at Centennial Parkin Clarksville.

Singles racquetball is on Oct. 6, whiledoubles competition takes place Oct. 7,both at Supreme Sports Club in Columbia.

Badminton, billiards, lawn bowling, soft-ball, tennis and swimming will all takeplace at various venues in MontgomeryCounty.

Registration is open now. Cost to partici-pate in one event is $20; each additionalevent is $5. Deadline for registration is 30days prior to your first event start date. Noregistrations will be accepted after Oct. 1.

To register, go to www.mdseniorolympics.org. For more information, e-mail info@mdseniorolympics.org or call(240) 777-8080.

—Barbara Ruben

HOWARD COUNT Y B E ACON — AUGU S T 2 0 1 1 More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com | Fitness & Health 9

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Health Shorts

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If you live in Howard County ZIP

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Howard County Office on Aging and

The Coordinating Center. For more

information, call Maryland Access

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10 Fitness & Health | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com AUGU S T 2 0 1 1 — HOWARD COUNT Y B E ACON

You’re ontop of yourmedications.But we make agood back up.You know it’s important to stay on yourmedications exactly as prescribed.However, if you miss a dose, want alower-cost alternative, or experienceany side effects, we can answer anyquestions. Speak to your localCVS Pharmacist to learn more.

Find a store near youat www.cvs.com

014331RXX11

You know you should be vaccinatedagainst the flu every year because theviruses that cause influenza — and thevaccines that protect you from those virus-es — change from year to year. But there’smore to staying current with your vaccina-tions than that.

For one thing, you can’t assume that thevaccines you received as a child will pro-tect you for the rest of your life. Somechildhood immunizations require a period-ic booster shot. Work, travel and changingpersonal circumstances can expose you tounusual infectious diseases.

In addition, overall immunity can fadewith age, increasing your susceptibility toserious disease caused by common infec-tions. Moreover, from time to time, thereare new vaccines — and new recommen-dations for receiving older vaccines.

The following list summarizes the Cen-ter for Disease Control’s 2011 Adult Immu-nization Schedule for people 50 and over:1. Seasonal influenza vaccine: one

dose per year. Only inactivated influenzavaccine for adults 50 and over; a high-doseversion called Fluzone is available (andrecommended) for those 65 and over.Who should get it: Everyone should

be vaccinated annually in the fall or winter.This year’s flu shot will be a duplicate oflast year’s because the same flu strains arestill circulating. But that doesn’t mean youcan skip it just because you got vaccinatedlast year. CDC officials believe that anti-body levels can fall by two-thirds or moreafter a year has passed.

If you’re sick with a fever, wait until yourecover before getting your flu shot. Talk toyour clinician before getting the vaccine ifyou’ve ever had a severe allergic reaction toeggs or to a previous flu shot, or if you havea history of Guillain-Barre syndrome that

occurred after receiving a flu shot.2. Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis

(Td/Tdap): three-dose series and a boost-er every 10 years; one-time Tdap givenearlier to people in contact with infants.Who should get it: Unvaccinated

adults under 65 should receive an initialthree-dose series with two doses of Td andone of Tdap, then regular Td boostersevery 10 years, including one with Tdap. Aone-time dose of Tdap should be given assoon as possible to healthcare providersand anyone in close contact with infants(such as grandparents and childcareproviders).

Adults 65 and over who’ve never re-ceived Tdap and who have close contactwith infants should also be vaccinated withTdap, no matter when they last received aTd-containing vaccine.

Talk to your clinician before getting thevaccine if you’ve ever hadGuillain-Barre syn-drome. Don’t get Td or Tdap if you’ve everhad a severe allergic reaction to any vaccine.3. Varicella (chickenpox): one or two

dosesWho should get it: If you’ve never had

chickenpox, or you were vaccinated but re-ceived only one of the two recommendeddoses of varicella vaccine, talk to your cli-nician about whether you need the vac-cine. Don’t get this vaccine if you’ve everhad a severe allergic reaction to it, or togelatin or the antibiotic neomycin.4. Zoster (shingles): one doseWho should get it: The shingles vac-

cine is recommended for adults 60 andover, whether or not they’ve had shinglesbefore. In March, the FDA approved thevaccine for those 50 and up, but many cli-nicians still recommend waiting until 60because they don’t know how long immu-nity will last, and your chance of shingles

goes up as you age.Tell your clinician if you have severe al-

lergies. Don’t get this vaccine if you’veever had a severe allergic reaction to gela-tin or the antibiotic neomycin, or if youhave a weakened immune system.5. Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR):

one or two dosesWho should get it: Anyone born after

1956 who hasn’t been vaccinated needs atleast one dose of MMR. You may need asecond dose if you’re a healthcare workeror plan to travel internationally. Don’t getthis vaccine if you’ve ever had a severe re-action to gelatin, the antibiotic neomycinor a previous dose of MMR.6. Pneumococcal polysaccharide

(PPSV): one or two dosesWho should get it: Adults 65 and over

who’ve never been vaccinated againstpneumonia should receive one dose. Oth-ers who should be vaccinated (with one ortwo doses) include adults who smoke ciga-rettes, live in long-term care facilities, havea cochlear implant, or have certain med-ical conditions, including lung disease, car-diovascular disease or diabetes. Don’t getthis vaccine if you’ve had a severe allergicreaction to any vaccine.

7. Meningococcal: one or two dosesWho should get it: Adults without a

working spleen and those with HIV or com-plement component deficiencies should re-ceive two doses. People 65 and over andanyone exposed to meningococcal diseasethrough work or travel should receive onedose. Don’t get this vaccine if you’ve had asevere allergic reaction to any vaccine.8. Hepatitis A: two-dose seriesWho should get it: Adults who should

be vaccinated include anyone who is ex-posed to hepatitis A through work,lifestyle or travel, and anyone with chronicliver disease or a clotting factor disorder.Don’t get this vaccine if you’ve had a se-vere allergic reaction to any vaccine.9. Hepatitis B: three-dose seriesWho should get it: Adults who should

be vaccinated include anyone who is ex-posed to hepatitis B through work,lifestyle or travel and anyone with end-stage renal disease, chronic liver diseaseor HIV infection. Don’t get this vaccine ifyou’ve had a severe allergic reaction to anyvaccine.

© 2011 President and fellows of HarvardCollege. All rights reserved. Distributed byTribune Media Services, Inc.

Nine vaccines you may need as you ageHOWARD COUNT Y B E ACON — AUGU S T 2 0 1 1 More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com | Fitness & Health 11

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Maryland House of Delegates, 1958, (de-feated), Baltimore City Council 1958, (de-feated), and the Maryland State Constitu-tion Convention in 1967—winning this one.

“Governor Schaefer once said to mepublically that ‘You’re no politician, Char-lie’ — which I’m not,” he laughed.

Along with his political life, the millbegan to flounder in the late 1960s.

“There were a number of ‘revolutions’ inAmerica, including civil rights, the sexualrevolution, and, most important to the mill,the revolution in dress,” he recalled.

“People weren’t wearing woolen sportcoats as they had for generations. Doubleknits were in, but the mill didn’t have theequipment for making this type of clothing.”

Toward the end of the mill’s operation,Charles’s two uncles died, and two of hiscousins moved south, leaving everythingin Wagandt’s hands. Now he had to learn

the business operation double time.“You learn a hell of a lot more when

business is not going well than you dowhen things are going well. So I got a realeducation during those last few years ofthe mill’s operation,” he said.

Despite efforts to keep the mill open, in1972 the mill was shuttered and soon afterbattered by Hurricane Agnes, which dam-aged part of themill, alongwith somehouses.

“This was the coup de gras of the wholeoperation,” Wagandt said.

A company bought the mill primarily forits equipment, and the mill building lay va-cant for years. Wagandt paints a poignantpicture of the mill’s closure on his website,www.oellacompany.com:

“It’s gone now — the sight of richly col-ored fabrics; the aroma of dyes, chemicalsand wool; the feel of tweed, saxonies andshetlands; the clatter of looms echoing offthe hillside.

“No longer do hundreds of workers pourin and out of the mill at shift change. No

longer does water from the mill race set theelectric turbines humming. Stripped of themachinery and workers that gave life to itsbrick walls, now all is just a memory.”

Preserving the townWhile the mill was out of his hands, Wa-

gandt was left to ponder what to do withthe town of Oella and the 100 houses origi-nally home to the mill’s employees, wheresome retirees still lived.

Wagandt tried to get someone to takeover the town as a co-op, but the proposedbuyer wanted money up front. So in theend, Wagandt bought it himself from his ex-tended family, for an undisclosed amount.

But no matter the price, the town was nobargain. Some houses still had outhouses,and raw sewage flowed into the PatapscoRiver. Fireplaces and original stone andlog walls of houses had been plasteredover, leaving little historic charm. Log cab-ins were deteriorating.

“You know, the purchase price was only

a small part of it. The real matter is howmuch you have to put into it. You have tobring in water, sewer and many other im-provements to make it habitable accordingto the county codes. Without this, it washopeless,” Wagandt recalled.

“It came to the point of ‘do or die.’ Wehad to succeed, or the dream of saving thislovely historical town was gone.”

Wagandt worked to combine historicpreservation with infill housing that was sen-sitive to the character of the town. He alsoput in place a social program to help long-term tenants afford to live in the renovatedhouses. Residents helped place Oella on theNational Register of Historic Places in 1976.

Even today, Wagandt is continuing torehab houses. The Granite Hill develop-ment includes five renovated stone hous-es, eight luxury new homes, and threehouses that will combine small historichouses with new additions.

The town’s commerce now consists of ageneral store, small businesses, and theBenjamin Banneker Historical Park andMuseum, which also includes extensivenature trails. The museum highlights thecontributions of Benjamin Banneker, an18th century African American as-tronomer who lived in the area.

Oella is also home to the Mount GilboaChapel, built in 1859, reportedly the onlypre-Civil War African American church stillstanding in the Baltimore area. The churchwas originally served by descendents of acommunity of slaves set free in 1786.

And the mill itself was home to artists’studios for a time before being convertedby SouthernManagement to 147 loft apart-ments in 2005.

“The apartments were designed to re-tain some of the original structural ele-ments, keeping some of the historical fla-vor of the mill’s interior. I’m proud of whatthey did; it’s a showplace,” Wagandt said.

Asked about his involvement in themill’s rebirth, he said, “I wasn’t directly in-volved in the construction, but I gave theproject a lot of support.”

Wagandt still goes to work every day athis offices in a converted 1904 church.

“When I walk out of my office in themorning and see this old stone house rightin front of me with its unusual double setof entrances, it gives me a lot of satisfac-tion to know I helped save wonderfulplaces like this,” he said.

That’s part of the reason Wagandt hasno plans to retire. “You get a great sense ofreward in moving forward and helpingothers,” he said.

Wagandt himself doesn’t live in Oella. Infact, he lives in one of the first contempo-rary style homes built in Baltimore City 60years ago.

As he looked back on his long historywith Oella and the mill, he mused, “Whowould have ever thought the mill would beshutting down? Who would have everthought I’d wind up in real estate or withthis community? It’s kind of amazing. Butdoors close and doors open.”R.A. Propper is a freelance writer living

in Catonsville, Md.

12 Fitness & Health | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com AUGU S T 2 0 1 1 — HOWARD COUNT Y B E ACON

WagandtFrom page 1

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By Barbara RubenThe term heart failure doesn’t mean

someone’s heart has stopped or is about tostop working. However, heart failure is a se-rious condition that requires medical care.

Heart failure is a condition in which theheart can’t pump enough blood to meetthe body’s needs. In some cases, the heartcan’t fill with enough blood. In other cases,the heart can’t pump blood to the rest ofthe body with enough force. Some peoplehave both problems.

The condition is a common cardiovascu-lar problem. Its incidence increases withage, affecting up to 10 percent of peopleolder than 65, including nearly 14 percent ofmen and 12 percent of women over age 80.

Two-year study underwayResearchers at the National Institutes of

Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, Md.,are now studying the use of noninvasiveimaging methods to better understand thesymptoms and effects of heart failure.They are looking for people with and with-out the condition for a two-year study.

No treatment will be provided as part ofthe study, and patients will continue to seetheir own doctors.

Participants will visit the Clinical Centerfour times during the study, with one initialscreening visit and three study visits. Thethree study visits will take place one yearapart. Participants will also receive follow-up phone calls six months after the firstand second visits.

During the screening visit, they willhave a full medical history taken and havea physical examination, as well as submitblood and urine samples.

During each of the study visits, partici-pants will have the following imaging tests:cardiac magnetic resonance imaging(MRI), cardiac computerized tomography(CT) to study the blood vessels in andleading to the heart, echocardiogram toevaluate heart function, and electrocardio-gram to measure heart electrical activity.

Who may volunteer?To take part in the study, participants

must be 18 or older, and be either healthyor be diagnosed with heart failure at aNew York Heart Association functionalclass II level or worse.

People who have a history of severe al-lergic reaction to contrast agents may notparticipate. Those with symptomatic coro-

nary artery disease, a prior heart attack,congenital heart disease and certain otherheart conditions are also disqualified fromtaking part in the study.

Additional disqualifying conditions in-clude a personal or family history of kid-ney disease, diabetes treated with insulin,multiple myeloma, lupus, renal failure and

end stage liver disease.Compensation for time and travel is

available for study participants. To learnmore about the study, or to volunteer, con-tact NIH’s Patient Recruitment and PublicLiaison Office at 1-800-411-1222 or go on-line to www.clinicaltrials.gov and searchfor study 10-CC-0153.

HOWARD COUNT Y B E ACON — AUGU S T 2 0 1 1 More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com | Fitness & Health 13

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

Heart mapping study seeks volunteers

USING CPR AND DEFIBRILLATORSEarn a two-year American Heart Association Heart Save comple-

tion card. (This is not a healthcare provider course.) There is a$55 fee. The program will be offered Monday, Aug. 29, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at

Howard County General Hospital Wellness Center, Medical Pavilion. 10710Charter Dr., Suite 100, Columbia. For information or to register, call (410) 740-

7601 or register online at www.hcoh.org.

EXERCISING AFTER A STROKE CLASSESAdaptive Physical Activity (APA) free exercise classes are avail-

able at several Howard County senior centers for persons recover-ing from a stroke that occurred at least six months ago, but left the person walk-

ing with a limp or needing to use a cane or walker. For more information, callMaryland Access Point at (410) 313-5980 or the APA Stroke Study Hotline at

(410) 605-4000, ext. 4842.

APPLY NOW FOR MODERATE INCOME HOUSINGHoward County Housing is accepting applications for its

Moderate Income Housing Unit Program through July 29 for per-sons with a household income not exceeding 80 percent of the median familyincome. (For a family of four, for example, the maximum income is $80,552.) For

more information, check out www.howardcountymd.gov and click the MIHUProgram link under “What’s New” or call (410) 313-6318.

HISTORY OF COVERED BRIDGESJim Smedley explores the history and design of covered bridges

past and present in Central Maryland and Howard County. The feeis $3 for Howard County Historical Society members; $5 for non-members. Theprogram is scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 28 at 2 p.m. at the Howard CountyHistorical Society Museum, 8328 Court Ave., Ellicott City.

BEACON BITS

Aug. 29

Ongoing

July 29

Aug. 28

The Kaplan Hearing Center

From left: Debby Lazas Miller, Au.D.,Cheryl Krissoff, M.S., CCC-A, Ron Kaplan, Au.D., andCatherine DiSanti, Au.D. (Au.D. = Doctor of Audiology)

• Evaluation & Treatmentof Hearing & BalanceDisorders

• Sales, Service & Repairof All Major Hearing AidsIncluding the New Lyric®

410-740-4885 • 301-260-0966Columbia / Ellicott City

8818 Centre Park Drive, Suite 107

Olney3402 Olandwood Court (in the Medical Eye Center)

CALL FOR A COMPLIMENTARY CONSULTATIONAND HEARING AID DEMONSTRATION

www.kaplanhearing.com

Please join theOffice of Health Care Quality (OHCQ) and theMaryland Department of Aging for anOpenDialogue.Wewelcome your input as wework to revise theAssisted Living regulations (COMAR 10.07.14).

Meetingswill be held during themonth of August in Baltimore City,Baltimore County,Washington County andQueenAnne's County.

ForDates, Times, Sites andRegistration information,Call (410) 402-8004 or visithttp://bit.ly/assistedlivingtownhall

ASSISTED LIVINGTOWNHALLMEETINGS

Dear Solutions:I’m married for the second time. I

had a good marriage before, but mywife died. I’ve kept pictures of herwith the children and with me taken atdifferent places.My present wife and I are living in

my home, and she has collected allthe pictures of my former wife andasked me to get rid of them. I wantthis marriage to work, but I don’t seewhy I have to throw away my past.Should I?

— Second Time AroundDear Second Time:

Don’t throw away your past — give itaway. Give the pictures to your children.They will probably want them for theirfamily history.

Try to understand that your wife is liv-ing in the home that was yours and yourformer wife’s, and she’s struggling tomake it hers. You don’t have to forget yourpast, but you have to live in the present,and that’s what your wife is trying to do.Help her.Dear Solutions:What to do about an old friend of

mine who used to have a lot of moneybut lost most of it in one of those hor-

rible schemes? I feel bad for him, butno matter how much time passes, henever stops complainingand whining about it.It isn’t even as though he

made all that money him-self. It came to him sudden-ly through a stroke of luckfrom some distant relative,and he didn’t even have itthat long before he lost it.He’s acting as though he

never lived any other way,and now he’s completelylost.

— The FriendDear Friend:

Once he was nouveaux riche, and nowhe’s nouveaux poor. Nouveaux riche is bet-ter, so you can’t blame him for moaning

and groaning and mourning its loss.After sympathizing with him and ex-

pressing your empathy andunderstanding that he wascheated, set a time limit. Takehim out to dinner, where hecan whine and dine one moretime.

After that, make it clearthat you will now only listento his plans for the future, nothis regrets for the past.© Helen Oxenberg, 2011.

Questions to be considered for thiscolumn may be sent to: The Bea-con, P.O. Box 2227, SilverSpring, MD 20915. You may

also e-mail the author at helox72@comcast.net.To inquire about reprint rights, call (609) 655-3684.

SOLUTIONSBy Helen Oxenberg,MSW, ACSW

Is remembering wallowing in the past?

Dear Pharmacist:I started two new medications a few

months ago, and suddenlymy cholesterol is too high.It’s so bizarre because Ihad perfect numbers all mylife, and I eat well and exer-cise. Can drugs raise cho-lesterol?

— J.G.Dear J.G.:

Yes, hundreds of them can.Nowadays, people are quick totake statins (like Zocor) and fi-brate medications (like Tricor)to lower their cholesterol, butyou are spot on. Something youtake every day for one condition can causeyour cholesterol to creep up.

People are always shocked when theyfind out they are causing their own choles-terol problems — either with low carbdiets, or with medications — but it’s true.Some dietary supplements can raise it, too.

The type of reaction is very individual andcan take weeks or months to occur. If you

think that your medication iscausing high cholesterol, talkto your doctor about discontin-uing it or switching to some-thing that doesn’t elevate yournumbers quite so badly. Butdo not stop taking any medi-cine without first obtainingyour doctor’s approval.

Here are some popularitems that cause hypercholes-terolemia. Some cause slightincreases, while others reallyspike it.Rosaglitazone (Avandia).

Once upon a time a blockbuster diabetestreatment, this drug can raise cholesterol.That’s the least of its problems, as consistentreports of life-threatening reactions have ledboth the United Kingdom and South Africato withdraw this drug from use. It is stillFDA-approved for U.S. citizens. Hmm.

Vitamin D. I love this antioxidant, butsome people are overdoing it. Excessive Dcan cause excessive calcium in the blood,and this can cause hypercholesterolemia.Diuretics. These ‘water pills’ help reduce

blood pressure. The “thiazide” and “loop” di-uretics are known to elevate total cholesterol,LDL and blood glucose.

Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) is sold on itsown and also found in dozens of combodrugs under various brand names, usuallyending in “HCT.” And furosemide (brandname Lasix) is quite possibly the world’smost popular loop diuretic. Anymed that con-tains HCTZ or furosemide may contribute tohigh cholesterol.Escitalopram (Lexapro). A popular

antidepressant, related to Celexa. A slightelevation in cholesterol levels was shownin post-marketing studies.Fluoxetine (Prozac). Another popular

antidepressant that may raise cholesterol,cause hypoglycemia and trigger goutepisodes; it may reduce iron and potassi-

um (sparking cardiac arrhythmias).Creatine. A dietary supplement used

primarily by sports enthusiasts, body-builders and people with muscle disordersand Lou Gehrig’s disease. It may cause aslight elevation in cholesterol if you takelarge doses.Prednisone. This anti-inflammatory

drug and its cousins in the “corticos-teroid” class can cause high cholesterolwith chronic use; it doesn’t matter if youtake the steroid orally, inject it or inhale it.Olanzapine (Zyprexa). Used to treat

schizophrenia, it has caused severe eleva-tions in triglycerides (greater than 500mg/dL) in some individuals.This information is opinion only. It is not

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

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

Supplements & meds that raise cholesterol

DEARPHARMACISTBy Suzy Cohen

14 Fitness & Health | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com AUGU S T 2 0 1 1 — HOWARD COUNT Y B E ACON

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HOWARD COUNT Y B E ACON — AUGU S T 2 0 1 1 More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com | Fitness & Health 15

Why travel the globe?It’s all at America’s Aquarium!

— Marco LeMonde World’s Laziest Explorer

DON’T MISS THE CELEBRATION!AUGUST 5-8

BALTIMORE’S PREMIER ATTRACTION IS TURNING 30!

Don’t miss FREE ENTERTAINMENT and FUN-FILLED ACTIVITIES on the pier including:lively Waxter Center Steppers, island sounds of St. Veronica’s Youth Steel Orchestra,

the moving Rayn Fall Dance Studio, Aboriginal Didgeridoo performance, Milkshake Trio,Ocean Arts Project, Pam the Kindersinger, face painting and much, much more!

Visit aqua.org/30years or call410-576-3800 for more events!

VOLUME 1, NO. 5 • AUGUST 2011

A Messagefrom Sue VaethHoward CountyOffice on AgingAdministrator

Howard County FairgroundsWest Friendship

Last month, I wrote about National Safety Month.For this month, I checked online to see what nationalobservances are celebrated in August, and was de-lighted to find a site full of bizarre August holidays.Here are some of my favorites: August 2 is NationalIce Cream Sandwich Day (who knew such a wonder-ful treat was celebrated on my birthday)? If you are atwin, you will want to know that August 4 is theTwins Day Festival; if you are on the outs with yoursignificant other, note that August 25 is Kiss andMake Up Day. And the ones that make me smile themost? Wiggle Your Toes Day (August 6) and SneakSome Zucchini on Your Neighbor’s Porch Night(August 8). Check out this site for more fun days inAugust http://library.thinkquest.org/2886/aug.htm.We’ll have some fun of our own on Tuesday,

August 9, as the Office on Aging presents Summer-time Fun at the Howard County Fair in West Friend-ship. This annual event features free all day admissionto the fair, entertainment, and activities for everyoneage 62 and older. Hope to see you there!On a more serious note, do you know anyone who

is looking to get back into shape after a stroke? We offeran Adapted Physical Activity (APA) exercise programthat can provide on-going motivation and support forstroke survivors after acute care and traditional rehabili-tation are completed. Exercises in the APA classes aredesigned to improve balance and walking as well as pro-mote Ctness and health. For more information, contactthe Research Coordinator at 410-605-7000, ext. 4842.

By Rona Martiyan, MD, RD, LDNOffice on Aging Nutritionist

The US Department of Agriculturehas created a new icon for its nutritionmessages for the public,and it goes along withFirst Lady MichelleObama’s campaign tofight obesity in ourcountry. Most peopleknow that carrying extraweight can make healthrisks skyrocket, impact-ing quality of life and in-creasing health care costs. The new“Choose My Plate”message was designedto convey nutrition information in a for-mat everyone can understand. So whatare the new messages in the “plate con-cept”?

• The “Meat and Beans”Group is nowthe “Protein”Group

• The “Milk”Group is now the“Dairy”Group, and fat-free or low fatdairy foods and drink are preferred

• Vegetables are more than ¼ of theplate, while fruits and vegetables togethershould make up ½ of your plate• Half of your grains should be “whole”

grain• The height of the

food on your plate shouldnot be higher than a deckof cards

The messages are clear.Balance calories by eatingthe foods you enjoy insmaller portions. Avoidoversized plates and por-

tion sizes. Eat more nutrient-densefoods; the more nutrients per serving thebetter. Avoid “empty” calorie foods…those that just provide mostly fat, sodium,sugar and calories. For example: 1 cup ofsweetened applesauce = 173 calories,while 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce =105 calories. Enjoy your food, listen toyour stomach as it fills, and remember,you don’t need to be stuffed to feelsatisfied!

“My Pyramid”...goes to“Choose My Plate”

The Senior Connection is published monthly by the Howard CountyOffice on Aging, Department of Citizen Services.

We welcome your comments and suggestions.To contact us, or to join our email subscriber list,email seniorconnection@howardcountymd.gov

with ‘subscribe’ in the subject box.

The Senior Connectionfrom Howard County Office on Aging

6751 Columbia Gateway Drive,Columbia, MD 21046

410-313-6410 | www.howardcountyaging.orgSue Vaeth, Administrator

Advertising contained in the Beacon is not endorsed bythe Howard County

Office on Aging or by the publisher.

16 More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com AUGU S T 2 0 1 1 — HOWARD COUNT Y B E ACON

HOWARD COUNT Y B E ACON — AUGU S T 2 0 1 1 More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com 17

Coming EventsWed., August 3, 11 a.m. – Long-TermLiving: Covering the Cost, Kiwanis-Wallas Recreation Center, 10481Frederick Rd., Ellicott CityExtra costs for long-term care may be part of yourfuture, including in-home care, assisted living,and/or nursing home care. Long-term insuranceis one way to prepare for these costs, but not theonly way. Explore your options in a discussionled by representatives from the Senior Health In-surance Assistance Program (SHIP). For questionsor to pre-register, call 410-313-7391. No fee.

Thurs., August 4, 1 p.m. – Foundingof America: Secrets of the FoundingFathers, Ellicott City Senior Center“Founding of America” offers a comprehen-sive look at the revolutionary men responsiblefor laying the foundation of the United States.Free; call 410-313-1400 for information.

Wed., August 10, 7 p.m. – What YouCan Expect from Medicare, The BainCenterLearn how Medicare works, how to enroll,what the benefits are, and how it relates tosupplemental health insurance in this freeworkshop, sponsored by SHIP. Call 410-313-7391 to register.

Wed., August 10 (All About Eve) andAugust 24 (Citizen Kane), 10 a.m. tonoon – Red Sofa Morning Movies,The Bain CenterCome out of the heat and enjoy a free movie,

coffee and donuts with us before lunch. Call410-313-7213 for information.

Tues., August 16, 11 a.m. to noon –Say it with Music, The Bain CenterJoin Leo Bianco and Lynn Hubin for aMusical Cabaret of Broadway hits andpopular songs, plus dance numbers, includinga rumba and a soft-shoe routine. Free; call410-313-7213 to reserve your seat.

Wednesday, August 17, 11 a.m. –Terry Marsh Entertains, Ellicott CitySenior CenterStop in and beat the heat! Enjoy an hour ofBroadway and classic songs performed by thefabulous Terry Marsh. Call 410-313-1400 forinformation.

Wed., August 17, 10:30 a.m. – How toAvoid Food & Drug Interactions,North Laurel 50+ CenterJoin the Office on Aging’s nutritionist, RonaMartiyan, for an enlightening discussion. Free;call 410-313-0830 for more information.

Tues., August 23, 10:00 a.m. –Brain Fitness with Robin Zahor,The Bain CenterStrengthen your brain and have fun whilelearning techniques to improve cognitiveperformance. Free; to register, call410-313-7213.

Wed., August 24, 7 p.m. – WhyMedicare Isn’t Enough, The BainCenterThis free workshop, sponsored by SHIP, fo-cuses on the gaps in Medicare coverage andways to cover them. To register, call410-313-7391.

Wed., August 31, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. –Showboat/Atlantic City Trip,Elkridge Senior CenterCost: $30; includes roundtrip motor coachtransportation to Atlantic City and a $30rebate. Call 410-313-5192 for reservationsand information.

Wed., August 31, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. –Rock and Roll Wednesdays, NorthLaurel 50+ CenterPut on your blue suede shoes and poodle skirtand rock to the 60’s music of the Pet RockBand. Super box lunch served at noon. Pro-gram cost: $2; suggested lunch donation, $3.Call 410-313-0380 for more information.

Tues., Sept. 20 -- Korean AmericanSenior Association (KASA)Fundraiser, The Bain CenterOver the past two years, KASA has raisedmore than $4,000 for the Vivian L. ReidCommunity Fund. In September, a thirdfundraiser will feature a sale of gently usedclothes, jewelry, furniture, toys, food andmore. For more information or to donate,call Sunny Moon, 410-313-7388.

Learn techniques to cope with the frustration, fatigue,pain and isolation often associated with chronic conditionssuch as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and

obesity. Also, learn exercises to maintain and improve strength,flexibility and endurance, and how to communicate moreeffectively with family, friends and health professionals.

The class and accompanying materials cost $28.If you are interested, contact Maryland Access Point

(MAP) at 410-313-5980.

“Living Well...TakeCharge of Your Health”

Glenwood 50+ Center2400 Route 97 Cooksville, MD 21737Wednesdays, Sept. 7, 14, 21, 28,Oct. 5, 12 from 9:30 a.m. to Noon

Medical Pavilion at Howard County10710 Charter Drive, Suite 100 • Columbia, MD

Fridays, Sept. 9, 16, 23, 30,Oct. 7, 14 from 1:30 to 4 p.m.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2011 • 10 AM-2:30 PMGARY J ARTHUR COMMUNITY CENTER AT GLENWOOD

COOKSVILLE, MD

WOMENFEST

The Senior Connection

18 AUGU S T 2 0 1 1 — HOWARD COUNT Y B E ACON

CHECK OUT YOUR ADVISERA new government database allows youto review your financial adviser’s record,including disciplinary actions

WOMEN AND RETIREMENT RISKWomen face greater obstacles to asecure retirement than men due tolower earnings and living solo

A WILL AND A WAYWills provide a means to ensure yoursurvivors inherit what you would likethem to have

MoneyMoneyLaw &MoneyBy Elliot Raphaelson

According to the National Associationof Unclaimed Property Administrators(NAUPA), assets worth over $32 billionare held by various states just waiting to beclaimed by their rightful owners.

You may be entitled to some of these as-sets. I will explain how this property endsup with the states, and how you can deter-mine whether you have unclaimed proper-ty you don’t know about.

Unclaimed assets can come from anynumber of sources: uncashed dividends,refunds or payroll checks, savings andchecking accounts, common stocks, trav-eler’s checks, trust distributions, un-cashed money orders, life insurance pro-ceeds, annuities, certificates of deposit, se-curity deposits or safe-deposit contents.

State laws stipulate that under certaincircumstances, financial institutions andother companies must turn over un-claimed assets to the state.

For example, you may have a savings ac-count that has been dormant for three years(the limits will vary by state). The financialinstitution might be required to make apublic notice identifying your name and theinstitution holding your assets.

If you do not see the notice and notifythe financial institution, the bank will thenhave to turn the asset over to the state.After the assets are turned over to thestate, no further interest will accrue.

Free access to databasesMeanwhile, the funds in the dormant ac-

count are listed in a database under yourname. Periodically, states update theirdatabases, which are available on the In-ternet. Anyone can access the state’s data-base, at no cost, and determine if there areassets being held in his name.

Let’s say you check your state’s data-base and see that the funds from your oldbank account are sitting there, unclaimed.All you have to do is contact the depart-ment in charge (usually the state depart-ment of treasury) and supply the proofthey ask for to claim the funds.

Several years ago, I was the executor ofmy aunt’s estate. I filed her will with thestate’s probate office. She had detailedrecords, and I thought I had completeknowledge of her assets and beneficiaries.I distributed all the assets I was aware of.

Apparently, however, she purchasedone certificate of deposit for $3,000 but did

not name a beneficiary, and I was notaware of its existence. Her will stated thatassets in her name would be shared equal-ly by me and my two children.

A few years after she passed away, myson, Mark, did a search on Florida’s aban-doned property website and found the un-claimed assets in her name.

We supplied the state with the informationthey required — a copy of the will, and thenames and addresses of all the beneficiaries,with signatures. Within 30 days, the statesent us our checks. (Mark and I “invested”in the Kentucky Derby. Debra, the conserva-tive one, is saving for early retirement.)

Claim at any timeThere is no statute of limitation for

claiming assets held by the state.There are many ways for you to deter-

mine whether a state is holding assets thatbelong to you. You can go to a search en-gine on the Internet and type in yourstate’s name and “unclaimed property,”and the results will likely show the websitefor the relevant department in your state.

When you find your state’s website, thereis no cost for you to enter your name andthe names of your family members to find

possible unclaimed assets. You may want touse different spellings of your name just incase errors were made in record keeping.

If you have lived in more than one state,you can use another free website: missing-money.com, which contains informationfor multiple states.

NAUPA has its own website, www. un-claimed.org, which contains a great deal ofimportant information regarding un-claimed property, the consumer-protectionlaws that benefit you, and links to statewebsites.

If you have been named as a beneficiaryin a will or trust agreement by a relative oranyone else, you should enter his or hername on these websites to determine ifthere are any assets under that name thatnow belong to you.

With so many assets going unclaimed, itwould hardly be surprising that somemight belong to you. Next time you’resurfing the net, visit the websites I men-tioned above and see. You certainly havenothing to lose.

Elliot Raphaelson welcomes your questionsand comments at elliotraph@gmail.com.© 2011 Elliot Raphaelson. Distributed by

Tribune Media Services, Inc.

Are there funds waiting for you to claim?

By Mark MillerOver age 50 but under 65? If so, you’re

at risk of falling into the pre-existing condi-tion healthcare gap.

In the current health insurance market-place, it’s very difficult for people with pre-existing conditions to buy a quality policyat an affordable price. The problem dispro-portionately affects older people in thisage group; they’re too young to quality forMedicare yet very likely to have at leastone chronic condition that leads health in-surance companies to turn them down.

The problem impacted 15 percent of allAmericans age 50-64 in 2009, according to arecent report by the Commonwealth Fund— 8.6 million people. Meanwhile, another9.7 million in this age group had coveragewith such high deductibles that they wereconsidered “effectively underinsured.”

Starting in 2014, the new healthcare re-form law will get these folks coveredthrough expansion of Medicaid and the cre-

ation of new private insurance exchanges.In themeantime, the Affordable Care Act

(ACA) put a Band-Aid on the problem bysetting aside $5 billion to fund a pre-existinginsurance program (PCIP) that operatesuntil the end of 2013, when enrollees willshift to coverage via the new exchanges.

This bridge initiative got off to a slowstart in 2010, but significant improvementsare being made this year that are worthknowing about if you’re struggling to findhealth insurance coverage.

The ACA gave states the option of usingfederal dollars to administer their own PCIPprograms, or to offer a plan run by the federalgovernment. Twenty-seven states are offer-ing their own plans. But last year, only 8,000people enrolled nationwide in these plans.

The weak start was due partly to theshort ramp-up time available after the ACAbecame law, according to Jean Hall, an as-sociate research professor at the Universi-ty of Kansas who specializes in healthcare.

Cheaper plans now availableBut in many cases, the plans just weren’t

very good deals. Premiums sometimes ex-ceeded $1,000 per month, with annual de-ductibles as high as $5,000. Finally, en-rollees must be uninsured for six monthsprior to coverage in order to be eligible, arule that further reduced sign-ups.

The plans that did get relatively strongenrollment were in a handful of big states,including Pennsylvania, California, Illinoisand Ohio.

The plans in these states also decided toset their premiums at very affordable rates—which they had discretion to do under theACA. For example, Pennsylvania’s programlast year had a flat monthly rate of $283 perenrollee— for a person of any age—with anannual $5,000 in-network, out-of-pocket limit.

Meanwhile, noteworthy improvementsare being rolled out to PCIPs this year thatwill make them worth checking out forthose struggling to find insurance.

Premiumswill be reduced inmany states.Moreover, the federal program will offerthree plan options, two of which featurelower deductibles for prescription coverage.New child-only premium options also arebeing offered to reduce the cost of coveringchildren with pre-existing conditions.

“I do believe the new federal options rep-resent a significant change for consumers,”Hall said. “People can get prescription costscovered sooner, which is potentially very im-portant for many people with chronic condi-tions. Also, adding the child-only premiumscreates a significant savings for families whohave children with chronic conditions.”

The PCIPs cover a broad range ofhealth benefits, including primary and spe-cialty care, hospital care and prescriptiondrugs. The law requires that they cover,on average, no less than 65 percent ofmedical costs and limit out-of-pocket

Get insured despite pre-existing conditions

See GET INSURED, page 19

By Mark MillerThe new healthcare reform law aims to

cover nearly all Americans and to get ourexploding national healthcare tab undercontrol. But reform also calls for some up-front investment, and someone needs tofoot the bill. Wealthy retirees — it’s time tograb your wallets.

Starting this year, the most affluent sen-iors are shouldering steep increases inMedicare premiums mandated under theAffordable Care Act (ACA). This year, thesurcharges affect individuals with $85,000or more in annual income, and joint filerswith income over $170,000.

While $85,000 may not sound stratos-pheric, keep in mind that income typicallyfalls in retirement after paychecks stop ar-riving. Social Security, pensions and retire-ment account withdrawals are the usual in-come sources.

The most affluent seniors have beenpaying higher Medicare Part B premiums(for doctor visits and outpatient services)since 2007. But until now, the income lev-els at which the higher costs applied wereindexed to inflation each year to keep thesame percentage of beneficiaries subjectto the surcharge. The ACA freezes thethreshold at 2010 levels through 2019,starting this year.

Drug plans means-tested, tooAnd the ACA also extends the income

formulas to Part D prescription drug en-rollees for the first time. The changes willaffect just 5 percent of Medicare enrolleesthis year, although that figure will rise to14 percent by 2019 as more seniors jumppast the frozen income threshold levels,according to the Kaiser Family Founda-tion.

High-income seniors who pay both Part

B and Part D premiums could see theircombined premiums rise anywhere from$300 to $700 per month by the end of thedecade, according to Juliette Cubanski, as-sociate director of Kaiser’s Medicare Poli-cy Project. “That’s a considerable sum,considering that the base Part B premiumfor most people this year is $96.40,” shesaid.

The new income thresholds also affectpeople who choose a Medicare Advantageplan (Part C), which often covers prescrip-tion drugs.

Advantage enrollees typically pay themonthly Part B premium plus a supple-mental premium to the Medicare Advan-tage plan; now, these premiums are beingadjusted to factor in the higher-incomeamounts for Part B and Part D coverage,where applicable.

The policy aims to help offset the cost ofhealthcare reform by reducing taxpayersubsidies on Medicare services for seniorswho don’t really need the help. The stan-dard Part B premium is set annually tocover 25 percent of program costs; taxpay-ers foot 75 percent.

Seniors subject to the new incomethresholds will see that subsidy fall by theend of the decade to just 20 percent. “Theexamples everyone mentions are BillGates and Warren Buffett,” said Cubanski.“Why subsidize rich Medicare beneficiar-ies?”

Kaiser estimates that the higher premi-ums will save taxpayers $25 billion for PartB from 2010 to 2019, and $10.7 billion forPart D.

No more doughnut hole in 2020The ACA does provide important new

benefits to retirees that should at leasttake the edge off the higher expenses over

time.The Medicare Part D prescription drug

doughnut hole will be closed. That’s thecoverage gap that starts when a beneficia-ry’s annual drug spending hits $2,830, andresumes at the catastrophic level ($4,550).

This year, pharmaceutical companiesare providing a discount of 50 percent onbrand-name drugs to low- and middle-in-come beneficiaries who find themselves inthe gap. Then, the doughnut hole itself willshrink a bit every year, ultimately disap-pearing entirely in 2020.

The law also contains some importantimprovements to traditional Medicareaimed at boosting preventive care.Medicare patients now receive an annualwellness visit — with no co-payment or de-ductible — that includes a comprehensivehealth risk assessment and a long-termpersonalized prevention plan. Deductiblesand co-payments also were eliminated formost preventive care services.

But the new income-based premiums ar-rive at a time when rising out-of-pockethealth insurance costs pose a growingthreat to retirement security for all re-tirees — affluent or not.

Cubanski said the median out-of-pocketpremium expense for Medicare beneficiar-ies as a share of income rose from 11.9 per-cent to 16.2 percent between 1997 and2006 (the most recent year for which datais available).

While Medicare provides strong finan-cial protection for basic services, coveragegaps force beneficiaries to pay relativelyhigh out-of-pocket costs.

Kaiser reports that Medicare coveredjust 48 percent of total per capita medicaland long-term care expenses, which aver-aged $17,231 in 2006. The out-of-pocket ex-penses are distributed between premiums,long-term care, prescription drugs andother costs.

© 2011 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

Medicare becomes costly for high earnersHOWARD COUNT Y B E ACON — AUGU S T 2 0 1 1 More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com | Law & Money 19

spending to $5,950 for individuals. Theyalso cannot impose pre-existing conditionexclusions or waiting periods.

Local plansThe federal website for the ACA has a

page that describes the state plans andlists contact information where consumerscan get current information on 2011 insur-ance options. Visit http://1.usa.gov/preexistingconditions to learn more.

In Maryland, the program is run by theMaryland Health Insurance Plan. To quali-fy, you must be a citizen or legal residentof the United States and have been unin-sured for the past six months. Rates rangefrom $141 to $354 per month. There is a

$1,500 annual deductible.To learn more about this program, call

1-888-444-9016 or visit www.marylandhealthinsuranceplan.state.md.us.

The District of Columbia and Virginiatake part in the federal government’s Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan.Monthlyfees for those age 55 and over in the Districtrange from $551 to $742 permonth, depend-ing on the level of service selected. In Vir-ginia, the fees range from $498 to $671.

To learn more about the federal govern-ment plan for residents of D.C. and Virginia,visit www.pcip.gov or call 1-866-717-5826.

Mark Miller is the author of The HardTimes Guide to Retirement Security: Practi-cal Strategies for Money, Work and Living(John Wiley & Sons/Bloomberg Press, 2010).Contact: mark@retirementrevised.com.

© 2011 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

Get insuredFrom page 18

See useful links and resources atwww.TheBeaconNewspapers.com

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Checking a financial adviser’s past forerrant behavior is much easier now with anew searchable database run by the Finan-cial Industry Regulatory Authority(FINRA), which oversees U.S. securitiescompanies.

Its Internet database allows users toperform searches by the name of a brokeror investment firm. The search page is at:http://disciplinaryactions.finra.org .

Previously, details regarding discipli-nary actions were available only by con-tacting FINRA, which would look up theinformation and later send summaries ofdocuments.

The new online capabilities enable thecomplete documents to be viewed online,printed or downloaded immediately.

“This will actually allow investors tosearch the database seven days a weekand provide instant access to the actual un-derlying disciplinary action documentsthemselves,’’ said Emily Gordy, FINRA’ssenior vice president for enforcement.

The database lists complaints, settle-ments and other documents associatedwith a disciplinary action.

The new search tool is linked toFINRA’s BrokerCheck service, which re-

views industry registration and licensingdocuments for background reports on 1.3million registered brokers and 17,000 bro-kerage firms.

FINRA’s monthly disciplinary actionsdatabase also links to the new search tool,providing regular updates.

“Any time you can give consumers andpotential investors the ability to feel moreconfident in their decisions to turn overtheir life savings to somebody, it’s a win,’’said Robert Russell, president of Russell &Co., a financial planning firm.

FINRA is the largest non-governmentalregulator for securities firms doing busi-ness in the United States.

Checking the FINRA database is a goodfirst step to checking out an adviser, but afew other places also make sense.

The National Ethics Bureau, a member-ship organization of financial profession-als, has a searchable database at www.ethicscheck.com/consumers/advisorck.asp .

See the Securities and Exchange Commis-sion, which has additional databases of advis-ers at www.sec.gov./investor/brokers.htm.

It’s also a good idea to check with state se-curities regulators or state insurance boardsbefore youmake your final decision. — AP

20 Law & Money | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com AUGU S T 2 0 1 1 — HOWARD COUNT Y B E ACON

Ways to cope with higherMedicare premiums

Here are four strategies to considerthat can help you control premiums, andalso hold down overall out-of-pockethealthcare costs in retirement:

1. Avoid the surcharge. “The sur-charges on Medicare premiums startingin 2011 can be steep,” said ChristineFahlund, senior financial planner at T.Rowe Price. “It’s important for retirees toworkwith their tax advisers to try to avoidthem each year, or as often as possible.”

One possible strategy is to take portfo-lio withdrawals from a Roth IRA, whichare not counted in Social Security’s defi-nition of taxable income. Or, alternatewithdrawals from taxable accounts soyou don’t have to pay the surchargeevery year.

2. Challenge the surcharge.The So-cial Security Administration (SSA) willdetermine if you must pay the premiumsurcharge using your most recent tax re-turn — in most cases, 2010. Eligibility isdetermined using your modified adjust-ed gross income (MAGI), which is thetotal of your adjusted gross income andtax-exempt interest income.

If your MAGI is higher than the in-come threshold in any given year, you’llget a letter from the SSA indicating yourpremium.

If your income has fallen since your taxreturnwas filed, youmaybeable to appealunder certain circumstances. Formore in-formation, download a free guide to the in-come thresholds at the SSA’s website:http://1.usa.gov/incomethresholds.

3. Work longer. Staying on the jobeven a few years longer than planned isone of the best overall ways to improve

retirement security — and health insur-ance is one of the key reasons, because itmeans more years of employer-spon-sored health insurance and delayedMedicare enrollment. If full-time workisn’t possible, try to stay on part-time ifthat will allow you to stay insured.

4. Shop the plans annually. Unfor-tunately, seniors need to re-shop pre-scription drug or Medicare Advantageplans each year to ensure that they’regetting the best price and appropriatecoverage. Insurance companies oftenchange their offerings year-to-year inways that can increase premiums bythousands of dollars, or make it difficultto get certain drugs. And your healthneeds may change, too.

The annual enrollment window runsfromOct. 15 toDec. 7, andwith dozens ofplans available in most parts of the coun-try, shopping can be a complex chore.

For the computer-savvy, the Medicarewebsite offers an excellent Plan Findertool (http://1.usa.gov/PlanFinder);morepersonalized help is available from yourlocal State Health Insurance AssistanceProgram, a network of nonprofitMedicare counseling services (http://bit.ly/SHIPNetwork). The MedicareRights Center also offers free counselingby phone (1-800-333-4114).

If you’re willing to pay to get adviceand help with paperwork, hire an inde-pendent, fee-based counseling servicesuch as Allsup. For $200 to $300, Allsupassigns an adviser who will provide awritten personalized plan analysis andoffer phone consultations.

—Mark Miller

Check out yourfinancial adviser online

CHECK OUT YOUR HOME’S ENERGY USAGEElectricity monitoring units are available for 21-day loan on your li-brary card at Howard County Library System branches. Plugged into

a standard outlet, the unit indicates electricity usage in watts, kilowatt-hours, costsand other measures. Twelve of these devices were donated to the library system bythe Howard County Sierra Club. Ask at your local library or visit the county’s environ-mental website http://livegreenhoward.com, under Energy/Climate.

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By Dave CarpenterIt took the collapse of her marriage to

jolt Luanne Schmidt into action.After years of taking a hands-off ap-

proach toward money, the 50-year-oldnurse only recently took charge of her fi-nances. Her savings and retirement securi-ty, she knew, were at stake.

“Do I know enough about finances andthe market yet? No,’’ said Schmidt, themother of three children. “But I’m at leastheaded in the right direction.’’

Women’s prospects are improving asthey gain economically and begin to closethe gender gap. But the fear of ending uppoor or even running out of money in re-tirement still gnaws at many women in par-ticular.

It’s hardly irrational. Women find it sig-nificantly harder than men to achieve acomfortable retirement. They live longer,earn less, and typically lag in savings andfinancial awareness.

“The fear is real,’’ said Cindy Hounsell,president of theWomen’s Institute for a Se-cure Retirement (WISER), a nonprofit edu-cation and advocacy group. “People seethe hardship and expense of old age, par-ticularly among women, all around them.’’

Single women hardest hitA worrisome new concern is the mil-

lions of baby boomer women who will beswelling the ranks of divorced, widowedand never-married women living on theirown in retirement. Single retirees are atgreater risk of poverty.

“There has been progress, but notenough,’’ Hounsell said. “Women are real-ly unprepared for what lies ahead.’’

Schmidt’s experience embodies some ofthe challenges. She gave up full-time workfor 17 years while she raised her children.Her husband managed the family finances.

Her divorce last year meant she had tosuddenly become her own money manag-er and make sure her retirement savingswere invested properly while still puttingthe youngest two kids through college. It’sbeen a scramble, and an education.

“It can be a scary situation for womenwho didn’t work full-time for years anddon’t have pensions,’’ she said. “It’s chal-lenging. I’m watching my pennies now.’’

Schmidt sees women who have outlivedtheir resources every day at the nursinghome where she works. Thus she’s moredetermined than ever to not end up worry-ing about money.

She hired a financial adviser who helpedcalculate how much she needs to save inorder to retire at 65, and Schmidt plans tostick to it.

The gender gapThe statistics tell a sobering story:

• Longer lives: Women still outlivemen by an average of five to seven years,depending on what year they were born.At age 65, a woman typically has another20 years of life expectancy, according tothe Centers for Disease Control and Pre-vention.

By age 85, women make up 68 percentof that age group. Many live in poverty ornear-poverty, the result of high out-of-pocket medical costs and having had tostretch too few dollars over too manyyears.

• Lower earnings:Womenmake about77 percent of what men make, based onU.S. Census Bureau data for 2009. Threeof five working women earn less than$30,000 a year, according to AARP.

• Living solo: 40 percent of womenover 65 live alone, compared with 19 per-cent of men. This is not just because they

live longer, but they also remarry at farlower rates than men of the same age, ac-cording to the National Institute on Aging.

• Leaving work: The average womanspends about 12 years out of the workforce, according to the Social Security Ad-ministration — generally for family pur-poses. Besides limiting Social Securitybenefits, that results in less savings duringthose years and reduces the opportunityfor savings to grow over time.

Some more hopeful signs are emerging.The female-to-male earnings ratio is

trending upward gradually. Women alsoare attending and graduating from collegeat a higher rate than men, which bodeswell for future earnings.

Surveys by AARP and others suggestthat more women, too, are handling house-hold finances, perhaps because of the ris-ing number who are single.

An increasingly popular theme amongthe 100,000 monthly users of VibrantNa-tion.com, an online discussion site forbaby boomer women, is the need to takecharge of retirement savings by hiring fi-nancial advisers and retirement coaches orseeking help via financial websites, accord-ing to CEO Stephen Reilly.

Still, the overall disadvantage womenface with regard to retirement remainsdeeply entrenched.

“The issue that women have got to un-derstand is that the twin forces of familyobligations and lower average salarieshave a geometric effect on their nest egg,’’said Manisha Thakor, a personal financeadviser in Santa Fe, N.M., who runs theWomen’s Financial Literacy Initiative.“One of the two might be manageable, butthe two together kill your finances.’’

— AP

HOWARD COUNT Y B E ACON — AUGU S T 2 0 1 1 More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com | Law & Money 21

Women face obstacles to secure retirement

To subscribe,see page 29.

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

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By Elliot RaphaelsonEstate planning is one of those things

everybody knows they should do, but asurprising number of people put it off untilit’s too late, or do it wrong in the first place.

Unfortunately, too many people of allages hesitate to have their wills drawn up.There is no good reason to avoid that. Ifyou die intestate — that is, without a will— you have lost the right to specify who in-herits your property.

In this situation, the state decides howyour property will be distributed, and it isunlikely that the allocation dictated bystate law will match your preference.Moreover, in many states, state law will al-locate your property in a way that may notbe fair to your spouse.

Some individuals feel that because theyare married and own their property jointlywith their spouse, there is no need for awill. What if you and your spouse die to-gether in an accident? Who will then re-ceive your property? If you have youngchildren, who will become their guardian?If your young children inherit property,who will manage it?

Who gets what?It is important for you to know what

property passes by will and what does not.Any property owned with “rights of sur-

vivorship” goes to the other owner(s).Property with a named beneficiary goes tothe party named. Any property disposedby contract goes to the named owner(s).The provisions of your will do not overridethe preceding specifications.

Any property that you own individuallythat does not have a named beneficiary

passes by will. Your will can also coverproperty you may not be aware of. For ex-ample, if you receive an inheritance or alegal settlement, the provisions of your willcan address these assets.

There are many advertisements sug-gesting that you can avoid legal fees bypurchasing books, legal forms or comput-er programs to create your will. In myopinion, that is foolish. If any mistakes aremade, the will can be disallowed, and statelaws associated with intestacy will prevail.

A straightforward will is not expensive,and many attorneys won’t charge for aninitial meeting. Reputable attorneys willprovide you with an estimate of the cost ofwill preparation after you provide themwith basic information.

A will needs to be detailed and precisein many ways. A good attorney can helpyou specify key provisions such as: who

will receive what property; how youshould hold your property; trust agree-ments; the best way to name beneficiariesof your retirement plans; maintaining con-sistency with named beneficiaries and con-tracts specified in other documents; mini-mizing any federal estate tax; and namingan executor and guardians. Make sure youselect an attorney with expertise in thisfield.

Preparing a will is an essential startingpoint. However, you must make sure thatyou update your will when circumstanceschange. Some events that require updatesto your will would be a move to a newstate, additions to the family, deaths in thefamily, a divorce, or new assets as a resultof retirement.

Account for retirement assetsA very important estate planning issue

for many retirees is related to retirementassets. If you have significant retirementassets such as IRAs, 401(k)s, and/or otherretirement plans, it is very important foryou to select your beneficiaries and with-drawal options with care.

If this is a significant issue for you, makesure your attorney is knowledgeable inthis area. I recommend that you review thebooks written by Ed Slott to help you un-derstand these issues.

Having a will prepared and updated asnecessary is one of the best gifts you canprovide for your family. There is no down-side, and without a will there are many po-tential unintended consequences, none ofthem good.

Elliot Raphaelson welcomes your questionsand comments at elliotraph@gmail.com.

© 2011 Elliot Raphaelson. Distributed byTribune Media Services, Inc.

HOWARD COUNT Y B E ACON — AUGU S T 2 0 1 1 More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com | Law & Money 23

THE BEST WAY TOPREDICT THE FUTURE…IS TO PLAN IT!

– Peter Drucker – Economist

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ATTEND

WOMENFEST 2011

The third annual WomenFest will fea-

ture a day of free programs focusing

on women’s health, wellness, fashion

and beauty, including seminars,

health screenings and exercise

demos, plus vendors and exhibitors.

Presented by the Howard County Of-

fice on Aging, and sponsored in part

by the Beacon, the event will be held

from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Gary J.

Arthur Community Center, 2400

Route 97, Cooksville. For more infor-

mation, e-mail Courtney Barkley at

cbarkely@howardcountymd.gov or

call (410) 313-5957.

BEACON BITS

Sept. 15

24 AUGU S T 2 0 1 1 — HOWARD COUNT Y B E ACON

TravelLeisure &

How to cut your losses when you mustcancel a trip. See story on page 27.

By Victor BlockMy recent visit to the Hershey-Harris-

burg area of Pennsylvania revealed a desti-nation of pleasant surprises.

If you think of Hershey primarily as amecca of chocolate, that’s only part of thestory. The nearby Amish community of-fers a fascinating opportunity to experi-ence a different culture.

And Harrisburg is home to a world-classCivil War museum equal to anything theSouth has to offer, plus a number of otherintriguing attractions.

My wife Fyllis and I arranged our trip tothe area as a three-generation family gath-ering. Not surprisingly, upon entering thesprawling Hershey complex, our grand-children thought they had been transport-ed to heaven.

At Hersheypark, they couldn’t run fastenough from ride to ride, clamberingaboard as many as they could, includingseveral of the 11 roller coasters.

More than chocolateOther attractions in the park had more

appeal to us. The Hershey Story is told in amuseum packed with displays, many ofthem interactive, that were more interest-ing than I had anticipated. Fyllis was in-trigued by a touch-screen that allowed herto design a candy bar wrapper and e-mail itto herself (to what end I had no idea).

I preferred following the story of howMilton Hershey, after several failed attemptsto found a candy company, struck pay dirt— or, rather, chocolate — when he began

coating caramels with the sweet substancein 1894. Turning out milk chocolate in bars,wafers and other shapes, and devising inno-vative mass production techniques to lowerthe cost, his company transformed whathad been a luxury item for the wealthy intoa treat that was affordable to all.

Every family member enjoyed the “chal-lenge” of tasting five mini-bars with the goalof distinguishing a wine-like list of textures(from smooth to granular), scents (includingwoodsy and fruity) and tastes (citrus, coffee,nutty). The hardest part was fighting tempta-tion and allowing the chocolate to melt onour tongue, as we had been instructed.

But it was an hour-long sightseeing trol-ley ride around the campus and little townthat left the most lasting impression. Ourgrandchildren were delighted by the Her-shey Kiss lights that line some streets, andeven more so by on-board tastings of fourmore samples.

Their parents and grandparents paidclose attention as our guide described theestablishment and history of the schoolthat continues to carry Hershey’s name.

Beginning with four orphans, whom Mil-ton and his wife Catherine took into theirhome, that institution has expanded to pro-vide free pre-kindergarten through highschool education, and much more, to about1,800 underprivileged children. Graduateswho go on to college receive generous schol-arship support.

Among the AmishIntroductions to a very different lifestyle

await those who visitthe Amish area a shortdrive from Hershey.About 30,000 residentsmake this the secondlargest Amish commu-nity in the country,after one in Ohio.

Amish immigrantsbegan ar r iv ing inPennsylvania duringthe late 17th century,seeking and findingreligious tolerance.They evolved into athriving part of thelocal society, mergingcomfortably into itwhi le maintaining

their customs and culture, with its focuson religion and family.

Among practices to which they continueto cling are using a horse and buggy ratherthan cars for transportation, eschewing elec-tricity in their home, and adhering to a dresscode that dictates modesty and solid colorsfor women and girls, and dark clothing anda black or straw hat for men and boys.

It’s not difficult to identify houses occu-pied by Amish families, because of the ab-sence of electric wires leading to them,wash hanging outside to dry, and tradition-al green shades covering the windows.

Our introduction to the Amish way of lifeincluded an outstanding multi-media pres-entation called “Jacob’s Choice.” It depictsthe difficult decision faced by someteenagers about whether to remain in thefold or venture into the outside world and,in effect, turn their back on their strict up-bringing.

We also explored a typical Amish home,where guides provided interesting addi-tional tidbits about day-to-day living.

Even more close up and personal was ourconversation with a young, bearded Amishman named Joe, who was our driver andguide during a jaunt with Abe’s Buggy Rides.

He patiently answered the questions wefired at him about everything from whycars are forbidden (Joe explained that they

can carry Amish people too far from theirfamily and community), to the reason thateducation is compulsory only through theeighth grade. (Joe replied, “That’s suffi-cient for our way of life,” which centers onfarming and cottage industries.)

Civil War storiesThe peaceful life of the Amish contrasts

starkly with the bloody story of the CivilWar that is dramatically portrayed at oneof the largest and best collections in theworld devoted to that conflict.

A visit to the National Civil War Muse-um in Harrisburg is especially timely, dur-ing this year’s 150th anniversary of thestart of the fighting.

Information-packed videos and realisticlife-size dioramas that tell the story of thewar are reason enough to plan a visit. Evenmore telling to me were letters from indi-vidual soldiers and similar artifacts thatput a human face on the Civil War and itsterrible consequences.

Also tragically moving are displays ofshackles, metal collars and other imple-ments that were used to subjugate slaves.Not far away stands a realistic depiction ofa slave auction, with the words of the auc-tioneer describing men and women as so

An Amish community near Hershey, Pa., gathers together to construct a barn for afellow family — a feat that is typically accomplished in a few days. The area has thesecond-largest Amish population in the country.

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In Hershey, Pa., visitors sample chocolate at the HersheyStory, which recounts the history of Milton Hershey’s chocolateempire. Hersheypark nearby offers rides for kids of all ages.

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A smorgasbord of to-dos in Pennsylvania

See PENNSYLVANIA, page 26

Last September, the National Aquariumofficially unveiled the National AquariumConservation Center and kicked off its cel-ebration of the Baltimore venue’s 30th an-niversary year.

The Conservation Center is the nextstage in the National Aquarium’s growthfrom a successful attraction with conserva-tion as its primary message, to a national-ly-recognized and respected conservationinstitute that measures success in how itimpacts people and the environment.

“Since opening in 1981, the NationalAquarium has evolved from being oneiconic building in Baltimore to an insti-tute, with conservation at its core, that op-erates two exciting attractions and servesas a dynamic education resource,” saidDave Pittenger, the aquarium’s executivedirector.

“We have a rich history of conservationinitiatives on the Chesapeake Bay, aroundthe world in places like Bahamas and CostaRica, and through our Marine Animal Res-cue Program. And now this ConservationCenter will build upon our strong legacy ofservice to the environment.”

Global effortThrough pioneering science and partner-

ships with like-minded organizations, theNational Aquarium Conservation Centerwill focus its efforts on the protection ofaquatic ecosystems worldwide through sci-entific research, education and advocacy.

The National Aquarium ConservationCenter will also be a voice and advocate forwork the aquarium already has underway,including long-term initiatives to protectcoral reefs, to control lion fish prolifera-tion, and to restore Chesapeake Bay wet-lands and shoreline.

“This research and advocacy entity gives

the National Aquarium another means totackle pressing issues that impact the aquaticenvironment, and to advance as a global con-servation center of excellence for marineconservation,” explained Dr. Erik Rifkin, thecenter’s interim director.

“In just one year we have establishedsolid partnerships with like-minded organ-izations and already have several excitingresearch studies underway.”

The initial emphasis of the NationalAquarium Conservation Center includescoastal ecosystems and watershed health,ocean health, environmental advocacy andecological aquaculture. Some of this workis already underway.

For example, the Conservation Centeris leading several research initiatives thatwill increase understanding of mercurylevels in wild and captive dolphins, quanti-fy sediment contaminant in the BaltimoreHarbor, protect spotted eagle rays, andpromote the future of aquaculture.

“Human impact on the world’s ecosys-tems is profound. As habitats are de-stroyed or degraded, the diversity ofspecies and the complex relationshipsamong them are threatened, with conse-quences for all living things — includinghumans,” said Bill Roberts, chair of theNational Aquarium Institute board.

“Zoos and aquariums have both the ca-pacity and the responsibility not to simplyincrease public awareness of conservationissues but to take action. The NationalAquarium is ready to do more.”

Celebrate with the aquariumIn celebration of the National Aquarium’s

first 30 years, a four-day festival is plannedfrom August 5 to 8. This family-friendly cele-bration will feature entertainment for every-one, including music, character appear-

ances, zumba dance instruction and more.Hours for the celebration are from noon

to 7 p.m. on Friday, August 5 and from 10a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, August 6, Sun-day, August 7 and Monday, August 8. Formore details, visit www.aqua.org.

Also keep in mind that you don’t have tobe an oceanographer or a fish expert to

volunteer with the National Aquarium. Vol-unteers are an integral part of the aquari-um’s day-to-day operations.

Onsite volunteer opportunities include in-formation specialists, exhibit guides, certi-fied divers and even office assistants. Formore information, visit www.aqua.org/ vol-unteer.html.

HOWARD COUNT Y B E ACON — AUGU S T 2 0 1 1 More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com | Leisure & Travel 25

National Aquarium celebrates 30 years

The National Aquarium in Baltimore has added a new Conservation Center that helpsstudy pollution and protect marine life.

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much property, interspersed with othervoices denouncing the institution of slav-ery as immoral.

Antique car museumA varied list of other sightseeing options

also awaits visitors to the Harrisburg-Her-shey area. The Antique Automobile Clubof America Museum is a car-lovers fantasy-land, offering a trip back through time for

anyone who qualifies for a discounted se-nior’s ticket.

It’s packed with beautifully restored vin-tage cars dating back to the 19th century,plus buses, motorcycles and motorbikes,some of which were manufactured whenFranklin D. Roosevelt was president.

While a re-created 1900s auto machineshop may not look familiar, visitors mayidentify with a 1940s gas station as well asan authentic Valentine diner, of the type thatwere manufactured beginning in the 1930s.

My favorites included a shiny 1895 Ben-

ton Harbor car which had a top speed of 23miles per hour, and a spiffy 1902 Oldsmo-bile, packing 4.5 horsepower, that was guid-ed by a steering stick instead of a wheel.

I also learned, and laughed, whilewatching a movie narrated by GrouchoMarx about automobiles and their impacton the country. It skillfully combines histo-ry and humor.

If you’re lucky when you visit the com-pact museum on the Pennsylvania StatePolice Academy grounds, you may be ableto watch cadets practicing at the firingrange or learning crowd control tech-niques on horseback.

Facilities include a large swimming poolthat’s used for life-saving training, and abuilding on the campus that houses every-thing from helicopters to drug-sniffing dogs.

Amateur sleuths can check theirprowess at solving a murder case, usinghairs left on the victim’s clothing and otherevidence to decide which of three suspectsis guilty of the crime.

A very different scene is a portrayal of acell that Al Capone inhabited for a yearafter being convicted of a minor crime.After he bribed prison officials, his tempo-rary jail home was furnished with preciousantiques, oriental rugs and oil paintings.

While lacking such man-made luxuries,Indian Echo Caverns is an undergroundNever Never Land of color, shapes and in-teresting history. At one time, NativeAmerican settlements were located alongwhat now is called Swatara Creek, whichruns by the caverns.

The series of caves is estimated to be 3million years old, and is one of many suchcomplexes carved out of limestone beneaththe rolling Pennsylvania countryside.

Near the entrance, the names of severalearly visitors are carved into the stone. Far-ther along, guides lead tour groups into theBlue Room, so named for the hue of itswalls, and the Rainbow Room, colored byareas of blue, green, purple and tan.

It takes sharp eyes and only a little imag-ination to identify a lion’s head, dragon,

owl and other familiar shapes pointed outby the guide.

The subterranean exploration, com-bined with a variety of attractions aboveground, combine to make a trip to nearbyPennsylvania both fascinating and fun.

If you goAfter searching for a hotel conveniently

located to the things we wanted to see anddo, we stayed at the Holiday Inn HarrisburgEast. It offers very large, well-furnishedrooms at rates that usually begin at $119.

Amenities include both indoor and out-door swimming pools and a restaurant thatserves an excellent Sunday brunch that at-tracts many locals. For information orreservations, log onto hiharrisburg.com orcall 1-800-637-4817.

Lunch at the Plain and Fancy FarmRestaurant enhanced our visit to the Amisharea. Typical entrees include PennsylvaniaDutch pot pie ($9.95) and fried chicken($10.95), both served with two sides. Besure to save room for desserts like appledumplings ($4.25), apple crumb pie ($4.50)or traditional shoe-fly pie ($3.50). For moreinformation, call 1-800-669-3568 or log ontoplainandfancyfarm.com.

The aptly named Fire House Restaurant,one of several dining establishments alongNorth 2nd Street in Harrisburg, occupiesthe former home of the Harrisburg HopeFire Company, which was built in 1871.

The theme is underscored by wallslined with fire station paraphernalia, anddishes like spiced Tuscan “firebread”served with garlic dipping sauce ($6), Fire-House hamburger ($8), and FireHousepasta with chicken and shrimp ($16). Ifyou’re in the mood to splurge, Hook &Ladder shrimp skewers and a half-rack ofribs, plus two sides, costs $25. For more in-formation, call (717) 234-6064 or log ontowww.thefirehouserestaurant.com.

General information about visiting theHarrisburg-Hersey area is available at itswebsite, www.visithersheyharrisburg.org,or by calling 1-877-727-8573.

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

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PennsylvaniaFrom page 24

OUTDOOR CONCERT & ICE CREAMThe Department of Recreation and Parks’ traveling “showmobilestage” will feature the Naval Academy’s Electric Brigade Rock

Band in an outdoor concert at Centennial Park South. Picnic suppers, blanketsand lawn chairs are encouraged. Free ice cream will be provided at the event onFriday, July 22, at 7 p.m. at Centennial Park South, 10000 Route 108, EllicottCity. For further information, call (410) 313-4700.

SUNSET SERENADEDavid Bach Consort’s contemporary jazz will complete the Julyseries of outdoor concerts at Centennial Park South. Bring a blan-ket or lawn chair and a picnic supper to enjoy. Admission is free,

but a $3 per car parking donation is requested. The concert is scheduled for 7p.m., Wednesday, July 27, at Centennial Park South, 10000 Route 108, EllicottCity. For further information, call (410) 313-4700.

TEA AND BOOK DISCUSSIONThe Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein is the featured bookfor this month’s First Wednesday Readers’ Tea. Discussion beginsat 10 a.m. at the Glenwood Branch Library, 2350 State Route 97,

Cooksville. For more information, call (410) 313-5577.

BEACON BITS

July 22

July 27

Aug. 3

TEACH ARTFUL THINKING TO CHILDREN

Professors Susan Rotkovitz, Kay Broadwater and Bridget Shute of

Towson University will share strategies to develop creativity in children through

theater, music, movement and art on Thursday, Aug. 25, from 7 to 8 p.m. at the

Central Branch of the Howard County Library, 10375 Little Patuxent Parkway,

Columbia. Learn from them, and then enjoy sharing these concepts with your

grandchildren. For further information, call (410) 313-7800.

BOOK CLUB BONANZA

Preview upcoming community events, literary classes and events

at Howard County libraries, and share favorite books, book club

tips and discussion ideas as well at this special program on Tuesday, Aug. 2 from

7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Miller Branch, 9421 Frederick Rd., Ellicott City. For more

information, call (410) 313-1950.

BEACON BITS

Aug. 25

Aug. 2

HC8/11

For obvious reasons, many Americanswho had booked travel to Egypt or Japanearlier this year had to changetheir plans, and others whohadn’t yet booked have madealternative arrangements.

But what about trips to otherareas at other times? Nobodycan predict where the next rev-olution might break out — andcertainly not when and wherethe next earthquake, tsunami,fire or volcano will hit.

The question then becomeshow best to protect yourselfagainst losses if a destinationyou decide to visit suddenly and unexpect-edly suffers a big problem.

Clearly, in such a case, you won’t be ableto enjoy the trip you expected — you can’tundo the problem. But what you can do ismake sure you get all or most of any moneyback from any prepayments and deposits.

Fortunately, you have several safetynets:

Even after you’ve paid — even a “nonre-fundable” payment — you can usually getyour money back from most suppliers, al-though the terms may be a bit too narrow.

• Airlines. If you already have a ticket,most airlines will let you cancel a trip to animpacted area and will offer a choice of re-booking the same trip at a later date or arefund, both without the usual cancellationor exchange fees. However, the re-issueoffer is generally limited to the sameroute.

• Hotels, too, generally allow no-fee can-cellation. However, if your original booking

was on some great deal, youmight not be able to duplicatethe original price.

• Tours. The U.S. Tour Op-erators Association (USTOA)states that, “most USTOAmembers serving Japan proac-tively canceled trips.” Presum-ably, most other operators takethe same approach in such situ-ations.

• Credit card. By nowyou’ve probably learned thatyou can get a charge-back for

anything you’ve paid a supplier that thesupplier didn’t deliver. This process cansometimes be a hassle, but it usuallyworks. Always — always — use a creditcard for such advance payments.

• Travel insurance. Trip-cancellationinsurance (TCI) could be helpful, butmany policies are surprisingly restrictive.They refund payments you can’t otherwiserecover, but only in the event the policyspecifically notes each circumstance as a“covered reason” or a “named peril.”

Some policies cover natural disasters,such as the earthquake/tsunami in Japan,but some do not.

And even those that accept earthquakes,hurricanes and such as covered reasons typ-ically subject coverage to such limited situa-tions as an airline that “ceases all service” ora destination accommodation that becomes“totally uninhabitable.” Never mind that the

golf course may be under water; if the hotelis open, you’re not covered.

Several specifically exclude “nuclear ra-diation” or leaks as a covered reason.

Uprisings such as occurred in Egypt aretypically defined as “civil disorder,” andmany policies specifically exclude civil dis-order as a covered reason.

All in all, given the many exclusions onstandard policies, I now recommend tojust about everyone that if they decidethey need insurance, they should buy a“cancel for any reason” policy. It may bemore expensive, and it might not cover 100percent of your prepayments, but the deci-sion about whether to travel or not — andwhat you get back if you decide not to go— is yours, not that of some insurance

company bean counter.In related travel insurance news, On

Call International just announced special“memberships” for travelers age 77 to 85.Many travel insurance programs refuse tocover travelers of that age, so the new poli-cies could be welcome.

They are, however, really expensive:$425 for an individual, $820 for a couple,covering a trip of up to 90 days. And that’sjust medical emergency and evacuationcoverage, not cancellation. Still, if you’re77 or over, it may be your best bet.

You can reach them at 1-800-575-5014;online at www.oncallinternational.com.S e n d ema i l t o E d P e r k i n s a t

eperkins@mind.net.© 2011 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

Cut your losses when a trip gets canceled

TRAVEL TIPSBy Ed Perkins

HOWARD COUNT Y B E ACON — AUGU S T 2 0 1 1 More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com | Leisure & Travel 27

Professionally managed by The Shelter Group. www.thesheltergroup.com

Call the community nearest you to inquire about eligibilityrequirements and to arrange a personal tour or

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13TH ANNUAL 50+ EXPO

This all-day event with over 140 exhibitors and vendors will feature

educational seminars, information, resources and all day entertainment including

two performances by The Capitol Steps. Admission is free. Presented by the

Howard County Office on Aging and sponsored by the Beacon among other organi-

zations, the expo will be open on Friday, Oct. 21 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Wilde

Lake High School, 5460 Trumpeter Rd., Columbia. For more information, email Lisa

Madera at lmadera@howardcountymd.gov or call her at (410) 313-5990.

BEACON BITS

Oct. 21

All Pet Crematory, Inc.(410) 552-0703 or 1(888) 552-0703 (toll free)

• open directly to thepublic for privatecremations only• caring & professionalstaff• memorial urns andmerchandise available

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By Frazier MooreBetty White has written a new book, If

You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won’t). It’s achipper, hop-scotching meditation on herlife, loves and career—with lots of photos—that reads like a chat with the beloved star.

You wouldn’t ask, but ...Betty White loves her fans and loves

performing, but despite six decades inshow biz, she still gets stage fright.

She doesn’t care for red-carpet events,and though she had a blast doing summerstock, she insists she’s nixed Broadway —three times.

“If you get into a Broadway show and itdoesn’t work, you’re a failure,’’ she writes.“And if it does work, you may be stuck forwho knows how long. It just doesn’t soundgreat to me!’’

She loves — note the present tense —her late husband, quiz-show host AllenLudden, who died from cancer in 1981.

And as everybody knows, she loves ani-mals. Always has.

“During the Depression,’’ she writes,“my dad made radios to sell to make extramoney. Nobody had any money to buy theradios, so he would trade them for dogs.

He built kennels in the backyard, and hecared for the dogs.’’

It was certainly no get-rich-quick scheme,but those pooches— numbering at times asmany as 15 — made White’s happy child-hood even happier.

On the road at nearly 90On this whirlwind publicity tour for her

book, White is warm, witty and a bit apolo-getic for all the attention she’s command-ed of late.

For example, her current TV Land sit-com, “Hot in Cleveland,’’ recently beganits third season; her “Saturday Night Live’’hosting gig a year ago, which brought herraves and a seventh Emmy; a hidden-cam-era show in the works for NBC that willturn senior citizens into pranksters punk-ing young folks.

“I’m going to be 90 in January — Ishouldn’t be working,’’ she mock-protestswith a twinkle in her eye. “I should gosomewhere and let people have a rest. ButI can’t help it. I just enjoy it!’’

Fine. But how does she get so muchdone?

“Not very well, to tell you the truth,’’

said White, citing the dining-roomtable in her L.A. home stackedwith scripts, mail and other pend-ing business she never whittlesdown. But she doesn’t need muchsleep, just four hours a night, shepoints out.

“It gives me that many morehours to do whatever I don’t getdone.’’

TV titanAs everyone knows, White

made her mark in television by ap-pearing on two classic sitcoms —“The Mary Tyler Moore Show’’ inthe 1970s, where she played randyTV homemaker Sue Ann Nivens,and, premiering in 1985, “TheGolden Girls,’’ where she was asweet, if chronically befuddled,Miami widow.

But White has been on the tubesince TV’s infancy in the late1940s.

By now, at 89, White has become a rolemodel for how to grow old joyously. Andmore than that: for how to keep growing.

“Don’t try to be young,’’ she suggests.“Just open your mind. Stay interested instuff. There are so many things I won’t livelong enough to find out about, but I’m stillcurious about them.”

When asked if she has ever had a co-worker with whom she couldn’t get along,she replies, “I made it my business to get

along with them.“Sometimes they didn’t get along with

me,’’ she acknowledges, mentioning her“Golden Girls’’ co-star, the late Bea Arthur.“I don’t know what I ever did to Bea. Shejust didn’t like me. And I loved her and ad-mired her work. But I made it my businessto stay out of her way.

“I just make it my business to get alongwith people so I can have fun,’’ she sums up,with a dimpled smile. “It’s that simple.’’

— AP

28 More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com AUGU S T 2 0 1 1 — HOWARD COUNT Y B E ACON

Arts &Style Enjoy the back story of Oz in themusicalWicked. See review on page 29.

Betty White writes about life, love, careerA

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In her new book, Betty White shares memoriesof her long television career, the love of her lifeAllen Ludden, and her passion for animals. Nearly90, White is perhaps more popular — and work-ing harder — than ever.

TICKETS: Adults $25, Senior (55+) $20,Groups*, Student $12 (18 and youngerwith student ID)* Special rates available for groups of 15 or more.

By Michael ToscanoStill afraid of the flying monkeys? Does

the memory of Margaret Hamilton’s cack-le as the Wicked Witch of the West stillgive you the creeps?

Here’s the chance to undo those hor-rors, to see the magical land of Oz in an en-tirely new (though still green-tinged) light.The Kennedy Center has brought back tothe Opera House the Grammy and Tony

Award-winning musical Wicked, “the un-told story of the witches of Oz.”

The show broke box-office recordswhen it played KenCen in 2005, and willlikely do the same again this year, as theshow retains all the vibrant charm of thatoriginal Broadway-cast tour.

It may also be the only musical that par-ents and grandparents can enjoy rightalong with their tween-and-teen-aged

daughters. The music is a middle-of-the-yellow-brick-road, pop-oriented mélange.

Oz’s back storyFocused as we all have been on Dorothy

and her companions as they traipsed theirway to Oz, you likely never wondered howGlinda got to be a “good witch” or how thegreen-faced one got to be the “bad witch.”

You weren’t aware that WWW (WickedWitch of the West) was really named El-phaba, that her hue caused her muchchildhood angst, and that she and Glindahad been schoolgirl friends.

Based on Gregory Maguire’s best-sell-ing novel,Wicked features music and lyrics

from Stephen Schwartz, who also gave ussuch stage and film hits as Godspell, Pip-pin, Pocahantas and The Prince of Egypt.The book is from Winnie Holzman, whohas experience with teen dramas as cre-ator of TV’s “My So-Called Life.”

Music and dialogue each explore what itmeans to be an outsider. Elphaba crackleswith intelligence and a fierce independence,the result of being shunned because of heremerald epidermis. But the tough exterioris a shell protecting a vulnerable, lonely girl.

Galinda, who later drops the extra “a”(you have to be there), is pretty, popular

HOWARD COUNT Y B E ACON — AUGU S T 2 0 1 1 More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com | Arts & Style 29

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I F F Y B E L O W S P FL U L U A N A X E E S EK R A M E R V S F R A Z I E R

T A T O E R P L OI T T A S T I R O A S I ST R I P L E I N D E M N I T YE U R O R E V S A DM E E T G R A S P R A T A

A S I D O A E R R SP O S T M O D E R N T I M E SA L C O A I D T A G B E NI D E S E E I M AL U N C H A T T I F F A N Y S

R E P S E R T A D D A YN S A T R Y S T E S P N

ANSWERS TOCROSSWORD

From page 30.

ANSWERS TOSCRABBLE

Makes a

great gift!

Oz witches weave a wickedly good spell

Dee Roscioli (left) and Amanda Jane Cooper portray green-hued Elphaba and bubblyGlinda, two witches at the center of the musical Wicked, now playing at the KennedyCenter.

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See WICKED, page 31

C GSCoalition of Geriatric Services

PresentsThe 6th AnnualFallFest 2011

Friday, November 4thElkridge Furnace Inn • 6:00 – 10:00 p.m.

Featuring a Fabulous Silent Auction, Entertainment byFrank & Trish Curreri and Dinner

All Proceeds Benefit Neighbor Ride and the HowardCounty Office Aging’s Vivian Reid Community Fund

Early BirdTickets are $55 through July 2011 – $65August 1stTickets are on sale atwww.cogsmd.org

For more information contact COGS at info@cogsmd.org

Make a Difference in the Life of a Senior – Support FallFest 2011

Platinum SponsorHoward County GeneralHospital – A Member of JohnsHopkins Medicine

Gold SponsorsBeing There Senior CareHoward County Office on AgingVisiting Angels

Silver SponsorsBayada Nurses

Carney, Kelehan, Bresler,Bennett & Scherr, LLP

Dr. Dan StorchDeborah Herman, CPAEllicott City Health & Rehab –A Communicare Health Facility

Gary L. Kaufman Funeral Homeat Meadowridge Memorial Park

The Beacon

Bronze SponsorsFelinton Elder Law and EstatePlanning Centers

Gentiva Health ServicesHomewatch CaregiversMedOptionsMorningside House ofEllicott City

Professional HealthcareResources/PHR

Somerford PlaceTransitions HealthcareVantage House RetirementCommunity

Earl Wilkinson, M.D., ENT.

COGS SponsorsIt is with great pride and pleasure that we recognize the following organizations and individuals for

their commitment and support of the Coalition of Geriatric Services:

30 More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com AUGU S T 2 0 1 1 — HOWARD COUNT Y B E ACON

Puzzle Page

Scrabble answers on p. 29.

JUMBLE ANSWERS

JumbleAnswersJumbles:LINGOCHAIRCUPFULMAGNET

Answer:Theaccountantwashiredbecausehewas-CALCULATING

Crossword PuzzleDaily crosswords can be found on our website:

www.TheBeaconNewspapers.comClick 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

68 69 70

71 72 73

Down1. Variety2. Polar bear protection3. Reason to call AAA4. 3:10 to ___ (1957 film remade 50years later)

5. Saloon6. USPS delivery7. Deck the Halls syllables8. The oldest English university9. Existed10. “Oh yeah? ___ who?”11. Pair of pitchfork letters12. Experience the wind17. Bibliography abbrev.18. Fragrance19. Optimistic23. Grocery store unit24. Like a non-fiction story26. Director Leone27. Stadium level28. Attacked a nation30. Nobel winner Sakharov32. Tough word for Dan Quayle to spell33. 2010 World Cup champion39. Separate laundry into piles41. Protesters’ labels42. Trap a cat43. One of the A’s in NCAA or NAACP45. Send to smithereens48. Beach toy49. Archaeologist’s discovery50. Play parts51. The Biggest Loser contestant52. End-of-the-week exclamation58. Direction from Eden to Nod60.Manufactured62. Tax maven (abbrev.)63. “Don’t give up!”64. The third part of 52 Down65. Jack Sprat’s restriction66. Jabber on67. Ant. antonym

Across1. Questionable5.Maryland, relative to the Mason-Dixonline

10. Lotion level13. Humdinger14. Tin Man prop15. Dir. fromWinnipeg to Montreal16. Sequel where Dustin Hoffman movesup to a higher weight class

20. Tit tradeoff21. Star-Spangled contraction22. Arafat’s grp.23. Addams Family cousin25. Bustling29. Desert relief spot31. Sequel where Fred MacMurray triesfor a bigger payout

34. Currency of 33 Down35. Push down on the accelerator36. Gloomy37. Swimming tournament38. Comprehend40. Pro ___44. “___ was going to St. Ives...”46. “___ deer” (octet starter)47. Drops a pop-up48. Sequel where Charlie Chaplin loses hisobjectivity53. It can make cans54. GI’s necklace55. Its Big in London56. Suffix with chlor or fluor57. “I joined the Navy to ___ the world...”59. Philanthropist Hogg61. Sequel where Audrey Hepburn stayshungry

68. Gym unit69.Mattress maker70. June 6, 194471. Federal cryptologic org.72. Rendezvous73.WNBA broadcaster

Unnecessary Sequels by Stephen Sherr

HOWARD COUNT Y B E ACON — AUGU S T 2 0 1 1 More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com 31

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PARALEGAL: Experienced in trusts, estatesand will preparation and other paperwork. Call301-565-2917.

STAMP COLLECTIONS, AUTOGRAPHSpurchased/appraised – U.S., worldwide, covers,paper memorabilia. Stamps are my specialty –highest price paid! Appraisals. Phone Alex, 301-309-6637. Stampex1@gmail.com.

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MORE THAN MOZARTJoin J. Scott Matejicka, chair of the Guitar Department at thePeabody Preparatory of Johns Hopkins University, as he introduces

classical guitar music. The free presentation will take place on Friday, Aug. 12 at11 a.m. at the Bain Center, 5470 Ruth Keeton Way, Columbia. Call (410) 313-7213 to reserve your seat.

BLACK FICTION CLUBDiscussion of Ancestor Stones by Aminatta Forna will be featuredat the monthly meeting of the Black Fiction Club, held on Saturday,Aug. 6 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at the East Columbia Branch Library,

6600 Cradlerock Way, Columbia. For more information, call (410) 313-7701.

CONTEMPORARY FICTION CLUBWhat did you find most intriguing about The Girl with the DragonTattoo? Discuss the popular Steig Larsson book with others at themonthly contemporary fiction club meeting, Monday, Aug. 8 from 7

to 8:30 p.m. at the Glenwood Branch Library, 2350 State Route 97, Cooksville.For more information, call (410) 313-5577.

and nurtures a predatory social ambition.Improbable friends, their relationship setsin motion a chain of events that lead us,more or less behind the scenes, to thecharacters and the climax made familiar inthe iconicWizard of Oz film.

So, some of it’s vaguely familiar, but it’soh-so-different. Context, it turns out, reallyis everything. Even flying monkeys can beless terrifying when you know their back-story. And maybe that evil cackle is reallyjust a manifestation of social awkward-ness.

Add to that a love triangle, a fall fromgrace, and even some pointed political andsociological commentary, and there’s plen-ty to hold one’s attention.

Oh, yes. There’s the Wizard himself, ofcourse, a supporting role that has neverthe-less attracted such luminaries as Joel Grey,Ben Vereen and Kevin Kline to the Broad-way cast. (Mark Jacoby has the role here.)

The original, 2003 Broadway cast starredperky little sprite Kristin Chenoweth asGlinda, and Idina Menzel won a Tony as El-phaba. Menzel played the role during the2005 stop at the Kennedy Center and electri-fied audiences.

The work those performers put into theroles is still evident with the current cast,Amanda Jane Cooper as Glinda and DeeRoscioli as Elphaba. In fact, Cooper has

every last physical move and vocal inflec-tion Chenoweth used to build her portray-al, turning in a perfect replica of her per-formance.

A new wicked witch in townRoscioli, who also played the part on

Broadway before joining the touring pro-duction, is credited as handling more per-formances as Elphaba than any other ac-tress. So she has had more opportunity toshape the role to her own sensibilities.

This Elphaba is less introspective thanthe character we saw here in 2005, andRoscioli’s singing is more muscular thanMenzel’s. But Roscioli slowly builds inten-sity, breezing through the early “The Wiz-ard and I” by showing just a hint of theforce she is holding in reserve.

With the unrequited-love ballad “I’mNot That Girl,” she movingly explores thebleak landscape of an empty heart. By thetime she gets to the iconic, powerful actone ender “Defying Gravity,” she is goingall out and fills the Opera House with richmezzo-soprano tones.

But it is in the middle of act two whereRoscioli’s power-packed approach makesthe biggest difference. In the anthem “NoGood Deed,” Elphaba realizes that all hergood deeds have backfired and cannotchange her renown as “wicked.”

Bitterly accepting this status, reveling init, Roscioli’s Elphaba explodes with energywhich makes this song replace the more

WickedFrom page 29

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positive “Defying Gravity” as the show’smusical high point.

A bubbly good witchCooper’s voice is not nearly as strong,

but as the role is more comedic than dra-matic, it’s OK. She’s positively efferves-cent in “Popular,” a funny song that never-theless has a few witty barbs.

Cooper keeps Galinda/Glinda’s bubblycharm in check just enough to allow forsome emotional growth, which significant-ly aids in reaching a soaring emotional pin-nacle.

Most of the other roles are dutifully per-formed, with no real standouts.

Director Joe Mantello, a two-time Tonywinner, allows the dramatic tension tobuild, while keeping his 37-member en-semble active and engaged.

With constant set changes, special ef-fects and dramatically dynamic lightingfrom Kenneth Posner, Oz and environsmake wonderful eye candy indeed.

And with its themes of acceptance andtolerance, powerful lead performances, aspectacular Broadway-level staging, andsome engaging tunes, this trip to Oz is onethat can be just as enjoyable for grandkidsand grandparents alike.

Wicked continues through August 21 atthe Opera House at the John F. KennedyCenter for the Performing Arts, 2700 F St.,NW in Washington DC.

Tickets range from $37 to $250. Theyare on sale at the Kennedy Center Box Of-fice, by calling Instant Charge at (202) 467-4600, or online at www.kennedy-cen-ter.org/tickets. Michael Toscano is theBeacon’s theater critic.

elcome to The Cottages at Brooke Grove, anindependent living community in the heart of

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THE GIFT OF TIME

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