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Tacoma Nature Center and and Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium has two summer programs aimed at helping children and adults learn more about Puget Sound’s beaches and the creatures that live there.

The Nature Center will host the second of its 2012 “Tiptoe through the Tidepools” on July 3 from 10 to 1 p.m. at Titlow Beach, 8425 Sixth Ave. The zoo’s “Explore the Shore” programs are set for varying times on June 21, July 2, July 31 and Aug. 29 at Owen Beach in Point Defiance Park.

All are timed to take best advantage of the low minus tides that reveal many of Puget Sound’s most interesting shoreline creatures.

The events and programs are free and open to the public and reservations are not required. Bring sunscreen and wear shoes and clothing appropriate for walking on rough beach terrain.

All programs have meet-up times so participants can get a brief introduction to the day before the walk begins. They’re designed to last about two hours, though people may want to explore the beach for a longer time.

For more information about Tiptoe Through the Tidepools call 591-6439 or go to www.metroparkstacoma.org.

For more information about Explore the Shore, go to www.pdza.org.

srmedia by — June 11, 2012 in Everything Else

Are you confused about Long Term Care Insurance?  We are.  So we asked two experts to try to help us get to the bare bones of what it is, what it covers, should we buy it and who should buy it.  Mike Robinson from United Way and Robert Johnson of New York Life agreed to give us a look at this often ignored insurance.

Mike Robinson: Maybe but there are other options

Getting the help you or your parents need can put incredible strain on family members who feel an obligation to lend a helping hand. If voluntary care is unavailable, paying for that help can decimate your savings accounts very rapidly. Contrary to popular belief, Medicare does not pay for long-term care in the home or at assisted living facilities. The federal insurance program for seniors pays for care only in the first 100 days after a three-day hospital stay.

Starting in the 1980s, long-term care (LTC) insurance policies have been available in the private market to meet this need. However, these insurance policies have been widely criticized for being unnecessary and overly expensive.

The most obvious and compelling reason for purchasing long-term care insurance in your 50s or 60s is protecting your nest egg. Because Medicare does not pay for long-term care, the only public program left to offer assisted-living coverage is Medicaid. To qualify, you’ll need to spend all but a few thousand dollars of your own money on home care. In fact, recent changes in the federal law make it difficult if not impossible to give your money away to family members in the five years before you require long-term care.

Along the same vein, purchasing long-term care insurance allows you to make more choices about your care than Medicaid does. This is true because only some nursing homes and assisted living facilities accept Medicaid patients, and those that do accept it offer a limited number of beds. That can mean being stuck in a facility that falls far below your current standard of living. If you do have a current LTC policy, it could help you stay in your own home longer because you can choose which providers to hire. For that reason, these policies are sometimes known as home care insurance.

The last major benefit of this type of insurance has to do with inflation. Standard policies come with inflation riders of between 3 and 5 percent annually, so you and your fortune will be protected as health care costs increase over the years.

Paying large sums of money for care that you never need or receive is the biggest criticism of LTC policies. Premium costs can be especially harmful for seniors who don’t have significant assets to protect. On average, the premium for one year of long-term care insurance is about $1,000 for an individual in his 50s. By a person’s seventieth birthday, that price will shoot up to $3,000 or more per year. Therefore, a healthy 55-year-old man who purchases a policy will have invested $25,000 or more by the time he turns 80. His daily benefit may be only $160, so it would take more than five months to see any kind of return on the policy.

Alternatively, he could put that $25,000 in a retirement investment account and pay for long-term care with dividends and interest. In the end, he would still have the original money for either himself or his estate.

Another criticism of long-term care insurance is that many people are unable to pay high premiums after retirement although they could afford them while working full time. For these people, thousands of dollars paid in premiums will be totally wasted because their policies are cancelled for nonpayment after they retire.

The last of the major criticisms leveled against insurance for long-term aid is that these policies are often difficult to understand. This can lead to seniors buying policies they don’t need and can also mean a lot of hassle when the time comes for benefits to be administered.

Mike Robinson is Senior Vice President of Planned Giving for United Way of Pierce County.  Please consult a qualified estate planner before making a gift in your will.

Robert Johnson: It’s complicated.  Get help.

You probably know someone who has needed long-term care. Maybe you have witnessed a family member, friend or colleague struggle with the emotional and financial issues that can come with a long-term care experience. The truth is, no matter when the need arises, because of age, disability, or because of an unexpected illness or accident, long-term care can affect any age group, any social strata, and any geographic location. But what is it and how can you plan for it?

Long-term care is help you may need due to a lengthy illness, an unexpected injury or accident, or a severe cognitive disorder such as Alzheimer’s disease. It’s assistance with the everyday tasks or the activities of daily living (bathing, eating, dressing, toileting, transferring, and continence). Long-term care may be provided in a variety of locations, from nursing homes and assisted living facilities to adult day care centers and even your own home.

Most of us strive to live active, healthy lives well into our later years, and indeed as a society, American are living longer than ever before. This extended longevity is one of the things that drives the growing need for long-term care – the longer we live, the greater the odds that we may need long-term care services. It is predicted that in the year 2020, some 12 million older American are expected to need long-term care.
While the majority of long-term care services are provided for seniors, a surprising amount of long-term care services are provided to younger people. In fact, the U.S. Government Accountability Office estimates that 40 percent of the 13 million people receiving long-term care services are between ages 18 and 64.

Long-term care can be expensive, financially and emotionally. An unexpected need for long-term care can have a significant impact on a family’s assets and lifestyle. Close to one-fourth of all nursing home costs are paid out-of-pocket by individuals and their families.

Many people mistakenly believe that their health insurance will cover the cost of long-term care.

Long-term care insurance can be a very smart way to address the challenges from a long-term care need. Long-term care insurance can help pay for nursing home care, as well as a variety of home and community based care services. Long-term care insurance may not be for everybody, so if you are considering a policy, read it carefully and be sure to work with an insurance agent who understands long-term care issues.

With long life comes long-term planning.  Make a plan for you and your family today.

This educational third-party article is being provided as a courtesy by Robert Johnson. For additional information on the information or topic(s) discussed, please contact Robert Johnson at (253) 306-1422.  Johnson is a Registered Representative for NYLIFE Securities LLC, member FINRA/SPIC, a Licensed Insurance Agency at 1201 Pacific Ave, Ste. 1600, Tacoma, WA  98402.

Contributing Author by — June 5, 2012 in Everything Else

The City of Tacoma's Poet Laureate, Josie Emmons Photo by Melina Gabbard-Shields

It was in 1998 that I first met Josie Emmons.  That was the year she became part of Tacoma’s Department of Economic Development. She brought with her a very impressive portfolio of accomplishments in the business, political and cultural world. Part of her job was to interface with the Arts Commission where I was a member.  Although we worked for common goals, it was only later, after she had become Josie Emmons Turner, that we learned that we were both poets.  We would run into each other at readings and even took the same poetry class at TCC. Finally, as she begins the second half of her tenure as Tacoma’s Poet Laureate, I had the opportunity to become better acquainted with Turner over a cup of tea.

Josie Emmons Turner refers to herself as a “true California girl.”  There is historical basis for that claim:  at the same time that Paul Revere rode his horse into our history on the east coast, Turner’s ancestors moved north out of Mexico, becoming the first settlers in the land later named “California.”  A strong oral tradition kept that history alive over the years (Turner is part of the eighth generation of her family on California soil) so that today it is a rich heritage that Turner brings to her poetry.  She writes especially about those strong, pioneer women.

In addition to that larger family history, Turner’s mother had exemplified, while still single, the modern, post-World War II woman.  At the close of the war, she moved by herself to Hawaii, traveled in China, and defined her own independence.  It is not surprising that Turner finds inspiration in the lives of these strong women who are part of her personal history.

In many respects Turner’s early personal history was the usual mix of imagination and opportunity. She took ballet lessons, memorized poetry, and created an imaginary world in her tree house. She recalls a favorite place in Carmel—a bookstore that also offered a divine cheesecake along with hot chocolate.  One of her favorite books was a small volume called “A Child’s Book of Poetry.” In an interesting turn of fate, one of her favorites of “all these great little poems” was Longfellow’s “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere.”  Poetry came to be part of what her mother read to her at bedtime and often at dinner time the family members were asked to recite the latest poem they had committed to memory.

From early childhood until she was about twelve, Turner was in and out of her convent schools frequently, seeming to catch any cold or illness that was going around.  Sometimes hospitalization was required.  Although she speaks of this very matter-of-factly, it must have required a certain flexibility and resilience.

Turner graduated high school and did her undergraduate work at Seattle University, earning her BA in humanities, concentrating on music (her passion at the time) and journalism (being practical about being able to find a job).  Eventually she also earned her teaching credentials and taught in Europe.  She left the classroom and became a press secretary for high-powered election campaigns, both state and local.  Her resume also includes a stint at a print shop; working for the Philadelphia String Quartet and the Olympic Music Festival; directing the cultural programs in Auburn; and helping, as co-CEO, a youth project designed to help students complete high school and go on for further education.  Turner also went on to earn her MFA at the Rainier Writing Workshop at PLU.

Turner is back in the classroom again.  This time, she is teaching at Clover Park High School as well as serving as Tacoma’s Poet Laureate.  Both in the classroom and in the community, Turner hopes to find ways to create greater accessibility to poetry. In large part this means finding poetry that has a voice that matches that of the reader.  In both instances she hopes to offer educational opportunities (see workshop details below) that give hands-on experience in writing poetry as one way to express  “compassion and to think of ways to make the world a better place,” the same goal that she sets for her own writing.

When asked how she would sum up her life experience so far, Turner offered a statement from her deep-seated faith:  “I am blessed, enormously blessed.”

June Workshop-“The Author vs The Speaker: doing what’s best for the poem”

Description:  How do you maintain an authentic voice in your poems yet have them sing?  We will gently discuss one another’s poems and look at the works of some masters.
Dates: Wednesday, June 6 and Wednesday, June 13.  5:30 -7:30.  (Public reading June 21.)
Place:  William Turner Art Studio, 2926 S. Steel Street, Tacoma.  (facility has stairs)
Space limited to 10 poets.
Cost: $45 for both workshops and participation in reading
Registration and Information: Deadline-June 1.
Contact  josie.turner.poet@gmail.com. Submit 3 poems, indicating preferred order of workshopping them.   Payment by Paypal or direct check (details established by e-mail). Payment must be received for registration to be considered complete.

A few of Turner’s favorite poets to check out

Robinson Jeffers, Natasha Trethewey, Norman Dubie, Jane Kenyon, Donald Hall, Oliver de la Paz, Kathleen Flenniken, Alan Braden, Terrance Hayes, Quincy Trope, Elizabeth Bishop, Lola Haskins, William Kupinse, Rick Bardot, Kelli Russell Agodon, Michael Magee, Robert Lowell

Maggie Kelly by — June 5, 2012 in Everything Else
Charles Skagg, letter man

Charles Skagg sits in front of some of his work on display at the Lillian Pratt Art Gallery at Franke Tobey Jones.

Charles Skaggs began his career early.  “When I was in high school, I arranged my schedule so I could get off at noon.” He apprenticed himself to illustrator, Bob Richey in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.  “In those days, good typesetting was expensive,” Skaggs said.  “My hand lettering was less expensive.”  He left Kentucky for Cincinnati after high school to work for Kroger Grocery and Baking Company.

From Cincinnati, Skaggs went to Chicago to work on advertising including ads for Wrigley gum and Schlitz beer.

“It was an exciting, fertile time for the graphic arts,” said Skaggs.  In Chicago and later New York right after the war, hundreds of talented young people “eager to do something” entered the city.  “There was this creative explosion of music and drama.”

Skaggs worked on book jackets for Knopf and for a “very fancy and exclusive publisher called Peter Pauper Press” as well as Simon & Schuster, Harper Row and Macmillan publishing companies.  His favorite book  to design was “Dracula” although he also loved designing “The Go-Between” by L.P. Hartley and David B. Wharton’s “The Alaska Gold Rush”.  “A lot of people looked down on lettering,” but Skaggs loved absorbing the history of typography and forms.
During this time he became acquainted with Frederick Goudy and W.A. Dwiggins, leading figures in calligraphy, type and book design.  Dwiggins was Knopf’s prime book designer.  “Fred Goudy and W. A. Dwiggins became my idols.  They were a treasure beyond description. I like to say that it was like sitting at Christ’s left elbow,” said Skaggs.

Skaggs said, he had designed and collected books since I was about 30.  He also collected wood engravings and etchings.  In 2001, Skaggs donated his considerable library of books, printed materials, articles and letters to Smith College.  The school exhibit includes an online exhibit located at http://www.smith.edu/libraries/libs/rarebook/exhibitions/skaggs/.

A retrospective exhibit of more than 60 years of the art of Charles Skaggs is on display until Aug. 3 in the Lillian Pratt Resident Art Gallery at Franke Tobey Jones, 5340 North Bristol in Tacoma.  The eclectic exhibit includes book covers, articles and abstract artwork, is free and open to the public.

“All of these were an excuse to include different styles of the alphabet,” Skaggs said as he waved his hand indicating the two walls of displays.  “The layman image of an artist is someone who does pretty pictures and I don’t do pretty pictures.  I’m appreciative of extraordinary illustrative as distinct from fine art.  I love using colors.  I love the feel of burlap and canvas.  When you choose to do brushwork, those surfaces are so receptive to the brush work,” he said.  burlap and canvas.  When you choose to do brushwork, those surfaces are so receptive to the brush work,” he said.

Cover illustrations by Charles Skagg
Book covers designed by Charles Skagg Photo by Ruth Daugherty
Bonnie Dickson by — June 5, 2012 in Everything Else