senior spectrum november 2013

November • 2013 • 3

page 3 - Letterspage 4 - Opinion: VA Claims Backlog Improves Ahead of Veterans Daypage 5 - Opinion: ProtectingSocial Securitypage 16 - Sanford Center forAging Director Shares Views

Every Issuepage 20 - Calendar page 21 - Tinseltown Talkspage 22 - Eydie’s Excerptspage 24 - Eclectic Observerpage 25 - Biggest Little Citypage 26 - this ‘n that

page 27 - Crossword page 29 - Resourcespage 31 - Seniors4Travel

Healthpage 10 - CMS: Time toReview Medicare Coveragepage 12 - Family CaregivingDr. Lawrence J. Weiss, Ph.D.,Center for Healthy Agingpage 15 - Ophthalmology: Dr.Michael Fischer, M.D.

Financial page 7 - Special Needs TrustsBradley B. Anderson, Anderson,Dorn, Rader - Wealth Advisors

2013

Senior Spectrum NewspaperP.O. Box 7124 • Reno, NV 89510

(775) 348-0717e-mai l : S eniorspectrumnv@aol . com

S eniorspectrumnewspaper. comPublishers: Chris & Connie McMullen

Senior Spectrum is a monthly publication dedicated to inform, serve, and entertain.Publication of advertising contained does not constitute endorsement. Signed columns

are the opinion of the writers, and not necessarily the opinion of the publishers. Copyrighted publication. All rights reserved.

Letters To the Editor:First, Mark Amodei heldhostage the livelihoods ofthousands of Nevadans bysupporting the GOP shut-down that locked workingpeople off their jobs, shut-tered our national parks, andflung our still recoveringeconomy into a tailspin.

Now, Amodei wants tothrow cuts to our hardearned Social Security bene-fits on the list of ridiculousdemands Republicans wantto end the shutdown disas-ter that they created. SocialSecurity helps hundreds ofthousands of our retirees,disabled workers, veteransand children in Nevada withtheir basic needs. It shouldbe strengthened, protected,and expanded.

Amodei and the

Republican Party need torealize that we will not standfor being used as pawns intheir political games. Insteadof asking to put SocialSecurity on the table,Amodei should be calling onhis leadership to give mem-bers a vote on a clean con-tinuing resolution and putNevada back to work andnever shut down the USgovernment again. He hasno business even thinking ofcutting Social Security whenthis is money that we havepaid in and is not govern-ment money.

Nevadans did not createthis mess, but we are theones who are paying for itevery day this shutdowncontinues. Who do youthink you are to do this toNevadans?Barbara StoneSparks, NV

Press photo, July 9, 2012, Academy of Motion Picture Art's andScience's presented a screening of "It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, MadWorld." Marvin Kaplan is seen with two other cast membersMickey Rooney and Jonathan Winters (who passed away last April).

21

Content s

Lastmonth, Iwas notifiedthat 100percent ofall disabilityclaims overtwo years

old in Nevada have beeneliminated from theDepartment of VeteransAffairs (VA) backlog. Nodoubt, it is encouraging tohear that the VA has expedi-tiously processed theseclaims. Our veterans havewaited too long for thesedecisions, and I appreciatethe focus they have placedon bringing down the back-

log numbers.

Since joining the SenateVeterans’ Affairs Committeein the 113th Congress, Ihave been vocal about theneed to reduce the backlogin benefits claims. Mostrecently, I joined forces withSenator Robert P. Casey, Jr.from Pennsylvania to launchthe bipartisan VA BacklogWorking Group. This groupis a united effort by lawmak-ers, veterans, VeteransService Organizations, andveterans’ advocates to put anend to the VA disabilityclaims backlog once and forall.

This Veterans Day, wenot only celebrate the claimsreduction, we also jointogether in recognizingthose who have valiantlyserved our country in theArmed Forces. My deepestrespect and appreciationgoes to the brave men andwomen who have and con-tinue to defend this greatnation. As we honor theseheroes, we must never forgetthose who lost their liveswhile displaying courage andbravery so that we can livefree.

More than 300,000 veter-ans call Nevada home, and I

am grateful for the immeas-urable sacrifices they havemade on our behalf. Thecharacter and courage of ourmilitary men and women,past and present, are whathave made our nation sogreat. To all of Nevada’sheroes, thank you for yourservice and everything youhave given.

Readers can contactSenator Heller at: BruceThompson Federal Building,400 S. Virginia St., Ste. 738,Reno, NV 89501. In CarsonCity write to: 305 NorthCarson St., Ste. 201, CarsonCity, NV 89701.

4 • 2013 • November

Sen. Dean Heller

Opinion VA Claims Backlog Improves Ahead of Veterans Day

U.S. Senator Dean Heller


SocialSecurityreflects thebest ofAmerica'svalues. Itpromises allAmericans

that if they work hard andplay by the rules, they canretire and live in dignity.Social Security is not a hand-out. It is a benefit thatAmericans earn, by workingand paying into the system.

Social Security has been aremarkable success. But asimportant as SocialSecurity's earned benefits areto seniors, they are not lav-ish. The average retiree ben-efit is less than $1300 month.Many in Washington seem

to think that's too much forAmericans who have spent alifetime contributing to theircommunities. I disagree.

Opponents of SocialSecurity often try to createthe impression the programis in crisis. That simply isnot true. The Social SecurityTrust Fund has sufficientassets to pay every penny ofbenefits for the next 20years. In fact, even after thatpoint, in the unlikely eventthat Congress takes noaction, the trust fund stillwould bring in sufficientresources to pay about threequarters of promised bene-fits.

Of course, Congress willhave to address the pro-

gram's long-term challenges.But it is wrong to suggestthat the only way to saveSocial Security is to destroyit, either by privatizing theprogram or making deepcuts in benefits.

While we must cut waste-ful spending and restore fis-cal discipline, I stronglyoppose plans that would bal-ance the budget on the backsof seniors while protectinggovernment giveaways tolarge corporations that shipAmerican jobs overseas.Nevada seniors have earnedtheir benefits, and rely onthem to put food on thetable, make the rent, and paythe bills, especially duringthese tough economic times.I often wonder whether

Republicans who want totake away from our nation’sseniors understand howmany of them rely on SocialSecurity benefits just to getby.

Be assured that I will con-tinue to do what I can tosupport Social Security andto protect it from those whowould undermine it. SocialSecurity represents a trustbetween the government andhardworking Americans whohave contributed in goodfaith. That trust must neverbe violated.

For more information, orto receive the Reid Report E-Newsletter, visit SenatorHarry Reid’s website athttp://www.reid.senate.gov

Sen. Harry Reid

Opinion

U.S. Sen. Harry ReidProtecting Social Security

Does your child withDown syndrome receive gov-ernment benefits? If yes,using your Will to leavemoney directly to your childcan jeopardize their govern-ment benefits. Learn how aSpecial Needs Trust can pro-vide long-term protection foryour child.

Every year, about 6,000babies with Down syndromeare born in the United States.Over their lifetimes, many ofthese children will contendwith serious medical condi-tions including heart defects,gastrointestinal problems,visual or hearing impairment,

dementia, and early-onsetAlzheimer’s disease. As aresult, the costs associatedwith Down syndrome can beastronomical and many ofthose with the conditionreceive public benefits, suchas Medicaid or SupplementalSecurity Income (SSI).

All parents want theirchildren to be happy and toenjoy long-term financial sta-bility, and parents whose chil-dren have Down syndromeoften believe the best way toaccomplish this is to leavemoney to their children usinga Will, a life insurance policy,or a retirement account.

However, leaving moneydirectly to the child can dis-qualify him or her fromreceiving much-needed bene-fits. For example, under SSIrules, a recipient is limited to$2,000 in assets. If a recipienthas property valued morethan this amount, their bene-fits are suspended until thoseassets are “spent down”below the $2,000 threshold.

This means that the unin-tended consequence of aninheritance or even a big giftfrom grandma could result ina loss of valuable benefits.

What is the best way toplan for long-term financial

security for your child? Onesolution is to establish aSpecial Needs Trust.

Under the terms of aSpecial Needs Trust, aTrustee manages trust proper-ty to ensure that it willremain a long-term source offunds for the child. TheTrustee has discretion to dis-tribute trust assets to (or onbehalf of) the child, as longas he or she follows strictrules that forbid the use ofSpecial Needs Trusts for anyof the services covered bygovernment benefits. In anutshell, Medicaid and SSIbenefits continue to cover the

Brought to you byBradley B. AndersonAnderson, Dorn, & Rader, Ltd.


The American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneyswww.probatebusters.com • blog.wealth-counselors.com

Special Needs Trusts for Children with Down Syndrome


basics, while trust assets canbe used to provide a childwith the “extras” that enhancequality of life.

Often, parents opt for aSpecial Needs Trust that goesinto effect when they die, butthis isn’t the only choice. Youcan also establish a trust thattakes effect during your life-time. There are a number ofadvantages to establishingsuch a trust. For instance:• Substantial gifts to yourchild from grandparents andother family members can bepaid into the trust withoutfear that they’ll interrupt yourchild’s benefits. • Funds you have earmarkedfor your child’s care can betransferred to the trust. Afterthe transfer, they’ll be treatedas separate assets – not yoursand not your child’s. Thisway, the funds will be out of

reach of your creditors andsafe in the event of divorce.The Trustee you’ve selectedwill manage them on behalfof your child, so you can restassured the funds will be putto their best possible use.

For more informationabout Special Needs Trusts,talk to an experienced estateplanning attorney. They canhelp you sort through all youroptions and establish a com-prehensive plan that meetsthe needs of your child andyour entire family.

The Law Firm ofAnderson, Dorn & Rader,Ltd. is devoted exclusively toestate planning and are mem-bers of the AmericanAcademy of Estate PlanningAttorneys. For more informa-tion or to attend a seminar,please contact us at (775)823-9455 or visit us online atwww.probatebusters.com.

Special Needs / page 7


Medicare’s annual openenrollment period has begun,and I want to encourageeveryone with Medicare toreview their current healthand prescription drug cover-age.

Open enrollment runsthrough Dec. 7, 2013. If youwant to change yourMedicare Advantage orMedicare Part D (prescrip-tion drug) plan, this is thetime of year to do it. Anynew coverage you select willkick in on Jan. 1, 2014.

If you have Original

Medicare and you’re satisfiedwith it, you don’t need to doanything during open enroll-ment. Also, Medicare’s openenrollment has nothing to dowith the Affordable CareAct’s new Health InsuranceMarketplace. If you haveMedicare, you don’t need toworry about Marketplaceplans.

My agency, the Centersfor Medicare & MedicaidServices, or CMS,announced recently that theaverage Medicare Advantagepremium for 2014 is project-ed to be $32.60. CMS esti-

mated that the average basicPart D drug premium in2014 would be $31 permonth, holding steady forfour years in a row.

Since the Affordable CareAct was passed, averageMedicare Advantage premi-ums are down by 9.8 percent.The deductible for standardPart D drug plans in 2014will be $310, a $15 decline.

Meanwhile, the quality ofMedicare Advantage andPart D drug plans continuesto improve, with more thanone-third of Medicare

Advantage plans receivingfour or more stars (out of apossible five stars) in 2014 --a 28 percent increase overlast year. MedicareAdvantage and Part D drugplans with five stars areallowed to enroll beneficiar-ies at any time during theyear.

Medicare plans’ coverageoptions and costs can changeeach year, and Medicare ben-eficiaries should evaluatetheir current coverage andchoices and select the planthat best meets their needs.If you think your current

David Sayen

Time to Review Your Medicare Coverage

David SayenRegional Administrator, Medicare Region 9

coverage will meet yourneeds for 2014, you don’tneed to change anything.

For more information onMedicare open enrollmentand to compare benefits andprices of 2014 MedicareAdvantage and Part D drugplans, please visit:www.cms.gov/Center/Special-Topic/Open-Enrollment-Center.html.

A variety of resources areavailable to help people withMedicare, their families, andcaregivers compare currentcoverage with new planofferings for 2014. You can:• Visit www.medicare.gov tosee plan coverage and costsavailable in your area, andenroll in a new plan if youdecide to make a change.Open enrollment informa-tion is available in Spanish.

• Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) foraround-the-clock assistanceto find out more about yourcoverage options. TTY usersshould call 1-877-486-2048.Counseling is available in awide variety of languages.

• Review the 2014 Medicare& You handbook. This hand-book has been mailed to thehomes of people withMedicare and it’s also onlineat: www.medicare.gov/pubs/pdf/10050.pdf.

• Get one-on-one counsel-ing assistance from yourlocal State Health InsuranceAssistance Program (SHIP).Local SHIP contact informa-tion can be found:

! At www.medicare.gov/contacts/organization-search-criteria.aspx or;! On the back of the 2014Medicare & You handbookor;! By calling Medicare (con-tact information above).

People with Medicarewho have limited incomeand resources may qualify forExtra Help paying for theirPart D drug plans. There’s nocost or obligation to applyfor Extra Help, also calledthe low-income subsidy.Medicare beneficiaries, fami-ly members, or caregiverscan apply online atwww.socialsecurity.gov/pre-scriptionhelp or call SocialSecurity at 1-800-772-1213(TTY users should call 1-800-325-0778) to find outmore.

Please watch out forscammers during Medicareopen enrollment season.Don’t give personal informa-tion to anyone who shows upat your home uninvited ormakes an unsolicited phonecall to sell you Medicare-related products or services.If you believe you’re a victim

of fraud or identity theft,please contact 1-800-MEDICARE. More informa-tion is available atwww.stopmedicarefraud.gov.

David Sayen is Medicare’sregional administrator forArizona, California, Hawaii,Nevada, and the PacificTerritories.


November has been proclaimed asthe National Caregivers Month. Thismonth is designated every year to iden-tify, educate, support, and thank family,

friends, and other caregivers across thecountry that provide assistance tosomeone else who is, in some degree,incapacitated and needs help. If you

have been readingmy articles for thepast several years,you will know thatI have writtenabout this topicseveral times. It isimportant and infact, critical to ourhealth and socialcare system.

Who is a care-giver? A caregivercan be helping awife who has suf-

fered a stroke; helping a father withParkinson’s disease; helping a motherwith congestive heart failure, or a friendwith Alzheimer’s disease. Caregiversprovide a range of services, includingemotional and spiritual support, assis-tance with financial matters, trans-portation and other activities of livingand health-related services.

Northern Nevada celebrates care-givers on November 19th at theCaregiver Awards Luncheon. It is spon-sored by the Caregiver Coalition, anorganization that is dedicated to provid-ing information, education, advocacyand recognition to both volunteer andpaid caregivers in our community. It is asmall token, but valuable tribute tothose persons that dedicate an incredi-


Adding Life to Years

Larry Weiss

The Importance of Family CaregivingDr. Larry Weiss

Center for Healthy Aging

ble amount of their lives to others.Recognize them! Support them! Thankthem!

Family or informal caregivers in theU.S. provide an estimated $450 billionworth of uncompensated care to lovedones annually. These caregivers are ahuge resource to our society. In addi-tion, according to the Caregiver ActionNetwork, formerly the Family CaregiverAlliance, unpaid caregivers will likelycontinue to be the largest source oflong-term support services. Given theincrease of the numbers of the olderpopulation and the rates of illnessamong older adults, morepeople in the U.S. will like-ly take on caregiverresponsibilities and experi-ence a range of repercus-sions related to the time,activities, and money thatthey must allot to caregiv-ing. Imagine where ahealthcare system wouldbe without the family care-givers, let alone the qualityof life of needy elders andthe disabled.

What are the demo-graphics of caregivers? Ithas been estimated that 39percent of all adultAmericans are caring for aloved one who is sick ordisabled – up from 30 per-cent in 2010. There are asmany as 90 million familycaregivers in the U.S.today. Men are now almostas likely to say they arefamily caregivers aswomen are (37% of men;40% of women). And 36percent of youngerAmericans between ages18 and 29 are family care-givers as well, includingone million young peoplewho care for loved oneswith Alzheimer’s. Whilecaregivers can be differentages, the average age ofcaregivers is 48 years;

about 51 percent of caregivers arebetween the ages of 18 and 49. Manycaregivers of older people are them-selves older adults. Of those caring for aperson age 65 plus, the average age ofcaregivers is 63 years with one-third ofthese caregivers in fair to poor health.

What do all these statistics mean?Put simply, we are becoming over-whelmed with the burden of those thatneed caregiving. In order to combatcaregiver burnout and higher costs toour health and social services systems,we need to support caregivers by pro-viding education and training, informa-

tion about services in the community,complementary services such as respitecare, and increased coordination ofcare. Only through continual education,acknowledgement, and support will wehead off a catastrophic burden on ourhealthcare system and quality of life forour elders and disabled.

A beginning step if you are a care-giver is to listen to the following ten tipsfor family caregivers that the CaregiverAction Network has provided: 1. Seek support from other caregivers.You are not alone!

(Caregiving page 14)



2. Take care of your own health so thatyou can be strong enough to take careof your loved one. 3. Accept offers of help and suggestspecific things people can do to helpyou. 4. Learn how to communicate effec-tively with doctors. 5. Caregiving is hard work so takerespite breaks often.6. Watch out for signs of depressionand don't delay in getting professionalhelp when you need it. 7. Be open to new technologies thatcan help you care for your loved one.

8. Organize medical information so it'sup to date and easy to find. 9. Make sure legal documents are inorder. 10. Give yourself credit for doing thebest you can in one of the toughest jobsthere is!

The Center for Healthy Aging, as thenon-profit arm, is active with theNevada Caregiver Coalition in acknowl-edging caregivers and building educa-tional and service programs that willsupport informal and family caregiversin the community. Please take the time

to acknowledge and thank the care-givers that you know, and support pro-grams in the community that enhancecaregiving. We need them and we needyou to support them. What better wayto “add life to years”.

Lawrence J. Weiss, Ph.D., is CEO ofthe Center for Healthy Aging. Dr. Weisswelcomes your comments on this col-umn. Write to him at [email protected] or c/o Center for HealthyAging, 11 Fillmore Way, Reno, NV89519.

Life to Years / page 13


Everwonder

what you would do withoutsunlight? The answer restswith your eyes, which pro-vide your brain with cluesthat help it set the internalclock that keeps you goingon a 24-hour cycle. Fairlyrecently, researchers discov-ered that there are branchlikeeye cells that mammals uti-lize to set their inner clocksto either day or night. Theseso-called “intrinsically photo-sensitive retinal ganglioncells,” or ipRGCs, numberonly between one and twothousand and are positioneddeeper in the retina than the

rods and cones (the photore-ceptors that help the eye dis-tinguish light and color). Fortheir part, ipRGCs measureoverall light intensity andrelay the information to asmall region of the brain thatcontrols the body clock. Itshould be noted, the infor-mation provided above helpsexplain why people deprivedof light lose track of time.

If you would like furtherinformation on today’s topicor an appointment, pleasecall my office at (775)882-2988. We are convenientlylocated at 3839 N. CarsonStreet, Carson City. Hours:8-5 p.m., Mon.-Fri., by appt.

Michael Fischer

Keeping An Eye On Your Internal Clock

Michael J. Fischer, M.D.Eye Physician & Surgeon

Ophthalmology

It’s been a little over twomonths that Peter Reed,Ph.D., MPH, has filled theseat as Director of theSanford Center for Aging, atthe University of Nevada,Reno. In the short time here,Dr. Reed has wasted no

effort in getting acquaintedwith the community, estab-lishing some career objec-tives, and learning about thestate’s lack of resources tocare for an increasing agingpopulation.

With 20-years of educa-

tion and experience in thefield of aging, Reed says hisspecial interest lies inAlzheimer’s care andresearch. He has had a longinvolvement with theAlzheimer’s Association and

personally gained knowledgeand understanding havingthree grandparents afflictedwith the disease. Caring forfamily, he quickly becameaware that elder care wouldbe a lifelong career.

The mission of theSanford Center for Aging toenhance quality of life ofolder adults through innova-tion and leadership in inter-disciplinary age-relatedtranslational research, educa-tion and community out-reach was one reason heaccepted the position. “Thefact that it has the legacy ofJene Sanford, the resources(endowment) to support theprogram, and the universityleadership demonstrates acommitment to making thecenter successful…that wasjust really appealing.”

Previously Reed was theCEO of the PioneerNetwork, based in Chicago.The Pioneer Network is avirtual organization dedicat-ed to transforming the “cul-ture of aging,” a philosophy


By Connie McMullen

Sanford Center for Aging Director Shares Views on Aging

Dr. Peter Reed, Director, Sanford Center for Aging

to shift long-term care froman institutional model to oneof self-determination. Reedsays the organization enabledhim to work with culturecoalitions in 40 states toestablish “person-centeredcare” in nursing homes, asignificant change in think-ing about the way we careand treat people in the latterstages of life.

“From the perspective ofculture change, when youthink of a nursing home wereally try to emphasize thefocus on the home. We rec-ognize that as people age andexperience perhaps a cogni-tive or physical disabilitythere are times when theycannot live independently inthe community. Certainly wewant to support people tolive as independently as theycan, but there are timeswhen people need to transi-tion into a setting where theyare going to receive moreprofessional assistance. Welike to think of those (set-tings) as people’s homesfirst.”

Person-centered practicesare a paradigm shift especial-ly among organizations thatwork with people with dis-abilities. “Culture change isan important direction fortransforming the care that isdelivered; there’s a spirit ofindividualism that is verymuch aligned with the goalsof self determination.Individualism is the heart ofculture change.”

Other area’s that will be afocus involve universityresearch and student educa-tion. Reed says the SanfordCenter fully supports theGerontology AcademicProgram where 76 studentsare currently enrolled.“These are students that at a

minimum will have geronto-logical literacy in whateverprofession they choose as apersonal career. As wedevelop the researchengagement and clinicaloutreach I hope to usethem as learning opportu-nities for students. It is cen-tral to our mission.”

Another area involvesresearch in an academicenvironment. “What I’d liketo do is to position theSanford Center as a facilita-tor of interdisciplinaryresearch across the campusand state. It’s about settingup a process by which the40 or 50 researchers acrossthe campus that are alreadydoing a variety of differentresearch projects can cometo together and have a dia-logue about the work theyare doing, share theirresearch and identify inter-disciplinary collaborationsto explore new projects andinnovations.”

Reed says he’s lookingforward to setting up vari-ous opportunities in 2014

to bring researchers togetherfor potential collaborations,to really use the center as a

cluster of interdisciplinaryinnovation in terms of agingrelated research.”


Director / page 16

Nov. 3 - Carson ChamberSingers, Trinity EpiscopalChurch, 200 Island Av., Reno,(775) 883-4154, [email protected].

Nov. 4 - 25 - Food for Fines, tobenefit the Food Bank of

Northern Nevada, WashoeCounty Library locations.

Nov. 4 and 13 - CooperativeExtension Master Gardenertraining orientations, contactWendy Hanson Mazet at (775)784-4848.

Nov. 7 - RSVP VolunteerRecognition Luncheon,Thursday, John Ascuaga’sNugget, 10:30 a.m., (775) 784-1807.

Nov. 8 - Nominations for 25thAnnual Human ServicesAwards due, Awards Jan. 16,visit humanservicesnetwork.org/hsn_awards.php.

Nov. 8 - Saint Mary’s ArtCenter, artist reception,NolanPreece, 5:30 p.m., 55 RSt., Virginia City,www.stmarysartcenter.org.

November 9 - 17 - Friends ofthe Library bimonthly BookSales, 10-5 p.m., Reno TownMall, (775) 772-6297 orwww.washoelibraryfriends.org.

Nov. 8-10 - South Lake Tahoe

Food & Wine Festival, Harrah’sand Harveys Lake Tahoe,www.Itfoodandwine.com.

Nov. 12 - Special RecognitionAwards, Carson City Parks &Recreation Award Ceremony,4:30 p.m., entrance, PonyExpress Pavilion, Mills Park,(775) 883-4154.

Nov. 18 - Commission onAging, Aging and DisabilityServices, Carson City, 9:30 a.m.

Nov. 19 - Caregivers CoalitionRecognition Luncheon, 12 -1:30 p.m., Atlantis Casino,(775) 829-4700, [email protected].

Dec. 6 - Senior Coalition,Renown Mack Auditorium, 8a.m., (775) 348-0717.


November Calendar


Half a century ago, thecountry was embroiledin civil rights conflicts,

a war in Asia, and mourningthe loss of a president. Whenreleased in the midst of thissocial turmoil in 1963, StanleyKubrick’s “It’s a Mad, Mad,Mad, Mad World” must haveseemed appropriately titled. Inreality, the film was an epiccomedy featuring one of thegreatest casts of comediansever assembled on film.

“There was a pall on thewhole country and not a lot tolaugh about,” recalled MarvinKaplan, who appeared in themovie’s memorable gas stationsequence. “With stars likeMickey Rooney, Milton Berle,Jonathan Winters, Sid Caesar,Phil Silvers, Buddy Hackett, andSpencer Tracy, the film soonbecame a comedy classic.”

In the gas station scene,Marvin is paired with Arnold

Stang. Their characters, Irwinand Ray, attempt to subdue ahighly agitated JonathanWinters whose character iscompeting in the mad race tolocate buried money. WhenWinters erupts in anger, hereduces the building to rubble.“Unfortunately, the gas stationwas destroyed before all theclose-up scenes were filmed,”Marvin recalled. “It had to berebuilt overnight – a mistakethat cost $100,000!”

While filming his scenes,Marvin was pleased to sharequarters with Winters who hadone of the few air-conditionedtrailers on the set – a blessingin the 107 degree Californiadesert. He also recalls experi-encing firsthand Winters’ bril-liance at improvisation andmastery of madcap mimicryand mime. “We would play agame in the trailer called ‘Who

(Kaplan page 33)

Tinseltown Talks

Saluting Marvin KaplanBy Nick Thomas

Marvin points to a photo of the “Top Cat” cast. Arnold Stang, with whom heworked in “It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, World,” did the voice for Top Cat.Found this photo on the web, but could not find its original source.

What do PresidentBush and David have it common?

No it’s not theirpolitics even thoughDavid likes him. No,

David will neverbe President.David does notwork out and bikelots of miles. Oneis a very fit guy.It’s not my guyalthough he isgetting there.Both like to fish.You must haveguessed. Both arevery lucky. Bothhad very seriousheart attacks inAugust.

It’s been on thenews. President Bush’s heart attack wasmore serious than initially indicated.He is 67. His artery was 95 percentblocked. David’s was 100 percent

blocked. Both have stents in them to keeparteries open. Apparently this is a prettycommon procedure that saves lives. Itsaved theirs. A stent is a small mesh tube

that's used to treat narrow orweak arteries.

So many of you have askedabout how David is doing. I’mthrilled to report, “stupid hasbeen repaired if not totallyfixed”. He is doing remarkablewell. Just to reiterate, his symp-toms were pain in his rightshoulder and pain in his jaw.He did not have chest pains.The day before his heart attack,he was at his regular doctorwho performed the usualchecks of his heart and breath-ing. Nothing is detected. Isn’tthat weird that it happened thevery next morning?

Diabetes has partnered withDavid for something like 20years. It was obvious when oneday he came home exhausted,thirsty, and going to the bath-room. His weight was thehighest it’s ever been. Luckily,his doctor did not put him on


by Eydie Scher

Eydie’s Excerpts

Heart Attack Survival 101

David Scher fishing in Alaska

insulin, just a ton of other meds. The medshelped him but daily checks of his glucoselevels did not have the impact they shouldhave. Numbers still remained high.

Blood pressure meds have been his side-kick for most of his life, even before me! Atthe time of his heart attack, his blood pres-sure was out of sight. You may want to addthat to symptoms.

Fast forwarding to his release from thehospital, and his new determination tobecome healthy. And yes, there’s the 6-week hiatus of all strenuous activities. Wellsomeone has to mow the lawn.

This brings me to the mini story of theRunaway Lawn Mower.

The runaway lawnmower: Rememberin the colonoscopy story? I mention thatDavid got a new lawnmower along with hisother trinkets? The first day he uses it, heneeds to adjust the speed since it moves byitself and only needs to be guided. A pic-ture of a rabbit is on top and one of a turtleis lower down to indicate speed options.He promptly rejects my request to try itout.

The lawn mowing falls to me with hisinstructions. I’m hanging on but themower has a mind of its own and is takingme off the grass onto the concrete. I’m notsupposed to mow concrete! Yikes, we’regoing to hit the garage! “Grab the top han-dle,” David yells. The mower stops. “Can Ifinish the job?” My daughter and 3 neigh-bors intervene. The grass is cut but com-plaints of areas missed spew from his lips.Is there such as thing as lawn mowing les-sons? Sign me up! I suppose I’m gettingmy walking papers for thisjob.

Slowly but surely, David’sstrength returns. He reli-giously keeps those appoint-ments with Dr. Truong. Thestent that blocked his arteryneeds to be checked andanother stent might be neces-sary. Another night in theICU reunites him with NurseHeather. She has the nightoff from roller derby. Dr.Truong, gives me an amazing lesson inhow hearts function and specifically shows

me images of David’s heart and stent place-ments. I might be able to pass an exam onhow hearts actually work to keep us alivebut don’t bet on it.

What is the regiment David’s on sincehis heart attack? Out go the blueberrymuffins, the salty foods and his nightlyintake of milk. Twenty-five pounds dropfrom his frame. Glucose numbers are waydown and so are blood pressure ones. Thisguy is actually walking our puppy on a dailybasis. Change is happening.

A recent follow-up visit to Dr.Truong assures him that he isable to return to all activities andhis next appointment will be in 6months.

The worry is never gone.Winter is our time for snowblowing and shoveling in Tahoe.Now there’s another thing I’dneed lessons in, snow blowers.We’ll get through it. The hardpart is over. Do the stentsshown look like a miracle?

Some great men, including mine, can attestto the fact that they certainly are!


My daughter and I arehooked on British tel-evision, especially

crime series, but our love ofwhat’s on the tube in GreatBritain dates to our residencethere for a few years at the endof the Sixties. It would be fairto classify us as Anglophiles as

we’re also addicted to YorkshireGold tea, sticky toffee pudding,news about the Monarchy,English gardens and Tudorarchitecture.

If a local cable TV providerhad BBC America on its menu,we’d probably spring for theservice. However, since so

many DVDs of British seriesare available from WashoeCounty Library we enjoy freeaccess to our favorites. Some atthe top of our list follow:

For mysteries considered“cozy,” queen of that genre hasto be writer Agatha Christie.There are two memorablecharacters to Christie’s credit -Miss Marple of village-life fameand the dapper Belgian detec-tive, Hercule Poirot. DavidSuchet is the precise Poirot inadventures set in the Art Decoera. Miss Marple has had sev-eral actresses in this title role,beginning with the lumpy,frumpy Margaret Rutheforddecades ago.

Another period, cozy seriesis The Lord Peter WimseyMysteries. These are based onDorothy L. Sayers crime

thrillers, set in the1920s, and star IanCarmichael as a “pip-pip” kind of protago-nist. For somethingmore contemporarythere’s MidsomerMurders, set in anEnglish village andfeaturing DCI TomBarnaby and his assis-tant Sgt. Gavin Troy.This popular serieshas been running foryears, with the mostrecent ones continu-ing after the retire-ment of DCI Barnaby.

If you’re in themood for feisty crimefighters, you can’t dobetter than InspectorJack Frost in the seriesA Touch of Frost. SirDavid Jason has thetitle role and heattacks like a dyspep-tic bulldog to the dis-

may of his superiors on theforce. Equally unpleasant, buteminently watchable is TrevorEve as the head of a cold-caseunit in Waking the Dead.Detective SuperintendentAndy Dalziel is another love-able grouch, often at odds withhis sidekick, DI Peter Pascoe inthe Yorkshire series, Dalziel &Pascoe. Rounding out the nas-ties is Trial & Retribution star-ring David Hayman as a tough,conflicted police officer.

By now you’re probablyready for some comic reliefwhen it comes to crime.There’s none better than theNew Tricks series, featuring acold-case unit staffed by aging,former detectives and lead bythe sexy, tough DS SandraPullman. Providing you can getthrough the thick Scots’ brogue,Hamish Macbeth stars RobertCarlyle as a small town Sheriffin Scotland.

Oxford detective Morse(played by John Thaw) has pro-vided hours of interesting view-ing and the spin-off, featuringhis sidekick, Lewis, is nowequally popular. The Oxfordlocation adds a unique perspec-tive to the adventures ofInspector Lewis.

Finally, there’s the king ofmystery writers, Sir ArthurConan Doyle with his master-ful detective, Sherlock Holmes.As with Christie’s Miss Marple,several actors have taken on theHolmes mantle beginning withBasil Rathbone.

Most of the series men-tioned are based originally onbooks; you’ll find many onDVD at Washoe CountyLibrary, for purchase fromAmazon and Barnes & Noble,and subscription from NetFlix®.


THE ECLECTIC OBSERVERBy Janet Ross

After decades of neglectand deterioration, theiconic mining buildings

of the Comstock MiningDistrict finally have a newchampion of restoration. Thename of that champion is theComstock Foundation forHistory and Culture. This foun-dation is co-sponsored byComstock Mining, Inc. whichis setting aside a percentage ofits profits to assist in the preser-vation of this historic landmark.Other organizations and indi-viduals are encouraged andwelcome to contribute and co-sponsor this worthwhileendeavor.

Ron James, freshly retired asNevada’s state historic preserva-tion officer, serves as the execu-tive director of this non-profitorganization and recently wasthe featured speaker at theGood Old Days (G.O.D) Clubin Reno during a standing roomonly luncheon at the TamarackJunction.

I believe the formation of theComstock Foundation repre-sents an important step for-

ward for the preservation andpromotion of one of Nevada’sgreatest cultural treasures andattractions,” said James. “Muchneeds to be done to preservethe buildings and to address thearchaeology within the historicdistrict. The Foundation offersan opportunity for all Nevadansto help preserve, promote,enhance and continue celebrat-ing this national treasure.”

In addition to the ComstockFoundation, James serves onthe National Park SystemAdvisory Board, as theChairman of the NationalHistoric LandmarksCommittee, and as a memberof the Presidential AdvisoryCommittee on the Cold WarTheme Study.

In December 2012, Jamesretired as the Nevada StateHistoric Preservation Officer,having administered thisagency for thirty years. He was a member of the ComstockHistoric District Commissionfor seventeen years. In 1991,James organized the

(Biggest Little page 30) November • 2013 • 25

BIGGESTlittleCity by Harry Spencer

Local Historian Rejuvenates Comstock

Not thatwe expectan elephantin ourgarage but ifone did wan-

der in we wouldn’t haveseen it. Twenty years ofaccumulated “stuff” hadresulted in such a messthat anything could be

lost in there. Even anelephant!

I’ll be blowing outcandles on a birthdaycake soon but I won’t bewishing for a visit to aSpa or a trip to Hawaii;what I want is a cleangarage. A garage like theones in magazines. Agarage with no clutter. Agarage where everythingwe need can easily befound and everything wedon’t need is gone. Agarage where an elephantcouldn’t hide.

I’ve written previouslyabout the frustration ofbeing married to someonewho doesn’t want to getrid of anything. “Don’tthrow that chipped, rusty

shovel without a handleaway (even though wehave a new one); we mayneed it!” I have also writ-ten about my secret lifeas a “toss-a-holic”, sneak-ing things out in the trunkof my car in the weesmall hours of the morn-ing in a feeble attempt toeliminate useless stuff.We did clean the garageonce years ago but myelation was short-livedbecause we had onlystraightened things upinstead of purging; every-thing still there.

We lived in 26 housesduring the first 30 yearsof our marriage. Movingoften ensured a certaindegree of order and aminimum of excess. Thenwe retired, came to Renoand have spent the pasttwenty years in thishouse. Given my hus-band’s stance on “stuff”,its not surprising ele-phants could be undetect-ed in the garage.

The Birthday fairymust have been listeningbecause one day, not longago, my husband unex-pectedly announced thathe agreed with me aboutthe garage mess and saidwe had to do something.I didn’t know whether tobe ecstatic or distressedbecause an article inAARP magazine cautionedthat sudden personalitychanges should bebrought to the attentionof a doctor. I decided towait until we finished theproject before calling.

We didn’t exactly rushinto it; first we had to talkabout it some more.Then we mentally setaside three days when theweather was predicted tobe good; surely we coulddo this in three days?

Maybe not. On DayOne we peeked in therenumerous times but itwas so overwhelming wedidn’t know where to startso we retreated into thehouse to work on otherthings. Anything.Cleaning toilets was vastlymore appealing.

Day Two was spent inserious discussion aboutthe best approach and wedecided we needed to buysome cabinets. (I backedthe car into the old onetwo years ago and thehalf-hanging door, easilyviewed from the street,has added significantly tothe appalling scene.)

On Day Three wewent shopping and chosesomething perfect. Wedidn’t actually buy them,we just selected them,but that gave us atremendous feeling ofaccomplishment despite being a bit off ourtimetable. A week later(yes, a week; I was stillprocrastinating) I foundsome cabinets I thoughtwould be better, resultingin more discussion, moretime and, finally, a pur-chase.

Heartened by that weput the cars in the drive-way, moved a table into

(this ‘n that page 28)26 • 2013 • November

this ‘n thatby Anne [email protected]

Anne Vargas

There could be an Elephant in our Garage


Answers page 28


Crossword p.27/Solutions

this ‘n that / page 26 the garage and started towade in and weed out,sorting through things wehadn’t seen in years.There was stuff on thetable, stuff on the floor,stuff in the driveway,stuff to be donated to St.Vincent’s, stuff in thegarbage. But there wasno stuff in the trunk ofmy car; unbelievably, myspouse (or whoever wasdisguised as my spouse—I didn’t bother to ask)was still amenable to theidea of clearing it all out.

In the midst of this,during week numberthree, some of the newcabinets arrived andmore time was spentdeciding how we wouldorganize them.

Then the garage proj-ect somehow evolved tomaking massive changesin the house (moremess) which led my hus-band to decide to paintthe fence and refinish thedeck. At the same time.That’s what he is doingnow while I am upstairs

writing this, neither of usyet inclined to go finishthe garage.

“Anyone can do anyamount of work providingit isn’t the work he issupposed to be doing atthat moment.”

Robert Benchley

It’s week numberfour. Disarray is prevail-ing but the scary part isthat we are getting usedto existing in chaos. Thecars are still outside.More stacks of stuff arebeing added to the drive-way. The neighbors aregetting anxious…”WHATARE THEY DOING?”

I told them not toworry. As Sam Levinsonsaid, “I’m going to stopputting things off, start-ing tomorrow!”

Meanwhile,“There’s nothing tomatch curling up with agood book when there’sa job to be done aroundthe house.” Joe Ryan


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RESOURCES

Commission for CulturalAffairs and subsequentlyadministered the distribution ofroughly $40 million in grantsfrom that agency, supportingthe rehabilitation of over onehundred historic Nevada build-ings to function as cultural cen-ters.

James is the author or co-author of ten books includingThe Roar and the Silence: AHistory of Virginia City and theComstock Lode, winner of theWilbur S. Shepperson

Humanities Book Award for1998.

He has received two awards from the American Associationof State and Local History, onefor the exhibit Havens in aHeartless World: Virginia City'sSaloons and the Archaeologyof the Wild West (2007) andmore recently for his book, TheGold Rush Letters of E. AllenGrosh and Hosea B. Grosh,which also received an Awardof Special Recognition from theClark C. Spence Award

Committee of the NationalMining History Association(2013).

James is well qualified tolead this non-profit corpora-tion. The newly organizedComstock Foundation forHistory and Culture recentlyannounced that the NevadaSecretary of State’s office hasaccepted the Foundation’sArticles of Incorporation. TheComstock Foundation wasestablished as a non-profit cor-poration to encourage thepreservation and promotion ofhistoric and cultural resourceswithin the Comstock HistoricDistrict. The District wasgranted National HistoricLandmark Status in 1961 and isone of the largest, most signifi-cant historical landmarks in thecountry.

The Comstock played a crit-ical role in the history of min-ing, industrial, financial andtechnical innovation represent-ed by engineering, logistics,legal and cultural advance-ments. The Comstock was thebirthplace of cutting edge min-ing technology during the nine-teenth and early twentieth cen-turies. All this happened whileComstock miners developedone of the greatest gold and sil-ver deposits ever discovered.

Comstock initially began thegroundwork by propping upsome of the crumbling struc-tures in Gold Hill and SilverCity. The foundation has a two-fold purpose of refurbishingand rehabbing iconic miningstructures and providing aninteractive display to lure addi-tional tourists to the storiedlocation. With everyone’s par-ticipation in this Foundation,“the way it was can be the wayit is”, for many generations toexperience.

For additional information,please contact Ron James at775-443-7803.


Biggest Little / page 25

When tourists, worldwide, plan atrip to New York City (a city on mosttravelers’ itineraries, we’d guess) thereare at least a half-dozen “must see”landmarks to visit.

Our list, when we were in ‘The BigApple’ this September, included theStatue of Liberty National Monument,Empire State Building, GovernorsIsland, Times Square, Radio City MusicHall, the National September 11Memorial and St. Paul’s Chapel.

The National September 11Memorial and St. Paul’s ChapelIndelibly etched in our minds is the

terrorist attack of September 11, 2001which forever changed our country.As with most tourists, topmost onour “must see” list was a visit to theNational September 11 Memorial.Located at the World Trade Centersite, the monument’s design featuresa forest of trees with two squarepools, each at the location whereone of the twin towers once stood.A key element of the memorialplaza’s tree-studded landscape is asingle Callery Pear tree, recoveredfrom the rubble at the World TradeCenter site. www.9-11 memorial.org

In the same vicinity is the his-toric St. Paul’s Chapel. The chapeland surrounding grave yard dateback to our nation’s colonial period.In fact, it is the church whereGeorge Washington prayed prior tohis inauguration. Until we went tothe memorial, we were unaware ofthe significant role played by St.Paul’s Chapel at the time of the ter-rorist attack. Located directly acrossfrom Ground Zero, the churchbecame a haven for survivors andfirst responders. It is open to thepublic and has on exhibit pictures

and memorials to the victims and firstresponders. St. Paul’s Chapel209 Broadway, New York, NY 10007Phone: (212) 233-4164

The Statue of Liberty National Monument

The Statue of Liberty was a gift fromthe people of France in 1885 to the peo-ple of the United States as a universalsymbol of freedom and democracy. Ithas been said that ‘Lady Liberty’ isAmerica’s tallest film star, having beenshown in over 100 movies. From themonument’s fabled observatory, nearlya quarter-mile above Fifth Avenue,

viewers can see all of New York Cityand nearby New Jersey as well as partsof Eastern Pennsylvania. The Statue ofLiberty can only be reached via theferry, either from Battery Park, at thesouthernmost tip of Manhattan orLiberty State Park in Jersey City, NewJersey. Ferries run daily, every 15 min-utes, beginning at 8:30 a.m. Normally,the ferries also stop at Ellis Island but ithas been closed since October 2012 dueto damage from Hurricane Sandy. Alas,we had been looking forward to visitingEllis Island since that was the Americangateway for our immigrant forbearers,along with 12 million other new arrivals

(New York page 32)


New York, New York part 2By Carolyn Prusa and Robert Boyd

Seniors4Travel


from 1892 to 1954. Anothertime.Phone: (212) 363-3200www.nps.gov/stli/

Radio City Music HallOne of Robert’s favorite

places is Radio City MusicHall, where as a teenager, fortwo summers he worked asan usher. The pay, herecalls, was $18 a week.Judging from Robert’s fondremembrances, Carolynwonders if he wouldn’t havegladly paid the music hallfor the privilege of beingthere.

Located in RockefellerCenter, the building wasnicknamed the “Showplaceof the Nation” and its interi-or declared a city landmarkin 1978. The title “RadioCity” indicates to today’sreaders the importance of

radio before the days of tele-vision. Although, since itsinception Radio City MusicHall has been the venue forpremiering top films, todayit is best known as the coun-try’s leading hall for con-certs and stage shows.Notably, since 1932 RadioCity Music Hall has servedas home base for the famedprecision dance company,the Rockettes. Radio City Music Hall1260 Avenue of theAmericas, New York, NY10020(212) 247-4777www.radiocity.com

Curious as to why NewYork claims the moniker“Big Apple”? If so, checkback with us next month aswe conclude our adventurein New York City.

New York / page 31


are you today, Jonathan?’ Hewould go on for 45 minutesmaking up characters while wewaited to shoot the next scene.I’ve worked with two comedygeniuses in my life and one wasJonathan Winters.” The otherwas Charlie Chaplin.

In 1948, a youthful MarvinKaplan was stage manager for aplay called “Rain” at the CircleTheater in Los Angeles.Chaplin was the director. “Hewas so graceful and walked likea ballet dancer. One time he dida handstand on a table – hewas around 60 at the time! Andduring the shows, he couldn’tsit in the audience and watchbecause he was too hyper. Sohe’d walk around the theaterwith a handkerchief in hismouth, but all the audience waswatching him!”

Kaplan also recalls perform-ing one Christmas in a play,“Aladdin and the Wonderful

Lamp,” with Chaplin in theaudience. “I was in darkEgyptian makeup with myglasses removed. During theshow I was supposed to holdup cards, but couldn’t see athing, so they were all thewrong way. It was really messedup. Chaplin came backstageafter the performance to seethe cast and Sydney, his sonwho was in the show. We askedhim how he liked it: ‘Sydneywas good,’ he said. ‘The monkeywas good, too. But that near-sighted Nubian slave reallycracked me up.’ It was one thegreatest compliments I evergot!”

Since the 1950s, Marvin hasappeared in numerous filmsand TV shows, and was a regu-lar cast member on the 80s sit-com, “Alice.” With his distinc-tive Brooklyn-flavored accent,he also worked as a voice actor,notably in the popular “TopCat” cartoon from the early

1960s where he voiced Choo-Choo. “People tell me all thetime they named their catChoo-Choo after that charac-ter!”

In recent years, Marvin, whoturns 87 in January, has concen-trated on writing and produc-ing, including the plays “A

Good House for a Killing” and“Bluebeard’s Eighth Wife” (seewww.marvinkaplan.com).

In addition, Marvin still acts.“The great thing about growingold is that I can do whateverprojects I want. I have to keepbusy.”

Press photo, July 9, 2012, when the Academy of Motion Picture Art's andScience's presented a screening of "It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" for its"The Last 70mm Film Festival" at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in BeverlyHills. Marvin Kaplan is seen with Jonathan Winters during a panel discussionof the film for its 50th anniversary.

Kaplan / page 21

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