page 2 ...... Opinion page 12...... SRDA Menu page page 4 & 20...... Weird News Coming Up page 14...... Senior Safety page 5...... Health merry christmas To All!!! page 15...... Travel page 8...... Light for the Journey page 22.....Fremont/Custer Menu page 11...... Finances Be Safe - Be Healthy!!! page 24...... Social Security & You

SeniorIF YOU ARE 50 OR OLDER YOUBeacon SHOULD READ IT!! SB Dec., 2007 Vol. 26: No. 5 Established Aug., 1982 305 Consecutive Months! Steps To Make Holidays Fun For Those In Care by Lisa M. Petsche Set realistic expectations and be Reminisce about past holidays to as his care needs for the time period you How do you include, in seasonal prepared to modify traditions. help your relative get into the spirit of the have in mind. Run ideas by staff to see if celebrations, a relative who has entered a Include your relative in prepara- season. Share special memories, bring they have concerns or suggestions. Even retirement home or nursing home during tions to the best of his ability. Contribut- in photo albums or favorite music, read overnight visits may be feasible with as- the past year? The following suggestions ing in even small ways --- such as sign- aloud a favorite holiday story, or watch sistance from family, friends or a private- can make the holidays meaningful while ing cards or helping to select gifts from a home movies or a classic holiday film. ly contracted personal support worker. keeping stress manageable for the whole catalog --- will make him feel valued and Plan ahead and space out activi- If feasible, take your relative family. create a feeling of partnership. ties as much as possible, scheduling quiet home for an afternoon so he can partici- days in between eventful ones. pate in (or simply observe, depending on At nursing and retirement homes: his abilities) holiday preparations such as Medicare Announces Give staff at least a day’s notice baking, decorating or gift wrapping. when you’d like to ensure your relative If your home isn’t accessible, is up and ready for a special visit or other take your relative out to the mall for Changes For 2008 event. gift shopping and lunch. Book accessi- Denver, Co. Medicare beneficiaries are again facing decisions about select- Visit when you are not rushed ble transportation if necessary. If he can ing a prescription drug benefit. Prices have increased, formularies have changed, and for time. get in and out of a car, take him out one low income seniors who were insured with Humana and/or AARP are facing a month- Bring children or grandchildren evening for a holiday light tour. ly premium or termination. with you. (Ensure adult supervision at all Ensure any destination is acces- Medicare beneficiaries will also see significant increases the Part A deduct- times for youngsters.) sible, including its washroom facilities. ible which will increase to $1024 per benefit period for hospitalizations and the Part B Decorate your relative’s room If family members’ homes aren’t acces- deductible will increase to $135. Nursing home co-pays for days 21-100 will be $128 using window clings, children’s artwork, sible, choose a restaurant or banquet hall per day. In addition, the Part B premium will increase to $96.40 for individuals whose garland or a miniature Christmas tree. that meets everyone’s needs. net income is less than $82,000 in 2007. Bring in greeting cards received Book accessible transportation In 2008, the standard Part D benefit includes a $275 deductible which is paid to share with your relative, and leave well in advance, since use peaks during by the individual. Individuals have to pay 75% of the next $2510 in prescription drug some with him. the holidays. Consider celebrating with charges to the pharmacy. Bring homemade treats and your relative on a day other than Decem- After the benficiary pays approximately $875 in a deductible and the co-pays take-out coffee or a thermal carafe of tea, ber 25th to increase the likelihood that and the prescription drug plan pays approximately $2510, the individual reaches the and enjoy a holiday snack together. Con- the service will be able to accommodate coverage gap (or the doughnut hole). In the coverage gap, thebeneficiary is respon- sider supplying enough sweets for your him. sible for 100% of the cost of the prescriptions for the next $4050. Individuals whose relative to share with roommates or staff Give staff plenty of notice of prescription drug costs are more than $5726.25 will pay 5% of the cost, while the plan if he wishes. Do check with nursing staff the date and pickup and estimated return will pay 95%. regarding dietary restrictions before you times for your relative. This allows them More than 18,000 low income seniors in Colorado who receive “Extra Help” bring in anything. sufficient time to make adjustments with who were automatically enrolled in a Humana or AARP prescription drug plan in Review the activities calendar to food services and preparations with the 200t or 2007 are being re-assigned to a new plan, regardless of the drugs that will be learn about scheduled holiday events --- pharmacy, as well as obtain a temporary covered under the new plan in 2008. such as bazaars and visiting choirs --- and leave of absence (TLA) order from the Low income seniors receiving “Extra Help” who are automatically re-as- attend some of them with your relative. doctor. signed to a new plan for 2008 have the right to sign up for the plan of their choice if Offer to accompany family Prepare relatives and friends another plan is determined to better meet their needs. To find the best plan, the current members planning a first-time visit, to who haven’t seen your relative in a while medications should be reviewed using the plan finder at www.medicare.gov. Co-pay- ease their anxiety. for any changes in his appearance, abili- ments for full benefit individuals receiving Medicare/Medicaid range from $1.05 to Join your relative for dinner. ties or behavior. $5.60. Most facilities offer a midday meal with Ensure your relative has appro- For the most part, the Medicare Part D stand-alone plans have increased their all the traditional holiday trimmings, and priate clothing on hand, as well as warm premiums and changed their formularies. Monthly premiums range from $15.60 cov- sell tickets to relatives and friends who outerwear. Let staff know what you would ering only about 78% of the prescription drugs most frequently used by seniors to would like to join residents. Another op- like him to wear for an event if he’s un- $95.30 for a plan that covers 99% of the drugs. tion is to hold a celebration in the family able to communicate this. Some Part D companies offer the standard benefit, while others offer some dining room or other private space that’s Take along any necessary medi- coverage for generics through the gap, charge variable co-payments and deductibles available for booking; inquire about ca- cal equipment, supplies and medications. depending on the plan. tering service. Videotape or photograph events For those individuals who are looking to change from a Medicare Supple- On outings: your relative is unable to attend. ment or another Medicare Advantage, there are three primary types of plans that are Before deciding to bring your being marketed in Colorado. These are traditional HMO plans, Private-Fee-For-Serv- relative home for a visit, determine his Lisa M. Petsche is a clinical social worker ice, and Special Needs Plans. environmental needs --- addressing ac- and freelance writer specializing in For the most part, the traditional HMO plans have maintained a stable pric- cessibility and safety issues --- as well health and elder care issues. ing structure for premiums and co-pays for 2008. Seniors who purchase a traditional HMO should ask about the deductibles for hospital stays, the co-payments for nursing home stays, diagnostic radiology services, ambulance services, emergency rooms, and outpatient procedures such as chemotherapy. Traditional HMOs, which have networks of providers, are strong on preventive services and offer reasonable prices for co-pays for office visits and lab expenses. Another type of Medicare Advantage Plan is the Private-Fee-For-Service plan. Known as PFFS, these plans traditionally have low co-payments for office vis- its and prescription drugs. Plans often have limited coverage in addition to the basic Medicare coverage for such things as deductibles, excess charges and other out-of- pocket expenses. PFFS do not have a network. Any hospital or doctor who is willing to work with the plan can accept the insurance coverage. Special Needs Plans, the third type of Medicare Advantage Plan, are usually targeted to help individuals enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid who are low income to manage chronic conditions, institutional placements in nursing homes, or mental health diagnoses. These plans have a network of physicians, hospitals, nursing homes, and home care agencies. Individuals receive special services to manage their situa- tions. Often co-payments and deductibles are waived, although the individual may be charged a monthly premium. Individuals who need assistance with enrollment in a Part D or Medicare Advantage Plan or have questions about Medicare can call 303-333-3482 or visit www.medicare.gov Eileen Doherty, MS is the Executive Director of Senior Answers Pueblo City Council Vice-President Barbara Vidmar presented a proclama- and Services and the Colorado Gerontological Society, 3006 East Colfax, Denver CO tion to brothers Tom and Ivan Reyes, respectively, designating November 13 as “Wear 80206. She has more than 30 years of experience in education and training, clinical Something Purple Day,” in honor of individuals who have Alzheimer’s, and their fami- practice, research, and public policy in gerontology. You may reach her at 303-333- lies, at a recent reception at the Alzheimer’s Association office. November was National 3482 or [email protected]. Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month. Page 2 - Senior Beacon - Dec., 2007 Visit Us at http:// www.seniorbeacon.info Just One Guy’s Opinion by James R. Grasso, Chief Cook & Bottle Washer of “Your” Senior Beacon! she might be counted on to do I suppose if you can ever get her to answer a ques- No Embryos (Unborn Babies) Required tion straightforwardly. Before 1994, when Newt Gingrich and the neo-conserva- Thoughout lifetimes, perhaps every person whoever walked the face of the tives swept into office and buggard their plans, the Clinton’s wanted to run deficits earth’s lifetime, patience is the one virtue that we can all look back upon and say, “If of $100,000,000 a year. That’s ONE TRILLION DOLLARS over 10 years. Thank only I had been more patient!” then this or that would have worked out differently. goodness the American public stopped them. The new House and Senate stopped that I’ve rarely heard of anyone who lashed out impatiently being happy about the end nonsense cold and in the meantime turned the economy around and took care of the result of their actions. debacle that was our welfare system. Okay, so that’s one thing she did. She went along Now comes the scientific proof that we can now make stem cells from our with Bill and his ONE TRILLION DOLLARS of deficit spending over 10 years. And own skin cells and not have to have the moral debate (personally there is no debate, now she is endorsing Charlie Rangel’ tax scheme of fleecing all of us of a TRILLION it is infanticide pure and simple as is abortion) over whether to grow “embryos” and DOLLARS during her reign as President. then destroy them so as use their stem cells to cure everything. Of course, to my Let’s go to foreign policy. Mrs. Clinton actually sat down with that stooge knowledge embryonic stem cells or stem cells from any source have ever been proven Yaser Arafat and his wife Suah (now remember Arafat had squirreled away Two to “cure” anything, anywhere so far! Billion Dollars in foreign banks when he died while his followers lived in squalor and Of course there are still scientists and others who are skeptical of this new grinding suicide bombing - ah what a grand leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner). breakthrough and the major reason why they are that way is for one simple reason; She actually made her way over to Mrs. Arafat and bussed her in front of the whole money! Yep, these particular nay-sayers have convoluted reasons why this embryo- world, thumbing her nose to the rest of the democratic and western world. Let’s not less stem cell approach is flawed, etc., but it comes down to the fact that if embryonic forget that the Clintons looked the other way the entire eight years they were in office stem cell research is not needed then their funding dries up. It’s that simple. when it came to the threat from Bin Laden and his merry men (and women) turning Huzzah for President Bush for holding his ground and not running with the his back on jailing the mastermind of 911, not once, but three times!!!! Okay, so we lemmings of impatience who hammered at him unceasingly for not giving into their do have a track record on her foreign policy. demands of slaughtering the most innocent among us for the sake of our own vanity. Let’s look at the domestic front. Mrs. Clinton wanted to change our health I wonder if the same will be true as the Iraq situation clears up as it seems to be? system so we can have universal health insurance. She doesn’t and didn’t care what this feeble plan would do to our health system and way of life. She doesn’t care that you and me public will have to wait in lines and for months for necessary tests to see Mrs. Clinton just exactly what is wrong with us as happens all over the world that have gone to a It seems like Mrs. Clinton has been President for the past 15 years, hasn’t socialist government universal health care plan (see Canada, France, England - all, by she? And now she wants at least four more years and then four more years after that! the way, are trying to scale back their particular forms of socialized medicine because Wasn’t she co-president with Bill from 1992 - 2000? Hasn’t she been in the news the they are unworkable). But the kicker is, Mrs. Clinton would never be subject to such last eight years on a daily basis about her being or going to be President? Haven’t we a plan for herself and it would be guessed, her family and friends. Can you see Mrs. read hundreds of thousands of fawning words about Mrs. Clinton’s various ideas and Clinton waiting for six months for a mammography or Bill waiting for a CT scan for how the country ought to be run since 2000? My goodness, how long does she need his faulty heart? So we do know what she wants after all. to be on the public’s stage? She’s no Franklin Delano Roosevelt although she has told As was stated earlier Mrs. Clinton has come out in favor of a ONE TRILLION us that she channels with his wife Eleanor. Is this the best the Democrat Party has? Is DOLLAR tax increase for America. She has said she would TAKE the profits from the it really Mrs. Clinton or nothing? What’s wrong with the Democrat Party? What has oil companies and do with them what she would! Does she expect to be a dictator? she accomplished in her public life? Does she want to be the Hugo Chavez of America? Those profits aren’t her’s for the I have many friends in New York. Many of them love her but when I ask taking. What kind of mind thinks that way? them why they love her and what has she done for them and New York State they Okay, remember all the criminals Bill and Mrs. Clinton pardoned on his last never can give me any examples. For that matter what has any of the Democrat front- day in office. Her brother brokered these pardons through Mrs. Clinton who now runners accomplished. Barack Obama is a first-time Senator and John Edwards was says she had no idea what was going on. That’s her modus operandi. When she gets a Senator for six years and wasn’t able to win a second term. Why do the Democrats caught doing something dubious she feigns “no knowledge.” This, from the “smart- have no one else? There are plenty of them who have done more than the three front- est woman in the land?” Oh yeah, and guess who is now contributing to her run for runners. Where are they? What’s become of the donkey party? Are these really the President? Yep, those very same criminals that her husband pardoned and her own cream of their political crop? Egad! brother brokered into over $100,000 of profit for himself. Well, Mrs Clinton was a co-president. So, we have a track record as to what And please don’t forget all the “funny-money” she and Bill collected from Buddhist Monks for the ‘96 campaign and all the Chinese connections in both the ‘92 & ‘96 campaigns. Gee, just recently a Mr. Hsu gave her campaign over $850,000 much of it funneled through Asian workers in California who gave $2,000 or $3,000 each when they made little more than minimum wage. She claims, “the smartest women in the land,” she has no knowledge of all this. She uses her unceasing work in Arkansas for the betterment of their educa- tional system as an accomplishment while she was first lady to Bill’s Governorship. Sorry, but when the Clintons left the state, Arkansas was ranked 49th in education of the 50 states! Now there is a reason to vote for her. You know, I’m not wrapped up in my side winning so badly that I will hold my nose, close my eyes and somehow vote for Mrs. Clinton and her husband. And if you don’t like what I have to say about Mrs. Clinton please stay on point and don’t give me platitudes or that I’m unfair. Give me your facts to refute what I have said. She is a bad candidate and she has bad ideas, unworkable ideas that run contrary to what America has always been about ladies and gents. Most of my readers are from the “Can Do” generation and many of you lost loved ones in the Greatest War. I don’t believe for a minute that those brave men and women who gave their all for this coun- try and its values would be happy to know they gave their lives so that Mrs. Clinton and her myriads of socialist ideas could easily make the U.S. unrecognizable to them. I believe they would have thought that they wasted their lives if that is the direction we eventually go toward in a Mrs. Clinton Presidency. OFFERING SHORT-TERM AND So I guess she does have a track record and it’s pretty ugly. Godpseed! LONG-TERM SKILLED NURSING Senior Beacon AND REHABILITATION CARE Senior Beacon serves Pueblo & Fremont Counties and reaches the rest of Southeastern Colorado. It is a monthly newspaper dedicated to inform, serve, educate and entertain the Senior Community in these areas. Subscriptions are available, prepaid with order, at $19.95 for one 12-month period. Send your • 24-Hour Skilled Nursing Care • IV Therapy and Other order to the mailing list below. Publication of advertising contained herein does not necessarily con- • Physical, Occupational and Specializations stitute endorsement. Signed columns are the opinions of the writers and not necessarily that of the publisher. Senior Beacon is locally owned and operated. Speech Therapies • Activities and Social Events Founded in August, 1982. • Skilled Services • Medicare and Medicaid MAILING ADDRESS • Respite Care Certified Beacon Publishing/Senior Beacon -- website: www.seniorbeacon.info Mailing Address: P.O. Box 7215 -Pueblo West, CO 81007-0215 • Memory/Alzheimer’s Care • Insurance Accepted Ph: 719-647-1300 Fax: 719-647-1305 E-mail: [email protected] Publisher/Sales/Production...... James R. Grasso Sales.... Jan McLaughlin, James R. Grasso Contributing writers.. B. J. Tucker, Universal Press Syndicate, Mature Market Editorial Services, Jan McLaughlin SUBMISSIONS: Senior Beacon welcomes reader contributions in the form of 515 Fairview Ave. • Canon City, CO 81212 senior groups’ news, stories, poetry, recipes and happenings. Letter to the Editor must be typed and double spaced, signed with address and phone number 719-275-0665 submitted. Deadline is the 10th of the month prior to publication. Copyright© 2007-Beacon Publishing

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On The Right: “Crime? Punishment? by William F. Buckley CRIME? PUNISHMENT? Loose yourself from the prison there, indeed it was flagrantly there in the Early in the life- A perplexed citizen in Green- bars of syllogistic thought by citing the form of a constitutional amendment that time of modern wich, Conn., writes to his local newspaper obvious difficulties: forbade the sale of liquor. The commu- readers, one saying that the anti-abortion movement 1. Most abortion opponents per- nity would endorse law enforcement that could not get a suffers from the absence of a compre- suasively argue the question on the under- closed down bars and even imprisoned divorce from a hensive position on the practice. He be- standing that abortion is a weighty matter. the occasional smuggler. But Prohibition spouse unwill- lieves that the Catholic bishops, working One begins, then, by insisting that it is not never reached the authority of true taboo. ing to dissolve en banc, have a responsibility to declare to be spoken of as a mere traffic offense. Nobody objected if, at the wedding party, the marriage publicly that the church is not asking for 2. Even if Roe v. Wade were over- you came upon a little champagne. in many states, any law that would make abortion a crim- turned, no one (well, practically no one) Now the courts confront shad- and in some inal offense: “Would it not be advisable is prepared to recommend a punishment ings and equivocations. Pro-abortion states, such as for Catholic bishops to make it clear that approaching the gravity of the offense. groups sued to force anti-abortion groups New York, divorce was difficult even if they are not urging criminal penalties for If abortion were once again a crime, but to stop running “Wanted” posters of both spouses were willing. Now divorces abortion? This would assist them in their practitioners did not face heavy penalties, “Deadly Doctors” on their Web sites are relatively easy, and where there is no efforts to persuade Catholics and others then you have emasculated the sanctions after one of those doctors was shot and contention between the parties, they ap- for their moral position. And allow Cath- you are willing to invoke in pursuit of killed. The courts are asked why the proach simple clerical exercises, in the olic politicians to take such a position so the law. So -- the woman goes free and abortion protesters can’t plead the First direction of “I divorce you, I divorce you, long as they do not advocate in favor of unharried, the doctor also goes free but, Amendment. And a candidate’s position I divorce you,” which is all the ritual re- abortion from a moral standpoint.” in some communities at least, there are on abortion becomes an important item quired under Muslim law for a husband The problem with this is that sanctions out there that prompt him not to in his political dossier. This is reflected to end a marriage. laws prohibiting behavior but failing to advertise himself as the corner abortion- in the latest figures on the voting public. We are far away from a society punish offenders lack the indispensable ist. Thirty-four percent of voters think abor- that attaches zero importance to granting leg that gives solidity to a three-legged 3. Laws that seek enforcement tion should be generally available, 39 the protection of the law to the unborn stool. Such laws are like playthings for have to appeal to moral consciences. If percent believe that restrictions on abor- fetus. But both sides in this argument surrealist painters, whose license to de- they don’t, the enforcement becomes tion should be tightened, and 25 percent could contribute to peaceful democratic pict unreality is not questioned. The result formalistic -- and, eventually, the law believe abortion should not be permitted exchange by saying what it is they would is a kind of moral confusion that inhibits becomes a dead letter. The dilemma of at all. not do if in power. meticulous thought. Prohibition is illustrative. The law was Divorce has been the rounds. The Writer’s Art: “Unraveling A Raveled Sleeve” by James Kilpatrick It’s a puzzlement. The choice Associated Press story in September. A such hallowed figures as Jane Austen, A hundred curious readers have between “ravel” and “unravel” is bound Pentagon spokesman said the administra- who promised a friend in 1813 that she written to ask the same probing question: to confront a writer every day -- perhaps tion believes that at this point, the United would “try and write” of something be- Is a worn sleeve raveled or unraveled? twice or three times a day. The two verbs States “should continue to try and deal yond valiant ladies. Thackeray used “try Old copy editors never go hungry. They are defined identically. My advice is sim- with the Iranian threat of nuclear stand- and” in 1846, George Eliot in 1861, Hen- constantly dine prix fixe. ply to use the one that sounds right in off.” Reader Felts asks, should “try and” ry Adams in 1863, Mark Twain in 1876, Actually, only two readers have context. If Shakespeare could do that, so properly be “try to”? F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925, and my ideal inquired, but I wanted to catch your in- can you. In his magisterial “Modern E.B. White in 1936. From all this evi- attentive eye. Muriel Evans of Seattle The advice covers an extensive American Usage,” Professor Bryan Gar- dence, we may try and find all the author- and Gloria Williams of Buffalo wrote field. At random, we have a choice of ner brushes off “try and” as a casualism, ity we need. Carry on! to the same effect, and both quoted the rights that are either inalienable or unal- i.e., a characteristic of speech that reflects SEEMS LIKE A SONG same line from “Macbeth” to make their ienable, of arguments that are inarguable “either freedom from inhibition or an ut- point. In that gory tragedy the guilty hero or unarguable, and positions that are ei- ter lack of solemnity.” Such expressions YOU’VE HEARD yearns for “innocent sleep, sleep that ther in- or undisputable. A course of ac- may add “a relaxed freshness.” On the BEFORE knits up the ravell’d sleave of care.” (Bill tion may be either infeasible or unfeasi- other hand, they may seem “inappropri- A writer for The Washington Post Shakespeare was a terrible speller.) Does ble. ately unbuttoned.” As examples, he offers was commenting on the famous Glass one ravel a sleeve or unravel a sleeve? You will be pleased to learn, if “burbs” for “suburbs,” “limo” for “lim- House of architect Philip Johnson: “Even The usual dictionaries are no you did not already know it, that “un- ousine” and “Vegas” for Las Vegas.” at the level of its mechanical system,” he help. They all define “ravel” in part as sicker” in Scotland means “unsafe, inse- The sages of Springfield devote wrote, “the two-house dyad seems like a “unravel,” and vice versa. In some con- cure.” The big Oxford Unabridged lists 3 1/2 columns to “try and.” Evidently the metaphor.” texts, to ravel is to “disentangle, make “unseldom,” meaning “often” or “not topic has occupied language mavens at In The New York Times, the clear, undo.” Other times, to unravel infrequently.” We may either untrust or least since Henry Fowler eyed it ambiva- greatly gifted Gail Collins ducked away means the same thing. In practice, The distrust a person. There is a verb, “to un- lently in 1917. Fowler said that “try and” from a tough topic: “I would love to give Washington Post reported a year ago that think,” dating from the mid-20th century, carries a shade of meaning that justifies you all the arguments about the virtues of the Philadelphia Eagles’ season “came with overtones of both Alice’s Wonder- its existence for purposes of exhortation. the Law of the Sea Treaty, but it seems completely unraveled.” Two years ago, land and Huxley’s Brave New World. An It implies encouragement. Thus, the con- like a cruel thing to do.” The New York Times revealed that cer- unk-unk is “an unknown person or thing.” junctive “try and stay sober!” carries a Three weeks ago another writer tain government secrets “did not take Old logophiles should never be left alone wallop beyond the gentle infinitive, “try for the Times, Carol Vogel, covered an long to unravel.” The editors of U.S. Law with an Oxford Unabridged. Onward! to stay sober.” auction of high-priced paintings. They Week reported that a smuggling scheme We’re talking verbs today. Will Continuing this fascinating dis- were the work of “masters like Matisse, “unraveled.” Felts of James Island, S.C., cites to an sertation, Merriam & Webster cite to Signac and Pissarro.” In Time magazine, reporter Bill Saporito wrote about Wal-Mart: Most of its worst-performing stores were located “in big coastal cities like Boston and Los Angeles.” The chain’s marketing strategy “is better suited to developing economies like Mexico, Brazil and China than to mature markets like the U.S. and Japan.” Like, like, like! Properly em- ployed, it’s a lovable little word. The compliant Polonius saw a cloud “like” a weasel. Hamlet mourned his father: “I shall not look upon his like again.” Mar- tial confessed an irrational prejudice: “I do not like you, Sabidius!” Whether as noun, verb, adjective, adverb or preposi- tion, “like” functions like a good Scout knife. We may use it anywhere. More to the point, “like” gets dragooned into service where it ought to be excused. Even from the pen of Gail Collins, things shouldn’t “seem like.” Things simply seem. It’s as a conjunction that “like” is most widely abused. Nine times out of 10, “such as” would better serve a writer’s purpose. In the Horrid Exam- ples just cited, we’re not learning about masters like Matisse or cities like Boston or economies like Mexico’s or markets see “same” page 3. Page 4 - Senior Beacon - Dec., 2007 Visit Us at http://www.seniorbeacon.info s h i n w o t e e r COMPILED BY CHUCK SHEPHERD e f w d FOR SENIOR BEACON

LEAD STORY press time, Asda was leading by offering was in short supply at the hospital, but the record, emergency personnel would As an alternative to burial, a low-end lager in multipacks for the doctors improvised by setting up a gastric rather be told about an explosive than cremation is no longer green enough, say equivalent of 46 cents a pint, which is less drip and feeding him vodka at the rate of have it brought into their building.) (2) environmentalists, because it releases than colas or bottled water. (2) For those three standard drinks an hour for three Once again, a motorist casually traveling smoke and mercury, and thus the industry Britons who drink in pubs but miss the days. He made a full recovery, according on a highway had his vehicle crushed by is considering “promession,” in which the atmosphere as it was before smoking bans to an October report in Melbourne’s The an airborne cow (this time, near Manson, body is frozen in liquid nitrogen to minus- (for example, who may be disoriented by Age. Wash., in November). The 600-pound cow 320 degrees (F) and then shaken until “new” smells that are no longer masked -- University of Maastricht had fallen off a cliff, totaling the minivan it disintegrates into powder. For green by cigarette smoke), the company Dale (Netherlands) researcher David Levy told but not injuring the driver, who was burials, the United States has at least six Air has introduced, in aerosol cans, a the Web site LiveScience.com in October quoted in an Associated Press dispatch cemeteries that require biodegradable fragrance that it says mimics the musty, that he believes robots will be so highly saying repeatedly, “I don’t believe this.” casings and for bodies to be free of ashtray-based scent so familiar to veteran developed by the middle of this century Feuds embalming chemicals. The Forever pub-goers. that a few people will even begin to (1) The Catholic archbishop Fernwood cemetery in Mill Valley, Calif., -- Bahadur Chand Gupta marry them: “Once you have a story like, overseeing a convent near Bari, Italy, goes even further, according to an October bought an old Airbus 300 and now ‘I had sex with a robot, and it was great!’ closed it down in August after the mother Los Angeles Times story, banning grave offers weekly sessions in Delhi in which appear someplace like Cosmo(politan) superior was attacked and beaten by markers, but, said the owner, “We issue any of the 1 billion Indians who have magazine, I’d expect many people to her two nuns, who were angry at her the family a Google map with the GPS never flown before can sit on a genuine jump on the bandwagon.” (Georgia authoritarian ways. (2) Ex-parishioner coordinates” so they can find their loved (though disabled) airliner, listen to pilot Tech researcher Ronald Arkin added that Angel Llavano, who had left a phone one. Ed Note: My Lord this is NUTZ!! announcements (“We are about to begin perhaps robotic children could be used to message for Father Luis Alfredo Rios Fine Points of the Law our descent into Delhi”), and be served satisfy pedophiles enough to keep them criticizing one of his homilies, filed (1) The Wisconsin Supreme Court by flight attendants. Said one customer away from human children.) a defamation of character lawsuit in ruled in October that attorney Michael (who paid the equivalent of about $4), “I Injudicious Judges September after Father Rios retaliated by Inglimo did not violate a state regulation see planes passing all day long over my -- Pennsylvania Superior denouncing him in front of the Crystal that bars a lawyer from having sex “with roof. I had to try out the experience.” Court judge Michael Thomas Joyce, Lake, Ill., congregation. Asked Rios a current client”: Inglimo had sex with Science on the Cutting Edge 58, was indicted in August for fraud in (perhaps rhetorically), “Should we send a client’s girlfriend during a three-way -- Babies Out of Order: (1) connection with $440,000 he received (Llavano) to hell or to another parish?” session, but according to the judges, the Amelia Spence, 29, gave birth in Glasgow, after his car was nudged (at 5 mph) in Signs Of The Times - Baby Style regulation bans only direct sex with the Scotland, in October to two babies, one a 2001 accident. Joyce claimed that he The Modern Mother: Style- client. (However, the court suspended just minutes before the other, but they was in such neck and back pain as to be and environment-conscious Canadian Inglimo’s license based on other grounds.) were not twins. The apparently super- prevented from certain activities such as mothers insist on cloth diapers, especially (2) Philadelphia Municipal Judge Teresa fertile Spence, though on contraceptive holding a coffee cup, but prosecutors said designer labels of flannel, fleece or wool- Carr Deni outraged women’s activists pills, conceived twice in a three-week he not only played golf frequently after knit, according to a November report in and the local bar association in October period with eggs from successive that but went scuba diving, renewed his Toronto’s Globe and Mail. Handmade when she dismissed rape charges against monthly cycles (“superfetation”). (2) In scuba instructor’s license, went inline embroidered diapers (perhaps in tie-dye four men who had sex with a prostitute Cary, N.C., a woman gave birth to twins skating, and went through private pilot or camouflage) are priced at up to $80 at gunpoint. Because the woman had early in the morning of Nov. 4, one at training and licensing (50 flights). each (and some babies get to wear them initially agreed to a business proposition, 1:32 a.m. and the other 34 minutes later, Least Competent People only just after taking care of business in an said the judge, the men should properly be at 1:06 a.m. (after Daylight-Saving Time In November, Britain’s new ordinary diaper). And, in London, mothers charged with “armed robbery” for “theft ended). weather-themed Cool Cash lottery game can take babies for workouts, as several of services.” Said Deni, “She consented, -- Doctors at Mackay Base was canceled after one day because too gyms recently reacted to warnings about and she didn’t get paid.” Hospital in Australia saved the life of a 24- many players failed to understand the childhood obesity by creating programs The Entrepreneurial Spirit! year-old Italian tourist in August after he rules. Each card had a visible temperature to shape up kids as young as 10 months -- (1) A price war broke out in had ingested a large amount of poisonous and a temperature to be scratched off, (teaching galloping, “monkey jumps” November among chain stores in Britain, ethylene glycol (found in antifreeze), and the purchaser would win if the and forward rolls), and in February, one with Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda vying perhaps in an attempted suicide. The scratched-off temperature was “lower” gym will begin accepting 4-month-olds. for the cheap-drunk customers, and at antidote, pharmaceutical-grade alcohol, than the visible one. Officials said they Cultural Diversity had received “dozens” of complaints -- In October, Italy’s economic from players who could not understand minister, noting that a third of all men why, for example, minus-5 is not a lower over 30 still live with their parents and temperature than minus-6. that rental housing markets are depressed, Recurring Themes proposed a tax break worth the equivalent (1) Once again, someone found a of about $1,400 for each man in his 20s suspected live explosive on his property, who will finally leave Momma’s house. put it in his car, and took it to the local (A week earlier in Sicily, one mother police station (this time, a hand grenade, publicly turned her adult son over to the in Devon, England, in November). (For SEE ‘WIERD’ PAGE 20.

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If entrance During the visit Did you know that falls are the steps are the only barrier, look into rent- • Keep lights on in all areas primary cause of injury and hospitaliza- ing a portable ramp from a medical sup- guests might need to access, both inside tion for older adults, and that half of those ply store. and outside. injured do not regain their former level of • Are porch steps and interior • Keep pets - especially high-en- independence? stairways in good repair, and do they ergy kittens or puppies - in an area sepa- Health- and age-related changes have a non-skid surface? Are steps evenly rate from the entertaining zone, so they that contribute to falls include arthritis, spaced and moderate in height? Are there don’t startle guests. Bear in mind that decreased sensation in the feet (known as handrails – preferably on both sides – and sleeping cats and dogs are also a tripping peripheral neuropathy), loss of strength, are they secure? (Ideally, rails should hazard. visual impairment, balance problems and project past the top and bottom steps.) • Reserve for senior guests chairs the use of certain medications. • Is there adequate lighting that have arms and are high and firm. Hazardous conditions in home throughout your home, including in clos- •Be cautious about serving alco- they’re ready to stand. environments are the other major cause ets, hallways and stairwells? (If neces- hol, which can impair balance. of potentially serious spills. sary, get battery-powered dome lights • If a guest experiences a dizzy Lisa M. Petsche is a medical social If guests to your home this holi- that easily attach to the wall.) What about spell, have him or her immediately sit worker and a freelance writer specializ- day season will include frail relatives, ex- at entrances and along outdoor paths? down until it passes, and rise slowly when ing in health and elder care issues. tra planning and preparations are advis- • If your home can’t accommo- able, to help ensure their safety. date an older relative’s needs, take him or Planning ahead her out to a restaurant that’s accessible. Before extending an invitation, If you’re organizing a family gathering determine if senior relatives have any that includes him or her, consider another Where Are They Now? special needs or limitations. Then go member’s home, a restaurant with a pri- by Marshall Jay Kaplan through your home and the surrounding vate dining room or a community hall, Carla Laemmle property to check for potential problem depending on the size of the guest list. Although here name may not ring a bell, areas. Consider the following: Preparing your home Carla Laemmle is one of the last surviving actress- • Is parking available close to • Ensure outdoor walkways are es of the silent film era, as well as, the classic film, the entrance? Are the driveway and walk- clear of clutter and debris. Be prepared Dracula. Her story is an interesting one – after all, ways level and in good condition? with the necessary supplies for clearing she holds a place in movie history! So, sit back, en- • Are entrances and interior snow and ice. joy the popcorn and the life of Carla Laemmle. doorways wide enough to accommodate • Replace burnt-out light bulbs, Carla Laemmle was born on October 20, a walker or wheelchair? If a prospective indoors and out. Consider using higher 1909 in Chicago, Illinois. Her uncle was Carl Lae- guest uses one, find out the width of it wattage bulbs in place of low-watt ones. mmle, the pioneer movie mogul who founded Uni- and measure to be sure. • Remove clutter in rooms, hall- versal pictures. As a young girl, Carla studied dance, • Are all areas of your home that ways and stairwells. If necessary, rear- focusing on ballet and moved to Universal City, guests will need to access - entrance, liv- range furnishings so guests can move California when she was eleven. Carla reminisces, ing room or family room, bathroom, din- within rooms freely and easily. Relocate ’Growing up on the studio lot was a magical time in my life. I loved living in that ing area if there’s going to be a meal, and excess pieces to a spare room. fantasy world’. sleeping area if they’re staying overnight • Put away furnishings on cast- At age sixteen, Carla appeared in the classic Lon Chaney silent film, The - on one level? If not, are prospective ers. Also remove items that might pose Phantom of the Opera (1925), as a Prima Ballerina. Her experience in the film helped a tripping hazard, such as footstools and land her professional ballet jobs on stages across the United States for the next five floor plants. years. Her uncle Carl was so impressed with Carla’s dancing that he placed her under • Ensure walkways are clear of contract. Once again, Carla found herself performing in yet two more classic films electrical and telephone cords. – Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1927) and The Broadway Melody (1929). The latter earned • Don’t allow decorations to the Academy Award for Best Picture. It is interesting to note that the star of this film, block doorways or pathways through Anita Page, is still very much alive today (this author had highlighted her career in an rooms. Be prepared to scale down deco- earlier column). rating if necessary – for example, by us- The best was still to come for Carla, as she had a pivotal role in the classic ing a tabletop tree instead of a full-size horror film, Dracula (1931, with Bela Lugosi). Carla was cast as a meek secretary one. who speaks the first lines of dialogue in the film. Talk about being part of Hollywood • Collect pet toys and stash them history! away. Do the same with grandchildren’s By the mid-1930’s, Carla began a relationship with writer/director, Ray Can- toys, unless your guests will include non. Carla appeared on stage in plays that Ray wrote and directed. By the 1950’s, she youngsters, in which case keep all toys in began taking on more administrative duties for Ray, as she explains, ’In 1953, Ray the corner of one room. wrote, How To Fish the Pacific Coast. I helped type the book and do the research. • Ensure throw rugs and scatter Today, it is considered to be the fisherman’s bible!’ Over the next twelve years, the mats have a non-skid backing. Better yet, pair worked closely and traveled extensively through Baja California’s waterways, remove them, since they’re one of the writing the book, the Sea of Cortez (1965). Today, the book is considered to be a col- most common causes of falls. lector’s item. • Have non-skid slipper socks Carla somewhat retired to the quiet life in the 1970’s and 1980’s. By the available if you wish guests to remove 1990’s, horror fans ’found’ Carla and she became a frequent guest of honor at horror footwear at the door. Be aware, though, conventions. Today, she has published a new book focusing on many of Ray’s writ- that some older folks may need to keep ings. She is also writing her autobiography. In 2001, she appeared in the film, The their shoes on to ensure proper support. Vampire Hunter’s Club, playing the role of what else? The Elder Vampire. Carla sums things up, ’Little did I dream that years into the future I would become something of a cult figure!’ Carla, you have definitely maintained the mark of the vampire, and of Hollywood itself. Big D Superfoods Your Friendly Independent Supermarket Nearby& Neighborly Featuring: * Fast Friendly Check Out * Butcher Cut Meats * Fresh Produce * In Store Bakery

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PERILS OF HOLIDAY predictions of the worst holiday shopping SHOPPING, HO-HO season in years (for stores, not shoppers). Be warned: Christmas shopping Weird gyrations of the Dow. Worried is a metaphorical mine-field this year. minute-by-minute reports on holiday You can go broke, get trampled, get spending. The not-so-subtle implication lead poisoning, get arrested, fail in your here is that you, the American shopper, sworn duty to the consumer economy are falling down on the job: If you don’t fa-la-la, or go nuts from the endless charge up your credit cards to the limit, repetition of rum-pum-pum-pums. So you’ll have no one to blame but yourself stay safe out there, America! (And for the coming depression. Merry Christmas.) Then there’s lead. Millions of Remember when Christmas toys that turned out to contain lead have shopping was all twinkly lights and been recalled, but what about the ones jolly department store Santas and that haven’t? In case you haven’t been Like so many things, Christmas shopping isn’t what it used to be, thanks to joyous carols and helpful salesclerks paying attention, lead poisoning can kill lead-based toys and jewelry, economic worries and overeager store detectives, among and complimentary gift-wrapping and kids or cause severe mental retardation. It many other factors. Illustration: Patricia McLaughlin magical evergreen-scented Christmas can leave them with IQ deficits, learning we supposed to assume that jewelry that to begin with. And be aware: In some villages full of dancing snowmen and disabilities, behavioral problems, says it’s lead-free may have lead in it, understaffed big-box stores, “security hard-working papier-mache elves and stunted or slowed growth, kidney but jewelry that doesn’t say it’s lead-free may outnumber sales help.” chugging electric trains? Or was that damage, impaired hearing, etc. It’s also probably is? Or does the jewelry that (For more advice on how to avoid just in the movies? associated with juvenile delinquency doesn’t say it’s lead-free probably also being misapprehended as a criminal by It hasn’t been so much fun in and rising high-school dropout rates. have lead in it, but because it doesn’t say store security, check out: http://online.wsj. recent years -- what with road rage in It’s not just in toys, either. it doesn’t, you can’t sue anybody if a kid com/article/SB119023423230332821. the Target parking lot, not a single open Recently, The New York Times reported swallows it and is poisoned, so Kmart html?mod=Personal-Journal ) register in housewares, endless wait lists that some jewelry labeled lead-free at doesn’t have to worry? For all I know, it’s pure for Tickle-Me-Elmo, hapless shoppers Kmart had turned out to be loaded with Then there’s crime. Sure, you coincidence that these last two anecdotes trampled in the frenzy to get to the the stuff. The charm dangling from a hear the occasional horror story about involve the same retailer. But I have to Black Friday door-buster specials, ads necklace Karla Johnson bought for her somebody who gets mugged by a thug say: If I ran Kmart, I’d immediately designed to make you feel like Scrooge year-and-a-half-old daughter at a Kmart in the parking lot at the mall. But what if ask Martha Stewart for some advice on if you spend less on your loved ones in Indianapolis, for instance, turned out it’s the store that mugs you? rethinking customer relations. Way back, than Donald Trump would. And this to contain lead at a ratio of 520,000 parts In August, Wall Street Journal Kmart execs famously (and foolishly) time around it could be worse -- scarier, per million -- that’s more than 50 percent editor Laura Landro was seized and blew off Martha’s advice that they more confounding, no fun at all and lead, nearly 900 times worse than the detained by security personnel at a should start selling all-cotton sheets. longer than ever before. threshold level the Consumer Product Kmart in the Hamptons because she’d She was right about that. And I bet she This year, our neighborhood Safety Commission considers unsafe. put a pair of size-9 orange flip-flops she could also tell them that, when jewelry CVS was already stocked with many (Mrs. Johnson, manager of the Lead- wanted to buy in the wrong box. The advertised as lead-free turns out to be 52 shelves of brightly foil-wrapped Safe and Healthy Homes Program of sandals she wanted were supposed to percent lead, it’s a mistake to claim it’s chocolate Santas on the day after the Marion County Health Department, cost $24.50 -- though she couldn’t have nonetheless “safe.” I bet she’d also tell Halloween. And lots of the big box happened to take the program’s new known that, since there was no price on them that, when a Wall Street Journal stores started Black Friday a whole day $35,000 X-ray fluorescent analyzer them. The box she put them into was editor who just spent hundreds of dollars early, on the Thursday before -- i.e., home to practice using it and, “on a intended for a pair that cost $16.50. She in your store tells the security staff she what we used to call Thanksgiving -- whim,” aimed it at her baby daughter’s was accused of price switching to save didn’t mean to put a pair of unmarked even before the turkey was in the oven. new necklace.) the $8 difference. $24.50 flip-flops in a $16.50 box in But what do you expect, given that the Here’s the Alice-in-Wonderland Though she and two other order to cheat them out of a measly $8, 2008 presidential campaign started part: A spokesman announced that family members had just spent more it might be wise to give her the benefit sometime last spring. We’re lucky the “Kmart believes these products are safe” than $800 in the store, her “stunned of the doubt. Surely the customer is foil-wrapped Santas didn’t show up on -- even the 52 percent lead charm? -- but protestations and explanations were sometimes right -- or, at least, innocent? the fifth of July. “out of an abundance of caution and to summarily dismissed,” her “driver’s Meanwhile, remember: If you Then there’s the overhanging avoid customer confusion, we’re going license and credit card were temporarily aren’t at least flat-broke (and preferably cloud of economic gloom. Endless to pull all jewelry products that are confiscated,” she was detained for an heavily in debt) by midnight on prophecies of doom as the subprime labeled lead free.” hour in a windowless room in the back December 24, the terrorists win. lending debacle grows. Baleful Wait a sec. What about the of the store, was told to “expect a civil jewelry that isn’t labeled lead-free? Are notice of a fine by mail,” and was warned Write to Patricia McLaughlin c/o never to set foot in the store again. They Universal Press Syndicate, 4520 Main took away the orange flip-flops, too. St., Kansas City, MO 64111 or patsy. "What A Great Place To Live" Let this be a lesson to you: [email protected]. Life Care Center of Pueblo is the premier facility Never put anything in a box it isn’t in serving all of Southern Colorado since October 1989. Life Care Center of Pueblo's (LCCP) strong on-staff therapists are avail- able to provide a continuum of therapy needs. Through individ- ual treatment plans, the resident receives physical, occupational, speech and/or respiratory therapies per their physician's orders. Our Wellness Program is unique in that we work with each resident to give them the best lifestyle that they are able to have. Please plan a tour soon to Life Care Center of Pueblo, 2118 Chatalet Lane. You are also invited to just drop by, view LCCP at your convenience, or phone 719-564-2000. Someone will be very happy to assist you. WELLNESS PROGRAM • Relaxation Room • Tai Chi Classes • Massage Therapy • Fun Activities: Fishing Trips, Pumpkin Patch visit, State Fair Day, Senior Fair Day, day trips, more • Restorative Aides and staff are trained to keep each resident at their optimal level of functioning. • Dietitian • Extended Meal Service Just Some Of Our Many Amenities • 24-Hour Fully Skilled Nursing Services • Indoor/Outdoor Recreational Areas • Individual Heat/Cool Unit In Each Room • Private & Semi-Private Rooms Only • Low Traffic Area • Private Dining Area • Large, Comfortable Rooms • Cable Available • Mini-Mall including: Unique library, gift shop, ice cream parlor & beauty shop • Beautiful Patio Areas • State-of-the-Art Bathing Equipment Life Care Center of Pueblo 2118 Chatalet Lane - Pueblo, CO 81005 719-564-2000 Visit Us at http://www.seniorbeacon.info Senior Beacon - Dec., 2007 - Page - 7 Covering The Courts: “Feeling Sorry For Exxon” by James Kilpatrick was drinking heavily on the night of the whole shebang. privilege. Every state permits its motor- By the time I was halfway grounding.” Unless the Supreme Court ists to buy specialty or “vanity” license through “Beowolf,” I began to feel a Call it a calamity, a disaster, or a overturns that verdict, four plaintiff plates. The pending case arose five years little sorry for the dragon. I was 12. major misfortune, the spill was a terrible seafood companies, two plaintiff marine ago when the Oklahoma legislature au- Now I am considerably older. I’ve been blow to both the region and the company. enterprises and seven named individual thorized the manufacture and sale of a reading Case No. 07-276 in the Supreme Exxon never sought to evade or minimize plaintiffs -- plus their eager-beaver $35 plate bearing the message, “Choose Court, and I’m feeling a little sorry for its responsibility. Over the past 18 years it lawyers -- will be made filthy rich. As Life,” or as an alternative, “Adoption ExxonMobil Corp. The thing is, even has spent $2.1 billion in cleaning up the Exxon’s own lawyers complain, it is “by Creates Families.” dragons have their good sides. mess; it has paid private claims amounting far the largest award of punitive damage Proceeds from these sales were to You will have correctly surmised to $300 million; and it has agreed to pay ever affirmed by a federal appellate be apportioned statewide for the promo- that the pending case involves Exxon’s another $900 million for damages it court.” King Croesus should have had tion of the adoption of unwanted children. responsibility for a major accident off the caused to environmental resources. such counsel. Specifically, no organization could share coast of Alaska in March 1989. The story The pending argument in the Wholly apart from its in the license sales if it were “involved was widely reported at the time. It has Supreme Court involves an insult added to preposterous award of punitive damages, or associated with any abortion activities, stayed intermittently in the news ever the injury: Last March the 9th U.S. Circuit the case raises important questions of including counseling for or referrals to since. The best account of the underlying ordered the company to pay another $2.5 maritime law. Exxon’s counsel argue in abortion activities, including counseling incident appears in a brief from the (BEGIN ITAL) billion (END ITAL) in their brief that this arcane field of law for or referrals to abortion clinics, provid- Washington Legal Foundation: punitive damages. Circuit Judges Mary is governed by congressional statute -- ing medical-abortion related procedures, “The Exxon Valdez ran aground M. Schroeder and Andrew J. Kleinfeld and Congress has never authorized the or pro-abortion advertising.” in Prince William Sound on the night of defended the unprecedented award: award of punitive damages in such cases. Advocates of “planned parent- March 24, 1989. The immediate cause Granted, the company’s conduct was “not Constitutional questions also arise under hood” naturally were offended. Few of of the grounding is not in dispute. As the intentional.” The disastrous spill was “not the rubric of “due process.” Here, punitive them are passionately in favor of abortion ship was leaving Valdez harbor, Joseph willful.” There are “several mitigating liability was imposed upon the shipowner as a solution to every unwanted pregnan- Hazelwood (the ship’s captain) explained facts.” And yes, Exxon “promptly took for the misconduct of the vessel’s master cy, but they accept abortion as a last re- to Gregory Cousins (the officer on watch) steps to ameliorate the damage it has -- misconduct that was “contrary to the sort after efforts at counseling and adop- a maneuver that would be required to caused.” shipowner’s policy and hostile to its vital tion have failed. They sought legislative avoid ice detected in the ship’s path. Even so, “Exxon’s reckless interests.” relief. Their efforts failed. They pleaded In violation of Exxon’s written policy misconduct in placing a known relapsed In their brief to the high court, the First Amendment. No one listened. regarding operation of Exxon vessels, alcoholic in command of a supertanker, Exxon’s counsel cite to a Supreme Court Gov. Brad Henry gave the plain- Hazelwood then left the ship’s bridge loaded with millions of barrels of oil, opinion by Justice Joseph Story in 1818. tiffs no help. In his subsequent brief in the and went to his cabin, leaving Cousins to navigate the pristine and resource The case involved an American merchant Supreme Court, he says: “The state has and a helmsman alone on the bridge. abundant waters of Prince William schooner with the lovely name of The in no way attempted to silence petition- “Cousins failed to steer the Sound was reckless and warrants severe Amiable Nancy. The ship and its crew were ers from any speech related activity. They ship away from a reef, and the ship sanctions.” subjected to “gross and wanton outrage” are still free to place their viewpoint on ran aground, spilling several hundred With that rebuke, the two judges by the crew of an American privateer. The any bumper stickers they desire. Indeed, thousand barrels of oil into the Sound. reduced a District Court award of $4.5 marauders inflicted inexcusable damage, they could paint their entire car with slo- Hazelwood had a history of alcoholism billion to the now-contested $2.5 billion. but the owners themselves, “having gans and/or viewpoint speech if they so (a history of which Exxon was aware), Judge James R. Browning, dissenting, neither directed, nor countenanced, nor desired. The state is merely advocating and there was evidence at trial that he would have awarded the plaintiffs the participated in the slightest degree” in the a particular viewpoint which its current boarding and plundering, could not be political electorate have determined to be held accountable. favored.” With that unanimous opinion, Thus rebuffed by politicians, the high court reduced the lower court’s the petitioners turned seriously to the judgment of $6,827.60 to $774.21. That courts. They lost at every level. Finally, precedent sounds just about right for last March, Judge Neil Gorsuch spoke for Est. 1974 Exxon. a panel of the 10th Circuit: “We have no qualms finding in this case that the pri- SPECIALTY PLATES mary purpose of the special license plate BUT NOT 4-U scheme is revenue rather than regula- The Oklahoma license plate case tion and thus that it qualifies as a ‘tax.’” seems likely to fizzle out before it ignites From that opinion Harold Hill and his co- in the Supreme Court. This would be a plaintiffs now seek a hearing in the high pity, for the case raises some lovely ques- court. tions of law. Moreover, the record speaks It will be surprising if the Su- revealingly of what matters most to at premes decide to venture into this briar least one species of the genus Homo sa- patch. We will know in a week or two. piens. Meanwhile, students of American an- For the record, plaintiffs Harold thropology could find a treasure trove in E. Hill and others are appealing from a the appendix to this lawsuit. It appears probably moot opinion of the 10th U.S. that Oklahoma has issued special license Circuit. That opinion, handed down last plates not only for Choose Life, but also March, appears to have been effectively for an amazing variety of petitioners. vacated by the Oklahoma legislature. The list begins with special plates The plaintiffs are now free to buy “fam- for Round and Square Dancers, Balloon- ily planning” plates as soon as they turn ists, Certified Public Accountants, Bicy- out 500 prepaid applications for the privi- clists, Electric Linemen and Retired Of- lege. There appears to be nothing left to ficers of the Highway Patrol. argue about. Members of the Masonic Order Even so, the case offers the high have a plate. So, too, with the Shriners, court an opportunity to address recur- Knights of Columbus, Jaycees, Kiwani- ring questions of tax law and legislative Bulova SEE “PLATES” page 21. G0977 “Pennington”

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Christ. Listen to what some of the pris- prisoners and they are coming to know o p p o r t u n i - oners are saying who are receiving cards their true Attorney. The Advocate for all, ties available with special messages about the hope Jesus Christ. Prisoners are being set free. in the pris- From The Desk Of and promises of Jesus Christ… John One joyful prisoner expressed it this way: on mission was stunned someone who didn’t know “I’ve put down the ‘gang banging’ flag field. Many Jan McLaughlin him would care enough to send a card. and raised the flag of Jesus Christ.” Christians are “Before I got your card and letter, no My heart nearly bursts when discovering how God wants to use them “Chaplain, Could you send me a one ever showed me love without strings tears well in the eyes of big burly men to reach lost men and women in prison birthday card? My family won’t.” attached.” Steven was thrilled with a or “macho” tough women when I tell with a simple card or prayer. volunteer’s letter to him and said, “I sent them people outside love them and want Prisoners are finding Jesus in the This simple request from your letter to my mother so she could to pray for them. Though most find Freedom Walk newsletter published by death row is not an uncommon one. know how awesome God is.” it hard to believe, they realize it is Prayer Warriors For Prisoners. Through Prisoners long to know SOMEONE cares And, it’s not just the prison- Jesus loving them through the volunteers. testimonies of other prisoners in the about them. Getting a Birthday card, a ers who are being transformed! Listen They express deep gratitude. “We see Freedom Walk they find hope. It is a Christmas card or any day of the year to what some others have said about HOPE when you come to prison and pray powerful evangelistic tool that reaches card can fill a prisoner with hope and ministering to those in prison… One for us.” They know there is power in prisoners across the country and abroad peace, but let me take that a step further chaplain realized, “Support in prayer prayer and their hearts are fertile ground. and they continually request more of with you. A card that share’s God’s love is INVALUABLE in this warfare!” A Volunteers and supporters are faithful to them. for a prisoner can change the course of volunteer said in amazement, “I never sow with me in this mission field. My heart rejoices at the response his or her ETERNITY! dreamed God would use me to affect I attend church services and group of God’s willing children who hear and Thousands wait to hear the Good someone so profoundly!” I believe we meetings to promote prayer for prisoners follow the call to carry His message of News. all have the ability to affect someone and offer this mission opportunity to hun- love and redemption to people behind Now, imagine yourself, a vol- profoundly, including YOU! dreds of individuals. Many Christians bars. Their love and obedience as pro- unteer, walking the hall between cells. Prayers of God’s children, finan- want to be active for Christ but don’t active volunteers and prayer warriors Out of darkness and oppression you see cial gifts and encouragement make a know what to do. It is with great joy that is making an eternal difference in thou- eyes of men and women void of light tremendous difference in hundreds of many of them find the answer through sands of lives. They are bringing hope to staring back with intense hopelessness. lives. PWFP is reaching thousands of Prayer Warriors For Prisoners and the people who have no hope. Prisoners across the country are asking, It is my prayer that you experi- “Is there hope for me?” ence the abundant hope and LIFE this The answer is clear… “God Meet Prof. Shoeless Christmas season that Jesus Christ came has appeared…. He was beautiful…. We Ian Fieggen’s Web site and book perfect of its to give. I appreciate your encourage- killed Him…. He rose… His Spirit is about shoelaces (unlike most instruction kind. ment and comments about Light For The alive and eternal… He needs a new body manuals) are miracles of clarity. How else T h e Journey. I will be eternally grateful to for His earth purposes… You’re it!”* would you know the optimal lace length design is bril- Jim Grasso and his precious family for God is using willing volunteers for your walking shoes is 39.7 inches? liant. The allowing me this vehicle, The Senior as His ambassadors to reach lost souls What possesses a person to write a foldover cover Beacon, to express my joy in Jesus with the message of hope through Jesus whole book about shoelaces? looks a lot like Christ, the risen King! God’s richest Monomania was my first guess, the front of a blessings to you, Jim, your family and all but Ian Fieggen claims he isn’t a shoe- black Chuck your faithful readers! lace obsessive. He says he only started his Taylor low- Yours in Christ, because of His shoelace Web site -- http://www.fieggen. top, with two The cover of Pro- boundless grace, com/shoelace/ -- because he “could see that canvas flaps fessor Shoelace’s new book Jan McLaughlin there was a real need,” he says. “No one else each equipped invites you to practice the with six work- lacing styles lucidly dia- had added anything much to the Internet” grammed inside. Author Jan McLaughlin is the director of -- about shoelaces, he presumably means ing eyelets, so Ian Fieggen claims there Prayer Warriors for Prisoners and -- “either because they didn’t have the re- you can prac- are two trillion different may be reached by e-mail, quired illustration skills or because there tice the 33 ways to lace up the aver- [email protected] or phone simply wasn’t any money in it. I was happy different ways age shoe with six pairs of 719-275-6971. to do so simply for the sake of contributing of lacing your eyelets, but the book edits shoes. You can it down to the 33 he judges something worthwhile to the community.” to be most useful and/or Fieggen’s Web site shows you 33 make your decorative. different ways to lace your shoes, 15 differ- laces look like Mr. Ed's ent ways to tie them, eight ways to make stars, train tracks, lightning bolts, lattice- HOURS Family Restaurant your own aglets (the little tubular plastic work, spiderwebs, checkerboards. You can WEEKDAYS 8:00-5:30 1201 Royal Gorge Blvd. tips that tend to crack and come off), how ladder-lace them the way paratroopers do SAT. 8:00-3:00 to compute the length of lace required to to keep their boots nice and tight. You can Cañon City, CO - 275- 5833 • ALL TYPES OF MIXED GRAINS CARRY OUT ORDERS ARE WELCOMED lace up a particular shoe, what to do about lace them with two different colors of laces FULL MENU slipping laces, how to correct asymmetri- at once for even more gorgeous effects. • PET FOODS & HEALTH Even better, the cover folds over Enjoy our Homemade Pastries cal knots, how to prevent your shoelaces PRODUCTS from digging into your tender insteps, and any left-hand page, and the individual lac- and Home Cooked Meals much, much, much more about shoelaces ing diagrams appear only on right-hand • SCIENCE DIET - SALAD BAR than the average person probably has any pages, so there’s no annoying flipping back • PRO PLAN - Chicken Is Our Specialty - desire to know. and forth while you’re practicing -- with the OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK Now Fieggen’s Web site is also a practice laces provided in a plastic envelope 719-275-7557 Mon-Tues 6am-2pm book: “Laces: 100s of Ways to Pimp Your at the back of the book. 3275 E. Hwy 50 - Canon City, CO 81212 Wed-Sun 6am - 8pm Kicks.” And, though I hesitate to say so, I And better yet, the diagrams are (Across from McKenzie) suspect it’s that rare phenomenon, a thing SEE “SHOELACE” PAGE 10.

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GREAT CORNER LOT LOCATION with deck in back and most landscap- ing done. This charming home has been loved and cared for. Bonus room upstairs has a closet and has been used as a bedroom in the past. Each of two sheds in the rear are large enough for Tammy & Marty’s Cozy Adult Care Home a car. Motivated seller will consider all Licensed for just 8 residents, giving you a more family-oriented caregiving experience! reasonable offers. Call Lynn at Prime Realty, 784-6100 or 250-4531. Visit Us at http:// www.seniorbeacon.info Senior Beacon - Dec., 2007 - Page - 9 Grandparenting: ...... “Grandparent Wars” GRANDPARENT WARS area without proper attire. Blue jeans are O., Philadelphia, PA how about inviting Chip and the young- Dear Grandparenting: My grandson never allowed. Dear Frances: Your story is not er grandparents out to lunch, at a place Chip’s other set of grandparents are con- Unfortunately, this caused a unique; rifts at retirement communities of their choosing? There’s nothing like siderably younger than ourselves. I sup- ruckus last week when Chip brought his have been reported between the more tra- breaking bread together to patch things pose you could call them Baby Boom- other grandparents by our place for a ditional elderly generation, and younger up. ers. When Chip visits them at their new surprise visit after they finished running residents with more active lifestyles like REMARK OF THE MONTH retirement village, he wears whatever he errands. All three of them walked into Baby Boomers, who tend to be more cas- Don from Easton, MD was ex- pleases. It’s fine and dandy if he shows our dining area during Sunday lunch- ual and outspoken. Clashes occur over plaining the concept of getting into bad up wearing blue jeans that look like they eon wearing blue jeans! Someone com- food, dress codes, and issues like en- habits to his grandson Donnie, when haven’t been washed in two weeks. plained, and management asked them to hanced exercise rooms and technology- Donnie blurted out: “My worst habit is But that’s not the way we op- leave. I don’t want any hard feelings, so I enabling infrastructures - amenities most my brother Tony. I’ve had him five years erate at our retirement community. We called up the other grandparents later and older residents neither want to use or pay now!” have a dress code, and it’s enforced. Men invited them over, but they said they were for. and women are not allowed in our dining busy and no thanks. What now? Frances As to how to mend the fences, Southern Colorado Community Blood Drive - Dec. by Julie Scott - Bon Fils - 1-800-365-0006 press 0 then ext. 2873 at the 27050 E. Highway 50. For more information or to schedule an appointment CALENDAR LISTINGS please contact Bonfils’ Appointment Center at (800) 365-0006 opt. 2 or www.bon- ALAMOSA COMMUNITY fils.org Participating donors will receive a cozy Bonfils Blood Center long-sleeved Alamosa Community Blood Drive, Wednesday, Dec. 26 from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 t-shirt. p.m. LA JUNTA COMMUNITY Located at the LDS Church, 927 Weber Drive, Alamosa. For more information or to La Junta Community Blood Drive, Wednesday, Dec. 5 from noon to 4:30 p.m. Dona- schedule an appointment please contact Bonfils’ Appointment Center at (800)365- tions inside Bonfils’ bus located at the Arkansas Valley Medical Center, 1100 Carson, 0006 ext. 2 or www.bonfils.org Participating donors will receive a cozy Bonfils Blood La Junta. For more information or to schedule an appointment please contact Carolyn Center long-sleeved t-shirt. Stuzman at (719) 384-5261 BEULAH COMMUNITY PENROSE COMMUNITY Beulah Community Blood Drive, Saturday, Dec. 29 from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Penrose Community Blood Drive, Thursday, Dec. 27 from 3 to 5 p.m. Donations NEW LOCATION: Donations inside Bonfils’ mobile bus located at Stompin’ Grounds inside Bonfils’ mobile bus located at 210 Broadway, Penrose. For more information Café, 8913 Grand Ave., Beulah. For more information or to schedule an appointment or to schedule an appointment please contact Bonfils’ Appointment Center at (800) please contact B.J. Hiatt at (719) 458-3407. Participating donors will receive a cozy 365-0006 opt. 2 or www.bonfils.org Participating donors will receive a cozy Bonfils Bonfils Blood Center long-sleeved t-shirt. Blood Center long-sleeved t-shirt. BUENA VISTA COMMUNITY WESTCLIFFE COMMUNITY Buena Vista Community Blood Drive, Thursday, Dec. 6 from noon to 4:30 p.m. Lo- Wet Mountain Rotary of Westcliffe Community Blood Drive, Wednesday, Dec. 12 cated at the LDS, 611 Arizona St., Buena Vista. For more information or to schedule from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Located at Cliff Lanes, 25 Main St., Westcliffe. For an appointment please contact Susan Miller at (719) 395-2935 more information or to schedule an appointment please contact Bonfils’ Appointment FLORENCE COMMUNITY Center at (800) 365-0006 opt. 2 or www.bonfils.org St. Benedicts Church Community Blood Drive, Sunday, Dec. 9 from 8:30 to 11:30 DETAILS: a.m. This holiday season, it could be you who saves a life. In less than an hour you Donations inside Bonfils’ mobile bus located at 619 W. 2nd St., Florence. For more have the potential to save as many as three lives by donating whole blood. By giving information or to schedule an appointment please contact Barb Straight at (719) 784- blood, you’ll help Bonfils Blood Center maintain a state of blood supply readiness, 4874. while meeting the needs of Colorado’s patients. FOWLER COMMUNITY Blood donors are able to donate up to six times per year. So, whether you’re Fowler Community Blood Drive, Wednesday, Dec. 27 from 2 to 6 p.m. Located at a first-time or a 10-gallon donor, mark your calendar to give blood and save a life. Fowler Elementary School, 601 West Grant Ave, Fowler. For more information or to Bonfils Blood Center provides blood and blood products to more than 200 schedule an appointment please call Bonfils’ Appointment Center at (800) 365-0006 hospitals and healthcare facilities throughout Colorado. Bonfils needs 4,350 people opt. 2 or www.bonfils.org Participating donors will receive a cozy Bonfils Blood to donate blood every week to meet the needs of the community and be prepared for Center long-sleeved t-shirt. any unforeseen events. LA GREE’S COMMUNITY For more information about Bonfils Blood Center, please visit www.bonfils. La Gree’s Community Blood Drive, Sunday, Dec. 16 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Located org or call (303) 363-2300 or (800) 365-0006. Shopping for a new Medicare health plan?

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Providers can find the plan’s terms and conditions on our website at: http://apps.humana.com/MedPlans_Provider/PFFSTermsAndConditions.pdf M0006_GHA_006Z CO 12/07 Page 10 - Senior Beacon - Dec., 2007 Visit Us at http:// www.seniorbeacon.info Ann Coulter: “Musharraf: The Tolstoy Of The Zulus” If Republicans end up with a Musharraf has been a crucial liberals by winning the war for America, or Iranian presi- divided convention between Mitt Romney ally of ours since Sept. 12, 2001. His the enemy of liberals.) They need to stir dent Mahmoud and Rudy Giuliani, I say we pick Gen. loyal friendship to the United States up trouble for the U.S. someplace else in Ahmadinejad Pervez Musharraf. while governing a country that is loyal the world. (adjunct profes- Musharraf has declared emer- to al-Qaida might prove dispiriting to the On Sept. 20, Osama bin Laden sor at Columbia gency rule in Pakistan, shut down the terrorists. So, until recently, the media cued liberals by issuing another tape University) or media and sent Supreme Court justices mostly confined stories about Musharraf demanding Musharraf’s ouster. The V e n e z u e l a n home. What’s not to like about a guy who to page A-18. Democrats and the media quickly fol- president Hugo orders policemen to beat up lawyers? I Now, with the surge in Iraq work- lowed suit. Chavez (loon). bet he has a good plan on illegal immi- ing, Democrats are completely demoral- Weeks later, The New York Where were the headlines like gration, too. ized. Al-Qaida was counting on them. Times editorial page called on “masses this week’s Economist’s (“Time’s up, Mr. The entire history of Pakistan (We know the surge in Iraq is working of Pakistanis” to participate in “peace- Musharraf”) about those lovable rogues? is this: There are lots of crazy people because it is no longer front page news.) ful demonstrations” against Musharraf, They hate America, so they can stay. living there, they have nuclear weapons, In a tape released in early which would be like calling on masses The last time liberals were and any Pakistani leader who prevents September, Osama bin Laden bitterly of Pakistanis to engage in daily bathing this enthusiastic about popular rule in the crazies from getting the nukes is complained, “You elected the Democratic (The New York Times editorial page some Third World country was in 1979, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson Party for this purpose” -- of ending the being the most effective way to commu- when they were gushing about Ayatollah and James Madison all rolled into one. war in Iraq –- “but the Democrats haven’t nicate with the Pakistani masses). Most Ruhollah Khomeini in Iran. Professor We didn’t hear much about made a move worth mentioning.” of the editorial was a mash note to that Richard Falk of Princeton University Musharraf -- save for B. Hussein It isn’t enough for the media to troublesome woman Benazir Bhutto for assured liberals in a 1979 New York Obama’s threat to bomb Pakistan without drop all mentions of the surge or to subsi- demanding democracy in the land of the Times op-ed that the “depiction of informing Musharraf -- until the last few dize ads denouncing Gen. David Petraeus deranged. Khomeini as fanatical, reactionary, and weeks. as “General Betray Us.” (He IS betraying Media darling Bhutto returned to the bearer of crude prejudices seems cer- Pakistan after fleeing the country follow- tainly and happily false.” ing her conviction for corruption as prime I’m no clock-watcher, but it’s Shoelace minister. Her conviction was later over- been 28 years; I don’t think Falk is going from page 8. cal distances between eyelets, and also to turned by the corrupt Pakistani Supreme to be issuing an apology. so clear as to be instantly comprehensible. remember what the square root symbol Court, leaving me to ponder, which is Falk cheerfully concluded that Truly, if you’ve ever agonized over inscruta- means, and how to interpret parentheses in worse: being convicted of corruption in the fanatical Muslim leaders in Iran “may ble diagrams that purport to show you how equations. Fieggen unapologetically admits a Pakistani court or being exonerated yet provide us with a desperately needed your new snap-together floor tiles are meant that the formulas “are WAY more complex of corruption in a Pakistani court? She model of humane government for a Third to snap together, or how you’re supposed than most people would imagine!” was again convicted in a Swiss court of World country.” to assemble your “some assembly required” But they do work -- and they money laundering. And just look at all the wonder- barbecue grill, you will be astonished by the provided me with the first opportunity in The media adore Bhutto because ful things Khomeini did for Iran! limpid clarity of Fieggen’s diagrams -- and recent memory to use the square-root func- she went to Harvard and Oxford, which How might popular rule turn out then angry. tion on my calculator. (Or you can go to his I consider two more strikes against her. in Pakistan? As Saul Bellow rhetorically Unless it’s just me: The lucidity Web site, which will do the calculating for A degree from Harvard is prima facie said of multiculturalism, “Who is the of his diagrams, and the clarity of the ac- you.) evidence that she’s on the side of the ter- Tolstoy of the Zulus?” companying instructions, left me seething It’s worth doing, one way or the rorists. I note that Bhutto demonstrates Pakistan is a country where local with envy. I’d like to send his book -- along other. I’m usually baffled when it comes to her own deep commitment to democracy Islamic courts order women to be raped with a scathing note -- to whoever wrote picking a length. I’m in the store, the shoes by giving herself the title “chairperson as punishment for the crimes of their the enigmatic 160-page manual that came that need laces are at home, and how am for life” of the Pakistan Peoples Party. male relatives. Among the Islamists’ bill with my digital camera. Not to forget the I supposed to remember how many eye- Liberals hysterically opposed of particulars against Musharraf is the person who wrote the directions for my lets they have? Even if you can remember, our imposing a democracy on Iraq and fact that he has promoted the Women’s combination printer-fax-phone (so incom- Fieggen says the standard recommenda- despise Nouri al-Maliki, the democrati- Protection Bill, which would punish rape, prehensible I had to give up and buy a new tions (of, say, 40-inch laces for shoes with 6 cally elected leader of Iraq. Say, has rather than using it as a device for social one). Also, the author of the instructions or 7 sets of eyelets) are woefully imprecise. Maliki ever been convicted in a Swiss control. for programming our new flat-screen TV. Using his calculator, I was able to deter- court of money laundering? According to And several more writers of crucial but ut- mine that the optimal length of lace for my Compared to Pakistan, impos- The Boston Globe, the most common terly confounding manuals. walking shoes, which had been making do ing democracy in Iraq is like imposing form of homosexuality in Pakistan –- It seems somehow unfair that with disreputable-looking, way-too-long, democracy in Darien, Conn. But in Iraq, punishable by death –- is pederasty. there exist such clear, simple instructions way-too-thick old bootlaces, is 39.7 inches. liberals prefer an anti-American dictator, Pakistan doesn’t need Adlai for lacing your shoes 33 different ways -- Not that the CVS around the corner had like Saddam Hussein. Only in Pakistan Stevenson right now. It needs Mustafa something I have no desire to do -- when a pair of 39.7-inch laces -- or a pair of 40- do liberals yearn for pure democracy. Kemal Ataturk to impose military rule the instructions for doing things I desper- inch laces, either, so I tried both 45-inch You wouldn’t know it to read the and drag a country of Islamic savages ately need to be able to do (fax from the laces. They turned out to be almost as ri- headlines, but Musharraf has not staged a into the 19th century, as Ataturk did computer, switch the camera to close-up diculously too-long as the ones I was using, military coup. In fact, he was re-elected in Turkey. Pakistan’s Ataturk is Gen. mode, access the extra hard drive from the while the 36-inch laces, which escape from -- in a landslide -- just weeks ago under Musharraf. laptop, persuade the TV to recognize the the top two sets of lugs when you put the Pakistan’s own parliamentary system. To try to force democracy on DVR) make no sense at all. shoes on, work fine once they’re tied. But the Pakistani Supreme Court, the differing “I hate America” factions I was a little dubious, initially, Write to Patricia McLaughlin c/o Universal like our own Supreme Court, believes it in Pakistan at this stage would be worse about Fieggen’s formulas for calculating Press Syndicate, 4520 Main St., Kansas is above the president and refused to than Jimmy Carter’s abandonment of proper shoelace length, which require you City, MO 64111 or [email protected]. acknowledge Musharraf’s election on the the Shah in 1979. It would result in to measure both the horizontal and verti- grounds that he is disqualified because he what former assistant secretary of state is still wearing a military uniform. That’s Edward Djerejian called: “one man, one when Musharraf sent them home. vote, one time.” Havens FAMILY CLINIC Musharraf’s election was cer- The difference is: Instead of tainly more legitimate than that of Syrian scimitars, this den of al-Qaida-supporting Walk-Ins Welcome president Bashar Assad (with whom every pederasts will have nukes. 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For additional information/directions please call: 719-276-3211 719-561-1300 and ask for Niki Garcia, Admissons Manager Visit Us at http:// www.seniorbeacon.info Senior Beacon - Dec., 2007 - Page - 11 Finances: Create Wealth Is Senior Care The “New Employer Challenge” Companies, Employees Search statistics indicate that senior-care issues are only for aging relatives, but also for their things are changing and it’s because of for Senior-Care Resources beginning to play a prominent role in the own children.2 businesspeople who want to make a differ- When Marian Colton of Brick, lives of many working Americans. In short, the MetLife Caregiving ence,” he said. NJ, was asked about the difference Home For example, a 2006 MetLife Cost Study indicates the country’s senior Hope agrees; in fact, she feels that Instead CAREGivers have made in her life Mature Market Institute study entitled population is increasing dramatically and companies like hers have helped effect this and that of her mother, Colton responded, The MetLife Caregiving Cost Study: so, too, are the resultant costs to employ- societal change. “At Work Options Group, “I’m so relaxed, refreshed, and rejuvenated Productivity Losses to U.S. Businesses ers. In fact, the estimated price tag for we’re trying to educate employers that since mom has CAREGivers coming in. revealed that the vast majority of family employers with full-time employees who elder care is a concern. Caregiving is a uni- I don’t have to run down to her house as caregivers (79 percent) are providing care are caregivers of seniors amounts to $33.6 versal issue that can involve a loved one of often, and I can go to work not worrying to someone over the age of 50. And nearly billion—a total that includes absenteeism; any age, and employers need to understand that I might have to take a full day off to 60 percent of those caring for a senior adult replacement of employees; elder-care cri- that,” she said. “They should realize that take mom to a one-hour doctor’s appoint- are employed—most of them full-time.1 ses; unpaid leave; workday interruptions assisting their employees with caregiving ment!” Statistics from a report prepared (including inattentiveness to work—some- concerns can be mutually very beneficial: Colton was the Grand-Prize win- with information collected through Home times referred to as “presenteeism”); and the employee appreciates working for a ner in the inaugural “Give a Caregiver a Instead Senior Care’s Web site www.care- staff members switching from full-time to concerned employer, and the employer Break” essay contest, co-sponsored in 2006 giverstress.com help tell this story on a part-time job status.3 benefits from having a focused, productive by Home Instead Senior Care and Caring somewhat more personal level. More than However, the good news here is employee.” Today magazine. Her award? $5,000 worth three-fourths (76 percent) of the 8,000 that these issues are prompting employers For example, Boulder resident of in-home care for her mother, which family caregivers who took the company’s to search for solutions to those caregiving Francie Sinton faced an emergent senior- is being provided by Andrea and Tim stress test reported their aging loved one’s challenges that make it difficult for employ- care situation with her aging mother— Carney’s Home Instead Senior Care fran- needs are overwhelming. Not surprisingly, ees to keep up with their work responsibili- the type of challenge that many working chise in Lakewood, NJ. then, 53 percent of the family caregivers ties. According to the Society for Human Americans know all too well. Fortunately, Given that Colton previously had who completed this test said their caregiv- Resource Management (SHRM), about 26 however, First National Bank of Colorado, spent years balancing family caregiving ing responsibilities were taking a toll on percent of U.S. companies currently offer her employer and a Work Options Group responsibilities with her career, it’s no sur- their professional lives. some elder-care benefits—a figure that has client, was ready to help Sinton meet this prise she said, “The Grand-Prize award is Moreover, according to the U.S. been steadily increasing in recent years.4 family caregiving challenge. proving to be just that—GRAND!” Census Bureau, by 2030, almost one in And it’s likely that workers will “My mom is 84 years old and had More than likely, Colton often five Americans (some 72 million people) welcome this new employer-provided been ill for a year,” Sinton said. “Last year, felt she was very much alone in her efforts will be 65 or older. This situation like- assistance enthusiastically. For instance, a she fell and broke her shoulder and got to in providing care not only to her mother, ly will exacerbate the already significant recent report entitled the Evercare Study the point where she needed more assis- but also to Joey, her adult Down’s syn- senior-care challenges being experienced of Caregivers in Decline indicated that 51 tance.” So Sinton and her husband moved drome brother, who died in December by younger, working adults in the U.S.— percent of participants in this study—all of her mother into their home, at which point 2005—doing all this while she also worked many of them members of the so-called whom were family caregivers—believed Sinton used the bank’s backup-care benefit full time as a teacher’s assistant. However, Sandwich Generation, who are caring not they would benefit from guidance on iden- to arrange for her mother to receive care tifying and arranging support or respite from Price’s franchise. services.5 “Depending on my schedule, Among these caregiving resourc- Home Instead CAREGivers come two to Senior Beacon Is FREE es are companies like Work Options three days a week to help mom get her Group, a third-party liaison and Business breakfast and morning medications; assist Relationships partner of the Home Instead her with breathing treatments; and help On The Internet Senior Care system. This company links me do little chores around the house,” employees of more than 100 companies Sinton said. “They’re really flexible and GO TO with a network of in-home agencies, nanny try to schedule the same CAREGivers each www.seniorbeacon.info agencies, and childcare centers that provide week.” click on "beacon online" back-up care both for seniors and children. Sinton said the company benefit “Let’s say, for example, your has been a life-saver for her. “It makes it click on the month you'd like mother needs in-home assistance during a lot easier for me to do my job and not be to read and read it! her recovery from hip surgery—but you worried about whether mom’s doing O.K,” Give it a few minutes to come need to be at work and can’t provide this she said. “It gives me peace of mind.” short-term care. In this situation, you could Price likewise appreciates the up on the computer. contact our 24-hour call center to request relief his franchise has been able to provide What could be easier? backup care through Work Options Group,” to Sinton, her husband, and her mother. Senior Beacon is also available at approximately 100 locations said Heather Hope, public relations man- “We’re constantly getting calls from people ager for the company. “We’ll tap into our like Francie—people who are trying to throughout Pueblo & Fremont Counties also at no charge! nationwide network of provider partners, balance family caregiving responsibilities AND research the availability of a caregiver in with other personal commitments, and with If you'd like Senior Beacon delivered by mail each and every month your area, and act as the liason to schedule their professional lives,” he said. “So I’m ($19.95 for 15 mos.) just contact us at 719-647-1300 or check out how to the care your mother needs.” proud to own a Home Instead Senior Care subscribe by looking on the website: http://www.seniorbeacon.info Work Options Group serves as business that can help these people and a referral provider to owner Dean Price’s their employers address pressing senior- Boulder, CO, Home Instead Senior Care care issues.” Got Pain???!!! franchise. He said the emergence of liai- Sources: 1. Online at son companies like Work Options Group, http://www.metlife.com/WPSAssets1355 and of caregiving resources like the Home 1774261164052327V1FCaregiverCostStu backs, knees, feet? Instead Senior Care network, represents dy.pdf. 2. Online at www.census.gov. 3. evolving attitudes in the corporate world Online at www.shrm.org. 4. Online at Q: I get a sore back now and again, and I've spent a lot of money trying about employees’ personal lives. “I think http://evercarehealthplans.com/index.jsp. many so-called, "solutions," without success. Often, I have wondered if there was anything I can do to get long lasting relief. My chiropractor fixes me for a few days but before long I'm right back where I started. I feel that surgery should be a last resort. Now, I'm wondering if those GOOD FEET ARCH SUPPORTS I've been hearing about really work.

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THE GOOD FEET STORE In PUEBLO: 4602 N. Elizabeth St. - Ste 150 (719)404-0740 In Colo. Spgs: 5327 N. Academy Blvd. (719)599-9033 -ADVERTISEMENT- Page 12 - Senior Beacon - Dec., 2007 Visit Us At http://www.seniorbeacon.info Cooking From A to Z: Cookbook Nook Just For You by Peter D. Franklin duces readers to the likes of assagio, cru- Two highly acclaimed Italian do, bocconcini and cicchetti. All are tasty chefs, one in London and the other in morsels to be enjoyed prior to the main Chicago, have each crafted an impres- meal -- at a cocktail party, for instance. In sive cookbook well worth your time and the main, they are quick and easy to pre- money. pare, with the possible exception of the Money is mentioned because antipasto dishes. If you are turned off by “Made in Italy: Food & Stories” by Gior- the sight of baby octopus, skip over the gio Locatelli (Ecco, $60) is pricey and color photograph on page 198. a weighty 624 pages. Still, it is about 3 “Fantastico!” is nicely designed cents per page less than “Fantastico!: Lit- and easy to use. The author has included tle Italian Plates and Antipasti From Rick in each chapter tips on wine to be served Tramonto’s Kitchen” by Rick Tramonto and a list of sources for hard-to-find in- with Mary Goodbody (Broadway, $35). gredients. Creative cooks will enjoy this The sheer size of “Made in Ita- presentation. ly” is reminiscent of one of the bibles of The onions for this salad may be Italian cooking, Luigi Carnacina’s “Great prepared a day ahead, which improves Italian Cooking,” published in English in the flavor. “It is important that they be 1968. However, what Locatelli brings quite soft, not crunchy,” says the author to the table in addition to an impressive of “Made in Italy.” array of traditional dishes is a series of GREEN BEAN SALAD WITH essays on the foods of Italy, their proper ROASTED RED ONION AND preparation, and his life as a chef, begin- PARMESAN ning at the family’s Michelin-star restau- 2 large red onions utes, then drain. Place in a bowl, sprinkle 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice rant in northern Italy. His restaurant in 1 1/2 cups red wine vinegar with the grated parmesan and season with 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard London has earned the same accolade. 1 tablespoon sugar salt and pepper. Toss with the shallot vin- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf While the book appears daunt- 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin ol- aigrette and sprinkle the chives over. parsley ing, the recipes are not necessarily so. ive oil Arrange the onion layers on your 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh tarra- Many are simple classics that are easily Salt and pepper serving plates. Place the beans on top and gon duplicated. Others, such as Fried Stuffed 8 to 9 ounces fine green beans shave some more parmesan on top. 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest Sardines, require some finesse, but the 2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan, Makes 4 servings. 1/2 teaspoon cayenne author has included color photographs to plus extra for shavings SHALLOT VINAIGRETTE Kosher salt and cracked black pepper show how the dish should be prepared. 3 tablespoons shallot vinaigrette (see be- 2 banana shallots or 4 ordinary shallots 4 (3- to 4-inch-long) crusty Italian rolls or Locatelli begins with a variety of low) Salt and pepper lengths of baguette starters, then runs through soups, risotto Small bunch of chives, chopped 1/3 cup red wine vinegar 1/4 cup chiffonade (finely shredded) ro- dishes, pasta, of course, fish, meat and Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil maine lettuce more than three dozen desserts. In most Leave their skins on and wrap the onions Finely chop shallots, then put In a bowl, mix the shrimp, may- cases, the preparation is for four persons. in foil and bake in the oven for about 1 them in a bowl and season with salt and onnaise, celery, onion, lemon juice, mus- “Made in Italy” deserves to be hour, until soft. pepper. tard, parsley, tarragon, lemon zest and on every cook’s shelf. It also would make While the onions are cooking, Add the vinegar and leave to cayenne. Season to taste with salt and a lovely gift this holiday season for that put the vinegar into a small pan and boil stand for 30 minutes. black pepper. special cook in your life. until reduced by about 1/3. Remove from Whisk in the oil and use right Split the rolls horizontally. Raised in a large Italian family the heat, stir in the sugar until dissolved, away. Mound 2 to 3 tablespoons of the shrimp in Rochester, N.Y., the author of “Fantas- then stir in the extra-virgin olive oil to Makes about 1 cup. mixture on the bottom half of each roll. tico!” is the proprietor of a four-star res- make a vinaigrette. This Venetian-style sandwich is Top with romaine and the other half of taurant in Chicago. This self-taught chef When the onions are cooked, un- a tasty treat from “Fantastico!” each roll. Cut the sandwiches in half. explores a wide variety of small plates wrap them and peel off the skin. While SHRIMP SALAD CICCHETTI Wrap each sandwich tightly with “designed to offer old, authentic flavors they are still warm, cut them in half, 1/2 pound peeled, cooked shrimp, diced wax paper. They are messy and the waxed and new, exciting ones.” separate the layers and season with salt (about 2 cups) paper will make them easier to serve and Many are familiar with crostini and pepper, then put them into the vinai- 1/2 cup homemade or store-bought may- to eat. Serve at room temperature. -- small toasts with fresh and flavorful grette. onnaise Makes 4 servings toppings -- and antipasti, served before Blanch the green beans in plenty 1/4 cup finely diced celery the pasta dish. But Tramonto also intro- of boiling salted water for about 5 min- 2 tablespoons finely diced red onion

SRDA MONTHLY MENU Call SRDA at 545-8900 for congregate meal site and Meals-On-Wheels Info! DECEMBER 3: BBQ Chicken, mashed DECEMBER 20: Chili Con Carne, potatoes, zucchini, pickled beets, wheat veggie salad medley, cornbread/marg., bread/marg., cranberry mold. diced peaches. DECEMBER 4: Stuffed Bell Pepper, DECEMBER 21: Roast Beef/Gravy, noodles, mixed veggies, creamy cole- mashed potatoes, peas, wheat bread/ slaw, wheat bread/marg., applesauce marg., blush pear dessert. cake. DECEMBER 24: BBQ Chicken, au DECEMBER 5: Hot Turkey Sandwich, gratin potatoes, California blend, car- mashed potatoes, peas, carrot raisin rot raisin salad, wheat bread/marg., salad, chilled apricots. apricots/graham cracker. DECEMBER 6: Tomato Swiss Steak, DECEMBER 25: Closed - Christmas spanish rice, basil green beans, mixed december 26: BBQ Beef Sandwich, green salad/ranch drsg., chilled baked beans, mixed green salad/ranch plums. drsg., diced peaches. DECEMBER 7: Baked Glazed Ham, DECEMBER 27: Pinto Beans/Ham, PUEBLO DOWNTOWN cranberry sauce, orange glazed pota- (719) 545-1834 cornbread/marg., peas, orange. 301 W. 5th Street toes, cabbage, wheat bread/marg., 81003 DECEMBER 28: Chicken cacciatore, fruit blend juice. linguini, broccoli, wheat bread/marg., DECEMBER 10: Roast Beef/Gravy, PA upside down cake. mashed potatoes, carrots, three bean DECEMBER 31: Country Style Steak, salad, wheat bread/marg., raspberry mashed potatoes/gravy, acorn squash, sherbet. wheat bread/marg., banana. DECEMBER 11: Beef Chop Suey/Rice, JANUARY 1: Closed - New Year! mixed veggies, wheat bread/marg., JANUARY 2: Chicken A La King, diced pears, sugar cookie. biscuit/marg., broccoli, mixed green DECEMBER 12: Green Pepper Steak, salad/Italian, PA tidbits. mashed potatoes, broccoli, pickled JANUARY 3: Beef Tips/Gravy, mashed beets, wheat bread/marg., orange. potatoes, stewed tomatoes, wheat brea/ DECEMBER 13: Turkey Tetrazzini, marg., orange pear gelatin. basil green beans, mixed green salad/ JANUARY 4: Roast Turkey/Gravy, Italian drsg., wheat bread/marg., mashed potatoes, basil green beans, strawberries/bananas. DECEMBER 17: Beef Stew, saltine wheat bread/marg., fruit cocktail, oat- cranberry sauce, wheat bread/marg., DECEMBER 14: Breaded Fish/Tartar crackers, peas, wheat bread/marg., meal cookie. peach cobbler. Sauce, confetti rice, acorn squash, lime fruit gelatin. DECEMBER 19: Roast Pork Loin, ambrosia, wheat bread/marg., fruit DECEMBER 18: BBQ Meatballs, orange glazed sweet potatoes, zucchi- cocktail. parslied potatoes, California blend, ni, wheat bread/marg., orange juice. 2% MILK With ALL Meals! Visit Us at http:// www.seniorbeacon.info Senior Beacon - Dec., 2007 - Page - 13 White Interiors: As Soothing As A Snowy Christmas by Claire Whitcomb White: Creating Elegant Rooms With chairs. You can transform a hand-me- There are those who dream of a Shades of White” (Cico, $20). down dresser or add sparkle to an old white Christmas -- and those who dream Not only that, white is impervi- mirror frame. of a kind of white that never melts: the ous to decorating trends. Invest in white slipcovers and pale beauty of white interiors. “It never goes in and out of you’ll find yourself even further along A color that symbolizes peace, fashion,” says Hoppen, who has designed the road toward a sophisticated, pulled- calm and sophistication, white has influ- with white for years. “It is timelessly together look. enced everything from 16th-century classic and stylish.” By removing wood tones and Palladian villas to 1930s Hollywood sets. White has another talent that competing color from the design equa- The reason is simple. many people overlook. It is great camou- tion, white unifies, simplifies -- and for- “It invites in light, tranquility flage. gives. Somehow the homely becomes and space,” explains British style maven With a can of white paint, you regal. Stephanie Hoppen, author of “White on can make a marriage out of mismatched But just what is white? It is a word that applies to hundreds of hues. As Atlanta Bartlett and Karena Callen point Inflammatory Bowel Disease Sufferers out in “At Home With White” (Ryland, Peters and Small, $27.50), the hues that This is a call to action/help! If you have suf- qualify as white range from “the soft, White unifies a kitchen furnished with peachy white of a voluptuous rose and the flea-market finds, including a table set on fered with IBD (Crohn’s, Colitis, etc.), please delicate, almost translucent lemon white wheels and old cabinets hung on the walls. give us a call at 647-1300. of a cabbage white butterfly to the bluish Under-the-counter curtains continue the white of freshly fallen snow.” white theme, adding softness and texture. It is almost impossible, they say, photo: Polly Wreford Given your experience your help would be in- “to find a white that isn’t tinged with base, parchment for the shade and on and valuable in aiding children and their families. another color.” on. This effect is just what makes A little knowledge of science Join “Never Alone Foundation, Inc.” decorating with white so interesting. comes in handy at this point. When light Some of the best white rooms have 30 bounces off different surfaces, it alters our A Non-Profit local organization so no child or shades in a range of tone and textures. perception of hue and tone. There may be cream for the walls, dove That is why fabrics in the exact family need never feel alone! white for the trim, pearly gray for a lamp same shade of white -- such as flat cotton, satin damask and fluffy terrycloth -- can appear to be different colors, say Bartlett and Callen. That’s also why painting each wall of your rooms a slightly different Now Sterling shade of white can replicate the effect of sunlight. Here’s how. Start with the wall has more options that catches the most sun and paint it a very clean, very light white. Opposite is the darkest wall; it should be a cool, than ever! darker white. For the other two walls, pick in-between shades of white. The effect will be very, very subtle, but it will make your rooms feel like they have lighting that’s rich and alive. Introducing NEW Medicare Advantage Health If you use your rooms mostly at night, you’ll want to choose your whites with the lights on. Incandescent light adds and Prescription Drug plans for 2008 a yellowish cast, and halogen is fairly clean and neutral. Two great health plans. What about color? Go ahead and ( Call today to register add red-checked pillows to your bed, set a Monthly Premiums as low as $15 pair of turquoise chairs in the living room for a seminar in your area and put a slate gray coffee table in front of or for an appointment Two health plans that include Part D a cool blue-gray sofa. White rooms look with a local agent. great with splashes of color. The trick is to prescription drug coverage starting at keep it simple and controlled and avoid all ( the confusion that comes from multihued $28 per month. Toll-free: 1-866-217-3666 clutter. As the pictures in “White on Two prescription drug plans including TTY: 1-888-858-8567 White” and “At Home With White” show, one with coverage through the . the more you pare down your white “gap” scheme, the more beautiful it is. Which doesn’t mean you should forego accessories. Just choose them care- fully. In the cold and frosty winter months, you might want to use creamy white candles, sparkling silver and shimmering Underwritten by Sterling Life Insurance Company crystal. Or follow Hoppen’s cue and make sure winter rooms display plenty of cut Upcoming Seminars glass. “One way that I like to use it in Tuesdays, December 4, 11 & 18 - 10:00 am & 2:00 pm abundance,” she says, “is to collect drop- Sterling Health Plans lets from old chandeliers and mass them in a glass dish.” 4575 Hilton Parkway, Suite 101, Colorado Springs, CO Whether you set out bowls of Refreshments will be provided! white shells or silvery costume jewelry, white will simplify both your decorating Sterling Life Insurance Company is a Medicare Advantage organization contracting with the federal government. and your life. What the black dress is to Anyone entitled to Medicare Part A and enrolled in Medicare Part B may apply. You must continue to pay fashion, white is to decorating. It makes your Medicare Part B premium. A Medicare Advantage Private Fee For Service Plan works differently than a whatever you own look better. Medicare Supplement plan. Your doctor or hospital must agree to accept the plan’s terms and conditions prior ** to providing healthcare services to you, with exception of emergencies. If your doctor or hospital does not ** ** agree to accept our payment terms and conditions, they may not provide healthcare services to you, except CAPTION AND CREDIT in emergencies. Providers can fi nd the plan’s terms and conditions on our website at www.sterlingplans.com. (NOTE: These photos are for (Limitations and/or cost sharing apply. Call the numbers above for accommodation of persons with special ONE-TIME use ONLY. Primary Color needs at sales meetings. A licensed agent will be on hand with information and applications. Home photos, with the proper credits, are to be run ONLY with Primary Color Available through your Sterling Agent: stories. Conversion to black and white is Health, Life, Prescription Drug, Long Term Care and OK.) DS: H5006_6608(9/07) Critical Condition or Cancer Plans. Page 14 - Senior Beacon - Dec., 2007 Visit Us at http://www.seniorbeacon.info SENIOR SAFETY Pueblo Police Dept.- 549-1200 • Pueblo County Sheriff’s Dept. - 583-6125 Fremont County Sheriff’s Dept. - 275-2000 • Canon City Police Dept. - 269-9000 “BBB Warns Of A Possible Upcoming Fraud by Katie Carroll - BBB Another red flag, the letter urg- Imagine winning a sweepstakes es the recipient to call immediately for Rick Roth from Thornton’s Wheelchairs Plus would like to wish you didn’t enter and then being told “not further instructions on sending a money everyone a happy holiday and great New Year from he and everyone to tell anyone!” gram in order to receive the winnings -- at his store. Check out the ad below and give Rick or his staff a call Your Better Business Bureaus in and to “not tell anyone.” Colorado and east-central Wyoming have So what’s wrong with this pic- concerning any of your wheelchair or durable medical goods needs. received a number of calls this week from ture? Plenty, according to Your BBB: Thornton’s Wheelchairs Plus has been a fixture of southern out-of-state consumers inquiring about a • Foreign sweepstakes and lotter- Colorado’s medical community for decades and their reputation for sweepstakes using a phony Fort Collins ies are illegal in the United States. service takes a back seat to none. They are proud to sponsor this page. address. It turns out the sweepstakes is • If you didn’t enter, you can’t be originating out of Toronto, Canada. a winner. The sweepstakes check for • Real lotteries don’t ask you to offers the following advice for donors to of any request to send a “runner” to pick $2,394 looks real and even carries the pay a fee. If you have to write a check to ensure their donations go to trustworthy up your contribution. name of a bona fide bank, which has is- win a lottery prize, it’s a scam. Never, ever relief efforts: • Think twice about donating to sued its own advisory on its Web site. send any money for “processing fees” or • Before making a contribution, any charity that is inexperienced in car- Recipients are asked to cash the check share any other financial information in go to www.bbb.org/charity to obtain de- rying out relief efforts but is suddenly and return a portion of the funds to cover order to claim a prize. tailed evaluative reports on many of the soliciting for aid for southern California. taxes and handling fees. Start With Trust. Visit bbb.org relief organizations providing assistance. Although well intentioned, such organiza- How do you determine if a or call 719-636-1155 of 1-866-206-1094 • Be wary of charities that are tions may not have the ability to quickly sweepstakes is phony? In this case, red for more information about consumer reluctant to answer reasonable questions deliver aid to those in need. flags are many. The check and official scams. about their operations, finances and pro- • Be wary of appeals that are long notice of winning comes from an address grams. on emotion, but short on describing what that does not exist. • Do not hesitate to ask for writ- the charity will do to address the needs of BBB Wise Giving ten information that describes the chari- victims and their families. Senior Beacon Special Alliance Has Advice For ty’s program(s) and finances such as the • Do not give your credit card California Wildfire Relief charity’s latest annual report and financial number or other personal information to 2 eggs, choice of Meat, & Toast statements. a telephone solicitor or in response to an Effort Donors • Find out what the charity in- w/ coupon Many Americans want to help e-mail solicitation. $2.95 tends to do with any excess contributions the thousands of Southern Californians • To help ensure your contribu- remaining after they have fully funded displaced by the wildfires and the most tion is tax deductible, donations should the disaster relief activities mentioned in common way people across the country be made to charitable organizations that solicitations. can do this is by making donations to the are tax exempt under section 501(c)(3) • Do not give cash. Checks or  many relief agencies and charities already of the Internal Revenue Code. Go to IRS money orders should be made out to the at work. Publication 78 on www.irs.gov for a cur- name of the charitable organization, not However, as with every natural rent list of all organizations eligible to  to the individual collecting the donation. disaster, there are some unscrupulous receive contributions deductible as chari-  • Keep an eye out for fake chari- people who will attempt to take advan- table gifts.  ties that imitate the name and style of tage of the public’s eagerness to help For more information on the well-known organizations in order to con- victims. The BBB Wise Giving Alliance BBB Wise Giving Alliance and to view fuse people and potentially steal personal more than one thousand BBB Wise Giv- information such as credit card numbers. ing Reports™ on charities across the na- • Don’t give in to excessive pres- tion go to www.bbb.org/charity. sure for on-the-spot donations. Be wary Start With Trust Get Premiums When You Make a Donation to “Never Alone Foundation” for Southeastern CO Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Crohn’s, Colitis, & Others) Beacon Publishing-P. O. Box 7215 Pueblo West, CO 81007-0215 Not Valid With Other Offers Expires 1/10/08 Make Checks Payable To “Never Alone Foundation”

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Not Valid With Other Offers Expires 1/10/08 Two Convenient Locations To Serve You Visit Us at http:// www.seniorbeacon.info Senior Beacon - Dec., 2007 - Page - 15 Traveling: There’s Nothing Like A Holiday! Coral Gables Enjoys A Special Kind Of Panache by Jay Clarke Gables doesn’t bask in the glories and segregated. CORAL GABLES, Fla. - foibles of yesteryear. On the other hand, Coral - William Jennings Bryan, the golden Today, unlike most suburbs, this Gables police, fire and waste collection orator who once ran for president, hawked city is not simply a bedroom community. services are excellent, and the city’s strict real estate lots here in the 1920s at this It plays a major role in the area. Del Monte regulations keep the value of homes at a city’s famous Venetian Pool, a onetime has a major presence here, and Bacardi high level. It would be difficult to find rock quarry turned Italian-style public will move its headquarters into town next a residence here that sells for less than pool. Guests as diverse as Al Capone, year, joining 175 other multinational $600,000, and many are priced in the the Duke of Windsor and Gen. Dwight companies with regional headquarters in millions of dollars. D. Eisenhower stayed in the tower suite Coral Gables. All of this gives the city a definite of the landmark Biltmore Hotel. During It’s the home of the University sense of identity. Prohibition, bootlegger boats smuggled of Miami, a major educational institution. “You feel you know where you booze from the Bahamas into homes And though its population is only about are,” says Mayor Don Slesnick. “I grew fronting Coral Gables canals. 41,000, the city also is home to 14 foreign up in Miami, and I can feel the difference Those are some of the highlights consulates and more than 140 restaurants as soon as I cross the line (into Coral of the past that give this affluent suburb featuring cuisines ranging from French Gables).” Coral Gables’ Venetian Pool, where of Miami a special panache. But Coral and Spanish to Peruvian and Nicaraguan. Known as the City Beautiful, William Jennings Bryan hawked real Toney boutiques line the palm-lined four Coral Gables was one of the nation’s estate lots in the 1920s, is a stop on most blocks of downtown’s Miracle Mile. first planned cities. In the 1920s, founder area bus tours. photo: Jay Clarke CITY BUFFET Most of all, Coral Gables is a George Merrick envisioned the city rock-walled city entrances, impressive quiet community of upscale homes whose setting within a park, so every residential Spanish-style City Hall, the historic Seniors Special residents cherish the city’s beauty and street has pink sidewalks and a grassy Venetian pool and a real oddity -- a faux exclusivity. Zoning regulations are stiff swale planted with oaks, palms, banyans lighthouse six miles from the sea. here -- houses must have tile roofs, you and other trees. The city’s most famous cannot keep a truck, RV or boat trailer in The city also ranks high on landmark, though, is the Biltmore Hotel, your driveway, you can paint your house Greater Miami’s list of tourist attractions. built in the 1920s. Its 315-foot tower, a only in colors approved by the city, and Bus tours regularly swing through replica of Seville’s Giralda Tower, is you need a permit to cut down a tree in the Gables, showing off its mostly still the highest point in the city and will your yard. Business areas are clearly Mediterranean architecture, elaborate SEE “PANACHE” PAGE 16.

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Marginal properties seem to You might get a mix of love-it and hate-it sell fine, so there’s not much incentive to responses to your rustic hickory kitchen invest more time or money on remodeling cabinets or the glass tile in the master upgrades that aren’t essential and may in bath, but no sane buyer will welcome a fact be undone by a new owner. worn-out roof, antiquated plumbing or a But when the market slows and furnace that gasps and rattles. the inventory of available houses accu- -- Take care of the little things. mulates, would-be buyers quickly realize Over time, every house gathers its share their leverage and get picky, shunning of quirks and small scars that occupants properties that would have seemed per- learn to live with. The door latch sticks, fectly acceptable in a “normal” market. a light switch goes bad, a window pane Some homes still sell quickly, though, breaks and gets secured with duct tape. and it’s often because they reflect the These are all very minor problems, but right balance of quality, features and real- they can accumulate until there’s a lot of ized potential. work to be done. There will always be a market Worse still, anything that sug- for the odd fixer-upper at a bargain price, gests neglect or a cheap fix sends the mes- but for the many people for whom time is sage -- correct or not -- that other larger as precious a commodity as money, the problems have been similarly addressed phrase “needs some TLC” will send them or ignored. A simple but efficient layout, affordable and attractive laminate cabinetry, and looking elsewhere for something more -- Don’t leave the residue from a flood of daylight through the windows give this kitchen a powerful emotional appeal livable. prior repairs. You might know that the for current occupants and future buyers. Photo courtesy of Thomasville Cabinetry Other than timing a decision leak stopped after you got the roof shin- memorabilia museum will not impress -- Create something for everyone. to sell, there’s little that any individual gles replaced, but the water stains on the most would-be owners. Most homes are purchased by couples or homeowner can do about larger trends ceiling or walls still look ominous to a Unless you’re upgrading with families, and that can mean a longer or in the real estate market, so don’t spend prospective buyer who has only your additional square footage, more storage more diverse list of must-haves when your energy there. Instead, try to treat word to rely on. Repair and repaint the space, better traffic flow or other- “ge they go house-hunting. Think about plac- every decision about changes and up- plaster or wallboard, and refinish the neric” improvements, leave the structural ing an ad for your home. What features grades to your home the way a potential wood trim if it’s been discolored. stuff alone. Install all the display cases and amenities can you claim? Gourmet buyer might see it, even if it will be years -- Keep quality levels consistent. you want and paint wild colors to your kitchens, family rooms, home offices, before you even think about selling. There’s no sense splurging on high-end heart’s content, but be prepared to undo workshops, gardens, outdoor living areas This doesn’t mean you that kitchen appliances if you pair them with those changes before selling. and sports courts are sure to generate in- shouldn’t suit yourself when it comes to dingy cabinetry or beat-up countertops. -- Create one or more “wow” fea- terest. remodeling. It means that a home should The odd pricey feature will serve only tures. Even with every practical concern These guidelines won’t guarantee stay appealing throughout its lifetime so to emphasize the poor relative quality handled, your home needs something to the quick or profitable sale of your home, you won’t have a last-minute scramble of other amenities. Balance your remod- stand out from the crowd. A large bank but they will almost certainly encourage to undo excesses or errors that will turn eling budget so the improvements look of windows can allow a dramatic view or potential buyers to see it as a front-runner buyers away. like a well-planned package rather than a simply flood a room with daylight. De- rather than a forgettable also-ran. Expect the routine work that’s piecemeal fix. tailed millwork and some custom built- Better still, it will make the place always required just before marketing a -- Don’t over-personalize the ins add an upscale air. A breakfast nook that much better to live in, so at least make home -- thorough cleaning, freshening up home. This is another difficult balanc- or window seat becomes a powerful sym- some of the improvements while you still the paint, light landscaping and perhaps ing act, because we all want our homes bol of the comfort and safety we naturally have time to enjoy them. hiring a professional stager to tweak the to reflect who we are. Still, gutting two seek in our homes. These features all can decor. bedrooms to create a personal Star Wars contribute to a home’s emotional appeal. Panache from page 15. remain so by law. The elegant Biltmore has a vaulted lobby with a star-studded ceiling, an 18-hole golf course, tennis courts and America’s largest hotel pool -- an L-shaped facility bigger than two Olympic pools. Coral Gables also is home to several important preserves. Matheson Hammock Park has a swimming lagoon and beach on Biscayne Bay, a marina and forest trails. Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden’s collection of palms and cycads is world-renowned, and the Montgomery Botanical Center has extensive collections for research. While the city has two legitimate theaters and many art galleries, having the University of Miami in its borders gives the Gables an added source of cultural activities. Theater buffs can enjoy plays at the Jerry Herman Ring Theatre (Herman attended UM), art lovers stream to the prestigious Lowe Art Museum on campus, and the Frost School of Music schedules regular concerts in several disciplines. The school’s baseball team, several times the national champion, plays at Mark Light Field here, and the football Hurricanes practice on campus fields. Information: City of Coral Gables, (305) 446-6800 or www. coralgables.com. Coral Gables Chamber Christmas Special of Commerce, (305) 446-1657 or www. FREE INSTALLATION coralgableschamber.org. Ex: 1/15//08 Columnist Jay Clarke is a resident of Coral Gables, Fla. Visit Us at http://www.seniorbeacon.info Senior Beacon - Dec., 2007 - Page - 17 Senior Community Update STROKE SURVIVORS NEWS Society’s website. Each tip is interesting West, 230 E. George Drive - Thursday, Dec.19: 8:00 Staff Meeting; 8:30 Parkview Medical Center and and easy to follow. These and many more December 13th & January 10th. *Note Painting; 9:00 Intermediate Computer; “Stroke Survivors Support Groups of suggestions regarding osteoarthritis can new time - 8:15-10:30 am 10:00 SST; 11:00 Painting; 1:00 Water Pueblo” are having a stroke/aphasia sup- now be viewed online at: Park Hill Christian Church, 1401 E. Color; 2:00 Line Dancing; 3:30 RSVP port group meeting in Trinidad at the www.americanarthritis.org. 7th Street - Monday, December 17th Advisory Council State Nursing Home, 409 S. Benedicta OWLS MEETING 10:00-Noon. Dec.20: 9:15 Chair Aerobics Ave. Trinidad, CO at 2:00PM Wednesday, “The Older, Wiser, Livelier Minnequa Park Apts., 1400 E. Orman Dec.21: 9:00 Oil Painting; 10:00 SST; December 5, 2007. Seniors (OWLS) meet on the third Ave. - Tuesday, December 18th 9:00- 12:00 Bridge All stroke survivors and their Wednesday of each month at various area 11:30 am. Dec.24: 9:00 Intermediate Computer; families and friends, in Trinidad, restaurants for an evening of fine dining Mesa Towers Apt., 260 Lamar - Wed., 10:00 SST; 2:00 Line Dancing Walsenburg, Aguilar and surrounding and socialization. For location and res- December 19th 9:00 – 11:30 am. Dec.25: We are closed Christmas Day areas, are welcome to attend. For more ervations, please contact Jack Briggs at Ogden Apartments, 2140 Ogden - MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM information call: Terri Tibbs, 584-4677; [email protected] or call him at Thurs., December 20th 9:00-10:30 am. EVERYONE AT S.R.D.A. or Chuck Couchman, 583-8498. 546-6189.” Fulton Heights Community Center, Dec.26: 9:00 Intermediate Computer; VOLUNTEERS OF ALL AGES SRDA SEVEN FALLS TRIP 1331 Santa Rosa - Thursday, December 8:30 Painting; 10:00 SST; 11:00 Painting; NEEDED December 15, 2007. Leaving 20th 1:00-2:30 pm. 1:00 Water Color Our community depends on the SRDA @ 4:15 PM. Returning at 8:00 *All locations are open to the general Dec.27: 8:00 Birthday Cake; 9:15 Chair graciousness and commitment of our PM - $20.00. RESERVATIONS DUE public for these clinics. Please call Aerobics fellow citizens to pitch in and help when BY DECEMBER 7TH. Call for info 545- Pueblo StepUp @ 557-5886 if you Dec.28: 9:00 Oil Painting; 10:00 SST; and where help is needed. There are 8900, Ext. 133. or go to 2nd floor desk. have any questions. 1:30 Yuletide Social many areas and program s needing help. Snack bar will be open so bring Get Moving with Pueblo StepUp Dec.31: 9:00 Beg. Computer, 10:00 SST; Check and see where you would fit. extra money. Community Exercise Programs: 2:00 Line Dancing Call Gloria Valdez, SRDA, The Pueblo Volunteer Ombudsman Please call Jo Stinchcomb @ 557-3883 for 230 N. Union Ave Volunteer Center, 545-8900 for more Wanted, Volunteer Ombudsmen questions about any of Pueblo StepUp’s Pueblo, Co 81003 details. to share their time, talents and caring Health & Fitness Programs. 719-545-8900 - Delivering Meals on Wheels to hearts with the elderly residents of Long- Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program, PUEBLO HEALTH EXPO homebound seniors. Term Care and Assisted Living facili- Tai Chi from the Arthritis Foundation, The 2nd annual Pueblo Health - Helping in various departments ties. This would be a great opportunity Tai Chi II, Tai Chi I. Expo will be January 26, 2008, at the at St. Mary Corwin Medical Center for retired Nurses, Social Workers, and Feel Great in 2008! New Tai Chi Pueblo Convention Center from 8am- - Helping with Habituate for Individuals who love and want to work classes starting January 1st! 1pm.This event is free to Pueblo County Humanity doing many things from get- with some of the most vulnerable mem- S.R.D.A. DECEMBER CALENDAR residents of all ages and will feature ting the food, clerical and warehouse bers of our society. In this capacity, you Dec. 3: 9:00 Beg. Computer; 10:00 SST, numerous exhibits related to physical work to building a house. would advocate for these residents and 1:00 FGP Luncheon activity, healthy food choices, disease - VITA is now looking for vol- when necessary investigate and obtain Dec. 4: 8:30 Coupon Cutters; 9:15 Chair prevention, safety, recreation and overall unteers to be trained. Once trained, vol- proof of deviation from nursing home Aerobics wellbeing. unteers will be filling out tax returns for care standards. If interested please call Dec. 5: 8:00 Staff Meeting; 8:30 Painting, The first 500 participants will low-income families and individuals in 583-6123. This Volunteer position is 9:00 Maj Jong; 9:00 Beg. Computer, have an opportunity to take advantage of January. with the Pueblo County Long-term Care 11:00 Painting; 12:00 Bridge; 2:00Line free health screenings, including blood There are many more areas, just Ombudsman Program. You Must Be Dancing pressure, pulse, oximetry, lung func- give Gloria a call and she’ll tell you all Able To Pass A Criminal Background Dec. 6: 9:15 Chair Aerobics; 10:00 tion, vision, blood sugar (requires a one- about them. Check Before Being Accepted. Vision Support Group; 1:30 AARP hour fast), cardio step test, grip strength Volunteer today, everyone bene- Pueblo StepUp FREE Board Meeting & flexibility, body mass index, stress fits: you, the people you help, the agency Community Well-Being Dec. 7: 9:00 Recreation Task Force; management & depression, community and your community. Clinics 9:00 Oil Painting; 10:00 SST; 1:00 resources & women’s health issues and WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT We want to keep you healthy! CHRISTMAS PARTY “Ask a Medical Expert.” New this year OSTEOARTHRITIS? Come check us out and let us check you Dec.10: 9:00 Beg. Computer; 9:00 will be a Kids Korner that will include Today, more than 10 million out. Free blood pressure, blood sugar, Quilting Club; 10:00 SST; 11:00 Board booths and demonstrations specifically Americans suffer from osteoarthritis of oxygen screening and more. of Directors; 1:00 AARP targeted to youth about living healthy the knee, making it the most common McHarg Park - Avondale, 409 Second Dec.11: 8:30 Coupon Cutters; 9:15 lifestyles. form of arthritis in the U.S. Street - Monday, December 10th 9:00- Chair Aerobics; 11:30 Alzheimers Group; For additional information con- When the cushioning layers of 11:30 am. 1:30 Parkinson’s Group; 2:00 Stroke tact 583-4518 or www.activepueblo.net. cartilage within the joint are worn down, Vail Hotel, 217 S. Grand - Tuesday, Survivors ElectriCritters at the the bones begin to rub against each other. December 10th & January 8th 9:00- Dec.12: 9:00 Beg. Computer; 9:00 Pueblo Zoo. This leads to swelling and increased stiff- 10:30 am Painting; 10:00 SST; 11:00 Painting; Electricritters at the Pueblo Zoo ness, and many daily activities become Hyde Park Community Center, 2135 1:00 Water Color. is open on the following nights from 5:00- painful and difficult. But what can you W. 16th - Tuesday, December 11th & Dec.13: 9:15 Chair Aerobics 8:30pm with gates closing at 8:00pm: do to protect your joints, reduce the January 8th 1:00-2:30 pm. Dec.14: 8:00 United Way Health Way; Dec. 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, symptoms, and support your doctor’s Joseph Edwards Senior Center 9:00 Oil Painting; 10:00 SST; 12:00 20, 21, 22, 23, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30. treatment? (SRDA), 230 S. Union - Wed., December Bridge. Admission costa are: $5.00 for With assistance from some of 12th & January 9th 9:45-Noon. Dec.17: 9:00 Intermediate Computer; adults, $3 for children and kids under 2 the world’s leading knee experts, the Mineral Palace, 1414 N Santa Fe Av 10:00 SST; 11:00 Board of Directors are free. American Arthritis Society has compiled Pueblo, CO 81003 - Thursday, December Dec.18: 8:30 Coupon Cutters; 9:15 Visit the Candy Cane Cafe, Gift some useful and practical tips for self- 13th & January 10th 9:00 – 11:30. Chair Aerobics; 10:00 Continnum of Shop and more after your trip. Call 561- care, and made them available on the Memorial Recreation Center - Pueblo Care; 3:00 211 Publicity Com. 1452 for all the info. Faces of CF&I Story Reception The Bessemer Historical Society will hold the second annual ‘Faces of CF&I – CF&I at Play’ fundraising dinner on Saturday, January 19, 2008. We are featuring personal stories and pho- tos of activities at the Steel YMCA, the Fin and Feather Club and the Minnequa Club. Persons with stories and photos to share are asked to come to a free recep- tion on Thursday, November 8th from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Community Room at the Steelworks Museum of Industry and Culture, 215 Canal Street. Take I25 exit 97A. Turn left on E. Abriendo Ave., then left at the former CF&I Administration building (with silver dome). The museum is at the end of the parking lot next to the interstate. Museum staff and volunteers will be on hand to take down the stories, and scan photos. Light refreshments will be served. In the event that someone wants to share memories, but are not able to attend the reception, they are asked to contact the Society at 719-564-9086 to make other arrangements. Page 18 - Senior Beacon - Dec., 2007 Visit Us at http:// www.seniorbeacon.info SENIOR CLASSIFIEDS stop waiting on long lists Offer & enjoy history in your library. for nursing home or assisted living. SENIOR CLASSIFIED AD REQUEST Call Lynn 544-8325. #1007 Try us one month or just for day- FOR SALE: New 48” Round Table This classified ad section of the Senior Beacon carries advertising of all care 24/7 live-ins with private rooms. & Chairs. Fits 4 chairs. Smoked glass sorts. The cost is $7.00 for the first 25 words or less and $.25 for each word over Respite care available also. 30 years top. MUST SEE! Call 564-2157.#0907 experience. Hurry, only one room 25. TO PLACE AN AD here’s all you need to do: Write your ad in the space pro- special government pro- vided below. left for you. 719-542-3496. #0108 mobile gram, zero down, no money SIX cemetery plots Imperial ______out of your pocket!!!! If you Gardens Hill crest Section, $950.00 ______own land or family will give you land. each. Call Ken at (719)649-2478 or Bad credit okay. 719-544-4165. #0807 (719)946-5214. #0108 ______NEWLY RENOVATED Northside sewing alterations: the ______Pueblo home for rent. One bedroom, perfect fit Alterations by Abe 1 bath, small pets okay. $350/mo. and ______Camhi. Wedding gowns and for- electric and gas plus deposit. Call mal wear. All types of clothing. Men Please print clearly. Deadline is the 20th of the month. Seth at 970-980-8153. #0907 and women. 40 years experience. Se Phone:______Your Name:______personal care provider/ Habla Espanol. 719-595-1231 or 719- HOME CARE 20 yrs. Experience. Mail ad & Check (send no cash) to: 250-9354. #0108 Quality Care, Companionship, and caregiver / companion Senior Beacon P.O. Box 7215 Pueblo West, CO 81007. Dependable. Available Day or Night Private care part-time. Have experi- Fulltime or Part Time. call Connie, ence with recommendation letters. PERSONAL CARE PROVIDER. for 2 bed 1 bath Mobile only $9,900, 242-4144. #0907 Just moved into town. South area. Days, nights or weekends. Will do lot rent is $358.59. Call Jim Valdez, got land? 0 Down, 0 Closing costs Call Carmen, 564-2157. #0108 light housekeeping and run errands. Re/Max of Pueblo, 585-8722. #1107 if you own land or have family land! Mobile Homes For Rent First Aid, CPR, Medical Certified. stair glide: 300lb limit. Six Guaranteed approval. Bad Credit, in quiet rural retirement park. Excellent references. Melinda, 671- or 7 stairs. YOU MOVE! $1500. O.K. Land does your good Cotopaxi - 30 miles west of Canon 4316. #1207 appraised by Thornton Wheelchairs credit!! 719-545-0945. #0807 City. $350 - $500 per month sewer/ ROOM FOR RENT! Includes cable Plus. Call Roberta, 566-3715. #1107 landscape design servic- water included. 719-539-2623. #1207 avail., utilities, laundry. $290/mo FOR SALE: Antique tables - oak 36” es. Professional, thoughtful designs 24/7 LOVING SENIOR CARE iN plus deposit. 719-542-2775. Ask for x 48”; coffee table 18” x 36”; stored - specializing in landscape renova- CHRISTIAN HOME. 30 YEARS Tom. #1207 extender leaf 18” x 36” plus base 36” tions. Well oversee installation too. EXPERIENCE. SPACE FOR ONLY 1986 ford van with handicap x 48.” IBM selectric typewriter. Call Call Christine at 607-339-1124 for a ONE CLIENT LEFT. HURRY! ramp. $1,000; Motorized wheelchair, 545-0900. #1007 free consultation. #0907 CALL NOW! 719-542-3496. #0108 $500.00. Call 719-275-3242 after Personal Care provider. nurse available to assist you in PERMANENTS, $30: Shampoo & 6:00pm or leave message. #1207 Experienced! Quality care. your home. Doctor’s appointments, Set, $10; Wigs styled, $12. Open jet #3 Ultra-motorized chair, stylish Companionship and Dependable. shoppping, errands - please call 565- Wed.-Sat. CURL CORNER 2318 design. 23” width seat. $2,000. 719- Available day or night. Full-time or 0445 Days. #0807 Thatcher. 544-9160. #108 560-0136 or 719-564-2871. #1207 part-time. Call Connie, 543-7853.#1007 personal care provider, I’m Active-young 74! Petite, housecleaning. Three-Hour CNA, EMT Training. 20 years experi- Donate TO pueblo’s own red/green/honest. Non smoker/drugs. Minimum. $10 per hour with you ence. Kind, gracious, domestic tasks, “never alone founda- Honest. Loving, down-to-earth. supplying the cleaning goods. Near a medical reminders, companionship. tion.” Looking for a great charity Variety of interests. Searching for bust stop. Carolyn, 719-561-8682.#1007 Prompt, alert, ethical, well-behaved. to support? Inflammatory Bowel same in a man middle 60’s - middle CEMETERY PLOT: Roselawn. Call Sherry 545-3146. #0807 Disease (Crohn’s & Colitis and oth- 70’s. Call 719-276-0978. #1207 Currently $1,060.00, will take ARIZONA HIGHWAYS Magazines ers) is a particularly nasty disease for sale: Pronto Mobility Chair. $800.00. Higher Ground. Call Betty, for sale! Various dates from 1951 to that robs the afflicted of quality of Excellent Condition - Black Leather. 544-8714. #1007 1998. 35 Issues. Make a reasonable life. It hits every age group hard and Less than a year old. Paid $3,900. NURSE CAN PROVIDE Daily or offer. Call 545-8886. #0807 with no mercy. Please send dona- Asking $3,500. Please call at 719-543- weekly care, medication set-up, assist IMPERIAL GARDENS. Chapel of tions to “Never Alone Foundation” 0217. #1207 with meals. Activities for daily liv- the Angels. Glass front. Companion c/o Beacon Publishing, P.O. Box 2221 S. Prairie #152, Oasis Mobile ing. 30 years experience. References. niche. Only $3,000. Phone (303) 333- 7215 - Pueblo West, CO 81007- park, 55 plus Community, Nice 3 bed Kathy, 719-315-2805. #1207 6686. #0807 0215. Your donation will allow us 2 bath Mobile $19,900, lot rent is stored in - belmont self- honesty. C.N.A. Housekeeping, to help southern Colorado patients $358.59 AND; storage. Nice bedroom suite - home care, help with shopping. and their families cope with these 2221 S. Prairie #67, Oasis Mobile near new regular mattress. Light Windows, some cleaning, compan- dread diseases. park, 55 plus Community, Well cared brown 4-tiered filing cabinet - sel- ionship. Reasonable - $8.00 Call 542- dom used. Only $95.00 total. 719- 0577. Teresa/Donnie. #0707. 546-0239. #1007 Books Wanted. I pay cash for Good Condition. 40 years of good books and estate libraries. Call Time Magazines - complete, in stor- Jim at 719-634-2367. #0907 age - better than computerized! Make Are you a Vet, a Vet’s Spouse or a Vet’s Widow? You are eligible for Nursing Home Care......

Colorado State Veterans Nursing Home Walsenburg, Colorado • Bright, Comfortable and Modern Facility • Caring, Professional Staff • Floor-to-ceiling picture windows offer beautiful views • Special Care Unit (SCU) providing services for Alzheimer’s, Dementias, Huntington’s and Parkinson’s • Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy included in daily rate. • Our nursing home is physically connected to Spanish Peaks Health Center, a community hospital. • Dialysis Center/Specialty Clinics available on campus • Affordable daily rate and an all-inclusive pricing policy that eliminates addi- tional charges • VA benefits for those who qualify • Colorado residency not required • Private Pay and Medicaid Residents welcome Call Today For A FREE Video/CD Information Packet 1-800-645-8387 Visit Us at http:// www.seniorbeacon.info Senior Beacon - Dec., 2007 - Page - 19 Energy Efficiency Tips Saving Cents/Saving Enviro! by Debbie Rose-San Isabel Electric plates, window frames, baseboards, ciency replace furnace filters monthly and ator, along with checking the seals when Board Member pipes, weather stripping, fireplace damp- clean out warm air registers. Install a pro- the door closes will help you to be more From all indications, your elec- ers, attic hatches and wall mounted air grammable thermostat that will adjust the energy efficient. tric bill will be going up this winter due conditioners. Make sure to plug and temperature according to your schedule. Changing regular light bulbs to to higher fuel costs and the need for ad- caulk identified cracks and holes includ- During the heating season, keep the drapes compact fluorescents will save energy ditional power plants and transmission ing areas around pipes entering home. or shades on your south facing windows and money over the life of the bulbs. Re- lines. In an average home nation wide, Lower the temperature on hot open during the day, allowing sunlight to member to turn off lights when you are heating and cooling amount for 56% of water heaters to 115-120 degrees. Drain a enter. Be sure to close drapes at night to not in the room and try to take advantage your home energy cost with water heat- quart of water from the heater every three prevent chill from the cold windows. of the natural light when possible. ing at 16%, refrigeration at 5% and re- months to remove sediment. Take short Appliances will be more efficient These are only a few ideas to maining appliances and lighting at 23%. showers, using a low flow showerhead, if you take care of them. Make sure the help you become energy efficient in your By eliminating wasted energy around the instead of baths. Turn warm or hot water outside dryer vent door closes when the home. For other ideas, check out the U.S. house means money for you. The follow- on and off, do not let the water run in the dryer is not in use. This requires cleaning Department of Energy’s website, www. ing are some suggestions that will help sink for long periods of time. away the lint accumulation periodically. energy.gov/yourhome.htm. you to manage your energy use and re- To use your heating more effi- Vacuuming out the coils on your refriger- duce costs. First look for leaks. If you can LEAP Program Provides Home Heating Assistance see daylight coming through cracks and Contact:Scott Barnette, LEAP Director assistance, giving them much needed tion. holes, you are losing heat. Air leaks are - 303.861.0325 warmth. As defined by the Colorado found around electrical outlets, switch DENVER – November 2007 “LEAP plays an important role Department of Revenue, other forms of – As Coloradans prepare to face another in helping all Colorado families keep identification may be required as well. bitter cold winter, local utility companies their homes warm during the cold win- For more information on lawful pres- Pueblo Senior are predicting that heating bills will dou- ter months,” said Scott Barnette, LEAP ence requirements, contact the DOR or ble this year due to an increased price director. “With the price of heating bills visit their web site located at http://www. Safety Triad for natural gas. For those struggling to expected to increase this year, families revenue.state.co.us/main/home.asp Safety for seniors is our goal. pay their heating bills, help is available will need assistance meeting these costs LEAP applications are accepted through the Colorado Department of Hu- more than ever.” from November 1 to April 30 of each • Information & Referral man Services Low-income Energy As- To qualify for LEAP, applicants year. Potential program applicants can sistance Program (LEAP). must be responsible for paying heat- apply several ways: • Senior Resource Directory LEAP provides cash assistance ing costs, either to a utility company or 1. Call 1-866-HEAT-HELP (1- • Senior Safety Kits to help families and individuals pay win- to a landlord as part of rent. Applicants 866-432-8435) to have an application ter home heating costs. The program must also be permanent legal residents of mailed to your home. • Senior Advocates pays the highest benefits to those with the United States and Colorado or have 2. LEAP applications are • Provides Educational the highest heating bills and lowest in- household members that are U.S. citi- available at every county department of Programs comes by family size. Applicant income zens. social/human services across the state. • Assists Senior Victims & cannot exceed 185 percent of the federal Recent Colorado legislation 3. LEAP applications can also Seniors At Risk poverty index, which equals a maximum now requires LEAP applicants to pro- be downloaded from the program’s Web • Promotes Safety To Reduce income of $3,184 per month before taxes vide a copy of valid identification and a site at http://www.cdhs.state.co.us/leap/ for a household of four people. The an- completed affidavit indicating that they apply.htm. Applicants may then fax, Fear Of Crime ticipated average LEAP benefit for 2007- are lawfully present in the United States mail or deliver a completed application 2008 is approximately $316 per family. with their program applications. Current- to their appropriate county office. Senior Helpline According to the Colorado De- ly, the following valid forms of identifi- 4. Many community agencies partment of Human Services, in 2006- cation are accepted. throughout the state also stock LEAP 2007 approximately 93,000 Colorado 1. A Colorado driver’s license applications. 583-6611 households received LEAP payment or Colorado identification card; or, For more information about 2. A United States military card LEAP, please call 1-866-HEAT-HELP or military dependant’s card; or, (1-866-432-8435) or visit www.cdhs. Your Trusted Source of 3. A United States merchant state.co.us/leap/index.htm to Companionship and Home Care 4. A Native American tribal view the most current program applica- document. or, tion requirements. for Seniors 5. Appropriate INS documenta- Belmont Lodge Health Care Center Now Provides Outpatient Therapy Our experienced Rehab Team provides Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapies

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Page 20 - Senior Beacon - Dec., 2007 Visit Us at http:// www.seniorbeacon.info More Weird News from page 4. go to neighbors’ houses and threaten federal Americans with Disabilities Act third was chopped in the face by the then- police for staying out too late, and also violence, at which point the neighbor must when it barred her “service horse” from circling dinghy’s outboard propeller and took away his house keys and cut off his guess the visitor’s identity, and, if all goes living in her apartment. Cooper uses a was in serious condition. allowance. The son, who immediately well, refuse to be scared. Supposedly, the wheelchair because of a brittle-bones Least Competent Criminals complained that the allowance was too ritual induces trust by both parties, as the disorder and says the miniature horse In Monticello, N.Y., Steven small, anyway, is 61 years old.) visitors show their good hearts by failing (100 pounds, 32 inches tall) not only King, 40, was indicted in October as -- The normal daily tension to actually beat anyone up, and the host pulls the chair but cheers her up. A trust a result of a traffic stop, for allegedly between India and Pakistan arises in shows trust by his courage and passivity. spokesman said keeping rats out of the doing nearly every single thing wrong: many forms, but one nightly ceremony Mumming, the researchers conclude, hay bales would be difficult enough, but intoxicated, driving in oncoming-traffic on the border at Wagah crossing is continues today only on a “small scale.” he doubted Cooper’s assurance that the lanes, with an open beer container, not particularly odd (described by a Los Latest Religious Messages horse could be easily housebroken. wearing a seat belt, driving an uninsured Angeles Times reporter in September as -- “This is a college education -- In November, a California car, with expired safety inspection sticker, part pomp, part macho posturing, and that I can use,” said sophomore Emily administrative judge sided with state with license plates belonging to another part Monty Python’s Ministry of Silly Felts, 19, as she praised the homemaking dental authorities and suspended Dr. Mark car, and with his 2-year-old daughter- Walks). Uniformed guards from both curriculum of the Southwestern Baptist Anderson’s license, following complaints passenger neither in a car seat nor belted countries march toward each other in Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, by female patients that he had massaged in. their inexplicably complicated headgear, Texas (which leads to a Bachelor of their chests to treat a jaw disorder. Recurring Themes “glower fiercely through their mustaches” Arts in Humanities). Men and women Anderson’s lawyer, citing alleged dental Something About Dentists: and puff themselves up, eyeball to may be equal, the school says, but they journal articles, had asserted that jaw pain Hard-core federal income-tax resisters are eyeball, in a show of confidence for their have different roles, and for women, was related not only to pectoral muscles frequently in the news, but a recent spate respective countrymen. However, they that includes “how to set tables, sew but even calf muscles. (In November, of them involved dentists. In October, then meekly shake hands and close the buttons and sustain lively dinnertime Anderson was also indicted for sexual Ed Brown and his dentist-wife, Elaine, border for the night. conversation,” or how to use the Internet battery against patients.) were arrested after a nine-month standoff -- Residents of small fishing to track grocery coupons, according to -- The head teacher of Sandhurst with federal marshals in Plainfield, N.H., villages in northern Newfoundland an October dispatch in the Los Angeles Junior School in south London apologized where they had holed up, vowing to die have for centuries been “mumming” Times. Felts said she enjoys the work in October because a professional before paying the federal government at Christmastime, in rituals described (except vacuuming), but it “doesn’t photographer had arranged, for his own any of Elaine’s $1.9 million in unreported in an October academic journal article matter what I think. It matters what the convenience, an unfortunate group photo income. In October, dentist Nancy by University of Missouri-Columbia Bible says.” of the school’s 100-plus students. The Montgomery-Ware was convicted on two researchers. People disguise themselves, -- In November, Catholic priests in photographer, trying to keep from having counts of tax evasion in Tampa, Fla., still Ireland and Northern Ireland complained to re-set his reflector screens, lined up the believing that the federal government Get Great Premiums When about their respective governments’ kids from the lightest-skinned on the left, has no authority over her taxes or her You Donate To proposals to lower the presumed-impaired gradually over to the darkest-skinned on practice, based on her research finding Never Alone Foundation, Inc. blood-alcohol level for drivers from .08 the right. Said the head teacher, “We can that there’s no such thing as a “U.S. c/o Robin Lynn Grasso to .05, which they say is unfair. Because see that this was an error of judgment.” citizen.” In October, Slidell, La., dentist of a priest shortage, current priests expect -- Also Questionable: (1) Louis Genard was a U.S. citizen, though Beacon Publishing to be driving great distances to conduct Japanese adults push their children to he renounced, but was nonetheless found P. O. Box 7215 Masses this Christmas season, and since save more, but few are buying the piggy guilty on three tax-evasion counts after Pueblo West, CO 81007-0215 they are obliged to drink any leftover bank introduced by the TOMY Co. in a court was unimpressed that he had sacramental wine from each Mass, they November, because, if not fed with become an “ambassador of heaven” who Make Checks Payable To fear inevitably approaching, or exceeding, savings for a period of time, the bank is exempt from federal taxation. Never Alone Foundation, Inc the blood-alcohol threshold. just explodes, scattering the contents. (Visit Chuck Shepherd daily at (Crohns & Colitis Support) Questionable Judgments (2) In September, three young men in http://NewsoftheWeird.blogspot.com or -- In October, Patty Cooper, 50, a dinghy on a canal in Australia’s Gold www.NewsoftheWeird.com. Send your Call 719-647-1300 for more accused her landlord (the Central Vermont Coast region stood up to moon a group Weird News to WeirdNewsTips@yahoo. information on the premiums. Community Land Trust) of failing to of people but lost their balance and fell com or P.O. Box 18737, Tampa, FL “accommodate” her disability under the in, with two recovering quickly, but the 33679.) ©8#%,%.%2'9).#

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£ä»ÊÝÊÇ°x»Ê Ê 8Ê Ê Visit Us at http:// www.seniorbeacon.info Senior Beacon - Dec., 2007 - Page - 21 Felt Refined by Patricia McLaughlin poodle skirts, you should see her glow- Miriam Carter’s airy nuno felt ing, deceptively fragile-looking jacket jacket is light years beyond a ‘50s poo- of silk chiffon hand-felted with merino dle skirt, plus it’s way prettier than some wool roving and hand-dyed many subtly overpriced, factory-made, mass-market- different shades of apricot. Its texture and ed, logo-emblazoned designer piece. lightness and translucency make rose pet- Miriam Carter is a fourth-gen- als look coarse by comparison. eration felt maker. Turns out Carter, whose work Seems un-American, no? In the is on view at the Philadelphia Museum Old World, sure, people did the same of Art Crafts Show this weekend (Nov. thing their parents did, and their grand- 8-11), didn’t learn feltmaking as a little parents before them. Gepetto, for in- girl at her granny’s knee in some Gepet- stance, was probably an eighth-genera- toesque vine-covered gingerbread cot- tion Tuscan whittler of wooden toys and tage. And her first feltmaking ancestor bored out of his mind or he would never (that she knows about, anyway) didn’t have started with that deceitful puppet. start out to make felt, but to fix pianos in But this is America, where, to paraphrase late-19th-century New York. This great- John Adams, you work as a felt-maker great uncle, Hugo Dolge, only got into felt so your children can run a nice hat com- because the Steinway company wouldn’t pany, so their children can leverage it into sell him any, so he moved to upstate New a global, vertically integrated conglomer- York and started a felt factory to make his ate that controls everything from Austral- own -- and, while he was at it, founded a ian sheep ranches to Chinese hat facto- utopian community. Carter thinks at least ries to multinational chains of ritzy shops one of his sons worked there, qualifying selling designer-logo-emblazoned acces- as the second generation to make felt, be- sories, so their children can explore the fore the senior Dolge moved the business anthropological implications of millinery to California. Her father, Dolge’s great traditions among the nomadic peoples of nephew, was a textile designer and man- eighth-century Kyrgyzstan in some Ivy aged woolen mills; his first and last jobs Feltmaker Miriam Carter’s luminous jacket of hand-felted, hand-dyed merino wool League grad school. (And play the violin were in felt mills. On the side, he’d bring and silk. photo: courtesy of Miriam Carter. on the side.) yarns home from work and handweave stores,” and taking it for granted that computer-aided design, and for combin- But here’s Miriam Carter still them into shawls and things to try out de- cloth was something to play with, not just ing “incompatible” yarns and fibers to making felt four generations later -- and sign ideas. something to keep you warm. create distinctive textures. startlingly, luminously beautiful felt at Carter’s mother was a couture Even with her father telling her Classically, you make felt by that. If your idea of wearable felt is stuck seamstress who had a fabric store for fiber art and craft was in her blood, she layering carded but unspun wool, then somewhere between Dwight Eisenhow- awhile, so Carter grew up thinking of went her own way, getting into theater subjecting it to moisture, pressure, heat er’s inaugural homburg and late 1950s “fabric stores as the equivalent of candy and puppet-making instead. It was only and friction (and sometimes soap or some when her dad was waiting for a heart other alkaline agent) to persuade the nat- transplant, and she was looking to spend ural hooks and scales on the individual Plates more time with him, that she offered to woolen fibers to lock together. (That’s from page 7. Association. If you support the zoo or the help out by marketing some of the shawls what happens when you ruin a wool ans, Rotarians and the Benevolent Protec- Oklahoma Aquarium, there’s a plate for he’d woven over the years. She might’ve sweater by mistakenly washing it in hot tive Order of Elks. Under the Oklahoma you. There’s a plate for friends of art edu- started weaving herself, except for the water in a washing machine.) law, “any person wishing to demonstrate cation. Publicly an Oklahoma motorist wet blanket who told her there were al- Carter’s apricot jacket begins support for the National Association for may fight breast cancer, support the Safe ready way too many handweavers in the with five pieces -- left front, right front, the Advancement of Colored People” may Kids Association, and whoop it up for the world. Which -- along with the facts that back, and two sleeves cut from thin, fine purchase a special license. So, too, with Northern Cherokee Association and the not all that many people were making open-weave silk chiffon. She layers rib- the National Rifle Association, Ducks Pride of Broken Arrow Marching Band. artisanal felt at the time, and that Carter bons of fluffy merino wool roving above Unlimited, the Oklahoma Mustang Club Under the circumstances, it’s no has a large head and can never find hats and beneath the surface of the silk, and and the Order of the Eastern Star. wonder the folks at Planned Parenthood that fit -- is how she and her father came works them until the wool fibers on one Oklahoma will sell you a special felt left out. The Supreme Court may not to collaborate on their first line of hand- side penetrate the silk membrane and plate on proof of membership in Alpha hear their case, but in Oklahoma their made felt hats. hook into the wool fibers on the other Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, Omega cause may go motoring on. (how?? and Her father got his transplant and side. In the process, both the wool and Psi Phi, Alpha Phi Alpha, Kappa Alpha we never mention tax law or legislative lived eight more years. For six, the two the silk shrink, but by somewhat different Psi, Zeta Phi Beta, Sigma Gamma Rho privilege) of them made hats together -- classic amounts, which adds to the texture of the and the Four-H Club. (Letters to Mr. Kilpatrick should felt hats that can take on quite different finished piece. After they’re felted and There are plates for Lions, Fu- be sent in care of this newspaper, or by shapes depending on whether you push shrunk, Carter dyes the five pieces in an ture Farmers, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts and e-mail to kilpatjj(at)aol.com.) the hat back from your face like a halo, acid dye bath, and only then stitches them members of the Oklahoma Quarter Horse or set it at an angle like a beret, or pull it together. down over your eyes for shade. The result looks fragile: Light Meanwhile, feltmaking heated shines through in places, the way you up. In the Philadelphia show alone, there can see light through a fine porcelain tea- are four other craftsmen using different cup. But the washing and shrinking give felting techniques, and there’s all sorts the fabric strength. Carter says she had of experimentation percolating. From the a friend test-drive one of her jackets at start, Carter had been looking for ways to a dance this summer: The friend danced make “a beautiful, fine felt.” Lately, she’s all night and the jacket held up just fine. been working with a range of techniques Mostly she custom-makes them to size. called “nuno.” The name comes from the She says it takes “a good eight hours” to Japanese word for cloth, and from a Japa- make one, and a jacket sells for $450. nese textile design company of the same No, I can’t afford one either. But 1-719-372-3910 - 660 Hwy 115 Penrose, CO 81240 name known for integrating traditional if I could, it would seem like a bargain, Japanese textile craft techniques with given that you can spend five times as Come On Over The River & much for a mass-produced piece with some dead Frenchman’s label in it. Noth- Through The Woods” Belmont Square ing against dead Frenchmen, may they Apartments rest in peace, but which would you rather Now Pre-Leasing! pay for: a dead man’s name with a lot of “Christmas In The Country” expensive advertising behind it, or a live Buffet - Salad Bar Burger - Steaks - Seafood “Look & Lease Special” person’s ideas, imagination and skill, and Amenities include: her sensuous delight -- visible, palpable, Homemade Pies - Jams - Candy • ELEVATORS • Sparkling seasonal lap pool, contagious -- in color and texture and line Holiday Parties - Gift Certificates • Remodled clubhouse and shape? • On-Site laundry facilities NEW Christmas Gift Shop • Well maintained property with on May The site maintenance Wednesday - Saturday: 11:30am - 8:00pm • Walk to schools/shopping/mall - On Bus line Clouds Never Sundays: 8:00am - 7:30pm Conveniently located to I-25 at Closed Mondays & Tuesdays 2020 Jerry Murphy Rd - Pueblo, CO Burst And The Serving home-cooking for over 20 years! Call Amanda for specials! Son Always Family Friendly - Parties Big & Small 545-2236, or email Senior Discounts! [email protected] Find You! Page 22 - Senior Beacon - Dec., 2007 Visit Us at http://www.seniorbeacon.info Scrambled Eggs-Pertise Italian Or Mexican Style by Annette Gooch which you will be scrambling the eggs. Salsa (optional) Even if you can’t boil an egg Just remember to reduce the heat before 1. Melt butter in a skillet over (which, it turns out, isn’t as easy as it’s adding the beaten eggs. medium heat; saute tomato, onion and cracked up to be), you very likely can If the eggs will be scrambled by chilies until onion is soft. scramble one. Armed with that one themselves, add them to the pan when the 2. Add eggs and scramble, fundamental skill and a willingness to butter or oil is hot and fragrant. Slowly cooking until set. Garnish with avocado experiment by adding other ingredients stir the mixture with a wooden spoon or slices and serve at once, passing salsa, if to the mix, you’re on your way to paddle. As the eggs begin to set, lift the used, at the table. developing a solid repertoire of fine- cooked portions so the uncooked parts Serves 4. tasting scrambled egg specialties. can flow underneath. Cook until the eggs reen pepper and tomato go into Start by cracking the eggs. To are set and done to your taste. If you wish this satisfying main dish for brunch or lessen the chances of shattering the shell to add grated cheese or chopped fresh supper. or breaking the yolk, tap the midsection herbs, wait until the eggs are very nearly ITALIAN SCRAMBLED of the egg against a clean, hard, angled cooked. EGGS WITH SAUSAGE AND Fresh avocado garnishes a skillet of eggs surface such as the edge of a heavy SUCCESS TIP: VEGETABLES scrambled with onion, tomato and mild bowl or mug. Use just enough force to -- According to the U.S. 2 tablespoons butter green chilies. photo: Lifestyle Media Group. crack the shell. Should an eggshell resist Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety 1 tablespoon olive oil cracking, tap it against the dull blade of a and Inspection Service, scrambled eggs 1 medium potato, cut in 1/2-inch cubes sausage casings and crumble meat. Add table knife. should be firm -- not runny -- when 1/2 pound mild or spicy Italian sausage to frying pan, cooking and stirring until Unless you plan to add salty served to reduce the risk of food-borne links lightly browned. Add onion and green ingredients to the eggs during the cooking illness caused by Salmonella Enteritidis 1 small onion, thinly sliced and separated pepper, cooking and stirring occasionally process, season them at this point, using bacteria. into rings just until onions are limp and potatoes are about 1/4 teaspoon salt and a pinch of Lightly sauteed onion, tomato 1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper tender (approximately 8 to 10 minutes pepper for every three eggs in the bowl. and mild green chilies go into this tasty 8 eggs total). To lighten the texture of the eggs as they scramble. Serve it with toast or spoon it 2 tablespoons half-and-half or milk 2. In a bowl, beat eggs with half- cook, add a tablespoon of water, milk into warm tortillas and wrap them as you 1/2 teaspoon salt and-half, salt and oregano until well- or half-and-half for every three eggs. would a burrito. 1/8 teaspoon dried oregano combined. Add tomato and egg mixture, Briskly beat in these additions, using a MEXICAN-STYLE 1 ripe tomato, seeded and chopped, or 1/2 all at once, to sausage mixture. Reduce fork or whisk, until the yolks and whites SCRAMBLED EGGS cup canned diced tomato heat to low and cook, stirring lightly as are well-blended. 3 tablespoons butter or oil Warm toasted Italian bread, buttered, if eggs begin to thicken, until eggs are To a frying pan over at low or 1 large tomato, peeled and chopped, or desired creamy and set. moderate heat, add about 1 1/2 tablespoons 1/2 cup canned diced tomato 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 3. Arrange one or two slices of butter or mild-flavored cooking oil for 3 tablespoons finely chopped onion Chopped parsley, for garnish hot toasted Italian bread on each serving every three eggs. If you plan to add onion, 3 canned mild green chilies, seeded and 1. Heat butter and olive oil in a plate. Spoon some of the egg mixture green or red pepper, or other ingredients chopped large frying pan. Add potato and begin over the toasted bread, and sprinkle with that require some cooking, you can cook 6 eggs, lightly beaten cooking over medium heat, stirring cheese and parsley. Serve at once. them in the butter in the same pan in Avocado slices, for garnish occasionally. Meanwhile, remove Serves 4 to 6.

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Main St.-Canon City M-W-F (Coffee or Tea optional). december 28: BAKED POTATO, Most meals served with bread and Broccoli Cheese Sauce, Tossed Salad w/ december 3: SPLIT PEA SOUP, Ham- burger on a bun with Catsup, Mustard & DECEMBER 3: SALISBURY STEAK, margarine. Dressing, Plum, Fruit Cocktail. Whipped Potatoes with Gravy, California, Visit Us at http:// www.seniorbeacon.info Senior Beacon - Dec., 2007 - Page - 23 Counter Culture: Ever Hear Of Probiotics? by Sandra Gordon the colon’s beneficial bacteria. ever, because they aren’t strictly regulat- tend to have a shorter shelf life, which In this age of antibacterial soap, Some probiotic manufacturers ed by the Food and Drug Administration, decreases the chances of the bacteria dy- overprescription of antibiotics and the claim that consuming probiotic bacteria “supplements don’t always live up to the ing in product storage,” she says. Food fear of foodborne illnesses from the may improve your overall immunity to counts they claim to have on the label,” also helps neutralize stomach acid. Con- likes of salmonella and E. coli, bacteria illness and reduce the risk of certain can- Sanders says. Your best bet is to contact sequently the bacteria can more easily don’t exactly have a healthy reputation. cers and heart disease, but the research in the manufacturer. “They should be able to survive the passage through the stomach. Still, probiotic bacteria, which are linked these areas is so far inconclusive. Also, tell you what level of bacteria you can ex- And finally, “if you’re consuming probi- to improving the health of the digestive some health-care professionals recom- pect at the expiration date of the product,” otics through foods like yogurt, you’re tract, are separating from the pack. mend using probiotics (both orally and O’Donnell says. The most reputable man- also getting a complete package of nutri- Scan the shelves and the refrig- topically) as part of a treatment for vagi- ufacturers also have data to back up their ents such as calcium, protein and more,” erated section of your local health-food nal yeast infections. numbers and can tell you what strains of says Felicia Busch, R.D., the author of store and you’re likely to spot pills, pow- Q: Are there different kinds of probi- bacteria are in their products. New Nutrition: From Antioxidant s to ders and liquid supplements proclaiming otics? Q: Since probiotics are living bacteria, Zucchini. However, if you can’t tolerate probiotic ingredients. They’re showing A: Yes--and some are more po- do they need to be stored in any special dairy products, supplements are a viable up in supermarkets, too. Dannon’s Ac- tent than others. To benefit from probiotic way to keep them alive and potent? way of getting probiotics, provided they tivia and Stonyfield Farm yogurt contains bacteria, you need to consume varieties A: “They need a cold environ- are responsibly formulated. probiotic bacteria, as does General Mills that can survive the long haul to your ment--the colder the better, even frozen,” Q: Should I take probiotics all the time, Yoplait Yo-Plus, a dairy drink. What ex- colon. First stop is the stomach. There, says O’Donnell. So make sure any pro- or just when I’m sick? actly are probiotics and what can they do about 90 percent of the bacteria you in- biotic foods and supplements you buy are A: It depends on whom you ask. for you? To find out, we asked several gest--good or bad--are killed by the stom- refrigerated in the store, and choose prod- “I personally advocate eating foods that pros for their insight into these beneficial ach’s hydrochloric acid, which has a pH ucts with the most distant expiration date. contain probiotics as a matter of course,” bugs. akin to toilet-bowl cleaner and naturally After buying them, don’t let them sit in says Kroger. It can do no harm, and it Q: What are probiotics? helps to break down food. The 10 percent the hot sun in the back of your car; bring might do some good. Others recommend A: They’re live “friendly” bac- of bacteria that withstand this harsh envi- them home immediately and stash them taking probiotics as extra health insurance teria that commonly inhabit the large in- ronment must then survive the bile acids in the refrigerator or freezer. Buy a small if, for example, you’re traveling to a for- testine (colon) as part of its microflora of the duodenum and navigate through 15 supply and try to consume them within a eign country (with foreign bacteria) or if and aid in digestion and the normal func- yards of small intestine before finally set- week or so. you’re lactose intolerant. In general, “if tioning of your gut, says Manfred Kroger, tling into the nooks and crannies of the Q: Does the “Live & Active Cultures” you’re taking antibiotics or if you’re hav- Ph.D., professor emeritus of food science colon, where they multiply and get to seal on yogurt mean that it’s a probi- ing digestive problems, probiotics a good at Pennsylvania State University. Now, work. Lactic-acid bacteria, specifically otic? first choice as a way to reestablish the however, probiotic bacteria are being Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus A: No. The seal, issued by the Na- good bacteria in your gut,” says Busch. grown in labs and added to foods or sold reuteri, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus tional Yogurt Association, means that the The recommended adult dosage as dietary supplements. rhamnosus and bifido-bacterium, have yogurt contains the bacteria Lactobacillus for probiotic supplements is roughly five Q: Why would I want to eat them? been shown to survive this journey, says bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophil- to ten billion bacteria per dose—check A: The beneficial bacteria in Mary Ellen Sanders, Ph.D., president of us, says Sanders. These “starter cultures” the label for the quantity your supplement your colon can become depleted in sever- Dairy and Food Culture Technologies in convert lactose--the main carbohydrate in contains. Taking them with food or milk al ways. If you’re taking antibiotics, suf- Centennial, CO. These are the ones most milk--into lactic acid, which curdles milk renders them more effective by neutraliz- fering from diarrhea, undergoing a course commonly purchased. protein into the custard-like consistency ing stomach acid that might kill the bac- of chemotherapy or if you’ve consumed Q: What else should I look for when of yogurt. Starter cultures don’t qualify as teria. And if you’re taking both antibiotic contaminated food, the harmful bacterial comparing probiotic products? probiotic bacteria because they don’t sur- medication and probiotic supplements, (that also reside naturally in your gut) can A: Check labels for the type and vive the trip to your colon. However, that make sure to take them several hours wind up outnumbering the good. (A bout amount of each probiotic they contain, doesn’t mean they’re simply a marketing apart, advises Thomas Kruzel, N.D., as- of diarrhea is a sure sign of this imbal- because even if you buy a product with gimmick. They have been shown to aid in sociate professor at the National College ance in your intestinal bacteria, says Kro- the right bacteria, there’s no guarantee the breakdown of lactose, making yogurt of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, ger.) Several studies in adults and infants that it contains enough of them to meet especially digestible, especially if you’re Oregon. Otherwise, the antibiotics may now suggest that probiotics may offer your expectations. “For probiotic bacteria lactose intolerant, Sanders says. However “eat” some of the probiotics. some relief. Consuming probiotic bacte- to have an effect, we like to see about 107 , many yogurts with the “Live and Active `To find out whether your probiotic prod- ria can help to re-establish and nurture or 108 (10 million to 100 million) live Cultures” seal also contain Lactobacillus uct is working, “see if you notice a physi- bacteria per gram,” says Joe O’Donnell, acidophilus, which is a probiotic bacte- ological effect,” suggests Sanders. Can Ph.D., executive director of the Califor- rium (because it makes it to your colon you better digest dairy products? Did you May The nia Dairy Research Foundation in Davis, alive). Products containing acidophilus survive a trip to India without a diarrhea California. And that’s on the date you buy generally say so on their labels. For the incident? Are you responding better to Clouds Never a product, not at the date it’s manufac- most bacteria for your dollar, buy plain, your antibiotic medication? If not, try tured. As soon as a probiotic product is not flavored, yogurt. The sugar content of switching brands, buying a fresher supply Burst And The manufactured, the bacteria begin to die, flavored yogurt inhibits probiotic bacteria or altering the time you take your probi- though cold temperatures hamper the viability, according to Kroger. otic. Son Always process (see below). Q: So am I better off getting my probi- Sandra Gordon - Journalist/author The labels on most containers of otics through supplements rather than 203-221-7632 sgordon1@mindspring. Find You! yogurt don’t list their levels of bacteria, through food? com, www.sandrajgordon.com though many supplement labels do. How- A: On the contrary, says Sand- www.blogs.consumerreports.org/baby ers. Obtaining probiotics from yogurt Most recent books: may actually be a better idea. Compared Consumer Reports Best Baby Products, to supplements, “probiotic dairy products 2007 Assisted Living Three Distinct Programs on One Campus Belmont Senior Care Westwind Village “A Home-Like Assisted Living Community” • Subacute/Skilled Nursing Care • Rehab & Respiratory Therapy • 5 ranch-style homes in • Designated • Ventilator Care cul-de-sac Alzheimer’s Home Medicare & Medicaid Certified Private Pay & Insurance (all one level) Available Welcome VA Contracted • More personal • Delicious home- Horizon Heights assistance due to one cooked meals, staff caring for only 10 • Skilled Nursing Care for Alzheimer’s laundry & residents Disease & Related Disorders housekeeping • Private bedrooms for • Secured Environment with Spacious provided private pay & Medicaid Grounds • Medication certified • Behavior Management Specialty Management residents Medicare & Medicaid Certified Private Pay & Insurance • Exceptional Activity Welcome VA Contracted • 20 years Program experience offering Living Center & Casa de Vida • Costs much less than excellent care nursing home care • Assisted Living • FREE assessments • Single & Double Occupancy • Residential & Assisted Living • Affordable Monthly Rate Including Adult Day Amenities (719) 544-3999 Medicaid Certified Private Pay & Insurance Welcome 3 Douglas Ct., Pueblo Services & Respite 2515 Pitman Place • Pueblo, Colorado 81004 www.belmontseniorcare.com Care also available! 719-564-0550 Call Nichole Today for a Tour & Information Packet Page 24 - Senior Beacon - Dec., 2007 Visit Us at http://www.seniorbeacon.info Social Security & You by Melinda Minor, District Manager - Pueblo social security QUESTIONS Answer: way to report my wages to Social Secu- rity, who do you think of? Older Ameri- AND ANSWERS Yes. In fact, military servicemen rity? cans who receive monthly benefit pay- RETIREMENT and women can receive expedited service Answer: ments? Younger people with disabilities Question: whether they apply for Social Security Since your work will affect who aren’t able to work and receive dis- I’m a retired worker. It looks disability benefits online or in person at your SSI benefits, we strongly encour- ability payments? like I underestimated when I reported my the nearest Social Security office. Peo- age monthly wage reporting as a way to The fact is Social Security serves expected earnings to Social Security. Do ple in the military can also apply for and make sure your monthly SSI payments a number of different audiences. That’s I need to report this? receive disability benefits while getting are accurate and on time. Because it is why we offer information by category on Answer: military pay. The online site for disabil- your responsibility to report wages, not our website, www.socialsecurity.gov. Yes, if you are receiving reduced ity applications from military personnel reporting them on time may result in you For example, if you are a fi- retirement benefits and you still work, is www.socialsecurity.gov/woundedwar- owing money to Social Security. Plan to nancial planner, you can visit our page you need to let us know if your earnings riors. Disability applicants can also call submit your pay stubs each month. For dedicated to your needs at www.social- are going to be higher or lower than an- 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) more information, visit Social Security’s security.gov/financialplanners. On this ticipated. Just call us toll-free at 1-800- to schedule an appointment at their local website at www.socialsecurity.gov/ssi or page, you’ll find information about ben- 772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778). Learn Social Security office. call Social Security’s toll-free number, 1- efits; calculators that allow you to help more about it by visiting our online publi- Question: 800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778). your clients project their future benefit cation, How Work Affects Your Benefits, I applied for disability benefits Question: amounts; information about incomes that at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10069. because of my back problems. The dis- I get Supplemental Security In- may offset Social Security benefits; and html. Or you can call 1-800-772-1213 ability office sent me a letter saying I had come (SSI) because I’m unable to work. a link to the Social Security Statement (TTY 1-800-325-0778) to request a free to go back to the doctor for more tests. My mom recently died and left me the page, where you can assist your clients copy. Do I have to pay for these tests? money in her bank account. Will this ex- in ordering a Statement -- a planning tool Question: Answer: tra money affect my SSI benefits? Will which details their earnings history and How many years do I need to No. The state Disability Deter- my SSI payments stop? estimates their retirement benefit. work to make sure I’m eligible for Social mination Service that decides your case Answer: If you are a health or school Security retirement benefits? may need additional medical information The money inherited is consid- professional, you may want to visit our Answer: to evaluate how severe your disability ered income for the month you receive Disability Programs page tailored to you Everyone born in 1929 or later is and how it limits your daily function- it and could make you ineligible for that at www.socialsecurity.gov/disability/pro- needs at least 40 credits to be eligible for ing. If needed information is not avail- month, depending on the amount of the fessionals. This web portal explains the retirement benefits. You can earn a maxi- able from your current medical sources, inheritance. If you still have the money Social Security disability determination mum of four credits per year, so you will they may ask you to go for a special ex- in the following month, it then becomes process, and how you may be asked to need to work at least 10 years to become amination. Your doctor or the medical a part of your resources. An unmarried play a part in it. It tells about information eligible for retirement benefits. Each facility where you have been treated is individual cannot have more than $2,000 we may request from you during a dis- year the amount of earnings needed for the preferred source to perform this ex- in resources and remain eligible for SSI. ability evaluation, and offers options on a credit rises as average earnings levels amination, but it may be done by some- Call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 how you can submit the requested infor- rise. In 2007, you receive one credit for one else. Social Security will pay for the (TTY 1-800-325-0778) and report the in- mation to us — including the fastest and each $1,000 of earnings, up to the maxi- examination. To learn more about Social heritance. They will tell you how your easiest way, through Electronic Records mum of four credits per year. For more Security disability benefits, visit our web- eligibility will be affected and what you Express. Learn how to submit records information, visit Social Security’s web- site on the subject at www.socialsecurity. might be able to do to remain eligible. electronically at www.socialsecurity.gov/ site at www.socialsecurity.gov or call So- gov/dibplan. Or call Social Security’s For more information, visit Social Secu- ere/index.html. cial Security’s toll-free number, 1-800- toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213 (TTY rity’s website at www.socialsecurity.gov. Human resource managers will 772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778). 1-800-325-0778). MEDICARE find a wealth of useful information on DISABILITY SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY Question: our website designed especially for their Question: INCOME (SSI) Is extra help for prescription needs. Just go to www.socialsecurity. My son was injured while in the Question: drug coverage still available? gov/hrm for everything you need to help military and he’s now in a rehab center. I get Supplemental Security In- Answer: you assist employees in planning for re- It’ll be a year before he’s able to work come (SSI) and I started working as a Yes. Social Security has an easy- tirement and other life events. again. Can he apply for disability ben- telemarketer. I only make one or two to-use online application that anyone — If you are a teacher or school of- efits? hundred dollars a month. What’s the best family members, friends and caregivers ficial, you may find it helpful to use our — can complete. You can find it at www. Schools page at www.socialsecurity.gov/ socialsecurity.gov. To apply by phone or schools1.htm. On this page, you can cer- get an application, call Social Security at tify student attendance, obtain a teacher 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) questionnaire, and learn more about stu- and ask for the Application for Help with dents who apply for Social Security dis- Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Costs ability benefits. (SSA-1020). Or go to the nearest Social Social Security interests a vast Security office. To learn more about the array of people. Learn more about Social Medicare prescription drug plans, visit Security by visiting our website at www. www.medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDI- socialsecurity.gov. Look for the “Infor- CARE (1-800-633-4227; TTY 1-877- mation for” section in the right column. 486-2048). Or call us at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1- WHATEVER YOUR JOB, SOCIAL 800-325-0778). SECURITY CAN HELP YOU DO IT When you think of Social Secu- IsCON your GplannedRATULATIONS giving program on AND track? HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY!!

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Aim for one meatless meal per (the “good”) cholesterol, which removes disease—public enemy number one--diet Smart Switches: If you’re an egg lover, day for if you have high cholesterol or a LDL cholesterol from artery walls. is your first line of defense. That’s be- consider egg whites and commercially- family history of heart disease. Try it/Buy it? For heart health, there’s no cause what you and your family eat can prepared egg substitutes to keep your Dark Chocolate need to limit yourself to red wine. Still, if strongly affect blood pressure and blood cholesterol intake low. For heart-healthy Secret Weapon: Proanthocyanidins--anti- you imbibe, cut yourself off at one glass cholesterol positively or negatively, pav- mega doses of omega-3s, consume at oxidants in the flavonoid family that may per day. (One drink equals 12-ounces ing the way for artery-clogging plaque. A least two 3-ounce fish meals a week, such help keep arteries clear, reduce the sticki- of beer, a 4-ounce glass of wine, or a 1 ‘heart-healthy’ diet low is saturated and as salmon and albacore tuna. < /P> ness of blood platelets to reduce the risk 1/2-ounce of 80-proof spirits.) Beyond trans fat and rich in fruits, vegetables, Soy of heart attack and lower blood pressure that daily dose, alcohol can raise blood whole-grains and low-fat dairy products. Secret Weapon: Soy protein (think tofu, by improving blood vessel elasticity. In pressure to increase your risk of heart Within that basic framework, however, edemame, soy milk, soy smoothies) fact, a recent study in the Journal of the disease—and a host of other health prob- some items may provide additional pro- contains alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an American College of Nutrition found that lems. tection. Or can they? Here’s food for omega-3 fatty acid that converts to DHA those who consumed 1.6 ounces of dark Smart Switches: Don’t drink? No prob- thought on what’s heart smart, what’s and EPA in the body, and isoflavones, chocolate daily for two weeks experi- lem. Studies suggest that drinking a one not. antioxidants that have been linked to a enced an eight-fold increase in the ability to two daily 8-ounce glasses of purple Eggs Enriched with Omega-3s reduced risk of heart disease. “But soy’s of their arteries to dilate, which improves grape juice has similar heart-healthy ben- Secret Weapon: Docosahexaenoic acid biggest benefit is that it displaces satu- blood flow to the heart, compared to those efits. “It enhances the body’s production (DHA) and EPA (eicosapentenoic acid)-- rated fat in the diet,” says Mikelle Mc- in the low-flavonoid chocolate group. of nitric oxide, which relaxes and opens omega-3 fatty acids that may help reduce Coin, R.D., senior nutrition director at Try it/Buy it? Despite the promising re- arteries, and helps prevent arteriosclero- the risk of heart disease by reducing in- the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular search, “I wouldn’t recommend eating sis from forming,” says David Bell, M.D., flammation, a risk factor for heart attack, Disease in San Francisco. “If you’re eat- chocolate regularly for heart health,” a cardiovascular researcher at the Indiana lower blood pressure slightly and the ing soy, you’re probably not eating red says McCoin. That’s because ounce per School of Medicine, in Fort Wayne. growth rate of the “bad” LDL cholesterol. meat.” ounce, dark chocolate is calorie dense, Tea One omega-3 enriched egg typically con- Try it/Buy it? Definitely seek out soy. which can contribute to weight gain if Secret Weapon: Like dark chocolate and tains 50 to 150 mg of DHA and 2 mg of Because soy protein contains little to no you consume it often, a major risk factor red wine, green and black tea are a potent EPA. For that added bonus, expect to pay artery-clogging saturated fat and choles- for heart disease. source of flavonoids, especially querce- as much as $1.50 more per dozen, com- terol, increasing your intake while usurp- Smart Switches: When you go the choc- tin and Epigallocatechingallate (EGCG), pared to regular eggs, which contain 60 ing high sat-fat foods, such as whole milk olate route occasionally (you’re human, which may relax blood vessels, prevent percent fewer omega-3s, on average. and red meat, can help lower LDL choles- after all), “look for dark chocolate that blood from clotting and prevent LDL cho- Try it/Buy it? “Omega-3-enriched eggs terol in the blood. To get at least 25 grams has at least 70 percent cocoa,” advises lesterol for oxidizing, a process that paves aren’t necessary for heart health,” says of soy protein a day (recommended), go Mary B. Engler, Ph.D., a cardiovascular the way for artery-clogging plaque. One Melissa Ohlson, R.D., nutr ition project with whole soy foods, such as soy milk (7 researcher at the University of California study showed that drinking three cups of coordinator for preventive cardiology at grams of soy protein per cup), edemame in San Francisco, such as Lindt Excel- tea a day reduced the risk of heart disease the Cleveland Clinic in Cincinnati. Why? (11 grams of soy protein per half cup), lence. (Check the label.) More cocoa sig- by 11 percent. They contain little DHA and EPA, provid- ? cup of roasted soy nuts (17 grams per nals higher flavonoid content. Try it/Buy it? Definitely consider adding ing less than 1 percent of the American one-fourth cup) or tofu (10 grams per Red Wine tea to your repertoire if you don’t drink Heart Association’s suggested intake of .5 half cup). Although there are products Secret Weapon: Like dark chocolate, it already. Studies have shown that tea to 1.8 grams of per day (500 to 1800 mil- with isolated isoflavones on the market, red wine is rich in proanthocyanidins. drinkers generally lower death rates re- ligrams). And like regular eggs, they’re McCoin doesn’t recommend them since And, the alcohol (ethanol) red wine—or gardless of age, gender, smoking status, also a significant source of cholesterol. the degree to which isoflavones are car- any alcoholic beverage contains—is also obesity, hypertensi on, diabetes or previ- One Egg Lands Best enriched egg, for dio-protective solo isn’t yet clear. good for your heart. Studies have shown ous heart attack. “The more you drink, example, provides 180 milligrams, which Smart Switches: Don’t like soy? No prob- that consuming one to two drinks a day the lower your risk of heart disease,” says is more than half of the recommended lem. To downsize dietary saturated fat reduces the risk of heart disease by as McCoin. Smart Switches: For the most benefit, opt for brewed green or black tea, which Same Old Song? contains five to 10 times the flavonoids of from page 3. a benign view of “like.” They say, “There weeks ago she wrote of Democratic elec- instant tea. like Japan’s. These are examples. “Like” is no doubt that after 600 years of use, toral victories “in such places as Arling- Grapeseed oil doesn’t work well in these constructions conjunctive ‘like’ is firmly established. ton County and Alexandria.” Not “places Secret Weapon: A byproduct of wine pro- because the first, immediate understand- It has been used by many prestigious like”! Places “such as”! duction, this mild flavored oil is a decent ing of “like” in context is as a compara- literary figures of the past, though- per source of antioxidant vitamins E and C tive: Scott’s love was “like a red, red haps not in their most elevated works. In Two words often are better than and beta-carotene. One study showed that rose.” John Dos Passos wrote of “frail modern use it may be found in literature, one. Two weeks ago the Eugene (Ore.) grapeseed oil may increase HDL choles- clouds like milkweed floss.” The Yan- journalism, and scholarly writing. While Register Guard carried an item from the terol and lower LDL cholesterol by 13 kees are like the Red Sox, only of course the present objection to it is perhaps more Associated Press that began, “The birth percent and 7 percent, respectively. But they weren’t. heated than rational, someone writing in of a baby orca in Puget Sound this week research on this oil is scanty. The editors of Merriam-Web- a formal prose style may well prefer to makes the fourth calf born this year.” Try it/Buy it? Steer clear. “Grapeseed oil ster, in one of their permissive fits, take use ‘as, as if, such as’ or an entirely dif- Reader Phil Schnabel pounced: “Aren’t is a major source of omega-6 fatty acids, ferent construction instead.” all orcas born as babies?” Well, yes, the which may increase arterial inflammation, adjectival “baby” was redundant, but this a risk factor for heart attack,” says Fred Bah! Humbug! On this point was a B.R., that is, a Benign Redundancy. Pescatore, M.D., author of The Hamptons of usage, I am much more rational than Only a heartless copy editor would kill Diet. heated. All I’m suggesting is that you it. Smart Switches: Stick with canola oil and writers think twice before committing (Readers are invited to send flaxseed oil, which contain heart-healthy to the slovenly “like” when a tidy “such dated citations of usage to Mr. Kilpatrick ALA. as” may be easily employed. You may in care of this newspaper. His e-mail ad- Box: Heart-Check Mark Check-Up find a splendid example in the work of a dress is kilpatjj(at)aol.com.) For a quick way to spot heart-healthy SENIOR guests stringer for The Washington Post. A few products, look for the American Heart As- These feature smaller portions sociation’s red heart with the white check *Country Fried Steak..... $6.39 mark on product packages. Products dis- Senior Cheeseburger... $5.49 playing the heart-check mark must be Each Dinner Served With Your Assisted Living At Its Best! low in saturated fat, cholesterol and so- Choice of soup or salad! dium and contain at least 10 percent of Country Fried Steak...... $6.49 the Daily Value of one or more of protein, Liver & Onions...... $6.49 vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, iron or Chopped Steak Dinner.... $6.49 fiber. Still, keep tabs on calories by pay- Pork Chop...... $6.49 ing attention to portion sizes. “The heart- Roast Turkey Dinner..... $6.49 check logo doesn’t mean you can overeat Cod Dinner...... $6.49 the product or think it’s the magic bullet,” Roast Beef Dinner...... $6.49 cautions Wahida Karmally, RD, direc- tor of Nutrition at the Irving Center for TWO SENIOR Clinical Research at Columbia University DINNERS Medical Center in New York City. copyright Sandra Gordon Just $10.99 The Sandra Gordon Journalist/author 203-221-7632 present ad - expires: 12/31/07 Legacy Commons [email protected] www.sandrajgordon.com 4137 N. Elizabeth St. 170 Dacona Drive, Pueblo West, CO 81007 www.blogs.consumerreports.org/baby Pueblo, CO - 545-3179 Most recent books: 719-547-2538 Consumer Reports Best Baby Products, 2007 Page 26 - Senior Beacon - Dec., 2007 Visit Us At http://www.seniorbeacon.info Aroma Therapy And The Elderly Plant materiel has been used psychological and physical well-being of The relaxing and calming effects from the beginning of time to heal a our conditions. These studies demonstrated a significant through massage, bath and inhalations wound, repel insects, heal an ailment or The oils enter the body through impact on behavioral problems in patients therapies can help relieve stress, accumu- to season food. . Perhaps it started when absorption and inhalation therapies such with dementia with little side effects. One lated tensions and anxieties. humans sitting around a fire noticed cer- as massage or bath treatments. such study was aromatherapy in conjunc- Blends have been prepared for tain effects from a plant material they The use of essential oils has been tion with massage on the elderly with de- dry cracked skin to bedsores. Use of these burned. They could breathe better or a on the rise for several years now but have mentia and depression. oil blends has shown improvement in headache went away. With experimenta- been in use for thousands of years from Evidence was reported there was physical conditions. One such study con- tion teas were made and ointments creat- ancient Egypt to Rome. They were used increased alertness, raised motivation, re- ducted in a manufacturing plant showed ed for many ailments. A healing medicine to lubricate the skin, cleanse the air, heal duced levels of agitation, wandering and that when Peppermint oil was diffused was discovered! the body and mind or simply to just smell withdrawal. Many had improved sleeping into the air the workers were more alert Aromatherapy is the use of es- good. patterns. and accidents were less. sential oils extracted from plant mater- In the past few years there have Some essential oils affect the Massage in itself is a relaxing iel such a flowers, herbs, barks, leaves, been a number of clinical studies of the nervous system and can even reduce experience but being used in conjunction roots, berries or fruits for the healing of effects of these oils in the care of elders. blood pressure. with healing essential oils have shown through various studies worldwide that they indeed can have true healing ef- Crowds Grow In Stylish Glasgow fects. by Elliott Hester from pedicures to aromatherapy. In elder care with dementia and Because the city is home to nu- I was surprised to learn that af- depression this can be an alternative or merous bands and live concert venues, ter London, Glasgow is the United King- added therapy in their care as well as just Time magazine called it “Europe’s secret dom’s second-most-popular shopping to make them feel good! capital of music.” It boasts hip new res- destination. That’s old news to the thou- Lavender essential oil for ex- taurants, a thriving arts scene, stunning sands of shoppers I saw marching along ample is an antidepressive, antibacterial, Victorian architecture and enough rol- Buchanan Street each day. astringent, analgesic, antispasmodic, an- licking pubs and clubs to satisfy party- Buchanan Street is a bustling pe- ticonvulsive, antimicrobial, carminative, hungry appetites. destrian shopping lane. Retailers rush to deodorant, diuretic, to name a few. Oh, yeah, and the men like to join storefronts for the likes of Hugo Boss It is a natural sedative, relaxing dress up in skirts. and the new Apple Store. In fact, Bucha- and effective for physiological symptoms Kilt-wearing blokes notwith- nan Street rental fees rank seventh in the anxiety, mood swings, fear and paranoia. standing, Glasgow is a must-see destina- world behind New York’s Fifth Avenue, Often used for the treatment stress and tion. A one-time haven for shipbuilders London’s New Bond Street, Champs depression. Lavender has a calming and and textile workers, this town of 600,000 Elysees in Paris and a few other stellar mood lifting effect. has blossomed into a stylish city that even shopping haunts. Do you remember the little lav- a hipster could love. And yet there’s a down-home ender pillow Grandma used to make? A number of boutique hotels have feel to Glasgow’s retail paradise. Some- One would put them by their own pillow recently swung open their stylish doors. where between Russell & Bromley for a good nights sleep. ABode Glasgow sports 60 guest rooms (shoes) and House of Fraser (department Ashton Lane, Glasgow’s hidden The world is abundant with and a chef crowned with two Michelin store), you’ll see performance artists en- cobblestone walkway, is lined with friend- healing herbs and plants. From the start stars. Instead of “standard” or “superior,” tertaining schoolkids and grandparents, ly pubs .photo: Glasgow City Marketing of mankind we have we have used these rooms are categorized as “enviable” or business types, green-haired punkers and Bureau wonderful healing materials, perhaps it “fabulous.” those quintessential Scottish men in kilts. nightclubs frequented by students from time we got back to that… At Oshi Spa inside the Park Inn At night, an equally large and of- Glasgow’s three universities. Submitted by Wonderful Life Hotel -- across the street from the Glas- ten inebriated crowd cruises Sauchiehall Because I’m well past 25 years Home Care and Assisted Living gow Royal Concert Hall -- guests are Street. Sauchiehall (pronounced Sa-key- of age, I preferred to sip Guinness on They can be reached at 970-593- pampered with a variety of treatments hall) is a raucous gauntlet of pubs and SEE “GLASGOW” PAGE 27. 8444.

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CEN_PAHS_018_PuebloBeaconGeo_M.i1 1 10/18/07 2:57:55 PM Visit Us at http:// www.seniorbeacon.info Senior Beacon - Dec., 2007 - Page - 27 Good Gardeners Wrap Up Their Christmas Wish Lists by Marty Ross good all year -- and Santa, please just set weather outside is frightful, the compost It’s easy to buy presents for a up the greenhouse out in the garden. delivery will have to wait until spring. gardener, but it can be hard to fit them Gardeners aren’t hard to please, Don’t let challenges like this under a tree. Hayes says, but they have a way of ask- slow you down. Garden shops are stocked “I want a greenhouse for or- ing for presents that aren’t necessarily like Santa’s workshop with perfect gifts chids,” says Virginia Hayes, vice presi- appropriate for delivery in December. A for the gardeners on your list. dent of gardening at Smith and Hawken, truckload of well-aged horse manure may Rebecca Brown has a birdbath the retail and mail-order gardening spe- be a gardener’s deepest desire, but it is on her list. Brown, buyer for the seven cialty company. Hayes says she’s been hard to gift-wrap such a thing, and if the Bachman’s garden shops in Minneapolis and St. Paul, reports that birdbaths with built-in solar heaters or fountains were Glasgow Is THE Place! hot sellers at Bachman’s last summer. from page 26. pub and hear live musicians playing eve- She knows she’s not the only one who Ashton Lane. Located in the West End, rything from folk music to rock and soul. wants one for Christmas. this cozy street is lined with pubs that ca- For these reasons, as well as the growing Birdhouses, bird feeders, bird ter to a less rambunctious crowd. success of local record labels like Chemi- decorations and accessories of all de- Rambunctious or not, the crowds kal Underground, Glasgow is often com- scriptions are just the thing to give gar- are swelling in Glasgow. Since 2006, pared to Detroit during its Motown glory deners in the dead of winter, she says. Glasgow’s two international airports days. Birds fill your garden with life even when have attracted 30 new routes from Bos- And yet Glasgow is striving for you’re too busy or it’s too cold for you to ton, Orlando, Toronto, Vancouver and a more. A 12,500-seat Scottish National be out there yourself, and watching them number of European cities. Arena is scheduled for completion in through the windows makes the winter Between visits to George Square 2011. Scotland’s largest hotel complex (a days pass more lightly. in the heart of the city and guided tours 300-room, four-star Holiday Inn) is cur- Birdhouses these days are de- of the University of Glasgow (Scotland’s rently under construction in the city cent- signed specifically for a specific kind of Gardeners aren’t hard to shop second-oldest), tourists come to admire er. And by 2014, the $2.4 billion Glasgow bird -- wrens and bluebirds prefer holes for, but sometimes it’s a challenge to wrap of different sizes -- and they all come in a the presents. A potting bench, a birdhouse the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Harbor development will have converted or an army of helpful garden gnomes will Like Antoni Gaudi in Barce- 130 acres of derelict property along the terrific range of designs. please the gardeners on your list. photo: www. lona and Frank Lloyd Wright in Chi- Clyde River into offices, bars and restau- “They’re fun, and you definitely smithandhawken.com. cago, Mackintosh left an indelible mark rants. need more than one,” Brown says. This on Glasgow. Born in 1868, the Scottish By 2014, however, Glasgow year, birdhouses that look like barns, cab- Bachman’s and other garden architect and interior designer favored might be a mandatory stop on everyone’s ins and country cottages are going to be shops around the country work with local smooth lines and geometric shapes over European travel itinerary. I’m happy to the hot sellers, she says. artists to offer garden decorations that you the ornate Victorian design of his time. have visited before the crowds showed Smith and Hawken offers a fancy can’t find anywhere else. Ceramic garden Many of his innovative furniture designs up. mahogany birdhouse with a copper roof ornaments, iron trellises and decorative are on permanent display at Kelvingrove If You Go for gardeners who prefer a more contem- stepping stones are even nicer if you know Art Gallery and Museum, the most prom- From Jan. 16 to Feb. 3, 2008, porary style and a blue ceramic birdhouse something about who made them and feel inent museum in Glasgow and one of the Glasgow hosts the annual Celtic Connec- just right for anyone who appreciates nice that you are supporting your community’s finest in the United Kingdom. tions, the premiere Celtic festival in the pottery. Gardener’s Supply Co., another craftspeople. Such decorations can con- Mackintosh’s greatest architec- United Kingdom and one of the largest mail-order specialist with garden gifts of tribute to a garden’s sense of place, since tural achievement, the Glasgow School winter music festivals of its kind. For in- all kinds, sells gourd birdhouses in bright they are made with local materials and ex- of Art, is a stunning example of art nou- formation, visit www.celticconnections. fruit colors for a cottage garden. press local aesthetic themes. veau design. The simple stone facade, ex- com. For more information on Glasgow, Gardeners are notorious for buy- Garden decorations that glow in pansive windows and wrought-iron gates visit the Greater Glasgow and Clyde Val- ing presents for themselves, according the dark are another hot item around the helped pave the way for a new generation ley Tourist Board at www.seeglasgow. to both Brown and Hayes, but even the country. Glass garden spheres and hang- of designers and architects. com. gardener who has everything can always ing ornaments made with light-absorbing Glasgow-based bands like Franz Elliott Hester is author of “Plane use another handsome watering can or materials glow for several hours after dark Ferdinand and local supergroup The Insanity” and “Adventures of a Continen- a great-looking basket. A potting bench and, properly placed here and there, give Reindeer Section play gigs at venerable tal Drifter.” Contact Hester at megoglo- makes a spectacular gift, and a wheel- the garden a magical appearance. venues such as King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, [email protected] or visit www.elliot- barrow or a garden cart will take a lot of “They’re not so much for light as where the group Oasis was discovered. thester.com. strain off your mind and your favorite for atmosphere,” Brown says. Gardener’s On any given night you can step into a gardener’s back. Supply sells a broad selection of these decorations, which it calls “fairy dust balls.” Gardeners often confound their Seniors Look At This friends by wishing for the unattainable: They want more sun for the roses, less You Need To Review What You Have For rain on the weekends and more time to enjoy their own backyards. These gifts Health Insurance!!! are impossible to buy, but any gardener would appreciate a coupon good for a You Have November and December To Get Out Of A Bad Plan! helping hand one Saturday morning in the We Have Plans Which Have NO CO-PAYMENTS! garden or a packet of seeds inscribed with a promise to help plant them when the HOW HIGH ARE YOURS? time is right. If you’re not a gardener but We Have Plans Which can Not be canceled! would like to please one, give a gift cer- tificate big enough to buy a spring-flower- can yours drop you? ing tree, a coupon redeemable for a day With Your Medicare and Our Supplemental, You Can Go To with a landscape designer, or a ticket to a gardening symposium. Such presents Docs and Hospitals Anywhere In The U.S.A.! can seem abstract on Christmas Day, but a note describing the gift can be slipped Does Yours Let You Do That? into a pair of new garden gloves or anoth- er token, and the recipient can look for- The Medicare F Will Give You These Advantages. ward to a little bit more Christmas cheer However Those Companies Using The F Plan Will Vary at the appropriate time. The spirit of the holidays is noth- On Price. ing if not whimsical. Hayes started buying garden gnomes in France years ago, and LOOK AT OURS!! EXAMPLE: colleagues have contributed to her col- 65 YR OLD FEMALE...$90.94 - 65 YR OLD MALE...$104.50 lection. Now Smith and Hawken sells a group of gnomes, decked out with pointy 70 YR OLD FEMALE...$103.36 - 70 YR OLD MALE...$118.80 red hats and ready to get to work in the garden. Call 1-800-561-2842 - No Obligation And if it’s too cold outside for garden work, there’s no reason the garden- P.E.R.A. Retirees Should Take A Hard Look! er on your list couldn’t keep her gnomes busy by the hearth for a month or so, wait- KEITH DEAN ing for spring. For more information: Smith and DEAN INSURANCE SERVICES Hawken, www.smithandhawken.com; Bachman’s, www.bachmans.com; Gar- 1-800-561-2842 1-719-488-6824 dener’s Supply Co., www.gardeners.com. Page 28 - Senior Beacon - Dec., 2007 Visit Us at http:// www.seniorbeacon.info Reeling "A Tale Of Two Santas” by Film Critic Betty Jo Tucker, Pueblo

thereby setting the stage for the amusing Besides Vaughn’s excellent A TALE OF TWO chaos that ensues. Because this holiday turn here, Giamatti comes across as a SANTAS comedy takes too long in getting to the convincing Santa. Sometimes it’s hard Ho, ho, ho! Moviegoers have colorful North Pole Christmas activity, to understand his dialogue through the the opportunity to see two actors deliver it probably won’t grab the interest of beard and moustache, but he looks quite their interpretations of Santa this month. youngsters right away. But many adult lovable – and we worry right along with Although released in November, “Fred viewers will be drawn in immediately by him when things go wrong at the North Claus” will probably play on the big Vaughn’s frenetic performance as a man Pole. As the villain, Spacey evokes our screen throughout December, and “The with serious “brother” issues. curiosity about why his character is so Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause” is Lavishing parental attention on serious and mean. (When we find out, it’s now available on DVD. In the former one child at the expense of another isn’t a delightful surprise!) movie, Paul Giamatti plays the Jolly Old beneficial to either youngster, but Fred Although focusing on the dys- Elf, whereas the latter film features Tim (Vaughn) and Nicholas (Giamatti) have a functional relationship between Fred and Allen in his third outing as Santa/Scott mother (Kathy Bates) who just can’t help Nicholas, “Fred Claus” boasts the tradi- Calvin. herself. Throughout their lives, she con- tional things children enjoy in holiday Sibling rivalry raises its ugly stantly chides Fred for not being “more movies, including reindeer, elves, Santa’s head in “Fred Claus,” a holiday treat like Nicholas.” And who can blame her? workshop and cheery Christmas music. co-starring Vince Vaughn as Santa’s jeal- After all, Nicholas is so good, he’s practi- There’s also a fascinating “snow globe” ous older brother. More fun for parents cally a saint -- while Fred has great dif- which allows viewers to see who’s being than for young children, this new take ficulty controlling his bitterness toward naughty or nice. Still, the highlight of the on Santa’s family life features some very his pudgy sibling. When the two grow film shows Fred attending a “Siblings trayal of Jack Frost, Martin Short pro- funny scenes showing the boys’ mother, up – you guessed it -- Nicholas becomes Anonymous” meeting. This depiction of vides the highlight of this second sequel. who obviously never heard of Dr. Spock, Santa Claus, and Fred wants nothing at all several brothers seeking help is strictly Short’s frosty make-up, icicle-spiked hair violating important childrearing advice, to do with Christmas. Until this year, that for grown-ups -- and it’s one of the fun- and snow-streaked costume transform is. What explains Fred’s sudden inter- niest scenes of the year. (Released by him into a wintry imp. He’s especially est in Nicholas’ North Pole operation? Warner Bros. Pictures and rated “PG” for watchable in a Las Vegas style musi- Money, of course. Fred wants $50,000 to mild language and some rude humor.) cal number as he belts out “North Pole, close a certain deal, so he agrees to help Rivalry also assumes a key role North Pole” (instead of “New York, New his brother during the busy Christmas in “The Santa Clause 3.” An envious York”). season. Jack Frost, portrayed with smarmy gusto Actually, Martin Short turns out Lunch Special Nicholas needs all the assis- by Martin Short, wants to take over to be the only reason for adults to see this deLITE Thin Crust tance he can get, for “the Board” has control of the North Pole operation from movie. The rest of the film may appeal to called in a Scrooge-like efficiency expert Allen’s Santa. Unfortunately, despite youngsters because of the colorful Toy Cheese Pizza - $3.99 (Kevin Spacey) who wants to fire the Short’s entertaining turn and the film’s Factory and Hall of Snow Globes scenes, elves and close down Santa’s business. whimsical setting, this second sequel but there’s not much to laugh at here. 11am-3pm Unfortunately, Fred’s unique brand of lacks the charm of the first two “Santa Sadly, “The Santa Clause 3” fails to live Ex: 12/30/07 just mention this ad help backfires, causing everything to Clause” movies. up to the other films in this holiday fran- 310 N. 16th St.-Cañon City, CO become extremely bleak indeed. Then, Allen’s Santa has become wor- chise. Because I loved those movies so 276-0088 as we watch Fred try to make up for his ried about his pregnant wife who misses much, I’m disappointed this one put such mistakes, we can’t help cheering him on. her parents, so he invites his in-laws to a chill on my holiday spirit. (Released the North Pole for the holidays. He also by Walt Disney Pictures and rated “G” as extends an invitation to his own family. suitable for all audiences.) Santa has almost too much going on, so Read Betty Jo’s movie reviews Jack Frost offers to help. Unknown to at www.ReelTalkReviews.com. Santa, Frost harbors a secret plot that, if Autographed copies of her books, successful, would result in Scott/Santa CONFESSIONS OF A MOVIE evoking the escape clause and Frost him- ADDICT and SUSAN SARANDON: self becoming the new Santa. A TRUE MAVERICK, are available With his devilishly amusing por- in Pueblo at Barnes & Noble.