I must be an idiot.
Anyone who spends so much of his or her life, like me, sitting in front of a television set, watching complete strangers dribble a basketball, shoot a puck, score a touchdown or swat a home run must have some, uh, issues.
"You can't have a 'fanatic' without a 'fan.'"

Not to mention the thousands and thousands of dollars that I have forked over to watch sports teams in person.
As far as having emotional connections to sports, I don't know anyone who runs a team or plays for one.
After all, it is not like I benefit from this pastime in any tangible manner, either. Regarding any potential financial gains, fuhgeddaboutit! I don't gamble on the games, so I won't make any money from my interest. As far as having emotional connections to sports, I don't know anyone who runs a team or plays for one.
How Else I Could Spend My Time
Think about it. I could be improving my life in so many life-affirming ways. I could finally finish writing my Mediocre American Novel, a passion project of mine for many years. I could volunteer for important non-profit organizations. I could raise money for essential societal causes. I could canvass for politicians I believed in.
I could binge-watch all of those groovy TV series on Netflix and Amazon Prime and Hulu and Apple TV, the programs that the "cool" kids on social media prattle on about. 
I could catch up on "Game of Thrones" and "Mad Men" and "The Walking Dead," all of the great Bob Odenkirk's series and the rest of the wildly popular shows that I somehow missed following because I was — you guessed it — watching some sports event instead.
I could go on day trips to the country.
Heck, I could dribble a basketball now and then and stay in better physical shape! When all else fails, I could do something I loved to do when I was young and carefree — namely, I could sit down and read a book.
But nooooo, as John Belushi used to bleat on "Saturday Night Live." I'm watching sports.
One View: Sports Give You Joy
Jennifer B. Naidich, a clinical psychologist in New York City, takes a different tack about why people love to root for sports teams: "Being a sports fan gives you joy and happiness."
Naidich, who specializes in cognitive-behavioral therapy and has treated people with addictive personalities, cited four reasons why we root for teams:
It gives us a sense of community, just as in other group activities, such as going to a concert.It gives us a sense of belonging to something, which we're all searching for.Sports events are exciting. They give us a rush of adrenaline because we don't know how each play, each game and each season will end.We admire greatness — and athletes possess abilities that most of us will never achieve in our lifetimes.She is right on the mark, in my experience. Each of these reasons rings a loud bell with me.
Fans = Fanatics
You can't have a "fanatic" without a "fan."
The logical outgrowth of rooting for teams is to want to be a part of the action. So, we engage in fantasy-sports leagues of our own. Yesterday's fan becomes today's mock-owner.
"For some reason, (fans) will go to games year after year and feel they have an effect on the outcome."
But why root for a team that disappoints us year after year? For example, the New York Jets, an organization that last won a Super Bowl game on Jan. 12, 1969, traded for Aaron Rodgers, one of the greatest quarterbacks in National Football League, before the start of the upcoming season.
Naturally, ecstatic Jets fans have visions of a championship dancing in their heads, even though the perennially woeful franchise remains a big underdog to win the next Super Bowl.
"Why do we root for an underdog?" Naidich asked rhetorically. "Because fans want to have an us-against-them mentality. They are eternal optimists, and they always see the glass as half-full. For some reason, they will go to games year after year and feel they have an effect on the outcome."
Naidich is amused by the tragicomic plight of diehard sports fans who go so far as to attend games while wearing replicas of their teams' uniforms.
Rooting for Laundry
To top it off — confirming my status as an idiot and a sports fan — I really do care, way too much, about the athletes, teams and scores. Jerry Seinfeld, a Long Island native and lifelong New York Mets fan, once sagely pointed out that we sports fans mostly care about "the laundry."
By that, Seinfeld referred to the uniforms of our heroes. He observed that players routinely come and go — a team's heroes one year often jump to rival teams the next year. Coaches, managers and even team owners rarely outlast hardcore fans. The only constant is the team uniform, which is why Seinfeld jokes that fans really root for laundry.
Of course, Jerry is correct. And where did I hear him express this profound sentiment, by the way? It was when he appeared on WFAN, the all-sports radio station in my hometown of New York City. 
And how does following sports enrich my understanding of society or culture or economics or politics? It's hard to say, which may be why the bombastic broadcaster Howard Cosell used to call the sports section of a newspaper "the toy department."
In the most bitter irony I have ever experienced, I was watching an utterly irrelevant Monday Night Football game between the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins on Dec. 8, 1980, when I learned that John Lennon, my pop culture hero, had been shot and killed in Manhattan. Cosell broke the still-unthinkable news.
New Season, New Hope
Meanwhile, here I am, in the thick of blissfully cheering for my hometown New York Yankees and Mets, two baseball teams having very disappointing 2023 seasons. The Giants, my favorite NFL team, and the Jets, which I tolerate, are about to go to training camp. Sports bookmakers in Las Vegas do not love their chances of winning a championship this season.
The New York Rangers of the National Hockey League and New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association are gearing up for new seasons, although neither resembles a championship favorite.
Woe is me.
Say, can anyone recommend a book that I should be reading?


Confessions of a Lifelong Sports Fan

Jon Friedman

Studies have primarily focused on caregivers from western societies, with little attention to potential cultural differences. Asians, in particular, have a great diversity, being the largest and most populous in the world. 
"Caregiving practices and attitudes toward aging, illness and end-of-life care vary widely across Asian cultures. Caregivers and health care providers need to be sensitive to these differences."In the United States, Asian Americans represent more than 30 nationalities and ethnic groups, but they are typically categorized as Asian or AAPIs (Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders) for reporting. 
Therefore, exploring the positive aspects of caregiving in the context of Asian communities is critical to developing a more robust understanding of dementia caregivers within this population. 
According to research published in BMC Geriatrics, positive aspects of caregiving are significant coping resources for informal caregivers of people with dementia (PWD). The study revealed three major themes: positive aspects within the self, positive aspects between caregiver and PWD, and positive aspects between caregiver and others. 
Comparing these themes across Asian and Asian American cultures is critical to building understanding and awareness about caregiving in these communities.
Moreover, AAPIs are among the fastest-growing population of older Americans in the United States. They come from the five largest ethnic groups: Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Indian and Korean. Like other underrepresented communities, some Asian-American subgroups have a higher risk of developing dementia than Whites. 
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Asian Americans 65 years or older account for 8.4% of Alzheimer's cases and other dementias (ADRD), despite being less than 6% of the nation's population. But additional research is necessary to understand the prevalence of ADRD in this community. 
It is therefore important that health and social systems support dementia caregivers of AAPI elders through better training to understand the signs of dementia and the informal caregiving experience. Training can also help identify and tackle stressors to reduce caregiver burnout and depression. 
Findings from the BMC Geriatrics study show that better training to understand dementia caregiving is a sub-theme of one of the major themes, "positive aspects within the self," that can help caregivers cope. Further sub-themes included personal growth, role satisfaction and improved awareness of self-care. 
Exploring the positive aspects of caregiving in Asian communities is critical to developing a more robust understanding of dementia caregivers.
While the study is based in the experience of Asian people, this shows the similarities between Asians and the Asian diaspora regarding caregiving matters. As the saying goes, knowledge is power, so having information is critical to improving the caregiving experience. 
Other positive aspect of caregiving included demonstrating filial piety towards PWD, happiness and positive attitudes of PWD, positive interactions with PWD, and closer relationships with PWD. 
One thing that is unique to caregiving in the Asian community is the cultural emphasis on filial piety, which is a concept that emphasizes the importance of respecting and caring for one's elders, said Rajiv Ahuja, an associate director at the Milken Institute Center for the Future of Aging. 
"In many Asian cultures, filial piety is considered a moral duty and a way to show gratitude and respect for the sacrifices and contributions made by parents and elders. As a result, adult children in Asian families often prioritize caregiving for their aging parents and grandparents." 
But societies must address the cultural complexities in aging and filial obligation. For instance, it is a disservice to everyone if caregivers ignore their physical, mental and financial well-being because they are the primary or secondary caregivers. 
Hence strengthening the family unit is paramount to a successful caregiving experience, where everyone feels seen, heard and valued. It also involves having open and honest conversations and respecting others' opinions. 
"I never liked the idea of putting my parents in a home. I have been raised to believe it is almost like a disgrace," said Priya Mathews (not her real name), a government employee and second-generation American of Indian descent. 
"But living in America is so different. People work a lot, lives are busier, and it's not the same support system. I would try to keep my parents at home and get some assistance. I may need to make sacrifices like taking a leave of absence from work or resigning." 
Despite the stresses and strains of caregiving, a healthy family unit, befriending peers and sharing dementia and caregiving knowledge with others can make the caregiving experience worthwhile.
Yet we cannot control when life throws a curveball, mainly when historical decisions affect an entire nation. For example, the impact of China's "One-Child Policy" was tremendous and still affects families today. The one-child policy was about population control for economic growth. But it had long-term implications that are only now apparent — the primary one being the care and treatment of older adults. 
"But living in America is so different. People work a lot, lives are busier, and it's not the same support system."
China faces many challenges with a rapidly aging population, including families struggling to care for older adults and those with no children to care for them in old age. Sadly, those who have also lost their only children face barriers in accessing nursing homes, health care, and burial plots. 
As China struggles to address the physical and emotional needs of its massive and often rural, aging population, AAPI elders, particularly subgroups like Cambodian, Laotian and Hmong Americans, are also dealing with their unique experiences as minorities in the U.S. 
They may generally receive a delayed diagnosis and inadequate treatment for dementia and face barriers to accessing services, stigma, language barriers and cultural conflicts in health care. One thing that people should know about caregiving in the Asian community is the importance of cultural competency and understanding, said Ahuja. 
"Caregiving practices and attitudes toward aging, illness and end-of-life care vary widely across Asian cultures. Caregivers and health care providers need to be sensitive to these differences." By challenging bias, health care can improve cultural competence, empathy and patient outcomes.
No region will be more impacted by population aging than Asia. In the U.S., rising longevity among AAPI elders continues to alter the demographic landscape. As populations increase, the social and economic burden of ADRD on these communities is expected to grow. 
Consequently, equipping family members to provide high-quality care will involve increasing cultural-specific aspects of caregiving. It also requires highlighting lived experiences as a major step toward better awareness and inclusion. For members of Asian communities, this is a game changer for improving the caregiving experience.


The Positive Aspects of Dementia Caregiving in Asian Communities

Sophie Okolo

"The Sportswriters on TV" may have been the unlikeliest hit of early cable television. The program consisted of four men — three sportswriters and a boxing ring announcer — sitting around a poker table littered with newspapers and ashtrays, talking for an hour.
From left, Bill Gleason, Ben Bentley, Rick Telander, Bill JaussChicagoans to the core, they spoke with a joyous parochialism about topics local and national in nasal and gnarly local accents. Three regulars on the program were well into middle age, including a guy born during the Wilson Administration (Ben Bentley, the ring announcer), one born when Harding was president (Bill Gleason, a Chicago Sun-Times columnist), and a Hoover baby (Bill Jauss of The Chicago Tribune). The youngster on the panel, Sun-Times columnist and Sports Illustrated feature writer Rick Telander, was in his mid-thirties.
Heirs to Ring Lardner
None of them wore makeup or knew how to use hairspray. Jauss sometimes wore a sweatshirt from a local bar. Bentley and Gleason smoked cigars from start to finish. The three wisecracking colleagues acted as if "Young Telander from Peoria" was a naïve adolescent who rolled into town on a farm truck.
The program aired in Chicago beginning in 1985. Two years later, SportsChannel, a longtime ESPN competitor, started carrying it nationally.
Amid the flashiness of the 1980s, "The Sportswriters on TV" became a cable staple. It never seemed to be on when scheduled, preempted time and again by live sporting events. At the same time, it seemed ever present on rainy afternoons or quiet evenings when viewers flipped through the dozens of new cable channels looking for something worth watching.
By decade's end, the program was available in more than 10 million homes. Within a few years, viewers in all 50 states could watch the "Sportswriters" panel's candid, opinionated and informed discussions.
Filling Time with Talk
The program spawned several imitators before it went off the air in 1998, when SportsChannel merged with Fox Sports. Now, the show's talking-head descendants fill the schedules of every form of sports broadcast media. Twenty-four-hour sports coverage on cable television and sports talk radio feature a cacophony of debate programs.
While "Sportswriters" was built around the rhythm of conversation and longstanding rapport, its imitators on cable networks today often truck in calculatedly provocative comments called "hot takes," split screens and prefabricated talking points.
Online, the freeform, hyper-specific world of podcasting is a direct successor to "Sportswriters" — a television program that was like a barroom conversation among familiar, opiniated friends who were all blessed with interesting life experiences and supreme skills as storytellers.
The world that "Sportswriters on TV" hath wrought began on the radio. In 1975, Chicago Sun-Times sportswriter Bill Gleason created a Sunday afternoon program called "The Sportswriters Show" on WGN, one of the city's top radio stations. 
"Gleason saw around the corner. He knew that people would be happy to listen to the kind of conversation they had themselves about sports."
Gleason brought along Tribune colleague Bill Jauss and the Tribune's sports editor George Langford. To host the show, he hired Bentley, a former middleweight fighter who was for decades a press agent, boxing promoter and ring announcer in the city.
"There was not a lot of sports discussion in the world of broadcast," longtime Sports Illustrated writer Lester Munson said of "The Sportswriters Show." Munson is a Chicago-based lawyer turned sportswriter who appeared frequently on the television program's later seasons. "Gleason saw around the corner. He knew that people would be happy to listen to the kind of conversation they had themselves about sports."
Enter John Roach. A Madison, Wisconsin-based television producer, he came across "Sportswriters" on the radio while commuting into Chicago. It reminded him of the talk at his father's poker table, where a group of buddies that included Big Ten football and basketball officials traded in behind-the-scenes scuttlebutt while occasionally making it through a hand of five-card draw.
Working closely with Gleason, Roach created "The Sportswriters on TV," which debuted on Chicago's WFLD TV in December 1985. Almost immediately, the show found an audience among people who, like Roach, thought they were listening in on a conversation that had been going on for decades.
"There was no showboating for TV, there was no playing to the camera. . . . No fake opinions, nothing taken up just to be controversial."
"It was the first show of its kind. We were authentic," Telander said. "There was no showboating for TV, there was no playing to the camera. It was just pure honesty. No fake opinions, nothing taken up just to be controversial."
When the cable show started, Jauss was 54, Gleason was 63 and Bentley was 65. Roach joked that he added Telander to the show "because they needed somebody without a prostate problem," Telander said. The dynamic worked well from the outset.
"Sportswriters" looked and sounded like nothing else on television. Despite the demographics of the program's panelists, it was the substance of the show, not merely its aesthetics, that won it a sizeable viewership.
Substance over Style
"I never felt like we felt old or that our audience was old," Munson said. "We felt like we were doing lively stuff with some energy and vitality. I used to be glad that I wasn't the oldest person in the room with Jauss and Gleason. On ESPN, I'd be the oldest guy in the room all the time."
Chicagoans have a long history of finding the universal in the particulars of their hometown. From James T. Farrell and Richard Wright to Studs Terkel and Mike Royko to Oprah Winfrey and Barack Obama, something about creative people from Chicago makes them capable of reaching a national (and certainly now international) audience by telling stories rooted deeply in the City by the Lake.
"The personalities, in particular of Gleason and Bill Jauss, were made for broadcast and caught hold right away," Munson said. "People liked the cigars, they liked Gleason and his hats, they liked Jauss with his indignation over various things."
"What happened in Chicago was always important. You think about the great athletes and the great teams we had during that era."
Focusing on the Windy City was an asset, not a liability, Telander said. "It was hyperlocal," he acknowledged, "but what happened in Chicago was always important. You think about the great athletes and the great teams we had during that era."
The duration of the show corresponded with a uniquely vibrant period in Chicago sports. It first aired during the Super Bowl run of the Mike Ditka–Walter Payton Bears. It thrived through the basketball dynasty of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. Its final season corresponded with Chicago Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa's pursuit of baseball's single-season home run record.
Add to this the fact that everyone involved with the show was a genuine character.
"Gleason had that voice and that sense of humor and that wonderful cynical attitude on life."
Gleason, a South Sider, began his 60-year career in journalism as sports editor for the Southtown Economist at age 19. During his time on "Sportswriters," the proud Irish-American and White Sox fan worked primarily for the South Bend Tribune. He donned a ballcap or a fedora almost every week and punctuated his sentences with his cigar while he spoke.
"Gleason had that voice and that sense of humor and that wonderful cynical attitude on life," said Munson. "He was the real thing. The television program was Gleason and Roach's baby. The feisty pair had it out on plenty of occasions but in the end always hashed it out for the good of the show."
Jauss spent most of his 50-year career with the Chicago Tribune. He displayed a particular passion for day-to-day coverage of high school and college sports.
"One of the sweetest men in the world with one of the most passionate voices and concerns about things," Telander said of Jauss. "This wasn't a mean guy but if he believed in something, oh my God, look out."
"Jauss was such an original character," Munson said.
"He absolutely did not care about the trappings of luxury and comfort," Telander recalled.
Representing the Everyman
"Jaussy" did not know what make or model of car he drove, only that it was probably blue. He looked the part of the everyman and spoke on his behalf, all the while teaching journalism at Northwestern University, his alma mater.
Bentley, on the other hand, dressed in tailored suits and worked with the likes of Sonny Liston, Sugar Ray Robinson and Rocky Marciano during his decades in the fight business. He had a booming voice steeped in a Chicago accent that elongated every vowel that reverberated from his voice box. A PR man, not a sportswriter, Bentley was a masterful storyteller and jokester. His charm set the tone for the program. Each episode opened in mid-conversation before Bentley brought the table to order.
"I loved Ben," Telander said. "He was, underneath that fog-horn voice and the cigars, one of the nicest men that I've ever met."
Birth of a Sportswriter
Telander was the youngster they needed to set straight. Despite being a young whippersnapper, he had known the other three for decades before joining the show. He met Bentley early in his career as a freelance writer. Bentley, then a public relations man for Chicago's Park Department, got Telander and his buddies ringside passes for boxing matches at municipally managed venues.
A few years earlier, Telander, then a standout defensive back at Northwestern, ran into Jauss and Gleason as reporters covering Wildcats football. Gleason had once interviewed him extensively for a feature story on Northwestern's defensive backfield, peppering him with off-the-wall questions that Telander answered just as provocatively.
"At one point," Telander recalled years later, "he [Gleason] stops and kind of puts his hat back and says 'Telander, you want to be a writer, don't you?' He was the first guy to ever suggest it. The first guy to ever notice it." Gleason's offhand comment was life-changing encouragement for Telander, who had quietly harbored notions of becoming a writer but had never shared the idea with others.
A Winning Formula
Telander excelled at bringing topics to the show, particularly subjects of national interest. The program's format consisted of seven seven-minute-long segments, allowing the foursome to cover much terrain each week.
"Roach is very smart, very clever," Telander said. "He was the final arbiter of everything. He has to produce everything. . . . The show never would have happened without him and it never would have continued without him."
Sportswriters on TV, left to right, Bill Gleason, Ben Bentley, Rick Telander, Bill JaussBringing Telander on board proved to be one of many great decisions by Roach, the architect of the television program. "Telander could get ready on things and dazzle you with his language and his reporting," Munson said. "He always had excellent ideas on what we should talk about."
The panelists prepared for each show by talking by phone during the week and then meeting to finalize the list of topics right before the show was taped.
Rehearsed but Spontaneous 
"We would gather in the studio an hour or hour-and-a-half before we started to tape," Munson said. "Led by Roach and Gleason, we would talk about what are the issues for today. We were always conscious of hitting on the important national stories while keeping it a Chicago kind of thing. Roach was the scorekeeper and would make sure that we were balanced."
Gleason also focused on keeping the show's sense of spontaneity by imploring his colleagues to "save it for the show" by not laying out all of their points in rehearsal.
Recurring health problems forced Bentley to retire during the mid-1990s. A series of regular contributors joined the panel, including veteran Chicago writers Lester Munson, Joe Mooshil and Mike Mulligan. At the time, Munson wrote for Sports Illustrated but remained deeply rooted in Chicago.
"I had been a huge fan of the show," Munson said. "I used to go out of my way to listen to them when they were on the radio. I watched them every chance I got on television. It never occurred to me in a hundred years that I would end up on that show. I viewed it as one of the great opportunities of a lifetime."
A Respite from Coastal Dominance
"Lester is a great guy and I really had a great time with him," Telander said. Though the show's tone was always a bit different without Bentley as the raconteur/traffic cop, contributors like Munson helped the show maintain its unique feel.
"The fact that the four of us were so connected to Chicago and had been for so long, it had a sincerity and an integrity," Munson said. For the duration of its run, "Sportswriters" was a respite from the East Coast–West Coast dominated sports news cycle.
"We opened the door for a lot of different things."
After 13 years, "The Sportswriters" came to an end, just as it seemed that all other sports channels had filled their schedules with similar commentary-driven programs. Turn on the television right now to see the legion of imitators. It started with the sedate Sunday morning "Sports Reporters" on ESPN, a forerunner to the network's afternoon stalwart, "Pardon the Interruption," which begat a dozen other cable television imitators and hundreds of daily sports talk radio programs. Unlike the genuine conversations on "Sportswriters," most such programs have taken on the tropes of either game shows or shrill political debate shows.
"I don't blame anybody for imitating it but there was one original and that was it," Telander said. "It was authentic. It was real. It was difficult for other shows to duplicate it, this brotherhood that we had."
"We opened the door for a lot of different things. We dug deeper, we were more nuanced, we were more detailed in our conversations. The sports talk that I see now is not really done at that same level. [Tony] Kornheiser and [Michael] Wilbon on PTI (Pardon the Interruption) are the closest thing to what we were doing. I love listening to the two of them," Munson said.
Final Innings
Three of the four original cast members have died: Bentley in 2001, Gleason in 2010, and Jauss in 2012. Telander, now in his seventies, is the last survivor among the original four.
"I really miss all those guys. It hurts," Telander said.
Lester Munson, now in his eighties, shares that pain.
"I was very sad to see the program come to an end," Munson said. "I looked forward to doing it every week. I loved the challenge of getting ready and keeping up with Gleason, Jauss and Telander. I miss it even now."
In the early 2010s, Roach repackaged some old "Sportswriters" episodes with "Pop-Up Video"-style factoids appearing on the screen, but this funky take on reruns didn't last long.
At this point, "The Sportswriters on TV" has not been broadcast for nearly a quarter-century. At the same time, its descendants can be seen everywhere you watch sports, but with little of the original's charm.


When Sports Writers Ruled TV

Clayton Trutor

Finding a country or area where things are inexpensive isn’t necessarily about saving money. It’s about going somewhere your money will go further. Somewhere the cost of living is less than the United States but offers similar services and amenities. A place offering the type of life you dreamed about but never thought you could afford.
Lisbon, PortugalBased on our research at Live and Invest Overseas, the following four places offer a quality of life similar to, or even higher, than in the U.S. for a fraction of the price:
Lisbon, Portugal
One of Lisbon’s many claims to fame is having arguably the best climate in Europe. It has more hours of sunshine than most of Europe’s other major cities. And when things get too hot, you can rely on the cooling properties of the Atlantic sea breeze. Temperatures fall during the winter but still remain mild.
With the expat lifestyle becoming more mainstream every year, growing numbers of people are starting to take notice of underpopulated Abruzzo, especially those looking for authentic and unspoiled Italy.
Lisbon has yellow-sand beaches close to its city center, enabling you to take full advantage of the warm weather. Unlike the beaches you sometimes find near other big cities, these are clean and the water isn’t polluted.
The Portuguese capital has become more expensive over the past couple of years, but you can still find bargain living if you know where to look. Real estate prices in Lisbon are forecast to continue rising.
Living in Lisbon means you will never run out of things to do. There are restaurants to discover down every quiet street. And it isn’t just Portuguese food; Lisbon has a range of cuisines. As you would expect from a coastal town, it has delicious, fresh seafood. The country’s historic ties with India have led to some excellent curry houses, too. For those with a sweet tooth, pasteis de nata custard-filled pastries, native to the city, are legendary.
This city has a thriving cultural scene with opera houses, theaters, and small live-music venues across the city. Lisbon’s other attractions include a fine aquarium, shopping, and a range of quirky bars.
 
Abruzzo, Italy
One of Italy’s most undervalued regions, two hours east of Rome, Abruzzo is also one of its most scenic. The countryside is wilder and more rugged than other parts of Italy, which has kept people away in the past. But with the expat lifestyle becoming more mainstream every year, growing numbers of people are starting to take notice of underpopulated Abruzzo, especially those looking for authentic and unspoiled Italy.
Abruzzo has the twin attractions of towering mountains and yellow-sand beaches. It’s possible to ski in the morning and go for a swim in the afternoon. Much of the region is designated as a National Park, perfect for outdoorsy types and hikers.
Abruzzo will suit expats looking to live a relaxed life at a slower pace. For food, you can easily become self-sufficient or at least grow enough seasonal produce to considerably lower your food bill.
The region has a wide range of excellent produce, including fresh seafood, meats, cheeses, pastas and breads. The local wines make a perfect accompaniment.
Abruzzo has an international airport close to Pescara, and Rome boasts even more options for flying. Public transport is reliable and punctual; you can easily and comfortably take bus trips across the region and even further afield. 
Abruzzo, Italy 
Placencia, Belize
Placencia, a beach resort on the Caribbean coast of Belize, is a relatively undiscovered part of the small Central American country — hence the inexpensive real estate. But things are changing fast. Five-star accommodation is springing up, along with restaurants, bars and all other amenities. In short, it has everything you would expect from a top Caribbean resort.
Seeing its potential, investors are starting to buy property across Placencia. Infrastructure has been improved and the roads to and from the village are now as manageable as you will find in other parts of Belize. That doesn’t mean you won’t find potholes and bumps, but you can safely get to your destination.
Construction is underway on an international airport close to this eco-destination, which will provide likely attract tourists and raise property prices.
With the barrier reef a short distance out to sea, Placencia is popular with scuba divers and snorkelers. There is a dazzling array of fish species swimming in the crystal-clear waters, many unique to Belize.
Inland, you have the tropical jungles that are home to a diverse range of rare and endangered species. Maya ruins and temples lie hidden in the deep vegetation, making for spectacular hiking and day trips. If you are thinking of renting out your property for part of the year, these are strong selling points.
Placencia, Belize 
Chiang Mai, Thailand
There are any number of towns where you can live cheaply in Thailand. Chiang Mai is a favorite, due to its relaxed pace of life and excellent infrastructure.
While not as inexpensive as the internet may have you believe, Chiang Mai is one of the more upscale places to live in Thailand. But you can live well on a Social Security check. The city has a more relaxed feel than other big cities in the country — even the traffic seems less manic. The city is also safer, pickpockets are rare and lots of the drunken crime you see in other Thai cities is absent.
This is a modern, international city with top-quality hospitals, international schools, restaurants and shopping. You can find almost anything in Chiang Mai; even imported goods are inexpensive here.
There is a strong expat community made up of people from all over the world. Many are digital nomads who take advantage of the cheap, high-speed internet. The many hospitals and schools provide the city with a young, educated workforce and give the impression of a city on the way up.
Chiang Mai, Thailand

4 Cheap Places to Live Well Abroad

Kat Kalashian

Dan Cosby is his own comeback story. You can find him most mornings walking the streets of Tampa, Fla., delivering food to the homeless. You would never know that the 64-year-old hit rock bottom 15 years ago.  
Recently divorced, suffering a hernia injury and unable to work, Cosby found himself living out of his car. Inactivity and lack of healthy food led to obesity, topping out at 315 pounds, followed by high blood pressure and an eventual heart attack. At one point, he was even hospitalized with two cracked ribs, which he attributes to the extra pounds straining his frame. 
"My activity level just ceased. I had suffered a hernia and I could not do any work," Cosby said. 
When the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, he could have given up entirely. In fact, more than half (52%) of people age 64 and up reported that their physical activity level has decreased since March 2020, according to a new survey by Humana. Yet, Cosby channeled his positive energy and found support in his friends, faith and health care network.  
He connected with a Humana sales agent who helped him sign up for a Humana Medicare Advantage plan, finally giving him access to quality health care. Then, Skylar Griessel, a Humana health education facilitator got involved to help Cosby maximize his benefits and one small, unexpected thing became a great motivator.  
Flipping through Humana's Over-the-Counter Health & Wellness Products catalog, a Fitbit fitness tracker caught Cosby's eye, and he ordered it.  Once it was on his wrist, his focus went from counting days away to tracking the miles he walked and pounds he lost. He was shocked to see that his usual walk downtown while helping the homeless clocked four miles.  
"Once I realized I could do one hundred miles a month and friends started noticing that I had been losing weight, I started walking more," said Cosby, who has since lost 75 pounds. "I started eating healthier and controlling my portions. Now I can set goals with my health, and I feel like I can do anything." 
Beyond the support he received from Griessel, Cosby's Humana plan's benefits provided him the ability to make telehealth appointments with his doctor to help manage his health and ongoing chronic conditions from the safety of his home. He also appreciates the ability to find less expensive prescription drug options using Humana's Rx calculator tool. 
Reflecting on his experiences, Cosby said, "I think the story of my life is basically, 'If I can do it, anyone can.' Throughout my life, despite the hardship, I've always felt I had angels with me every step of the way." 
Older Americans like Cosby who choose Medicare Advantage plans can receive high-quality health care typically at lower costs than those only enrolled in fee-for-service Medicare. That's because Medicare Advantage's unique public-private structure creates an atmosphere of competition that spurs innovation that can help drive down costs and focus care on a person's whole health. 
Medicare Advantage plans are often focused on coordinating care for those with multiple chronic conditions, helping lead to cost-effective interventions to address the unique health needs of aging and disabled Americans. In fact, in 2018, Medicare Advantage beneficiaries reported $1,640 less in total annual health spending on average than those in fee-for-service Medicare. And they often see better health outcomes — according to a 2018 report, Medicare Advantage beneficiaries experienced 33% fewer emergency room visits than those in fee-for-service Medicare.  
As of January 2021, more than 40% of all Medicare beneficiaries chose to be covered by Medicare Advantage plans. 
Humana Medicare Advantage plans have exclusions and limitations and terms under which coverage may be continued or discontinued. For costs and complete details of Humana Medicare Advantage plans, call 1-800-213-5286 (TTY: 711) or write your Humana licensed insurance agent or the company. 
Your results may vary. It may not be typical to improve health conditions by taking the actions Cosby did. 
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Source: https://www.theatlantic.com/sponsored/humana-2020/dan-cosby/3526/ 


From Counting Days to Logging Miles

(This article previously appeared on Internationalliving.com.)
Mafra, PortugalThe world is full of affordable destinations where your dollar goes further than in the United States. And thousands of people have discovered there are places overseas where even a little goes a long, long way.
Here are the five best spots to retire for under $30,000 a year — in Europe, Latin America and Southeast Asia — that make good sense for a lower-cost, high-quality life.
Mafra, Portugal
Located 21 miles northwest of Lisbon and 15 minutes from world-class surfing beaches in Ericeira, Mafra offers an attractive mix of indoor culture with outdoor opportunities in a splendid park next to one of the country’s largest national palaces (the Jardim) and the nearby Tapada de Mafra, the former royal hunting grounds.
The town is a low-key place of white-washed houses trimmed in yellow and blue, lining narrow cobbled streets. The scent of grilling sardines is ever-present in the air, along with the sound of laughter and clinking glasses in the village’s many cafés and bars.
Here, a couple can live well on a monthly budget of $2,034.
Mafra’s palace, cultural center and music school provide frequent concerts, plays and other events. But if you want to spread your wings a bit, no problem. A reliable, comfortable bus service operated by Mafrense departs regularly from in front of the palace to the Campo Grande bus station in Lisbon. Express buses make the trip in approximately 40 minutes. The cost is $5.30 one way, $8.80 round trip. In the opposite direction, at the end of the line, you’ll find yourself at the beach in the world-class surfing reserve of Ericeira.
A World Health Organization (WHO) ranking of global health care systems in 191 countries places Portugal’s at number 12  (the U.S.: 37). The National Health Service of Portugal (Serviço Nacional de Saúde) is available to citizens as well as both temporary and permanent residents. Most middle- and upper-class citizens have private insurance, allowing on-demand access to a comprehensive network of private hospitals at minimal cost (in addition to public ones). Depending on your age and health condition, private insurance can be had for as little as 4 euros per month, although usually it is more in the 40 euros per month per person range.
Cuenca, Ecuador
Cuenca, Ecuador’s third-largest city and the economic center of the southern sierra, has leaped into the international spotlight in recent years.
Cuenca has long been known for a rich intellectual, artistic and philosophical tradition that matches its colonial architecture. It is famous for colorful festivals, distinctive food and breath-taking scenery. And because of its history and state of preservation, Cuenca is one of Ecuador’s five UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Cuenca, EcuadorA couple can enjoy a wonderful retirement on $1,680 per month in Cuenca, excluding travel — which can vary greatly from household to household, depending on your lifestyle.
Keith Paul and his wife Tina have no regrets about retiring to Ecuador. And they’ve felt that way since their move to Cuenca from California in January 2016.
What do they like best about living in the city? Keith says, “The people here are great, both in the gringo community and with the local Ecuadorians.” Tina adds: “We’re friends with many local people, who’ve made us feel like we’re part of their family. We could be busy every day of the week with our new friends.”
After researching several Latin American countries to retire to, they realized Ecuador offered exactly what they needed. Tops on their checklist: living in a city where there were many interesting and varied activities; where the climate was temperate and not extreme; where walking around was easy and owning a car was not necessary; where the cost of living was low and where they felt safe and secure.
Cuenca won, hands down.
Opting to rent, their three-bedroom, two-and-a-half bathroom, 1,400 square foot condo costs just $700 a month.
Pat and Rick Jackson wanted to retire at 55, and they also met their goal thanks to moving to the colonial city.  “Living in Cuenca costs about 25 percent of what it cost us to live in Philly,” says Pat. They pay just $500 a month for their two-bedroom, two-bathroom condo in the Puertas del Sol neighborhood.
Cuenca has several top-notch hospitals, and many of the physicians have studied abroad and are bilingual. For the quality of care offered, costs are quite low — an office visit runs around $30.
Many expats are taking advantage of the option to join Ecuador’s Social Security health care system. Open now to all residents, there are no age or pre-existing exclusions, and complete coverage costs only a little more than $70 a month for a couple. Cuenca has both a Social Security hospital in the suburbs and a clinic in the downtown historic district.
Ecuador’s best medical services are offered in Quito, Cuenca, and Guayaquil.  It is common practice for doctors in other parts of Ecuador to refer seriously ill patients to hospitals in one of these cities.
Central Valley, Costa Rica
The Central Valley — home to about two-thirds of Costa Rica’s population — is the place to find elegant residential communities, excellent medical facilities, first-class shopping, splendid restaurants and spectacular natural wonders including volcanoes, soaring waterfalls, roaring rivers and wildlife-filled forests.
Central Valley, Costa RicaIt’s hard to beat the Central Valley when you’re looking for a beautiful, friendly and relatively inexpensive place to live. Nestled among forests, mountains and farms are villages where expats have been living side by side with Costa Ricans for many decades.
Throughout the Valley are charming, small towns that will remind you of another age.
A single person can live on $1,500 to $1,800 a month. Some scrape by on considerably less and others spend hundreds of dollars more. In most cases, a couple can live well on $2,000 per month and even better on $2,500. It depends on your lifestyle.
Like many expats living la Pura Vida in Costa Rica, Ania and Tom Dudek — and their two sons — first visited the country on vacation. “For years, we would come for a month and rent a house in a different area each time,” says Ania. “But one day, we fell so in love with Costa Rica and the people there that we decided to start a new chapter in our lives and move.”
The family eventually moved full time to the small mountain town of Atenas. Settled high in Costa Rica’s perfect-weather Central Valley, it is midway between the beaches of the Pacific coast and the metropolitan capital of San José (only an hour’s drive east or west). A coffee and ranching town, Atenas is known for pleasant, sunny weather and touts the slogan: “The Best Climate in the World.”
By almost any standard, Costa Rica has some of the best health care in Latin America. The country’s public and private health systems are constantly being upgraded—new hospitals, new equipment and improvements in staff training. San José, the country’s capital located in the Central Valley, has the best public and private medical care in the country, which makes the Central Valley a popular spot for retirees.
“Costa Rica has modern, state-of-the-art health care available to everyone," says Dr. John Michael Arthur, an expat from Texas. "We pay $82 a month as a couple for the universal public health care system — after that, all care is covered and free. If you prefer a second opinion or more immediate care, there’s the private system, which runs about one third of the U.S. costs. I had a dental crown replaced recently with a new, state of the art zirconia crown — total cost $320. Due to a very complicated prescription, my last set of eyeglasses in the states cost me $1,200. Here I got the same for $420 — and it includes a one-year guarantee.”
Pedasi, Panama
Pedasí, the small town on Panama’s Pacific coast, is a four-hour trip from Panama City. The fishing town, sitting on the tip of the Azuero Peninsula, is best known for the expansive beaches just outside of town, regarded by many Panamanians to be among the nation’s most beautiful.
Pedasí, PanamaWith friendly locals and a tiny population, Pedasí is a place where the pace of life is slow and the people are laidback. Unspoiled, dark brown beaches are coupled with often stunning rock formations and warm Pacific waters. Large cattle ranches and corn fields surround the village.
“Our lives here are a far cry from the hectic existence we lived back in Florida,” says Jim Gault of the move he and his wife, Abbe, made.
The Gaults own their own home and car and Jim says, “I’m collecting my Social Security and we live comfortably on $2,000 a month, including several trips within Panama and one trip abroad per year. A beer is $1 to $2 a bottle, our car insurance is just $600 for the year and we have a housekeeper for just $15 for a half-day. I have two different gardeners and several handymen who help me with our home for $5 an hour.”
Panama provides good quality, affordable health care with clinics and hospitals tactically located in hubs across the country. And since the country is so small, it’s unlikely retirees will be more than an hour from a modern facility.
International Living’s Pedasi correspondent Jim Gault moved to this Pacific Coast paradise with his wife Abbe two years ago.
“Our health care needs are satisfied through a new clinic on the edge of town. Abbe spent $2 to see the doctor for a nasty knife cut on her finger and $2 for two stitches,” Jim says. “She had to get an antibiotic, too, which set her back just $8 with our Pensionado (retiree) discount. On New Year’s Day, she went to the local public hospital, 25 miles away, because she fell off a horse. The ER visit with doctor consultation, digital X-ray, pain medication, and a cast was only $2. A follow-up visit with the orthopedic surgeon was also $2. Doctors here give you their business card with their cell phone number and ask you to call or text them with any questions.”
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
If you are worried you don’t have $30,000 a year to retire, there are still spots where you can live well on a modest budget — like super-affordable, exotic Cambodia. For the third year in a row, Cambodia claims top spot in the cost of living category in IL’s Annual Global Retirement Index.
Phnom Penh, CambodiaWhile the cost of living in Cambodia may be one of the lowest in the world, the standard of living is high — leading to more retirees and expats choosing to make this country their home each year. A single retiree can live here for $1,150 a month…or less.
San Diego-native Tom Richter lives in Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital city. “This country has made me feel 15 years younger, compared with living in the States,” Richter says. “I made the right decision coming here, and I know it. My check from Social Security comes to just over $1,000 per month. But in Phnom Penh that’s a sizable amount.”
His main expense is rent, which comes to $250 per month for a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment with a balcony in the center of the city. Utilities average around $80 to $100 a month, including water, electricity, garbage, cooking gas, and drinking water. About $200 a month is enough to keep his fridge filled with food, fresh fruit, and vegetables.
“What I like most is that there is a very local vibe that comes from people in Phnom Penh,” says Richter. “Apart from being extremely friendly and happy to meet foreigners, it is just really cool to be able to go to the street corner in the morning to grab a fresh coconut and a newspaper, while shooting the breeze with some of the tuk-tuk drivers.”
The Royal Phnom Penh Hospital is considered the best hospital in the country since it covers all areas of treatment and offers the highest-calibre accident and emergency room. The biggest demand by expats at the hospital is for annual health checkups. Packages for a comprehensive assessment cost from just $230 to $390 for a full day of tests and consultations.


The 5 Best Places to Retire Abroad on $30,000 a Year

InternationalLiving.com

Anthony Copeland-Parker and Catherine Elizabeth Popp, known as Tony and Cat, have captured people's hearts worldwide with their astonishing stories of resiliency. The pair remade their lives in their 50s as endurance athletes and inspired numerous people as they set out on a once-in-a-lifetime journey to run across the world.
Tony and Cat after completing a race in Antarctica, 2017Tony and Cat's "travel-thon" began in 2014 when he found out he needed an aortic valve replacement, and she was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease at 53. Their reaction to this life-altering news surprised everyone, including themselves.
"Why not sell it all and travel from country to country like nomads?"
They started mapping out what they wanted to do and where they wanted to be, and the answer was always: running marathons worldwide. "We asked ourselves why we need a house, car, and all the material stuff. Why not sell it all and travel from country to country like nomads?" Tony says. "By being together 24/7, I would be able to pay closer attention to the changes in Cat's physical and mental condition." 
Despite the bold decision, Cat's diagnosis scared them because her father died within two years of being diagnosed with vascular dementia. 
"We have no idea how much time we will have together, but through my online research there was a lot of information about the benefits of exercise to slow down cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer's," recalls Tony.
After Tony retired as a management pilot for UPS and Cat went on disability from her position with the Transportation Security Administration, they sold their condo in Jeffersonville, Indiana, and gave away many of their belongings. 
"We cross the finish line at most of our races hand in hand." 
They packed two suitcases and started their adventure by flying to Japan to run the Tokyo Marathon – one of six races designated as a World Marathon Major.
First Race Together
They met in 2000 after completing a race in Louisville, Kentucky, where runners race through the Louisville Zoo. Tony overheard Cat talk about how she wanted to run marathons in all 50 states and how she was training for the New York City marathon – something he always wanted to do because he grew up in New York. 
He asked her to help him get ready, and through the regular training, they realized they were both falling in love. Tony and Cat ran together at the marathon – the first of more than a hundred races they completed. "We cross the finish line at most of our races hand in hand," he says.
Together, they have traveled to 82 different countries and run at least half-marathons in thirty-five countries and on all seven continents. They ran all six major marathons, including New York City, Boston, Chicago, Berlin, London and Tokyo.
Tony wrote about their adventures in his book, "Running All Over The World, Our Race Against Early Onset Alzheimer's." 
The book is part travel memoir transporting readers to exotic places like Malaysia, Bhutan and the Great Wall of China and an inspiring resource for healthy living while facing Alzheimer's. Tony first wrote about their adventures through his blog.
They experienced some health setbacks during their travels. During a trip to the Tahitian Islands, Cat fell down a set of stairs on a cruise ship and broke her ankle. 
With complete determination, six weeks after her ankle healed, Cat walked for 13.1 miles in the half-marathon in the Outback Race near Ayers Rock in the middle of Australia. 
Two weeks after that, in Bordeaux, France, she joined Tony and was back to running marathons – this time through 59 vineyards that offered wine-tasting stops.
Going the Distance
On her 60th birthday, seven years after the diagnosis, Cat was still running races but needed more guidance and assistance and could not be left alone anymore. "Cat is now 62 years old, and we're thinking about where we will be by the time she turns 65," says Tony, who is now 68. 
"I think the endurance running has kept Cat in good physical shape and preserved some of her cognitive function."
"I have no medical proof, but I truly think the endurance running has kept Cat in good physical shape and preserved some of her cognitive function," he notes. 
About two years ago, Cat started experiencing seizures about every two to three months, and then she had two in one day out of nowhere that landed her in the hospital. Because of the seizures, Cat cannot run a complete marathon, so they have opted to do half-marathons. 
Always the goal setters, Tony and Cat are aiming to complete half marathons in all 50 states by the end of the year. Tony will push her in an adult-size stroller, aka the "CatMobile," for about 10 miles, and then Cat will walk a half mile at a time for about three miles during the race.
They have abandoned the nomad lifestyle as international travel has become too demanding for Cat. The couple has put down roots after Tony chose a senior living facility in Roswell, Georgia, near his daughter and her family. 
The couple lives in an apartment in the independent living section, with nearby memory care facilities. There are plenty of outdoor sidewalks and over two miles of indoor corridors for walking. Cat still walks about six to eight miles every day.
"I promised Cat a long time ago that I'm never going to leave her side," says Tony. 
Every step they take is marked by what new experience they will have and what new goals they will conquer. "We will walk together hand in hand for as long as we can," he says. 


From Athens To Tokyo: Running From Alzheimer's

Paul Wynn

I'm not usually one of those hockey moms who screams at the referees, second-guesses the coach or engages in heated arguments with the parents of kids on the opposing team. But I've been a fervent fan ever since my son first hit the ice with his four-year-old teammates. After all, you can't live in Canada without being devoted to our national obsession.
After a year without seeing her grandson play baseball in person, Vickie Tyndall is happy to be back on the sidelinesSo after 11 frenetic years of spending four days a week freezing my posterior in countless dank arenas and being team manager — looking after everything from jersey distribution and out-of-town tournaments to player-in-a-slump drama and end-of-season celebrations — my first thought when the pandemic blew in was, "Whew! I'll finally get a break from hockey schlepping!"
"We are a sports family. All of our grandchildren's parents, especially our two sons, are athletic."
But that first thought turned out to be way off-net…er, base. Last fall, after confirming that my son's U16 season was cancelled, what I felt instead was a gaping hole. 
I loved the smell of the ice, the sound of the players' sticks banging against the boards when a teammate scored, the strong community we had developed over the years with other parents and grandparents perched on the edge of the arena benches, cheering on the kids. 
Instead, as I stood with my son recently at center ice of our home arena – now a mass COVID-19 vaccination site – I mourned yet another thing the pandemic took from us: Watching our kids and grandchildren play sports.
Grandparents Were Also Missing Out 
For many of the 70 million or so grandparents in the U.S., it felt like a lost year. Not being able to hug grandchildren or visit indoors was very difficult.
Before the coronavirus forced most youth sports to go on hiatus, Vickie Tyndall and her husband Dorsey spent many weekday evenings and every weekend cheering on their granddaughter and four grandsons – aged nine through 15 – as they played basketball, flag football, baseball, soccer and volleyball.
"We are a sports family. All of our grandchildren's parents, especially our two sons, are athletic, so we tried to get to as many games as we could," says Tyndall, 72. "We'd drive thirty miles from our home in Kinston, North Carolina to Greenville every week to watch three of our grandsons, and we'd watch the other grandchildren's games who live here."
The Montreal ice arena where the author's son plays hockey became a COVID-19 vaccination site this springSo when their favorite pastime suddenly disappeared last March, as youth sports in Kinston were cancelled, it left a huge void. The school teams that did continue sporting activities limited spectators to just parents.
"Watching our grandchildren was our life; we worked our activities around being able to see them play, and it was just heartbreaking to know we couldn't go," recalls Tyndall. "And when we did go, we'd have to sit in our car up on a hill where we couldn't see anything and nobody would see us. Basically, everything shut down for us."
The pandemic forced millions of Americans aged 60 and older to adjust to more solitary lifestyles, and for the Tyndalls, who spent so much time with their grandchildren, it was a tough transition.
"Not being able to participate with their activities took a lot out of our lives, and the kids missed it too, because they always look in the stands to see who's there," says Tyndall.
The Tyndalls were not alone. My son's three grandparents felt that same sense of loss from not being able to watch him carry the puck across the ice.
The Silver Lining of the Year Without Youth Sports 
Rather than accepting a "lost year," many youth-sports lovers found other ways to stay connected. To fill all those long, Canadian-winter hours usually booked with hockey practice, games and tournaments, our family invested in season passes to our local ski hill. 
"Not only has it been great just getting to see the kids play, but also re-connecting with other parents and grandparents that we weren't able to see." 
We skied together about 30 times, and cleared several feet of snow off our cottage lake to create an outdoor hockey rink, resulting in lots of impromptu games between my husband and son. We ended up having a wonderful winter and spring on the slopes.
The Tyndalls took advantage of technology while being forced to stay away from their grandchildren's sporting events.
"We were lucky, because the Greenville Little Leagues at certain parks televised their games, so we could at least watch it on TV using our Fire Stick (streaming service)," says Tyndall. "We were also on the phone during the games with either mom or dad, who would let us know what was going on, and we used the GameChanger app on our phone, which showed us who was at bat or who got a base hit."
'As If We Never Left' 
Now that the Tyndalls have been fully vaccinated and most teams have picked up their seasons again, they have reprised their head cheerleading roles. And they appreciate being able to see their grandchildren play sports more than ever.
"We have been going to all the games we can," says Tyndall. "Not only has it been great just getting to see the kids play, but also re-connecting with other parents and grandparents that we weren't able to see. When you go to so many games, you get to know so many other grandparents and parents, it's kind of like a family."
And as I left the ice-less arena with my son after he received his first vaccination, we both took one last look around. The empty stands and the smell of disinfectant brought forth a new wave of loss, until I noticed my son's big smile.
"Don't worry, Mom," he said. "We'll be back on the ice in September, and it'll be as if we never left."


Grandparents Glad to Be Back on the Sidelines for Youth Sports

Wendy Helfenbaum

Job hunting these days is not for the meek, especially for those in their 50s or 60s. It's challenging both in terms of time and emotional energy. But Steve Dalton, author of the new book "The Job Closer: Time-Saving Techniques for Acing Resumes, Negotiations, and More," has some smart advice, which he shared with me.
Dalton typically offers job hunting advice to students as program director for daytime career services at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. But although some of the tips in his book and in our interview apply to job seekers of all ages, others are specifically for older job hunters.
"Hiring managers are trained to spend six seconds per resumé."
Before I get to his tips, let me tell you my two favorite techniques in his book:
The "You Bet Your Life" Exercise (it takes one minute). Name a single professional skill or ability in which you are most confident you are in the top 1% of the world.
"If nothing else, make sure that any job you accept in the future takes advantage of this one skill," writes Dalton.
By quickly naming your best skill, it "just clarifies everything," Dalton says.
This example in the book is geared perhaps to a younger set, but I think it can get your wheels moving: "If you are struggling to find firms willing to pay for your elite Tetris-playing ability, you may want to reinterpret your skill more figuratively than literally. For example, in what way is your Tetris ability exceptional? Is it your pattern recognition? Your spatial creativity?"
The "Brain Dump" Exercise (it takes two minutes). Write down every job you would enjoy doing and could practically be, or become, qualified for. 
"Many of my job seekers tend to endlessly cycle through all of the options they have in their head, wearing themselves out with self-debate but never actually making any progress," Dalton writes. "This technique will at least help you avoid that endless churning in your mind."
Now here are my favorite job-seeking tips from Dalton:
Slash your resumé. "Cut the less-impressive versions of similar projects from earlier in your career so your resumé is as close as possible to being a "greatest hits" list of bullets," Dalton said. "Each bullet should be a story you're excited to tell in an interview… Hiring managers are trained to spend six seconds per resumé. The bulk of that time is spent on where you worked, what your dates of employment were, what your job titles were — basically all of the things that you can't change."
Dalton thinks older job seekers should cull their resumé dates of employment and college or graduate degree dates.  "We'd love to think that ageism doesn't exist, but I wouldn't want to take that gamble. So, I would leave my education dates out and then you can cut earlier work experiences."
Steve Dalton says older job seekers need to tell a storyEliminate "Responsible For…" in your resumé. "Those aren't stories. They're job descriptions, which are tedious to discuss and don't show you in your best light," said Dalton. "Your bullet points will be accomplishment statements showing results. Your ability to achieve impact is what differentiates you and shows someone that you're probably better at this job than the person who had the seat before."
Skip your "objective" in your resumé.  "Nobody cares. It's this thing that people stress over that doesn't have much impact," said Dalton. "It ends up becoming this milktoasty, inoffensive repository for jargon and buzzwords."
Ensure your resumé, cover letter and emails are error-free. In your resumé and cover letter, "Microsoft Word will help you catch most typos, misspellings and some grammar issues. And a free [online] tool called Grammarly will do the same for your word-processing software and email services," Dalton said.
"Many business schools are big fans of a tool called VMock, a resumé-specific analysis tool that is also free," he added. "VMock will point out if you've used the same action words over and over and will suggest replacements; it will also highlight the use of jargon and filler words like 'successfully.'"
Spend your time networking. "We think that networking is this concept where neighbors and relatives or people you know tell you about job openings," Dalton said. "But now with online job postings, networking is something totally different. It's not about passively who do you know; it's about creating those relationships on demand as needed."

"I can understand for more experienced job seekers who've made a great career on being experts in their field, trying to learn a brand-new job searching skill set may feel a little embarrassing. There may be a shame element to it: 'Why don't I already know how to do this?' I would encourage more experienced job seekers to not feel that shame. It's like feeling bad that you can't play the violin without ever having been trained to play the violin. There's no shame in it, but there is a need to invest in that new skill set.
"The way to overcome ageism is to give people a story that makes sense about why you want to work there."
"It's completely optional to like networking, but it's not optional to do networking," Dalton noted.
Use LinkedIn as a teaser.  "If an employer is looking you up on LinkedIn, they know exactly where to look to find the information they're seeking in a nice, neat, predictable format about where you worked before, how long you were there and what job titles you've held," Dalton said. "LinkedIn is your objective information. I keep mine very minimalist."
Don't advertise on LinkedIn that you're available. "The thing to spend it on is that the summary underneath your picture. That is what people search on and is the job closer," Dalton said. "I don't like putting 'I'm seeking new opportunities' under your picture because you don't want to lead with what you need. You don't want to project desperation.
'The Job Closer' by Steve Dalton"Saying 'I'm available' and hoping other people will help you, that's very reactive, like you're putting your fate in other people's hands. I want to hire someone who puts their fate in their own hands."
Use one- or two-word descriptors in your LinkedIn profile, each followed by a vertical slash. "Some examples are: problem solver, vertical slash, team builder, vertical slash, mentor, vertical slash. I like it because it's constructive and it's positive," Dalton said.
During the job interview, show a genuine interest in your interviewer. "Ask: 'What do you see in the marketplace right now? Where do you think it's headed? What do you think the biggest challenge coming up for the organization is?'" Dalton advised.
Give the job interviewer a story about yourself that they can identify with. "The way to overcome ageism is to give people a story that makes sense about why you want to work there," said Dalton. "If you're over fifty, there's probably a moment in your life where your current story starts…or that moment where you took a completely different path, wherever your hero story is."
"It's about helping people understand what motivates you from personal experience…If you just repeat what your responsibilities were and where you work, you're just reading your resumé out to them. And that's not adding any value, nor building any rapport."


How to Boost the Odds You'll Get a New Job

Kerry Hannon

Chef Marcus Samuelsson playing cricket with a local Queens cricket clubNew York City is expected to have a total of about 61 million visitors before the end of 2023, with most staying in Manhattan, enjoying attractions like Central Park, the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty. 
NYC has five boroughs, each with their own unique neighborhoods and demographics.
If you watch TV, you'll think New York is composed primarily of concrete sidewalks and gargantuan apartment and office buildings, with no suburban houses, backyards or trees outside of parks. If you watch "Law and Order" reruns, you'll think the city has an astronomical crime rate, with dead bodies lurking in every garbage dump. Neither is true.
If you come to Queens, you'll get a much more well-rounded picture of New York City, and you'll have a day that you will never, ever forget.
Welcome to the World's Borough
NYC has five boroughs, each with their own unique neighborhoods and demographics. Queens, nicknamed "the world's borough" to reflect its status as the most diverse large county in the U.S., has an infinite variety of things to see, smell, taste, touch and hear. It's a paradise for foodies and for those curious about other cultures. 
According to recent statistics, nearly 50% of the more than two million Queens residents are foreign-born (the majority from Asia, Latin America or South America) and there are at least 150 languages spoken here, including Waray-Waray and Chavacano, both dialects indigenous to the Philippines. 
As a psychotherapist living and working in Queens, I've counseled patients from almost 30 countries, including Guyana, Korea, Ecuador, Egypt, and even tiny Saba, population of roughly 2,000.
It's well worth the half-hour ride on the elevated #7 subway train, known as the International Express, to spend a day in the outer borough.
If you're flying somewhere and have a layover at John F. Kennedy International Airport or LaGuardia Airport, both in Queens, you can hop into an Uber and see some sights. 
If you're staying in "the city," as Queens residents call Manhattan, it's well worth the half-hour ride on the elevated #7 subway train, known as the International Express, to spend a day in the outer borough.
What's to see in Queens? At the former site of the 1964-1965 World's Fair, you can duck under the iconic 140-foot-tall stainless steel Unisphere, the world's largest globe, still standing proudly in the middle of Flushing Meadow Park. 
Also in the park is the Queens Museum, home of the Panorama of the City of New York. Built by a team of more than one hundred people over three years, the Panorama is a 9,335-square-foot architectural model of New York City, now, after a remodeling, containing 895,000 individual structures, including every building in the city as of 1992.
Must-See Museums
Corona is the home of the Louis Armstrong's House Museum, where the trumpeter and his wife spent 28 years until his death in 1971. The house tour allows visitors to view the retro living room, with a well-worn sofa and ashtrays on the tables, the bathroom with marble sinks and wraparound mirrors, and the lacquered blue, custom designed mid-century kitchen.
As of July 2023, the original house museum was joined by the Louis Armstrong Center, a permanent home for the 60,000-piece archive of Louis and Lucille Armstrong, which will feature a 75-seat theater offering performances, lectures, films and educational experiences. An exhibition, "Here to Stay," will be a retrospective of Armstrong's extraordinary career as a musician, archivist and community builder.
A delightful exhibition honoring Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets, showcases the work of this beloved puppeteer, animator and filmmaker.
The Museum of the Moving Image, in Astoria, was the first in the country to be dedicated exclusively to the art, history and technology of film, television and video. There are numerous exhibits such as "Behind the Screen," interactive games, a voice-dubbing workshop, industry artifacts, and displays of film costumes, vintage appliances and photos galore. 
Movie screenings and frequent lectures and discussions with directors, filmmakers, and other members of the entertainment industry abound. A delightful exhibition honoring Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets, showcases the work of this beloved puppeteer, animator and filmmaker.
Next door is Kaufman Astoria Studios. "Sesame Street" is produced there, and the studio has been responsible for the production of movies such as "The Age of Innocence" and "The Bourne Ultimatum."
Diverse Cuisines
Interested in going to a Chinatown in Queens? The original and largest Queens Chinatown, initially a satellite of the one in downtown Manhattan and known as Little Taipei, is in Flushing, but there are other ones in Elmhurst, Corona and eastern Queens. 
These ethnic enclaves house a diverse Chinese immigrant population who have brought their own regional cuisines with them, leading to a vast array of Asian restaurants serving Shanghainese, Zhejiang and Mongolian foods among many others.
Hungry in Queens? Now you're talking! The food choices in this borough of diversity are, as you can imagine, diverse, flavorful and exciting. The eateries, markets and bakeries showcase cuisines as emblematic of the cultural mosaic as the people who live, work or shop there. 
The annual Phagwah Parade in the Richmond Hill neighborhood of Queens, New York.Numerous Peruvian restaurants in Jackson Heights feature ceviche, their national dish, or Parihuela, a Peruvian-style seafood soup, which can be accompanied by Chicha Morada, a non-alcoholic purple drink made from dried corn.
In Colombian restaurants, you might be served tongue cooked in criolla, their famous red sauce. If you go to Rego Park, which has a large cohort of people from Uzbekistan, you might try nakhot garmack, veal tail in a spiced chickpea sauce.
If you have a sweet tooth, you'll find everything from kunafa, a cream or cheese stuffed dessert popular with the Arab world, to a traditional Chilean Thousand Layer Cake filled with dulce de leche and walnuts, or the Indian dessert Gulab Jamun, pastry similar to a sweetened donut hole served in a floral-scented sugary syrup. The possibilities are endless!
That's Not All
When you're happily full, there are a few other fascinating places in Queens that might be worth a stop, such as:
· Rockaway Beach, with seven miles of beachfront on the roaring Atlantic Ocean, is the largest urban beach in the U.S. It contains the only legal surfing beach in NYC. Because of the large number of Irish Americans living there, for many years it was known by the nickname "the Irish Riviera."
· The home of the Hindu Temple Society of North America, popularly known as the Ganesh Temple, is set in a residential neighborhood in Flushing. This intricately carved homage to Ganesha, one of the most worshipped Hindu deities, was built by skilled craftsmen from India. A flourishing place of worship and popular gathering place, their community canteen serves South Indian dosas that will make your mouth pucker in delight.
· In Addleigh Park, a subsection of St. Albans, you can see the homes of musicians such as Ella Fitzgerald and James Brown and sports stars like Jackie Robinson, Joe Louis and Babe Ruth.
· Forest Hills Stadium was built to be the home of the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament, now taking place in another venue in Queens. In the 1960s, it became a popular concert venue, hosting legendary performers like the Beatles, Bob Dylan and Frank Sinatra. This summer it hosted the Rock the Bells Festival, celebrating fifty years of hip-hop.
Queens cemeteries include former residents Dizzy Gillespie, magician Harry Houdini, and renowned photographer Robert Mapplethorpe.
Many famous people were born in Queens – Annie Sullivan, the amazing teacher who gave Helen Keller language, Paul Stanley of KISS fame (who, when he attended my high school, was named Stanley Eisen), Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel (who performed in my elementary school auditorium when they were Tom and Jerry), Ethel Merman, Tony Bennett, and Fran Drescher of "The Nanny," known for her raspy voice with the "New Yawk" accent. 
Queens cemeteries include former residents Dizzy Gillespie, magician Harry Houdini and renowned photographer Robert Mapplethorpe.
But the people in Queens who are alive are very much alive, chatting in their native languages, wrapping themselves in saris or burkas, munching on shrimp crackers or chikki, a traditional Indian type of brittle, and enjoying the myriad pleasures of life in the world's (best) borough.


Welcome to Queens, New York: The World's Borough

Barbra Williams Cosentino

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