By Kathryn Reed

Eat well and exercise. That was the message delivered by Barton Health dietician Lynn Norton for people who are 50 and older who want to live longer.

She spoke to about 50 people on March 6 at Lake Tahoe Community College about nutrition and aging. And while much of the information delivered that night was routine, it was a reminder to get moving and watch what you consume.

With 20 percent of the population expected to be 65 and older by 2040, aging and nutrition will likely be a growing topic.

Lynn Norton talks March 6 about nutrition and aging. Photo/LTN

Norton said energy levels on average decrease 2 to 5 percent each decade as people get older. She said the way to stem that decline is to do aerobic and muscle strengthening exercises multiple times a week.

With exercise burning calories, the odds are people will then be at their ideal weight, too.

She mentioned how people who are overweight also tend to have more issues with high blood sugar levels and high blood pressure.

As people get older, they have changes to their digestion and nutrient absorption. B12, zinc and calcium absorption declines.

“To counter this, eat nutrient dense foods,” Norton said.

While she said supplements can fill in the gaps, she offered more warnings about supplements than recommendations.

Constipation can be an issue for older people. Proper fluid and fiber intake can help with that condition, Norton said. She suggested adding wheat bran to foods.

Paying attention to bone mass is also critical.

“Fifty percent of women older than 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis, 25 percent of men,” Norton said.

She recommends getting a bone density test and vitamin D test so if a deficiency turns up, the correct treatment can begin.

When it comes to having a good immune system, Norton recommends eating oily fish, nuts, seeds, fresh fruit, vegetable, wholegrain, cereals and lean meats.

These were the same foods she promoted throughout much of her talk.

While she said studies have shown limited alcohol has benefits, she said much more could have effects on dementia.

Norton said, “We have a high alcohol population in ICU and ER. We move them from ICU with dementia to long-term care. It really is a long-term problem.”

She said proper diet and physical activity are how people will be healthy as they age.

Lake Tahoe Community College Writers’ Series will celebrate National Poetry Month on April 12 at 7pm in the college library.

Three award-winning poets — Kelle Groom, Lexa Hillyer, and Krista Lukas — will read from their works, engage the audience with a Q&A, and sign books.

The event is free and open to the community. Books will be available for purchase.

The LTCC Writers’ Series is committed to providing a cultural outlet for its students and the community by offering free readings, discussions, craft talks, and workshops with nationally-known award-winning authors, as well as poetry slams, open mic nights, and student readings.

For more information, contact Suzanne Roberts at robertss@ltcc.edu.

Professional photographer Bret Cole has organized the Lake Tahoe Photographers Fellowship 2013 workshop for May 2-5 in Tahoe City.

This gathering is designed to bring together wedding and event photographers to network, refine techniques and learn from the best in the business.

Featured guest speakers include Stephanie Anderson of One Fine Day Events and the Tahoe Unveiled blog, Don Weinstein of Photo Impact Imaging Lab, Alexandra Tremaine of Alexandra Tremaine Photography, and Scott Corridan, a nationally recognized event planner and interior designer who resides in the Tahoe area.

The workshop will be comprised of portfolio reviews, forums and presentations about finding and creating unique niches, branding, and how to make your career your passion.

The cost of the full three-day workshop is $2,300 and includes two nights lodging at the Cedar Lodge in Tahoe City, breakfast all three days and dinners Friday and Saturday evenings. A one-day workshop, with meals, is available for $875. The fee to attend just photo shoots and lectures is $800.

The deadline to register for the workshop is April 2. For more information or to register, go online.

By Kathryn Reed

There was a time when I couldn’t wait to get my copy of Newsweek each month. It was all because of Anna Quindlen. She is one of the few columnists I have ever read with regularity.

The magazine was never the same after she left.

She had a way of connecting with readers about topics that ran from the mundane to the serious, from hysterical to tear-inducing sadness.

When her latest book – “Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake” – came out, Sue bought it. She raved about it. At times I would see her dabbing at her eyes. There goes, Anna, I would think.

That’s the thing about Quindlen’s writing, it makes you think of her as friend, to want to call her by her first name when you’ve never even met her.

And while, I, too, cried at times reading the book, this was far from my favorite of hers. I know a lot of it has to with our age difference putting us in very different places in our lives. She’s turned 60; I haven’t turned 50. She talks of retirement; I’m still trying to make enough to put into savings.

But when she talks about friendships, that is a place most women can relate to.

“We trust our friends to tell us what we need to know, and to shield us from what we don’t need to discover, and to have the wisdom to know the difference. Real friends offer both hard truths and soft landings and realize that it’s sometimes more important to be nice than to be honest,” she writes.

Later she writes, “The women I know who are the happiest today are the ones who have close female friends.” “In other words, friends are what we women have in addition to, or in lieu of, therapists.”

Clearly, I liked parts of the book. Maybe I will connect to more of it down the road.

The difference with Quindlen’s columns that didn’t strike a cord with me is that they were shorter, nowhere close to a book chapter. So one week of not liking something is much different than a whole book.

The other problem is that I had high expectations for the book because of the author and Sue’s recommendation.

By Kathryn Reed

STATELINE – Courageous, committed, tenacious, dedicated, inspirational. Those are just some of the words used to describe the 11 women who were honored Thursday night by the two South Shore Soroptimist groups.

Soroptimist International South Lake Tahoe and Soroptimist International Tahoe Sierra recognized three distinct groups March 7 at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe. With a mission of helping girls and women, the two groups come together once a year to choose who to give the Violet Richardson Ward, Women’s Opportunity and Ruby awards to.

Soroptimist honor 11 women March 7. Photo/Sharon Sterling

Six South Tahoe High School students were singled out for their volunteerism. The Violet Richardson Ward Award is named after the first president of the first Soroptimist club. Girls must be between the ages of 14 and 17 to be considered.

This years winners are: Catherine Baghadikian, Grace Bronken, Rose Campion, Margaret Carlson, Stephanie Thomaselli and Carli Valney.

While some of them have exceptional grades, or are star athletes, this award goes beyond those achievements – and doesn’t even have grades or sports as criteria. It’s about what they are doing for others that counts.

Several of them volunteer at Bread & Broth, are involved with church groups, volunteer with the Boys and Girls Club, are in Girl Scouts, in the National Honor Society, started a music program, planted trees post-Angora, help at Tahoe Youth & Family Services, and help at Barton’s Skilled Nursing Facility.

Michelle Flury and Marisol Jimenez-Torres were there to receive the Women’s Opportunity Award. They each received a check to help with their continued education.

These women have overcome the odds and obstacles, and yet know higher education is the answer to being self-sufficient and able to provide for their families. The award is not only money to help them, but recognition for their courage and determination.

For Susan Baker, Diana Hankins and Karin Holmes, the Ruby Award is bestowed on them for their work in making the lives of other women or girls be better. But none would take sole credit for her efforts, instead saying the team around them made their accomplishments become a reality.

Baker is the reason Mount Tallac High School has the Young Parents Program, and a big reason why in 1999 when it started there were 32 girls who were pregnant or young moms, and today there are three at the school.

Hankins is the woman behind the local chapter of NAMI – National Alliance of Mental Illness. Every day she is working to wipe away the stigma of mental illness and help those who have issues.

Holmes is the reason the South Tahoe Middle School track got built. She has been a coach and teacher for decades.

By Mel Shields, Sacramento Bee

One of the major movements in live entertainment over the past decade has been the rise of tribute bands.

The advocates and critics of such groups seem about as divided as House Republicans and Democrats, or as staunch as defenders of the Beatles or the Rolling Stones as the better band.

The Spazmatics play March 8 at Red Hawk Casino.

Jackson Rancheria in Jackson presents the latter onstage Saturday with a “shootout” between the two (Beatles portrayed by the band Abbey Road, Rolling Stones portrayed by the band Jumping Jack Flash).

“Beatles vs. Stones” features two groups that seem dedicated to as much authenticity as possible. There’s a blacked-out tooth on the Keith Richards impersonator and a Brian Jones Vox Teardrop guitar. The Beatles, of course, sporting mop-tops and the music even includes flubs like Ringo’s chorus beat in the wrong place in “All My Lovin’.”

Audience reactions have been very positive for this show, like at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe just last week, and so far no soccer-style brawls have broken out. Maybe the fans are just too old.

Those who hate tribute bands might strongly despise a more recent trend – the brand band. The Spazmatics, who appear at Red Hawk Casino tonight and Saturday, are a perfect example. There are many editions of them, all of whom present the 1980s complete with horn-rimmed glasses, skinny ties, and a-ha songs.

Critics find it all too merchandised, but audiences don’t much care. Their party atmosphere is terrific and the evening is reliably great fun. Besides, where else can you hear a live version of the theme from “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”?

Few entertainers can trace much of their popularity to covers, but Jose Feliciano, who performs a rare date Saturday at Harrah’s Tahoe, took on the Doors’ “Light My Fire” and redefined it, doing the same later with Tommy Tucker’s “Hi-Heel Sneakers.”

One cover made him briefly notorious – that was of “The Star-Spangled Banner” in 1968 at a World Series game. Now, 45 years later, its decidedly Latin twist may be considered prescient.

Of course, the Puerto Rican guitarist and singer has scored on his own terms. “Felice Navidad” anyone?

Feliciano, once a staple of casino showrooms, has been rare over the past decade. Gordon Lightfoot also is one of the few entertainers who can transform a giant performing space into a coffeehouse with songs like “If You Could Read My Mind” and his consummate ballading of “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” He’s at Cache Creek in Brooks on Saturday.

Lyn Landauer, one of Lake Tahoe’s noted historians, died Feb. 21 in Monterey. She was 86.

Lyn was president of the Lake Tahoe Historical Society and wrote many of the articles for the monthly newsletter. She authored “The Mountain Sea, A History of Lake Tahoe”.

Born Lyndall Deane Baker on Sept. 24, 1926, in Oakland, she married Donald Landauer in 1948. Both were teachers, writers, avid sailors, folk dancers, and travelers. They lived in Pasadena for 35 years, where they raised four sons.

Lyn received her doctorate in history from UCLA in 1980. She taught history in Los Angeles secondary schools, and later was a professor of history at Los Angeles City College, Pierce College and Lake Tahoe Community College.

Lyn Landauer

She and Don retired to Lake Tahoe in 1987 and later split their time between Lake Tahoe and Kauai.

Lyn and Don wrote a book about the history of Hawaii and the U.S. Navy called “Pearl”. She also wrote many non-fiction and fiction books, magazine and newspaper articles, and was a popular lecturer on a range of historical topics.

After Don died in 2006, Lyn moved to Monterey. Although challenged by physical ailments in recent years, Lyn’s passion for writing, reading, and teaching never wavered. She passed away peacefully, surrounded by family.

Lyn was preceded in death by her son, Michael, in 2003 and husband, Don, in 2006.

She is survived by sons Christopher, Timothy and Douglas; daughters-in-law Deborah, JorJa, Mary Beth, and Kirstie; grandchildren Matthew, Robert, Nikolas, Shaughn, Kellie, and Benjamin; great-grandson Jordan; sister Meredith Wylie; nieces and a nephew.

Services will be private.

Donations in her honor may be made to the League to Save Lake Tahoe.

The Lake Tahoe Historical Society will present Martin Hollay on March 9 with the second part of his ski story.

Hollay learned to ski in his native Hungary, lived through the heavy bombing in World War II by the Allies and the rape of his country by the Nazis.

He came to the United States and played an important role in the 1960 Squaw Valley Olympics and at Heavenly Mountain Resort.

He will talk at two times Saturday in the museum (3058 Lake Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe) noon and 3pm. Reservations must be made, as space is limited – (530) 541.5458. (Leave a message.)

Cost is $3 for non-members, free for Historical Society members.

Lake Tahoe Community College’s Theater Arts Department’s improvisation group, Random Acts of Improv, is putting on a one-night-only performance March 29 at 7:30pm in the Duke Theatre. Tickets are $5 at the door.

This family-friendly show will feature seasoned improvisation performers, including members of the Tahoe Improv Players, as well as a few fresh faces.

Random Acts of Improv was started in 2012 by department head Susan Boulanger when she realized the level of interest in improvisation by Lake Tahoe performers and audiences alike.

For more information, call (530) 541.4660, ext.240.

From left: TY&FS reps Kimberly Templeton, from left, Diane Imbach, Erica Eng, Alissa Nourse,
Heather Avila, and Cindy Archer, SISLT Community Grants Committee co-chair. Photo/Provided

By Sharon Sterling

Soroptimist International of South Lake Tahoe has selected the recipients for its 2012-13 grants for community groups.

Sierra House Elementary will receive $25,000 for its Garden Dome Project. Students will erect and manage the first geodesic garden dome on the South Shore. The four-season growing structure, with passive solar heating, will be used to teach students and the greater community about nutritional awareness, food production, principles of sustainability and environmental stewardship.

The Soroptimist grant will cover the entire cost of one Garden Dome Kit. The eventual goal of the project is to erect garden domes at all schools within the district. This is the largest single grant ever awarded through SISLT’s Community Grants process.

Tahoe Youth & Family Services will receive a $5,000 grant for its existing Girls Project. The innovative program, now in its fifth year, aims to reduce bullying and teen violence among girls by pairing groups of female students from local elementary school with middle schools and high school age female mentors. The program includes weekly group meetings aimed at building self-esteem, encouraging healthy lifestyle choices and the development of supportive friendships among its participants. The Soroptimist grant will be used to expand the program, to provide transportation to program activities and teen mentoring training.

Sharon Sterling is a member of Soroptimist International South Lake Tahoe.