November 2015 | Coachella Valley Beacon

By June Allison CorriganIn October, Valerie-Jean (VJ) Hume was

honored to receive the Sidney HarmonAward during Desert Theatre League’s an-nual Desert Stars Awards ceremony. Theaccolade recognizes not only her body ofwork but also lauds her for the advance-ment of theatrical excellence, both on andoff the stage.“It’s lovely to be recognized by my

peers,” says Hume. “And it’s a great healingas well, because in all honesty, when you’reup there receiving an award, people don’tknow about all the rejections and the heart-breaks and the setbacks and the things thatdidn’t work out and the changes that youhad to make. All the times your part turnedout to be just one line.”Canadian-born Hume may have occa-

sionally uttered only one line in a movie orTV show, but the overall arc of her careerindicates she’s far from a one-note perform-ance. Her versatility and diverse skill setare actually part of the secret to her long-running success in the cutthroat entertain-ment business.

Seeking the footlightsA theatre major at the University of

Saskatchewan, Hume headed to Torontoupon graduation. “I expected to shoot tostardom instantly like everybody does,”she says now with a laugh. “But of courseat every audition I went to, there were al-ready 200 girls all prettier than I was withmore experience and sophistication.” Her solution? As a fledgling actress,

Hume neatly skirted the starving artistroutine by expanding her repertoire to in-clude such endeavors as modeling, radioand music to help pay the bills.Some of the avenues she explored as she

struggled to make her way included settingup and teaching a successful modelingcourse at a community college and hostinga teen radio program. Later, Hume took to the road as a travel-

ing musician, first with a band and then outon her own. Her instrument of choice wasthe autoharp, and it accompanied her asshe sang her way across Canada. Eventu-ally, her musical talents enabled her to landa gig on a cruise ship — a move that ulti-mately launched 11 years of adventures onthe high seas.

Hume says she walked away from the-ater for awhile because the music industrywas so much better to her. During her tran-sition to full-time musician, she read a lot ofbiographies and autobiographies — every-one from Frank Sinatra to Bette Midler.“I wanted to know... who succeeds? What

makes the difference? And after reading allthese books the only conclusion that Icould come to was the people who suc-ceeded were the ones who stuck with it,”she says.

Dogged determinationSo Hume added perseverance to her tool

box and kept going. When she finally

stepped off the cruise ships, she workedthe lounge scene in Florida for a time andthought she might do the same following amove to Los Angeles in 1986. Unfortu-nately, lounges were on the wane by thattime in the City of Angels. It was a differentstory here in the desert however, and thatit is how she came to land an engagementat the Rivera Hotel in Palm Springs.The Coachella Valley could have been

just another stop on Hume’s well-traveledroad but interestingly enough, she knewwithin hours of arriving that she’d foundher true home. She set down roots, and it

More than 40,000 readers throughout the Coachella Valley

COMPLIMENTARY

VOL.4, NO.11

I N F O C U S F O R P E O P L E O V E R 5 0NOVEMBER 2015

The diversely talented VJ Hume

See VJ HUME, page 22

I N S I D E …

The Coachella Valley

Actress, musician and radio host VJ Hume won the Sidney Harmon Award in theDesert Stars Awards in October.

FITNESS & HEALTH 4k Breakthrough diabetes drugk Obesity/Alzheimer’s link

LAW & MONEY 12k Time to buy European stocks?k More affordable long-term care

ADVERTISER DIRECTORY 21

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page 20

LEISURE & TRAVELBeyond the beaches onHawaii’s Big Island; plus, tipsfor vacationing (or living) in an RV

page 16

If you are 64 years old, you’d better startlearning about one of the most importanthealthcare plans in your life. If you are 65years old or older, you should already beenrolled in Medicare, the federal health in-surance program for people who are 65years of age and older, or one of its alterna-tives.Confused? Let’s clear it up. Now is the open enrollment period

(through Dec. 7) to sign up for Medicare,review your Medicare coverage and possi-bly change to another plan. For many seniors this year’s decision is

crucial. There will not be an increase in So-cial Security benefits in 2016, so budgetscould be tighter for some. The govern-ment’s reasoning is this: Social Securitybenefits rise if there’s an increase in a cer-tain government measure of inflation. Butoverall inflation has stayed low. That index, some say, does not ade-

quately reflect rising costs that retireesface. Lower gas prices and other energycosts helped lower that index, but thingsseniors pay for — healthcare, food andhousing — have increased in price. Here’s an outline of the different parts of

Medicare and options.

Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance)Covers inpatient hospital stays, care in a

skilled nursing facility, hospice care andsome home healthcare.Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) Covers certain doctors’ services, outpa-

tient care, medical supplies and preventiveservices. Medicare Part D (Prescription drug

coverage)The cost of Parts A and B, basic

Medicare, is now $104.90 monthly. (Itmight go up in 2016, but that’s not yet de-termined.) Notice that prescriptions are notcovered in Parts A and B, so you can enrollin a plan that covers them. These plans areoffered by insurance companies and otherprivate companies approved by Medicare. Medicare Supplement Insurance

(Medigap)Parts A and B cover 80 percent (after de-

ductible has been satisfied) of hospitaliza-tion and office visits. Like Medicare Part D,a Medigap policy, sold by private compa-nies, can help pay some of the costs thatoriginal Medicare does not cover, like co-payments, coinsurance and deductibles. Some Medigap policies also cover med-

ical care outside the U.S. “That’s a plus for

Coachella Valley seniors who like to travel,”says Randy Foulds of Foulds & FeldmannHealth Insurance Agency in La Quinta.So, we’ve talked about Parts A, B and D.

What about Medicare Part C? Medicare Part C (Medicare Advantage

Plan)It’s a type of Medicare health plan of-

fered by a private company that contractswith Medicare. They usually cost the sameas original Medicare and provide all Part Aand Part B benefits and most often offerprescription drug coverage. They includeHealth Maintenance Organizations, Pre-ferred Provider Organizations, Private Fee-for-Service Plans, Special Needs Plans, andMedicare Medical Savings Account Plans.Familiar Advantage Plans in the Coachella

Valley include Kaiser, Scan, AARP, Inter Val-ley Health Plan, Aetna, Easy Choice andCare First. Advantage plans have upsides and down-

sides, says Foulds. “While they cover moreof your costs, they are more restrictive than

original Medicare.“HMOs and PPOs outline which doctors

and facilities you may visit, while Medicarepatients can visit any doctor or facility thataccepts Medicare. You must follow planrules, like getting a referral to see a special-ist. The specialist you’re referred to mustalso be in the plan’s network. If you go to adoctor, other healthcare provider, facility,or supplier that doesn’t belong to the plan’snetwork, your services may not be covered,or your costs could be higher. In mostcases, this applies to Medicare AdvantageHMOs and PPOs. But Advantage plans generally cover

some long-term care, vision or dental care,hearing aids, eyeglasses, or private-dutynursing. Medigap policies generally don’t.

During the open enrollment time frame,you should evaluate your medical costs andhow often you need medical care. You canswitch from Medicare to an Advantage plan

Dear Editor:I would like to say my husband and I

look forward to and enjoy reading everyissue of the Beacon — it is a wonderfulpublication!This letter is regarding the article in the

October issue on Branson, Missouri, byGlenda C. Booth. There are a few errorsthat I would like to correct. I was one of that “gaggle of excited

women” in the front row of the JohnnyMathis Show last November (and will beagain this month). The song that Johnnyperformed at the end of the show (follow-ing his receipt of the bountiful gifts) was not

“It’s Not for Me to Say” (although that wassung earlier). The encore song was “You’llNever Know.” Ms. Booth stated he sang“No Love (but Your Love)” — that song wasnot part of this performance. It should be mentioned that this was a

Christmas show, and Johnny sang a wholehost of beautiful Christmas songs. It was aperfect way to ignite the holiday spirit.

Suzanne LangPalm Springs

Editor’s note: In defense of our writer,Mathis gave two performances in November2014 at Branson. Booth and Lang couldhave been at different shows.

2 More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com NOVEMBER 2 0 1 5 — CO ACHE L L A VA L L E Y B E A CON

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See FROM PUBLISHER, page 21

COACHE L L A VA L L E Y B E A CON — NOVEMBER 2 0 1 5 Say you saw it in the Beacon 3

By Linda A. JohnsonThe Type 2 diabetes pill Jardiance,

launched last August, sharply reduceschances of dying in diabetic patients at highrisk of heart complications, a study shows,making the medication the first shown tolengthen diabetics’ lives. The study found Jardiance reduced

deaths from heart complications by 38 per-cent, deaths from any cause by 32 percent,and hospitalizations due to chronic heartfailure by 35 percent. Heart complications prematurely kill

many of the estimated 387 million diabeticsworldwide, so doctors in recent years havemoved from trying to reduce patients’blood sugar to trying to prevent cardiovas-

cular complications. The results were particularly striking be-

cause nearly four-fifths of the participantswere already taking standard medicines tocontrol blood sugar, blood pressure andcholesterol, plus taking either Jardiance ora dummy pill. Lilly and German partner Boehringer In-

gelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. funded thestudy, which included 7,020 patients in 42countries who were followed for aboutthree years, on average. In September, the drugmakers an-

nounced their study showed cardiovasculardeaths were lower in participants takingJardiance than those given a dummy pill, inaddition to standard heart and diabetes

drugs. Detailed results were released si-multaneously at a European medical con-ference and in the New England Journal ofMedicine. “Patients who took this drug had basi-

cally a 1-in-3 chance of avoiding death,” saidDr. Silvio Inzucchi, director of the Yale Di-abetes Center and a professor at YaleSchool of Medicine. He was part of thecommittee overseeing the study.

Pricey, but cost-effectiveGiven the savings from averting costly

hospitalizations, Jardiance should appeal toinsurers as well as doctors and patients,even with a wholesale price of $343 permonth — among the most expensive for di-

abetes medicines. Heart attacks, strokes and other cardio-

vascular damage kill about half of Type 2diabetes patients, as excess sugar in theirblood steadily damages the heart and bloodvessels, along with other organs. For those at high risk of heart complica-

tions — people who’ve already had a heartattack or stroke, have blocked arteries orsuffer chronic heart pain — diabetes andheart disease together on average shortenlife expectancy by 12 years after age 60, ac-cording to a five-decade British study thatincluded about 690,000 people. The Jardiance study, called EMPA-REG,


HealthFitness &DO YOU NEED LESS CALCIUM?Some doctors think you should aim to consume far less calcium, but morevitamin D

KICKING THE HABITLowering nicotine content may helpsmokers quit or at least smoke fewercigarettes

HELP FOR CAREGIVERSSeveral websites help coordinate assis-tance from friends and family duringdifficult times

Type 2 diabetes pill significantly cuts risks

See TYPE 2 DIABETES, page 6

By Lauran NeergaardOne more reason to watch the waistline:

New research says people’s weight in middleage may influence not just whether they goon to develop Alzheimer’s disease, but when. Obesity in midlife has long been sus-

pected of increasing the risk of Alzheimer’s.Researchers at the National Institutes ofHealth took a closer look and reported thatbeing overweight or obese at age 50 may af-fect the age, years later, when Alzheimer’sstrikes. Among those who eventually gotsick, more midlife pounds meant an earlieronset of disease. It will take larger studies to prove if the flip

side is true — that keeping trim during mid-dle age might stall later-in-life Alzheimer’s.But it probably won’t hurt. “Maintaining a healthy BMI at midlife is

likely to have long-lasting protective effects,”

said Dr. Madhav Thambisetty of NIH’s Na-tional Institute on Aging, who led the studyreported in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.

About 5 million people in the U.S. are liv-ing with Alzheimer’s, a number expected tomore than double by 2050, barring a med-ical breakthrough, as the population ages.

Alzheimer’s starts quietly ravaging thebrain more than a decade before symp-toms appear. With a cure so far elusive, re-searchers are hunting ways to at least delaythe disease, and lifestyle changes areamong the possible options.

More weight, earlier dementiaTo explore obesity’s effects, Thambisetty’s

team turned to the Baltimore LongitudinalStudy of Aging, one of the longest-runningprojects to track what happens to healthy

people as they get older. They checked therecords of nearly 1,400 participants who hadundergone regular cognitive testing everyyear or two for about 14 years; 142 of themdeveloped Alzheimer’s. The researchers checked how much

those Alzheimer’s patients weighed whenthey were 50 and still cognitively healthy.They tracked BMI, or body mass index, ameasure of the ratio of weight to height.

C O ACHE L L A VA L L E Y B E A CON — NOVEMBER 2 0 1 5 Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health 5

Midlife obesity may mean earlier Alzheimer’s

See OBESITY, page 6

“Every step up on theBMI chart predicted that when Alzheimer’seventually struck,

it would be 6½ months sooner.”

MIND YOUR FLU MANNERSThrough March, Eisenhower Medical Center asks communitymembers to avoid spreading flu by not visiting patients if you are

experiencing flu-like symptoms (cough, fever, runny nose, congestion, chills, bodyaches). If you are seeking medical care on the Eisenhower campus and have flu-like symptoms, you are asked to put on a mask and use hand sanitizer at anybuilding you enter. Also, children under age 18 will not be permitted to enter thehospital, except under special circumstances.

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

found the drug reduced by 14 percent thecombined number of nonfatal heart attacks,nonfatal strokes and deaths due to heartcomplications in study participants. Thoseoutcomes are typically analyzed as a groupin studies involving heart risks. “It’s a quite impressive study,” given the

results and number of patients and coun-

tries included, said Dr. Yogish Kudva, aMayo Clinic diabetes specialist not involvedin the research. Kudva noted one riddle: While many

deaths and hospitalizations were prevented,the number of nonfatal heart attacks andstrokes didn’t decrease significantly. Inzucchi said researchers are still analyz-

ing study data and may uncover an explana-tion, but additional research on Jardianceand similar drugs may be needed.

How the drugs work Drugs in the class, called SGLT2 in-

hibitors, help the kidneys excrete moresugar from the blood through urine. Othersinclude Johnson & Johnson’s Invokana andAstraZeneca PLC’s Farxiga. Merck & Co.is testing another one. Jardiance brought its manufacturer Lilly

just $30 million in sales from Januarythrough June; privately held Boehringer In-gelheim hasn’t disclosed its revenue. Sanford Bernstein analyst Dr. Tim An-

derson wrote to investors that the study

should help all the SGLT2 drugs slightly re-duce sales of other classes of Type 2 dia-betes drugs over time, though patientsusually take multiple types at once. Hetripled his forecast for 2020 sales of Jar-diance to $2.7 billion. SGLT2 drugs shouldn’t be taken by pa-

tients with kidney damage. Side effects in-clude dehydration, low blood sugar, urinarytract infections, a life-threatening conditioncalled ketoacidosis, bone fractures and,most commonly, yeast infections.

— AP

Type 2 diabetesFrom page 4

Every step up on the BMI chart predictedthat when Alzheimer’s eventually struck, itwould be 6 1/2 months sooner. In other words, among this group of

Alzheimer’s patients, someone who hadbeen obese — a BMI of 30 — during mid-dle age, on average had their dementiastrike about a year earlier than someonewhose midlife BMI was 28, in the over-weight range, Thambisetty explained. The threshold for being overweight is a

BMI of 25. The Alzheimer’s study didn’t track

whether the patients’ BMI fluctuated beforeor after age 50. There’s no way to know if los-ing pounds after that age made a differencein dementia risk, although a healthy weight

is recommended for many other reasons.

Brain changes also foundSome of the Baltimore Longitudinal

study participants underwent brain scansduring life, and autopsies at death. Thosetests found people with higher midlifeBMIs also had more of the brain-clogginghallmarks of Alzheimer’s years later, evenif they didn’t develop dementia. The study adds to previous research link-

ing midlife obesity to a risk of Alzheimer’s,but it’s the first to also find those brainchanges, a clue important to examine fur-ther, said Heather Snyder of the Alzheimer’sAssociation, who wasn’t involved in the work. Meanwhile, the Alzheimer’s group has

long recommended a healthy weight:“What’s good for your heart is good foryour brain,” Snyder noted. — AP

ObesityFrom page 5

6 Fitness & Health | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com NOVEMBER 2 0 1 5 — CO ACHE L L A VA L L E Y B E A CON

IT’S POPULAR TO STAY BALANCEDBalance and coordination classes at Mizell Senior Center haveproved so popular, a third class has been added at 3 p.m.

Wednesdays. The one-hour intensive Get Balanced class is taught by Marc Eis-man, D.C. and Stephen Matthews, D.C. Cost is $3 per class for members and $6for non-members. Mizell is 380 S. Sunrise Way, Palm Springs. www.mizell.org orcall 760-323-5689.

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

By Kristen RapozaLike many women, you may have mem-

orized the minimum daily calcium require-ment — 1,000 milligrams a day for womenages 50 and younger and 1,200 mg. forwomen over 50 — and followed it faithfullyin an effort to preserve your bones. You’ll probably be surprised to learn that

many health authorities don’t agree withthat recommendation. Dr. Walter Willett,chair of the Department of Nutrition at Har-vard T.H. Chan School of Public Health,thinks you’re likely to do just as well on halfas much calcium.“Essentially, I think that adults do not

need 1,200 mg. of calcium a day,” he said.“The World Health Organization’s recom-mendation of 500 mg. is probably aboutright. The United Kingdom sets the goal at700 mg., which is fine, too. It allows for a lit-tle leeway.”

Why we need calciumAdequate calcium is necessary for good

health, and not just because it’s a majorcomponent of our bones. It also plays a vitalrole in keeping our organs and skeletalmuscles working properly. The body gets the calcium it needs for

basic functions by releasing the calciumstored in our bones into the blood throughbone remodeling — the process by which

bone is constantly broken down and rebuilt.Because bone density drops when bone

breakdown outpaces bone formation, scien-tists reasoned that maintaining an adequatelevel of calcium in the blood could keep thebody from drawing it out of the bones. In the late 1970s, a couple of brief studies

indicated that consuming 1,200 mg. of cal-cium a day could preserve a postmenopausalwoman’s calcium balance. Based on thosestudies, in 1997 an Institute of Medicinepanel raised the recommendation for cal-cium intake from 800 mg. to 1,200 mg. a dayfor women over 50. That wasn’t a sound decision, Dr. Willett

said: “The recommendation was based oncalcium balance studies that lasted just afew weeks. In fact, calcium balance is deter-mined over the course of years.”Moreover, there wasn’t any evidence that

consuming that much calcium actually pre-vented fractures. Nonetheless, the recom-mendation has been carried forward sincethen.

Doesn’t help, could hurtIn the past two decades, several clinical tri-

als involving thousands of postmenopausalwomen have sought to determine how cal-cium intake affects the risk of hip fractures. In each study, women were randomly as-

signed to one of two groups — one to re-

ceive supplements of calcium and vitaminD (to aid calcium absorption) and the otherto get placebo pills. After several years, the

researchers looked at the number of hip

Supplement with Vitamin D, not calciumCOACHE L L A VA L L E Y B E A CON — NOVEMBER 2 0 1 5 Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health 7

Medicare Made Easy

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But there is a better way to choose your Medicare health plan.

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See CALCIUM, page 8

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fractures in each group. Here’s what they found:Calcium and vitamin D supplements

don’t prevent fractures. That finding camefrom two British studies reported in 2005. It was substantiated by a 2006 report

from the Women’s Health Initiative, whichshowed that 18,000 postmenopausal womenwho took a supplement containing 1,000mg. of calcium and 400 international units(IU) of vitamin D were no less likely tobreak their hips than an equal number who

took a placebo pill, although the density oftheir hip bones increased slightly. Even thatsmall change might have been due to the vi-tamin D rather than the calcium.High calcium intake — from either food

or pills — doesn’t reduce hip fracture risk.This was the conclusion of a 2007 report bySwiss and American scientists who con-ducted an analysis of more than a dozenstudies of calcium.Furthermore, the studies revealed a cou-

ple of downsides to high levels of calciumsupplementation (but not to calcium ob-tained through a regular diet):

1. An increased risk of kidney stones.

In the Woman’s Health Initiative, women tak-ing the calcium-vitamin D combination hada higher risk of developing kidney stonesthan those who got the placebo. Although high levels of dietary calcium

are thought to offer some protectionagainst kidney stones, high doses of cal-cium from supplements may promote stoneformation by increasing the amount of cal-cium that is eliminated in the urine.

2. An increased risk of heart attack.In a randomized study of 1,471 post-menopausal women conducted in NewZealand, 21 of 732 women who took 1,000mg. of calcium a day had heart attacks, com-pared with 10 of 736 who received a placebo.A 2010 analysis of 15 randomized controlledtrials also linked calcium supplementationwith an increased risk of heart attack.Some researchers have speculated that

calcium supplements may contribute toheart disease by increasing blood levels ofcalcium, which can cause arteries to stiffenand blood pressure to rise.

Vitamin D harder to getVitamin D is also essential for healthy

bones. In fact, the daily vitamin D requirementwas first introduced to help prevent rickets —a condition in which developing bones are softand can become bowed — in children.Vitamin D is made in the skin through

exposure to ultraviolet radiation in sunlight.However, the amount produced varieswidely from person to person. People withdarker skin produce less vitamin D thanlighter-skinned people. And in all popula-tions, the skin’s ability to convert sunlightto vitamin D declines with age.Plus, if you follow the advice to reduce

your risk of skin cancer by keeping coveredand wearing sunscreen, you’re also cuttingyour vitamin D production. Such variability has made it difficult for

researchers to tell how much vitamin Dpeople make in addition to the amount theyconsume in supplements. Evidence from studies that have measured

blood levels of vitamin D indicates that levelsin the high-normal range are optimal for build-ing bone. To reach those levels may requiretaking 800 to 1,000 IU of vitamin D a day.One thing the studies have taught us is

that both calcium and vitamin D are essentialto building bone. The question is how muchof each. Dr. Willett recommends going loweron calcium and higher on vitamin D than theguidelines suggest — 500 to 700 mg. a day ofcalcium and 800 to 1,000 IU of vitamin D.At that rate, you can probably get all or

most of your calcium from food, especiallyif you have a serving or two of dairy prod-ucts daily. If you can’t tolerate dairy, you should still

be able to get 300 mg. a day in your diet,and can take a low-dose calcium supple-ment to make up the rest. By keeping yoursupplement consumption to 500 mg. or lessa day, you should avoid the possible risk ofheart disease and kidney stones suggestedby the studies.Although vitamin D is added to milk and

some other foods, you’ll probably need asupplement to be sure you’re gettingenough. A capsule containing 800 to 1,000IU should do the trick.

— Harvard Women’s Health Watch© 2015. President and Fellows of Har-

vard College. All rights reserved. DistributedBy Tribune Content Agency, LLC.


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CalciumFrom page 7

Please patronize our advertisers.They keep the Beacon free!

Low-nicotine cigarettes may

help smokers quitA new study might help the push for reg-

ulations to limit nicotine in cigarettes.Smokers who switched to special low-nico-tine ones wound up smoking less and weremore likely to try to quit, researchers found. The study only lasted six weeks, and re-

searchers call the evidence preliminary.But they say it’s the first large study toshow that slashing nicotine, perhaps belowan addiction threshold, is safe and leads toless smoking. The Food and Drug Administration was

given the power in 2009 to mandate lowernicotine levels if it would help public health,but has not yet done so. “This, I think, provides support” for low-

ering nicotine, said one study leader, Dr.Neal Benowitz of the University of Califor-nia, San Francisco. “What our study shows is that it’s feasi-

ble,” and that people won’t smoke moreregular cigarettes to compensate, he said. Results were published in the New Eng-

land Journal of Medicine. The FDA and theNational Institute on Drug Abuse paid forthe study. Two study leaders have advisedcompanies that make smoking cessationaids, and two testified in tobacco lawsuits. Smoking is a leading cause of heart dis-

ease and cancer. Tar and other substancesinhaled through smoking make cigarettesdeadly, but the nicotine in tobacco is whatmakes them addictive. Some earlier work suggests they might

not be if nicotine was limited to roughly 0.7milligrams per gram of tobacco. Most ciga-

rettes contain around 15.8 milligrams pergram of tobacco. There are no low-nicotine cigarettes on the

market. The government made special oneswith several lower nicotine levels to test. The low-nicotine users in the study were

a little more likely to smoke some regularcigarettes in addition to the ones providedin the study, yet the overall number of cig-arettes smoked and nicotine levels werelower in those groups.All low-nicotine cigarette users reported

fewer symptoms of nicotine dependence onvarious standardized tests. The study was not intended or designed

to get smokers to quit. But twice as manyin the low-nicotine group than those smok-ing standard-strength cigarettes — 35 per-cent versus 17 percent — said they hadtried to quit in the month after the studyended. A longer study is under way to see

whether a gradual or abrupt shift to low-nicotine cigarettes is best.

Concerns aboutimplantedheart valves

Doctors have discovered a potential prob-lem involving implanted heart valves thathundreds of thousands of people have re-ceived: They don’t always open and closeproperly, possibly because a blood clot hasformed that could raise the risk of stroke. Although the problem appears common,

experts stressed that not enough is knownabout the situation to change practice now,and federal health officials say the valvesstill seem safe and well worth the risk. But it’s bound to be unsettling for people

with bioprosthetic aortic valves — thosemade from cow, pig or human tissue. They

have become more popular than mechani-cal ones made from synthetic materials be-cause they don’t require lifelong use ofblood thinners to prevent blood clots. Also, some tissue valves can be placed

through tubes into blood vessels ratherthan through open-heart surgery, whichhas allowed far more people in recent yearsto have bad valves fixed. The safety concern emerged last year in

a study testing a tube-placed valve. Scanson two patients, including one who had astroke, revealed that their valves were notworking right. Dr. Raj Makkar, the doctor at Cedars-Sinai

Heart Institute in Los Angeles who led thestudy, wanted to know how widespread thiswas. In a report published by the New Eng-land Journal of Medicine, he and others saythe problem has now been found in 22 of 55

(40 percent of) patients in the study, and in17 of 132 (13 percent of) patients in two reg-istries tracking tissue valve recipients. The initial study was testing a valve from

St. Jude Medical, but the problem has nowbeen seen in other brands too, and withvalves implanted surgically, not just thoseplaced through tubes. That suggests theissue could affect many people, althoughit’s unknown if the risk occurs soon afterthe implant or lasts longer. Makkar said patients who recently re-

ceived a tissue valve can talk with their doc-tors and see if imaging is being offered tocheck for the problem — it is at his hospital. “These devices are life-saving,” Makkar

said. “The worst thing that could happen isthat people get the wrong idea” and areafraid to have a valve fixed.

— AP

COACHE L L A VA L L E Y B E A CON — NOVEMBER 2 0 1 5 Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health 9

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By Meghan StreitWhen you’re caring for a sick spouse or

parent, it can be difficult to find time toenjoy hobbies, exercise, or even scheduleroutine appointments such as dental check-ups. As a result, caregivers sometimes suf-fer from depression, increased anxiety anddeteriorating health.Diane Everett figured out a way to free

up her time and reduce her stress. Her hus-band, Tom, was diagnosed in 2007 withALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.A few years ago, Everett, 61, started usingthe website Lotsa Helping Hands (www.lot-sahelpinghands.com) to streamline hercommunication with family and friends,and to tap into her social network for help.Caregivers use Lotsa Helping Hands to

create personalized websites where theycan post updates about a loved one’s med-ical condition, and request assistance withtasks such as driving to medical appoint-ments or mowing the lawn. Friends must bespecifically invited to access the website bythe caregiver, to ensure users’ privacy.When Everett posts a request for help,

all of the members of her Lotsa HelpingHands community receive an e-mail alert.“Sometimes I will say, ‘I need a couple ofmeals this week, and Tom doesn’t eatonions, and he’s having trouble chewingred meat,’” Everett said.

If Everett’s family and friends can helpwith a specific task, they simply click a linkto sign up. That lets the other communitymembers know the request is fulfilled.“Now, I don’t have to make a million

phone calls or leave messages,” Everettsaid. “It’s the most amazing time saver.”

Make coordination easyBrooks Kenny, the site’s executive vice-

president, said 76,000 “caring communities”of family and friends lend help to caregivers.One reason the site is catching on, Kennysaid, is that it enables caregivers to turnvague offers of help into practical, tangibleassistance. When a well-meaning friend of-fers to help, most caregivers are reluctantto follow up. But a caregiver who uses LotsaHelping Hands can refer friends and rela-tives to her website.Kenny said the most common requests are

for meal drop-off and transportation. Care-givers might ask for someone to walk the dogor shovel snow. Or the caregiver could ask forpeople to take turns visiting with the personwho is ill so that the caregiver can attend herbook club or hit the gym.“The caregivers we work with say, ‘I had

no idea so many people cared,’ or ‘I had noidea it wouldn’t feel funny to have someonedrop off a meal,’” Kenny said.

More sites that can helpCareFlash (www.careflash.com) is simi-

lar to Lotsa Helping Hands. Founder JayDrayer created the site in 2006 after hisown caregiving experience. In addition to a calendar function where

caregivers can ask for help, CareFlash in-cludes a “social storytelling” module wherefamily, friends and the ill person can uploadphotos and record audio stories.CaringBridge (www.caringbridge.org) is

another popular site for caregivers. It was

launched in 1997 primarily as a tool for peopleto update friends and family about a lovedone’s illness or recovery. In 2012, Caring-Bridge added SupportPlanner, where care-givers can request assistance with chores.Many caregivers use CaringBridge to

post medical updates and read well wishesfrom friends and family members, saidSona Mehring, the website’s founder andchief executive officer.

© 2015, Kiplinger. All rights reserved. Dis-tributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

COACHE L L A VA L L E Y B E A CON — NOVEMBER 2 0 1 5 Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health 11

Reduce your water use

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Save water with these water wise tips

Let your grass go golden but keep watering trees and shrubs.

Keep your Bermuda grass alive until spring by only watering occasionally.

Replace turf with desert-friendly landscaping. Visit CVWD’s conservation page at www.cvwd.org for rebate & discount information.

Find and �x indoor and outdoor leaks immediately. Leaks can waste thousands of gallons of water. Download a copy of Water Wise at Home: A Guide to Finding Leaks at www.cvwd.org.

For more water wise tips, visit our conservation page at www.cvwd.org.

Stay connected with us! (760) 398-2651www.cvwd.org

Coachella Valley Water District Your resource for water conservation tips.

Caregivers get by with help from friends

By Stan ChoeEurope has been a land of disappoint-

ment for years for investors. But now theycan’t get enough of it. Investors are so hot for the continent

that made “debt crisis” and “austerity”everyday terms that they’ve plowed morethan $30 billion this year into mutual fundsand exchange-traded funds that focus onEuropean stocks — a relatively niche cate-gory that has $81 billion in total assets. The move is part of a broader migration

into foreign stock funds and away frommany U.S. stock funds, which have beensome of the best performers since the fi-nancial crisis. Several motivations are behind the shift,

including the desire to make portfolios lessU.S.-reliant and more like the global stockmarket. The fits and starts for European stocks

in recent years have also opened up an-other attraction, particularly when com-pared against a U.S. market that has gonenearly straight up for years until recently:Vive la valuation.“I think it’s a fairly logical shift: People

are seeing more value outside the U.S. than

inside the U.S.,” said Rob Lovelace. He is asenior member of the management com-mittee of Capital Group, whose AmericanFunds family is home to some of the largestinternational stock funds. The flows into Europe have been erratic.

When worries have flared about Europe’sdebt troubles, Russia’s involvement in theUkraine or how European exporters willcope with a weak global economy, dollarshave headed out of the region. Those risks remain, as does the possibil-

ity that a weaker euro could dilute returnsfor U.S. investors. Here’s a look at what’s attracting in-

vestors to European stock funds, as well asthings that need to be considered beforejoining the crowd.

Moving away from “home bias” Invest in what you know. It’s a phenome-

non around the world, and people tend toinvest heavily in stocks from their homecountry. That’s why foreign stocks make upsmall portions of many U.S. investors’ port-folios, even though they make up close tohalf the global market. That’s changing. Investors pulled a net

$7 billion from U.S. stock funds from thebeginning of this year through August, ac-cording to Morningstar. They pumpednearly $210 billion into international stockfunds over the same time.

Valuations are cheaper The surge for U.S. stocks since 2009

means they’re more expensive relative tohow much profit they’re producing. TheS&P 500 set a record high this summer,and trades at about 16 times its expectedearnings per share. European stocks, meanwhile, have been

on a bumpier ride. The MSCI Europe indexis still about 30 percent below its peak frombefore the Great Recession, in dollar terms. The relatively listless performance

means the MSCI Europe index has recentlytraded at 14 times its expected earnings.While that’s not screamingly cheap, it’s lesspricey than the United States.

Europe’s economy is improving After shrinking in 2012 and 2013, the

euro area’s economy returned to growthlast year. This year, growth is set to accel-erate to 1.5 percent, and the InternationalMonetary Fund expects it to improve againnext year to 1.6 percent. That’s lower than the expected U.S.

growth rate of 2.8 percent in 2016, but Eu-rope’s economy is earlier in its recovery.The European Central Bank is still in stim-ulus mode, while the Federal Reserve hasalready halted its bond-buying program andis discussing when to raise interest rates.

Profits are playing catch-up Profitability for European companies is

well behind U.S. companies. If they canclose that gap, European stocks have roomto rise, said Dan Ison, portfolio manager atthe Columbia European Equity fund.

Corporate profits usually set records dur-ing each economic cycle, and that’s beenthe case in the United States during this ex-pansion. But European corporate profits are still

below where they were before the 2008 fi-nancial crisis. Now that Europe’s economyis slowly improving, Ison expects earningsgrowth to accelerate. That has him looking for companies that

do lots of business within Europe to benefitfrom the growth. His fund owns construc-tion and media companies, for example.One of its biggest holdings is Ryanair, a dis-count airline that serves leisure travelersaround Europe.

Currency and other risks One danger of dropping the “home bias”

is that investors may introduce a new formof risk to their portfolios. When the euro orSwiss franc fall in value, it can erode or evenwipe out returns for investors counting theirperformance in dollars. The MSCI Europe index has returned 3

percent this year in local-currency terms, forexample, but only 0.2 percent in dollars. Somefunds “hedge” to blunt the effect. The Wis-domTree Europe Hedged Equity ETF andother hedged funds have become popular. But if the dollar ends up falling against

the euro, unhedged funds will get a boostfrom the currency move while hedgedfunds won’t. Europe is also still working through its

debt troubles, and each upcoming politicalelection could fan further worries. Even bigger issues may be tensions with

Russia and Europe’s economic ties withemerging markets. China’s economicgrowth is slowing sharply, which is strikingfear into European exporters of luxurygoods, cars and other products.

— AP


Money Short-term care insurance costs less, butas its name implies, covers less as well.See story on page 14.

Law &

Should investors flock to European stocks?

STAY SAFE ON THE ROADThe AARP Safe Drivers Course is offered the first Monday of eachmonth (except January) at Joslyn Center, 73-750 Catalina Way,

Palm Desert. This course enables drivers to refresh driving skills and understandhow to make age-related adjustments to driving challenges. The class runs from9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Preregistration is mandatory as this workshop class is very pop-ular. Cost is $20 for AARP members; $25 for non-AARP members. Payment iscash only the day of class. Joslyncenter.org, (760) 340-3220

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

By Kimberly LankfordNo matter how carefully you plan for re-

tirement, if you don’t have long-term careinsurance, a catastrophic illness could wipeout your savings. The average private room in a nursing

home costs $250 per day — or $91,250 peryear — according to Genworth’s 2015 Costof Care study. Costs are typically consider-ably higher in this metro area. The median cost of assisted living is now

$43,200 a year, and the cost of hiring ahome-care worker is $20 per hour, or morethan $41,000 per year for a 40-hour week.(The average length of care is about threeyears.) Medicare provides little coverage for

long-term care, and Medicaid kicks in onlyafter you’ve spent almost all of your money.In the past, you could buy long-term care

insurance to cover most of the potentialcosts. But those fully-loaded policies havebecome incredibly expensive. Today, ahealthy 55-year-old man would pay nearly$6,870 per year for a Genworth policy thatpays $200 per day for five years and in-creases the benefits by 5 percent com-pounded each year. Single women now payabout 50 percent more than single men. And premiums can spike after you buy

the insurance, as they already have formany people.

Save money with trade-offs Making a few tweaks to your coverage

can save thousands of dollars in premiumsand still protect a portion of your retire-ment savings. “I try to strike a balance,” said Sam

McPherson, a certified financial planner inBrooklyn, N.Y. McPherson looks at the av-erage cost of care in his clients’ area atwww.genworth.com/costofcare, then getsprice quotes for a policy that would cover aportion of the costs. “If the average daily cost of a home

health aide is $113 in your area and the costof a private room in a nursing home is $195a day, think of [getting a policy] covering$150 per day,” he said.The same 55-year-old man would pay

only $1,534 per year for a Genworth policythat covers $150 a day for three years witha 3 percent compound inflation adjustment.That less-expensive Genworth policy wouldprovide up to $164,250 in coverage (intoday’s dollars) when you multiply the dailybenefit by the benefit period. But some trade-offs are a better deal

than others.Changing the inflation adjustment de-

livers the biggest savings. You need to havesome inflation protection, especially if youbuy coverage in your fifties or sixties andmay not need care for 20 years or more.

Nursing home rates have increased by 4percent annually over the past five years;assisted living and home care costs haverisen 2 percent a year or less.But insurers have jacked up premiums

for 5 percent inflation protection becausetheir own investments are earning low in-terest rates. Our 55-year-old man would pay$2,666 more per year, or $4,200, if he chosethe 5 percent inflation adjustment insteadof 3 percent. “That cost differential is toodrastic for most people,” said Brian Gor-don, president of MAGA Ltd., a long-termcare specialist in Riverwoods, Ill.

Shortening the benefit period savesmoney, but probably wouldn’t provideenough coverage for a degenerative condi-tion, such as Alzheimer’s. Couples can hedge their bets by buying

a shared-benefit policy. Instead of, say, athree-year benefit period each, they’d havea pool of six years to use between them.Adding this benefit costs an additional 15 to

22 percent.Extending the waiting period before

benefits kick in can also lower the pre-mium, although you’ll have to pay the fullcost of care before your insurance coversanything. Policies with a 90-day waiting pe-riod tend to offer a good balance.But look for a “calendar day” waiting pe-

riod. That starts the clock ticking as soonas you qualify for care, either because youneed help with two activities of daily livingor have cognitive impairment. A “serviceday” waiting period has the same benefittrigger but counts only the days you re-ceive care (the average person receiveshome care 3.5 days per week, according tothe American Association for Long-TermCare Insurance (AALTCI). Some insurers, such as Genworth,

charge about 15 percent extra for a policywith no waiting period for home care.

C O ACHE L L A VA L L E Y B E A CON — NOVEMBER 2 0 1 5 Say you saw it in the Beacon | Law & Money 13

Ways to afford long-term care coverage

See LONG-TERM CARE, page 15

By Eleanor LaiseWhen it comes to long-term care planning,

some consumers are starting to think shortterm. People who can’t qualify for — or can’tafford — long-term care insurance are in-creasingly turning to short-term care poli-cies, which offer benefits for up to one year.Short-term care policies have lower pre-

miums and looser underwriting standardsthan long-term care policies, making themmore accessible to people with health prob-lems. But patients who end up needing ex-tended care will find that these policies aresorely lacking. And short-term care policies may not

cover all the levels of care that a long-termpolicy would cover. Some short-term poli-cies only cover home care, while others willpay only for care in a facility.Short-term care policies, offered by car-

riers such as MedAmerica, Kemper andEquitable Life & Casualty, have been

around for years, but are gaining renewedattention as long-term care insurance pre-miums have climbed sharply in recentyears. And wealthier consumers who applyfor long-term care coverage are often de-clined for age or health reasons.Short-term care insurance is “your plan

B option,” said Jesse Slome, who runs tradegroups for both long- and short-term careinsurance. While long-term care insuranceis your best bet if you can afford it and meetthe health qualifications, Slome said, “someinsurance is better than no insurance.”

Is it worth it?But some in the industry are more skep-

tical that short-term care policies offer realvalue to consumers. If you can afford to payshort-term care insurance premiums, youmay well be able to afford care in the shortterm without bothering with insurance.A 64-year-old in Nebraska, for example,

can get a policy that will pay a $120 dailybenefit for 100 days for an annual premiumof $312, according to a quote provided byPremier LTC Brokerage, in Norfolk, Neb.If he pays premiums for 20 years beforemaking a claim, he has paid $6,240 for amaximum of $12,000 worth of benefits.Some short-term care policies offer evenlower benefits of $50 per day — just a frac-tion of a facility’s cost.Older consumers should also remember

that Medicare often foots some of the billfor short-term care, said James Glickman,president of Life Care Assurance, a Wood-land Hills, Cal., long-term care reinsurer. Ifyou need rehabilitation in a nursing homefollowing a hospital stay of at least threedays, Medicare may cover most of the costsfor up to 100 days.Many people who want to purchase

some form of coverage may find short-termcare is their only option. Those who are de-clined long-term care coverage as a resultof conditions such as arthritis or diabetes,for example, may be eligible for short-termcare insurance, said Barbara Stahlecker, na-tional marketing director at Premier LTCBrokerage.

Comparing policiesAlthough it’s difficult to make direct cost

comparisons between short- and long-term

care coverage, given their varying benefits,Slome offers an example of how mucholder couples might expect to pay for eachtype of policy. A 60-year-old couple can get a short-term

care policy that provides $150 in daily bene-fits for up to 360 days, with a 30-day elimina-tion period, for $1,235 annually, he said. (Theelimination period is the number of days be-tween the time you become eligible for ben-efits and when the insurer starts paying.) The couple would pay $2,170 a year for a

long-term care policy that provides thesame daily benefit for up to three years,with a 90-day elimination period.A benefit for single women: Unlike long-

term care insurance, which often chargessingle women 20 to 40 percent more thansingle men, short-term care insurance of-fers unisex pricing.Short-term care policies also require you

to jump fewer hurdles before collectingbenefits. For example, long-term care poli-cies generally won’t pay benefits unlessyour doctor certifies that for at least 90 daysyou’re going to need help with at least two“activities of daily living,” such as bathingand dressing. Short-term care policies typ-ically don’t have the 90-day requirement.

All contents © 2015 The Kiplinger Wash-ington Editors, Inc. Distributed by TribuneContent Agency, LLC.

14 Law & Money | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com NOVEMBER 2 0 1 5 — CO ACHE L L A VA L L E Y B E A CON

Why consider short-term care insurance?

FARMERS OPEN STALLS AT NIGHT The Palm Desert Certified Farmers’ Market has changed its hoursthis year. It is now open from 4 to 8 p.m. every Wednesday, rather

than during the morning on Wednesday. Stalls are in a lot next to the Chamber ofCommerce at 72-559 Highway 111, Palm Desert. Certifiedfarmersmarket.org,(844) 732-7628

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

Find the best dealAnnual premiums are lower when you’re

younger, although you’ll pay them longer.“To me, the sweet spot for buying long-term care insurance is in your late fiftiesand early sixties,” said McPherson.But it becomes more difficult to qualify

for coverage as you get older. In 2014, some21 percent of people in their fifties who ap-plied for coverage were denied; 27 percentof those in their sixties and 45 percent intheir seventies were turned down, said theAALTCI.Most insurers now perform medical

exams, which may include cognitive assess-ments for applicants who are older than 60,said John Ryan, a long-term care specialistwith Ryan Insurance Strategy Consultants,in Greenwood Village, Colo. Some compa-nies may charge more if you have a familyhistory of early-onset Alzheimer’s or heartissues, added Gordon.It helps to work with an agent who deals

with several insurers and knows which

ones have the best rates. Gordon oftenworks with Mutual of Omaha, MassMutual,Genworth, John Hancock and Transamer-ica. Before applying, he asks the insurer ifit will cover the person’s condition. You can find a long-term care specialist

at www.aaltci.org. A few insurers, such asNew York Life and Northwestern Mutual,sell only through their agents.Along with the coverage trade-offs, you’ll

need a plan to tap your income and savingsif you have to pay for some care out ofpocket. Scott Sadar, a certified financial planner

in Portland, Ore., said his clients identifywhich investments they plan to sell if theyneed money to pay for long-term care, andthey often use products such as deferred-income annuities to provide additional in-come when they are likely to need care.[See “New annuity type can minimize yourRMDs,” on page 37.]Another option is to add a chronic-care

rider to a permanent life insurance policy,which boosts premiums by about 10 per-cent but lets you tap your death benefitearly if you need long-term care.

Tax-smart ways to pay premiumsSeveral tax breaks for long-term care

premiums can help you stretch your dol-lars. If you have a “tax qualified” long-term

care policy (most policies sold today are),you can withdraw money tax-free from ahealth savings account to pay premiums foryourself and your spouse. The amount is based on age. If you’re 40

or younger in 2015, you can each withdrawup to $380 tax-free for long-term care pre-miums; $710 if you’re 41 to 50; $1,430 ifyou’re 51 to 60; $3,800 if you’re 61 to 70; and$4,750 if you’re 71 or older.

If you don’t use HSA money for long-term care premiums, you can count thesame amounts outlined above toward thetax deduction for medical expenses. Ifyou’re 65 or older, medical expenses aretax-deductible in 2015 after they exceed 7.5percent of income (the threshold is 10 per-cent if you’re younger).You can also pay long-term care premi-

ums with a tax-free transfer (called a 1035exchange) from the cash value of a life in-surance policy or annuity.

All contents © 2015 The Kiplinger Wash-ington Editors, Inc. Distributed by TribuneContent Agency, LLC.

COACHE L L A VA L L E Y B E A CON — NOVEMBER 2 0 1 5 Say you saw it in the Beacon | Law & Money 15

Long-term careFrom page 13

NEED ADVICE ON SENIOR MATTERS? Senior Gateway is a California state one-stop website designed toprovide seniors, their families and caregivers with the information

they need to connect to helpful services and resources, to find answers andsolve problems. Topics can include avoiding and reporting abuse and neglect;preventing fraud, financial abuse and common scams; healthcare information andyour rights. The website has an easy-to-use alphabetical list of subjects offered.Seniors.ca.gov

LEARN HOW TO SAVE WATER IN YOUR GARDENA Master Gardener from the University of California CooperativeExtension will give a free lecture on “Controlling Your Irrigation”

at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18 at the Palm Springs Public Library, 300 S.Sunrise Way, Palm Springs. Palmspringslibrary.org, (760) 322-7323

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

Nov. 18


TravelLeisure &

By Victor BlockOn beaches with white, black and even

green sand, vacationers soak up the sun.Not far away, skiers speed down the snow-covered slopes of a dormant volcano. Otherpeople check out a surreal moonscape ofhardened pitch-black lava, then hikethrough a lush tropical rainforest. If this sounds like a continent-wide

choice of activities, that’s because the is-land of Hawaii in some ways resembles aminiature continent. Since it shares its name with the state, it’s

often referred to as the Big Island to avoidconfusion, and with good reason. It’s almosttwice the size of all the other Hawaiian is-lands combined — about one-third as largeas Maryland. Visitors find a miniature world that en-

compasses virtually every kind of land-scape. Cactus-dotted desert lies near rainforests. Barren lava fields contrast with wa-terfalls plunging into verdant valleys. De-pending upon which classification systemis used, Hawaii Island possesses at leasteight, and possibly more, of the earth’s 13climate zones.

Land of volcanoes The major attraction for many visitors is

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, where thefive volcanoes that built up the island overmillions of years can be found. This is oneof the few places in the world where people

may come face-to-face with an active vol-cano. Mauna Loa has erupted 33 times in the

past 175 years, most recently in 1984. Kilauea is the world’s most active volcano.

Lava flowing from Kilauea, which has beenerupting since 1983, adds about 42 acres toHawaii Island every year. Just last year, thelava flow invaded populated areas andprompted an evacuation by some residents. Those massive mountains have another

claim to fame. They measure more than30,000 feet from their base (located far be-neath the sea) to their summits, makingthem taller than Mount Everest. Another volcano, Mauna Kea — the

name is Hawaiian for “white mountain”— at times receives a mantle of snow dur-ing winter that is adequate for skiing andsnowboarding. However, skiing there isnot for the timid. There are no lifts, groom-ing or resort, and a 4-wheel drive vehicle isrequired to reach the 13,796-foot summit.Locals call the snow “pineapple powder.”A good way to experience the park is to

drive along Crater Rim Drive, which leadsto several major attractions. The JaggarMuseum provides a detailed introductionto volcanoes, and the overlook outside of-fers a breathtaking panoramic view. The Thurston Lava Tube was formed

when an underground river of molten lavaran out of its channel, and the walls cooledand hardened. The aptly named Devasta-

tion Trail leads through an area that wasburied beneath a thick blanket of cindersduring an eruption of Kilauea in 1959. Along with volcanoes and the usual sun-

and-sand vacation activities, there areplenty of other reasons to visit the island ofHawaii. For fishermen, waters off its KonaCoast are famous as the best in the worldfor catching giant blue marlin.Much larger examples of sea life drop by

during whale-watching season, from De-cember through May. While humpbackshave top billing, it’s also possible to spotsperm and melon-headed whales. People who prefer to keep their feet on

firm ground will find a wide choice of hik-ing opportunities. Volcanoes National Parkalone offers 150 miles of trails.

Coffee and cowboys Some visitors are pleasantly surprised to

discover that coffee and cowboys areamong the island’s unexpected treasures.World-renowned, and costly, Kona coffeehas been grown there since it was intro-duced by missionaries in 1828. Today, the beans are harvested at count-

less tiny farms crowded into a narrow stripof land along the Kona Coast. The rich vol-canic soil, cloud cover and elevation of up-

land slopes combine to provide an ideal en-vironment. A number of the small farmsoffer tours and tastings.A farm setting of another kind more

closely fits the Big Island nickname, andadds a bit of cowboy culture to the scene.This story began in 1788, when a visitorpresented a gift of five cows to King Kame-hameha 1, who had consolidated his ruleover the eight Hawaiian islands into onekingdom. After the monarch set the ani-mals free, they multiplied into thousandsover the next two decades, wreaking havocwith farm crops and gardens. When a Massachusetts sailor named

John Parker landed on the island, he gotpermission from the king to shoot the wildcattle. He began selling their meat andhides, became wealthy, and eventually es-tablished a ranch that carried his name. In the 1830s, Parker contracted with va-

queros, horse-mounted cattle herders fromMexico, to tend his large herd of livestock.The local island men they trained to rideand rope became instrumental in thegrowth of the Parker Ranch into one of thelargest cattle spreads in the United States.Two historic homes on the sprawling prop-

RVs offer a life on the open road free ofworries about finding a hotel, but theycan be hard to maneuver, and theyaren’t inexpensive. See story on page 18.

Polynesians were the original settlers of the Hawaiian Islands. Extending along thelava flats of the Kona Coast, Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Historic Park is hometo a reconstructed Polynesian royal compound that once served as a sanctuary forpeople who had angered the gods.

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Two-thousand-foot high cliffs tower over the Waipio Valley, also known as the Valleyof the Kings, where numerous waterfalls flow into rivers.

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Beyond beaches on Hawaii’s Big Island

See HAWAII, page 17

erty are open to the public, and the story ofthe ranch is told at the visitors center.

Hawaii’s Polynesian pastFor history buffs, the story of the island’s

past is as intriguing as what greets visitorstoday. The earliest settlements were estab-lished by Polynesians who arrived after along and treacherous ocean voyage in largedouble-hulled canoes. Estimated dates oftheir arrival span hundreds of years, fromthe fourth to eighth centuries. Clues to the lifestyle of the ancient Hawai-

ian civilization abound throughout the is-land. They include remnants of villages,temples (heiau), agricultural mounds andother archeological remains. Some relics — such as royal fish ponds

constructed to satisfy noble palates and lavarock carvings called petroglyphs — havebeen incorporated into the grounds of hotels. The chiseled images depict humans,

birds and other recognizable forms, as wellas undecipherable lines and dots. Their pre-cise meanings are unknown, but scientistsbelieve that they record births, deaths andother major events, and perhaps include as-tronomical symbols. One of the more intriguing sites is the

Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National HistoricPark, a reconstructed royal compound.Known as the “City of Refuge,” it served as

a sanctuary for people who angered thegods in some way. Transgressors who were able to reach this

sacred place were absolved by a priest and al-lowed to go free. The compound encom-passes temples, sacred burial places,petroglyphs and other reminders of ancienttimes.Another chapter of island history comes

alive in the Waipio Valley, a six-by-one-milegash in the land rimmed by 2,000-foothigh cliffs over which numerous waterfallscascade. The meandering river they creategave the valley its name, which means“curved waters.”Also known as “Valley of the Kings,” it

once was home to many rulers, and con-tains remains of important temples. Visitorsmay view the valley from a small overlook,or take a guided tour into it.When not taking the opportunity to look

down into deep valleys or across wide panora-mas, visitors also have the ability to look up atthe stars as few people have seen them. Hawaii Island is home to one of the most

renowned astronomical sites on Earth.Perched above the cloud cover on theMauna Kea volcano, 13 powerful telescopesare trained on the sky. Because of the highelevation, clear air and minimal light pollu-tion, at night the stars overhead resemblesparkling glitter. Guided tours to the obser-vatory include transportation, warm parkasand dinner.An opportunity to peer at stars in a way

that few people ever have isn’t the majorreason why most people visit Hawaii Island.It’s but one in a long list of attractions thatappeal to various interests well beyond thebeaches, no matter what the color of thesand.

Where to stay and eatWhen deciding where to stay on Hawaii

Island, the perplexing but pleasant chal-lenge is choosing from an abundance of ho-tels. The Kohala Coast on the northwest

corner is known as the “Gold Coast” be-cause of the string of luxurious resorts setamidst the lava landscape.While many of these properties offer sim-

ilar attractions, the Hilton Waikoloa Villageand Beach Resort stands out for immersingits guests in varied touches of local lore. Astretch of the 175-mile King’s Trail — whichlinked ancient communities, temples andother historic sites — skirts the hotel

C O ACHE L L A VA L L E Y B E A CON — NOVEMBER 2 0 1 5 Say you saw it in the Beacon | Leisure & Travel 17

CATCH THE SMILES! DEC. 11•7:30pm

Tickets: 800-838-3006www.CandidCamera.com

CANDID CAMERAWithPETER FUNT

8 DecadesofSmiles!

Hilarious Clips & QuipsINDIAN WELLS THEATER

“A joyful show!” – Flavorwire

“Good-natured, hostility-free” – NY Times

“Top Pick” – People Magazine

HawaiiFrom page 16

See HAWAII, page 19

EAT LUNCH AT THE SUNSHINE CAFÉA hot and healthy lunch is served at noon Monday, Tuesday andThursday in the dining room at the Indio Senior Center. Diners

need to sign up and pay the day before by 11 a.m. Ages 59 and under pay $4;ages 60 and up pay $3, or a donation of what you can afford. Menus are on thebulletin board in the Center lobby. Meals are provided by Mizell Senior Center andthe Riverside County Office on Aging. The center is at 43-100 Aladdin St., Indio.Indio.org, (760) 391-4170

STREETWISE AND BODYSAFE CLASS FOR SENIORSJudith Fein, Ph.D., director of the Evolve Institute for Violence Pro-tection, will present a workshop on safety awareness skills and

empowerment from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17 at Mizell Senior Center. Sheis the author of four books on self-defense and violence prevention, has taught theart of self-defense for over 40 years, and has a Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do. Cost is$10 for members and $20 for non-members. Sign up at the Mizell ticket window,380 S. Sunrise Way, Palm Springs. Mizell.org, (760) 323-5689

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

Nov. 17

By David MuhlbaumRecreational vehicle sales sagged during

the Great Recession, but lately they haveticked back up, thanks to gas prices that havestayed below $3 a gallon for over a year. If you’ve thought about investing a small

fortune in one of these mobile motel rooms,perhaps because you’re contemplating a no-madic retirement, think about renting onefirst to try out the lifestyle for a week or two.A number of national chains rent RVs. A

weeklong rental from Cruise America, forexample, typically costs about $1,000, de-pending on where you rent and how far youdrive. Other national chains include ElMonte and Road Bear. Renting is also agood option if you’re looking for an afford-able and convenient way to see the scenery

on your next vacation.

Coping behind the wheelFirst, the bad news. Let’s get the driving

part out of the way because it’s pretty mis-erable. Most rental RVs are Class C motorhomes: The cab and chassis of a full-sizevan are merged with a big box that housesenough beds to sleep up to seven, plus akitchen, a toilet, a shower, a television andwhatever other features the builderchooses to include. For my recent RV excursion, taking my

family to visit friends in Rehoboth Beach,Del., I rented a Coachman Freelander 28DSfrom Ace RV in Herndon, Va. The Coach-man is a Class C RV, and that means no mat-ter how nicely appointed it is in back, the

front is still just a regular work van.Pull away from a stop and the engine

labors loudly, joined by a cacophony of creaksand rattles as the rest of the vehicle slowly re-alizes that it, too, has to come along. Turning? Better swing wide (and check

those mirrors). Backing up? If you’re lucky,you’ll have a rearview camera. Otherwise,send out spotters. Crosswinds? Two handson the wheel at all times. Crosswinds on narrow, high bridges,

such as the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, whichI had to cross to get to the beach? Nowwe’re really sweating. As a friend of mineputs it, driving an RV is “like suddenly be-coming very, very fat.” No special driver’s license is typically re-

quired to rent an RV, but that belies thecomplexity of operating one. At the veryleast, pay close attention during the how-it-works tour of your vehicle, because that’swhen you’ll realize that you’re not justchecking into a cabin; you’re ripping thatcabin from its sewer, water and electricallines and taking it somewhere. (CruiseAmerica offers an instructional video forrenters; you can view it on YouTube.)If the goal of your trip is to scope out

using an RV as part of your retirement plan,keep in mind that most Class C motorhomes (average retail price, $89,000) don’tmeasure up in size and amenities to thebus-style, Class A RVs (averaging $180,000)that retirees favor. If you want a taste of that life, pay the

extra for a Class A rental. El Monte andRoad Bear offer these for about $2,000 to$3,000 a week, as do many independents.

Camping without the bugsThe campground is where the magic of

an RV’s little cubbies, folding beds, tables,pull-out stoves and retractable TVs comes

to life. My Coachman came equipped with

“slide-outs” — sections of the RV that moveoutward to give you more space whenyou’re parked. Pushing a button to makethe entire kitchen move three feet is a stuntI got to pull over and over. But what wowed the five kids in my party

was the bed over the cab, which struckthem as the world’s biggest top bunk.Three of them slept up there.You can look for one of the thousands of

campgrounds around the country with “fullhookups” (electricity, water and even cableTV). Or you can make your RV a truly inde-pendent home-on-wheels, at least for a while:The gasoline-powered generator will makeelectricity for the air-conditioning, andpropane will fuel the cooktop, power thefridge, and heat the water for the shower. About those bathrooms: They’re tiny, and

the water flow is modest. If you’re in a camp-ground, you’ll probably opt to use its facili-ties, except for middle-of-the-night bathroomneeds, when rolling out of bed to use the on-board toilet sure beats scampering to thecomfort station. No bugs, no bears.That flexibility to camp pretty much

wherever was a big part of a rental RV’s ap-peal for Kristen Potter Farnham of Fal-mouth, Maine, who checked one out fromCruise America in Las Vegas to tour theSouthwest with her husband and threekids. Normally a self-described “total type-A planner,” Farnham made a reservationfor only one night of their tour. “You don’t have to worry about finding a

restaurant; you have the RV,” she said. “Youdon’t have to worry about finding a hotel;you have the RV.” The Farnhams also knewabout the RV traveler’s last-ditch option

Tips for vacationing (or living) in an RV18 Leisure & Travel | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com NOVEMBER 2 0 1 5 — CO ACHE L L A VA L L E Y B E A CON

See RV TRAVEL, page 19

HOW TO STAY IN STITCHESIndio Senior Center, which has several sewing machines for mem-ber use, hosts weekly sessions for those who like to sew. Those

who need help with a project or want to learn to sew can come by from 1 to 3p.m. Mondays. Quilt construction for veterans is from 1 to 5 p.m. Fridays, a gen-eral quilting bee is from 9 am. to noon on Mondays, and making quilts for kidsdistributed by the Visiting Nurses Association is held from 9 a.m. to noon onThursdays. Donations of 100 percent cotton and 100 percent wool material andsewing supplies are always welcome. The center is at 43-100 Aladdin St., Indio.Indio.org, (760) 391-4170

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

(though they didn’t have to use it): MostWalmarts let you park overnight in their lot.

Other considerationsAlthough having a roof over your head,

no matter what, alleviates some stresses oftraveling, the RV rental experience stillposes demands. For example, there is air-conditioning

and heat in back, but it’s not just a questionof punching the thermostat up or down.You need to think about where the power isgoing to come from. Are you plugged intoa campground’s juice, or will you need touse the generator? What if the campgroundhas quiet hours that restrict generator use? And you’ll need to budget time to return

the RV reasonably clean and with its hold-ing tanks empty (which means finding adump station), or face punitive fees. You can cover a lot of terrain in an RV,

but don’t be too ambitious. “Some people

spend too much time driving or setting upcamp in a new place every night, instead ofslowing down and enjoying their vacation,”said Phil Ingrassia, president of the Na-tional RV Dealers Association. A week is usually long enough to get the

hang of the vehicle, but short enough to

preserve the harmony among your travel-ing companions in close quarters.Some rental companies, such as Cruise

America and Road Bear, include insurancecoverage as part of the price (with a damagedeductible of $1,000 per incident). And someoffer temporary coverage for an extra fee.

With other rental outfits, you’ll need proofthat you’re covered by your own insurance.But unlike a typical car rental, an RV rentalmay not be covered by your auto policy.

All contents copyright 2015, The KiplingerWashington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Trib-une Content Agency, LLC.

grounds. A petroglyph trail winds througha field of early rock carvings. The intriguing mile-long Museum Walk-

way is lined by more than 1,800 pieces of artfrom areas whose cultures influenced thatof Hawaii. The resort offers classes in leimaking, stone bowling and other traditionalactivities. Even the spa gets into the act withtreatments that include cane sugar, coconutmilk and other traditional local ingredients.Rates at the Hilton Waikoloa beginat $199

per night. For more information, call 1-800-445-8667 or visit www.hiltonwaikoloavillage.com.

A very different setting awaits guests atthe Volcano House, the only hotel locatedwithin Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Sit-uated on the site where the first hotel, asmall thatched structure, was built in 1846,today’s lodging is perched on the rim of theKilauea caldera — a crater-like depressionthat was formed following a past volcaniceruption. The small hotel (33 recently refurbished

rooms) is designed to take full advantage ofits location, with oversize windows overlook-ing barren lava fields and numerous steamvents, which glow reddish-orange at night. Photographs that line lobby walls and a

continuous video depict volcanic eruptions

from the past, and daily guided walks pro-vide close-up introductions to various vol-cano-related features. Rates to stay in this unique setting begin

at $285. For more information, call 1-866-536-7972 or see hawaiivolcanohouse.com.At meal time, a virtual cornucopia of lo-

cally grown, caught and raised ingredientsawaits hungry diners. Fruits and vegetablesgrown in rich volcanic soil share menuswith the freshest of fish and grass-fed beef. The aptly named Rim Restaurant at the

Volcano House serves ample portions ofstir-fried veggies from a nearby farm ($19)and pineapple-wrapped fish ($26). Budget-stretching items available in the lounge in-

clude pork and pineapple pizza ($12) andgrilled prawns ($13).The imaginatively named, multi-award-

winning Kamuela Provision Company of-fers gourmet fare along with breathtakingviews of the Pacific Ocean and spectacularsunsets. Among its surf-and-turf choicesare sesame seared ahi tuna ($45) and beerand wine braised shortribs ($42). For more information about the Big Is-

land, call 1-800-648-2441 or visit www.go-hawaii.com/hawaii-island.The least-expensive flights to Honolulu

in early December start at around $720 onUnited and Alaskan Airlines, from PalmSprings.

C O ACHE L L A VA L L E Y B E A CON — NOVEMBER 2 0 1 5 Say you saw it in the Beacon | Leisure & Travel 19

RV travelFrom page 18

HawaiiFrom page 17

DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY

A DJ dance, with a mix of contempo-

rary and traditional music, is sched-

uled for Friday, Nov. 20 at Emerald

Desert Resort, 76-000 Frank Sinatra

Drive, Palm Desert. “Palm Springs

Dancers” will provide the music.

Dancers should bring snacks and re-

freshments. Palmspringsdancers.com

LET YOUR PUPHELP RAISEFUNDS

Paws and Hearts has scheduled its

15th annual Dog Walk fundraiser for

Saturday, Nov. 28. Registration is at

9 a.m. The walk starts at 10 a.m. at

Westin Mission Hills Resort, 70-705

Ramon Rd., Rancho Mirage. $25 in-

cludes T-shirt, continental breakfast,

dog bandanna and dog treat.

Pawsandhearts.org, (760) 836-1406.

BEACON BITS

Nov. 20

Nov. 28

By Judith SalkinJust because we don’t get a dusting of

fresh snow, it doesn’t mean that the desertlacks holiday spirit. Starting at the begin-ning of December, cities of the CoachellaValley offer a wide variety of family-centricevents that include parades, a festival andtours of holiday decorations.

Three free events that have becomeiconic in the valley — the Palm Springs Fes-tival of Lights Parade, the InternationalTamale Festival in Indio and Walk of theInns in Palm Springs — land in the first halfof the month.

Let’s take a quick look at each event:

24th annual Palm Springs Festivalof Lights Parade

When: 5:45 p.m. Sat., Dec. 5Where: Palm Canyon Drive, Ramon

Road to Tamarisk Road, Palm SpringsInformation: psfesitvaloflights.com,

(760) 323-8276What started out as a small community

parade in 1992 now draws crowds in excessof 100,000 viewers.

“We have people who come in for the pa-rade from Orange County, San Diego and

Los Angeles,” said Amy Blaisdell, PalmSprings Communications Director. “Wealso get a lot of guests from Banning, Beau-mont and the Inland Empire.”

The crowds line Palm Canyon Drive tosee the floats, walking groups and bandsthat that are decked in strands of twinklinglights. Another draw, said Blaisdell, is theparade’s Grand Marshall, and this year it’sskateboarding pro Tony Hawk. “We’re ex-pecting that he’ll be a big draw with kids.”

24th annual Indio InternationalTamale Festival

When: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sat. and Sun.,Dec. 5 and 6

Where: Towne and Smurr Streets, be-tween Miles and Requa Avenues, Indio

Information: tamalefest.netThe Food Network named the Indio In-

ternational Tamale Festival to its Top 10 listof “All American Food Festivals.” If youlove the little packages of masa and fillingswrapped in corn husks, this is the festivalfor you.

A Coachella Valley traditional since 1992,the festival offers more than vendors ofsweet and savory tamales. Entertainment

will include the Kumbia Kings, a pettingzoo, children’s activities, carnival games,live music, dancing shows, a beer garden,an art and wine garden and communitystages for local entertainment.

But back to the tamales — more than 200vendors line the streets offering everythingfrom traditional chicken, beef and pork fill-ings to sweet treats like sweet corn or cin-namon-filled tamales and fruit fillings likepineapple, strawberry and apple.

Hint: If you love tamales, bring a cooler

to fill up to take home your favorites.

20th annual Walking Tour of theInns and Annual Holiday Toy Drive

When: 4 to 8 p.m. Thu., Dec. 10Where: Historic Palm Springs Tennis

Club DistrictInformation:walkingtouroftheinns.com The Historic Palm Springs Tennis Dis-

trict is dotted with a collection of smaller

Arts &StyleThe cover story on award-winning enter-tainer VJ Hume continues on page 22.

20 More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5 — C O A C H E L L A VA L L E Y B E A C O N

Who needs snow to celebrate the holidays?

The annual Palm Springs Festival of Lights Parade draws more than 100,000 view-ers. It will be held on Dec. 5.

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or vice versa, or add or stop Part D (pre-scriptions) and a Medigap Plan, dependingon your needs, preferences and budget.

You can sign up for Medicare online atmedicare.gov or at the Social Security officein Palm Springs. One of the best sources inthe valley for more information and counsel-ing is HICAP, Health Insurance Counseling& Advocacy Program through the Califor-nia Department of Aging. To talk to aHICAP representative for free information:

Schedule an appointment at an Eisen-

hower Healthy Living Resource Center, (760)568-1234. In the La Quinta area call (760) 610-7205. Centers are in the Kiewit Building onthe Eisenhower campus in Rancho Mirage orin the Eisenhower George and Julia ArgyrosHealth Center in La Quinta.

Visit HICAP online at cahealthadvo-cates.org/HICAP or aging.ca.gov/HICAP.

Call a local senior center to make an ap-pointment with a HICAP representative.

To learn more about Advantage plans,contact a health insurance firm, look for adsin the mail and in the Coachella Valley Bea-con and other newspapers — between nowand Dec. 7 you’ll see plenty of offers.

inns that often come with a back story andcharacter that you just can’t find in largerchain hotels.

For the past 19 years, many of them havethrown open their doors and invited the publicto peek at the architecture and perhaps enjoya cup of holiday cheer and property gossip,says David Shahriari, president of Small Ho-tels of Palm Springs, sponsor of the walk alongwith the Palm Springs Woman’s Club.

Hotels welcoming walkers: The Moroc-can-themed Korakia Pensione, Greek forraven, and a haven for stars and dignitariessince the 1930s; Casa Cody Inn, which wasbuilt in the 1920s for Buffalo Bill Cody’scousin and Hollywood pioneer HarrietCody; and midcentury inns like the DelMarcos Hotel, which was designed byWilliam F. Cody (no relation!).

While it’s not required, walkers areasked to bring a new, unwrapped toy to do-nate to the Well of the Desert for its annualholiday dinner on Christmas Day.

C O A C H E L L A VA L L E Y B E A C O N — N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5 Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style 21

HolidaysFrom page 20

The International Tamale Festival in Indio Dec. 5 and 6 is devoted to all thingstamale and features music, dancing and children’s activities.

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From publisherFrom page 2

SING TO YOUR HEART’S CONTENTJoslyn Center has its own singing group that welcomes new mem-bers. The Joslyn Singers perform at assisted living facilities, other

venues and at concerts in the spring and Christmas. For the past six years TheJoslyn Singers has been featured during the Christmas season at the Rancho Mi-rage Library. The group meets from 9 to 11 a.m. Mondays at the Joslyn Center,73-750 Catalina Way, Palm Desert. Dues are $15 per month. A Joslyn member-ship is required. (760) 200-0903

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wasn’t long before she starting flexing heracting muscle again, finding roles in re-gional theater and trekking to L.A. to audi-tion for and frequently land spots incommercials, TV shows and movies. Be-tween 1988 and 2006, she also hosted a pop-ular local radio program called “VJ’sCorner” that featured “eyeball to eyeball”interviews with people from all walks of life.

“What I found out eventually is you don’thave to just do one thing. You can do awhole number of things,” Hume says. “Un-fortunately, I was never hugely talented inone area that was going to make me a starin any one arena. I was talented in a numberof different areas. Just not mega-talented inany one of them. So the best thing for mewas to pursue all these things.”

It’s a formula that continues to work forHume and the real explanation as to howshe’s been able to carve out a long-lasting en-tertainment career. Whereas many othersgive up because they get so discouraged, thisversatile performer has managed to keepgoing. There have been many times whenHume was working five different jobs at thesame time – and thoroughly enjoying it.

Not for the faint of heart Hume admits it takes courage. “You have

to be willing to try something that oftendoesn’t have a blueprint.” Mentors? “Thisnew emphasis on mentors is wonderful, butnobody ever mentored me,” she says. Allshe had were those biographies she readvoraciously, plus one other book that crys-tallized her outlook.

In her 30s, Hume read the job-hunting,career-changing bible What Color is Your

Parachute? and the quizzes containedwithin helped narrow her focus. Listing theactivities she knew she absolutely could notgive up — music, theater, modeling, voice-overs among them — it suddenly dawnedon her that she could be all those things ifshe just called herself an entertainer, ratherthan any one thing.

“It changed my life because up until thenI’d always felt sort of scattered,” she says.“There are people who will say you’ve gotto learn to do one thing and do it well but Ithink that’s the worst advice you can giveanybody. You have to do everything. Peoplehave to explore everything that’s in them

and not sell themselves short.”And so VJ Hume moves forward with

that firmly cemented philosophy. She re-cently accepted four roles with Desert RosePlayhouse for their Christmas production.She’s always looking for new venues to per-form the play she wrote entitled LUSH! Shecan found playing the autoharp and singingin different languages at various engage-ments around the valley.

“I’m kind of fearless at this point. I don’tknow if I’ll ever have to invent anotherwheel. But I can certainly keep all the otherwheels rolling that I’ve invented for myselfbefore.”

22 Arts & Style | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5 — C O A C H E L L A VA L L E Y B E A C O N

�ank you to our sponsors!

A Safe Home for the Holidays

Please Join Us for a Gala Dinner Bene�tting the Children of Olive Crest

Honoring Brinton Child Advocacy Award recipients, Patrick and Edeltraud McCarthy, for an outstanding commitment to children’s organizations. Featuring a musical performance by the Palm Desert High School and Chamber Singers.

Renaissance Esmeralda Resort and Spa44400 Indiana Wells Lane, Indian Wells, CA 92210

Per person: $125.00 (FMV $55). VIP Table of 10: $1,500 (FMV $550). Includes premiere seating and special mention in program.

Gala Co-Chairs: Ron Serasio, Roger JohnsonSilent and Live Auction Co-Chairs: Nancy DeVries, Connie Chadnow, Mary Ann Ohanesian, Jane Ross, Roger Johnson

Since 1973, Olive Crest has transformed the lives of over 70,000 abused, neglected, and at-risk children.

Kindly RSVP by December 4 at www.olivecrest.org/dc or by contacting Angela Allen at 760-341-8507 or [email protected].

Friday, December 11, 2015Silent Auction at 5:30 p.m. Dinner/Program at 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Desert Gala Benefitting the Children of Olive Crest

VJ HumeFrom page 1

Entertainment industry types will re-late to the following tenets, but they applyto a wide range of fields.

Explore your talents. Look back towhat you naturally did as a child, whatyou played at. You’ll find what you’re re-ally meant to do.

Diversify. Everyone has multiple tal-ents. If you don’t develop those skills andtalents, you’re robbing yourself of some-thing that might turn out to be a wonder-ful part of your life.

Stay on top of your game. There’salways a certain element of luck involved,

particularly in show biz, but there’s defi-nite truth to the expression: Luck is whathappens when preparedness meets op-portunity.

Be persistent. The ones who make itin the long run are the ones who justnever quit.

Develop perspective. Don’t forceyourself into a role that doesn’t fit. You’vegot to be realistic about the talents andskills you bring to the table. Be authen-tic.

Fo r mo r e a b ou t V J Hume :www.vjhume.freeservers.com

VJ’s Tips for Success

C O A C H E L L A VA L L E Y B E A C O N — N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5 Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style 23

To protect your home against leaking and cold drafts, strong windows and patio doors will be one of the most important home improvements you can make BEFORE the winter.

Call for your FREE Window and Patio Door Diagnosis

1-800-684-5191

Our biggest dollar discount of the year ends ON Black Friday.

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We won’t let new windows impact your holiday spending.Why? Because you won’t pay anything until next November. Breathe easier this holiday season with no money down, no payments and no interest for a whole year1.

Don’t take a chance on a vinyl window. Vinyl windows can warp, leak and cause drafts, so trusting a poor-quality vinyl window is a poor choice. Our window’s Fibrex® composite material is twice as strong as vinyl.

You’ve got enough on your plate this time of year; we’ve got this.We build, sell, install and warrant all of our windows; that means there’s no middleman to deal with, and as the replacement window division of Andersen, we’re about as trustworthy as you can get.

There are limited appointments

available1Cannot be combined with prior purchases, other offers, or coupons. Offer not available in all areas. Discount applied by retailer representative at time of contract execution and applies to minimum purchase of 4 or more windows and/or patio doors as part of Instant Rewards Plan which requires purchase during initial visit to qualify. 0% APR and no payments for 12 months available, subject to qualifying credit approval. Not all customers may qualify. Higher rates apply for customer with lower credit ratings. Interest accrues but is waived if the purchase amount is paid in full within 12 months. Financing not valid with other offers or prior purchases. Renewal by Andersen retailers are independently owned and operated retailers, and are neither brokers nor lenders. All financing is provided by third-party lenders unaffiliated with Renewal by Andersen retailers, under terms and conditions arranged directly between the customer and such lender, which are subject to credit requirements. Renewal by Andersen retailers do not assist with, counsel or negotiate financing, other than providing customers an introduction to lenders interested in financing. License # 990416. “Renewal by Andersen” and all other marks where denoted are marks of Andersen Corporation. ©2015 Andersen Corporation. All rights reserved. ©2015 Lead Surge LLC. All rights reserved.

Financing provided by third parties and is subject to credit requirements. Interest accrues during the promotional period but all interest is waived if the purchase amount is paid in full within 12 months.

Offer available with our Instant Product Rewards. Minimum purchase of 4 or more windows and/or patio doors at time of initial visit.

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Medicare Supplements • Medicare Advantage • Dental, Vision, Part D RxPlans • Certi�ed Covered CA Insurance Agents

NO FEE, NO OBLIGATIONPhone consultations available. Call us today!

MEDICARE SUPPLEMENT INSURANCE

Doug WrightIndependent Insurance Agent

CA Lic.#0B39683

Burt HorowitzIndependent Insurance Agent

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�e Wright Group760-264-4600

Serving the entire Coachella Valley

Your health matters! Your insurance choice is IMPORTANT!

November 2015 | Coachella Valley Beacon

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