All posts by Barbara Nevins Taylor

Trove to Watch on Netflix and Amazon Prime

January 4th, 2021

We watch a lot on Netflix and Amazon Prime and expanded the Amazon channels to include MHz Choice, Acorn, BritBox and Topic. We discovered a treasure trove of European police procedurals, mysteries, thrillers and comedies of sorts on MHz for $7.99 a month. It became our go-to-channel in 2020. And that was one of the good things that made isolating more durable in the annus horribilis.

Here’s what we enjoyed the most that you might have overlooked.

MHz Choice

From France

Spiral or Engrenages

The French police procedural takes a case a season and you visit Paris as cops, judges, lawyers and the French justice system grapple with complexities and contradictions. It begins its eighth and final season in 2021, but it’s worth catching from the beginning. Caroline Proust, Audrey Fleurot, Thierry Godard, and Philippe Duclos star throughout.

The Art of Crime

A phobic art historian and a cop make an unlikely duo to solve art world crimes in Paris. The stories are good and the scenics are wonderful. Eléonore Bernheim and Nicholas Gob play the likable antagonists.

Détectives

Detectives offers up a multi-generational family detective agency for a romp that mixes comedy and crime without being annoying. The Roche family brings in an outsider, a former French intelligence officer Nora Abadie, played by Sara Martins, to shore up the sagging business. A romance develops slowly between Nora and Phillipe Roche (Phillipe Levebre) the son of the retired founder. When big problems need solving the team meets on the houseboat where the patriarch Max Roche (Jean-Luc Bideau lives. The acting is excellent and the stories are engaging.

Nicholas Le Floch

This confection brings you into the world of a Parisian police commissioner during Louis XV’s rein in the eighteenth century. The charming Commissaire Nicholas Le Floch (Jérôme Robart) fights crime, court intrigue and becomes a favorite of the king. He reports to Versailles regularly with sword fights, skirmishes on horseback, bordello liaisons and wild carriage rides in between. The stories are good and don’t make you feel like an idiot for watching, so it’s unfortunate there’s only one season.

Murder In . . .

The scenics alone make Murder In . . . worth watching, especially since we’re all stuck at home during the pandemic. Each episode features a local detective and a visiting prosecutor trying to crack a murder in a different part of France. You feel like you have dropped into towns and regions like Aigues Mortes, Lozère, the Sommes, Colliure, Aveyron and more. The crime-solvers are usually a male and female with different ways of approaching a problem, and these mismatches produce romantic tension. It is almost always beautiful and while the scripts are uneven, the acting and atmosphere make up for it.

Blood of the Vine

Blood of the Vine, like Murder In . . . , takes you on a tour of France. But instead of a police detective, you travel with Benjamin Lebel (Pierre Arditi), an oenologist who also solves crimes. The stories are uneven but the visits to different wine regions are spectacular. Lebel is aided in his wine consultations and sleuthing by young assistants Mathilde (Catherine Demaiffe) and Silvère (Yoann Denaive). Despite the murders, it’s mostly fun.

Netflix

Call My Agent or Dix pour Cent

This funny French series comes back for a fourth season on January 21, 2021. Talent agencies compete with each other for clients, romance and try to keep their famous clients happy and employed. It’s worth starting at the beginning of the series. You’ll laugh a lot and enjoy the cameo performances by French stars including Isabelle Huppert, Isabelle Adjani and Jean Dujardin. In the upcoming season, we’ll see American actor Sigourney Weaver at the agency.

The Bonfire of Destiny or Le Bazar de la Charité

This soap opera set in 1897 Paris is a rich woman, poor woman story that twists, turns and is full of romance, intrigue and deception. It’s a good story with terrific acting by Audrey Fleurot, Camille Lou and Julie de Bona whose lives are upended by a fire at a charity bazaar.

Denmark

Seaside Hotel

We’ve had a lot of fun with a Danish series, Seaside Hotel, from Walter Presents, on the PBS Amazon Prime Masterpiece Channel. It brings you into the lives of the owners and staff of a hotel on the Jutland coast and their guests who visit every summer from 1928 to 1933. They take a six-year break and we meet them again in 1939. The regulars include a businessman whose filmmaker daughter describes him as “a sheep in wolf’s clothing,” an egocentric actor with stage fright, a closeted gay count who travels with his mother, two very different older sisters, and a wife impatient to make more of her life. Their encounters with one another and the staff are hilarious and poignant. The last year throws the shadow of war over the hotel, and the frivolity for the guests and all comes to an end.

The New Nurses

Set in 1950s Denmark, The New Nurses takes on the experiment of training men to work as nurses alongside women. There’s huffing and puffing from the social establishment, and also laughter and romance. The scripts are good, the acting excellent and again you get to travel to Denmark.

Dicte

It probably won’t surprise you that we like this series about an investigative reporter who solves crimes in Aahrus on the Jutland Penisula. This isn’t Nordic noir, it’s a charming mix of procedural and family story that loses nothing to its darker counterparts. After Dicte Svendson, played by Iben Hjejlea, gets divorced, she and her teen daughter return her hometown but the dad remains involved. The episodes features Dar Salim as a photographer and her love interest, and Lars Brygmann as a detective with whom she has a combative working relationship.

Borgen

If politics is your thing, and even if it’s not, the (fictional) story of Birgitte Nyborg’s, played by Sidse Babet Knudsen rise from political obscurity to become Denmark’s first female prime minister will suck you in. Nyborg is a great character with human flaws, and she shows you the toll the political life takes on family and friendships. She’s surrounded by the usual suspects — a spin doctor who never gives straight answer; journalists both friend and foe; ambitious colleagues with knives out for their own opportunities. Borgen, which means the Castle in Danish and is shorthand for the Christiansborg Castle that houses Danish government, covers three seasons of ten episodes each. All are good.

You can find our recommendations for great Italian shows here.

And Scandinavian Noir here.

Watch Scandinavian Noir and More

January 4th, 2021

We’re warm weather people, so when the gripping mysteries and dramas set in Scandinavia take us into snow-covered landscapes we tell each other, “It’s pretty . . . in that way.” If you’re like us, you don’t have to like the cold to enjoy some of the fine Scandinavian series on offer from Netflix and MHz and Focus.

We start with Finland because Nick has Finnish DNA tucked away and identifies with the lead character in Bordertown on Netflix.

Bordertown

Gifted detective Kari Sorjonen acts on instinct and intuition. He conquered autism, and flashbacks to his childhood occasionally show the difficultly. His ability to live within himself apparently helps when he takes his family from Helsinki to a peaceful small town near the Russian border to spend more with them and work for the local police. But then cross-border skullduggery tests his skill and demands his time and makes him a 24-hour detective. Ville Virtanen plays Kari in this engaging three-season series.

Deadwind

Deadwind also takes place in Finland. A widowed detective, Sofia Karrpi (Pihla Viitaala), with two children and plenty of personal demons, begins to investigate a murder. The murder is linked to something bigger and she and a rookie, Sakari Nurmi (Lauri Tilkanen) from financial crimes, pair in homicide. The excellent scripts keep the odd couple scrambling to avoid danger, uncover the truth and deal with Sofia’s two children. Two seasons are available on Netflix and a third is promised soon.

Arctic Circle

On Amazon Prime’s Topic

Perfect viewing for our virus-hobbled times. Lina Kuustonen stars as Nina Kautsalo, a young Lapland detective juggling her work and single momhood. Her investigation initially involves Russian human traffickers who bring women across the border into Lapland to work as prostitutes in buses set up alongside roads in the middle of nowhere. She finds a woman at death’s door in a remote cabin, and it turns out the prostitute carries a mysterious and deadly virus. A German virologist, Thomas Lorenz, played by Maximilian Brückner, is brought in to identify it and help prevent the spread. The team must find Patient Zero before the world is infected while they both deal with their family problems and romance. It’s a thriller, largely in English, and if you long to fantasize about snowmobiling through icy wastelands then you’re in for a bonus. Arctic Circle is on Amazon Prime’s Topic channel.

From Norway

The Valhalla Murders

A home for troubled boys in the snowy Icelandic outback holds dark secrets in its past. These begin to surface when Oslo detective Arnar (Björn Thors), a native Icelander, is brought in to team with Reykjavik detective Kata (Nina Dögg Fillipusdóttir) to investigate a pair of murders. Turns out he’s got deep problems rooted in his upbringing. That unspools as the pair follow threads of violence and corruption back to the now-abandoned boys home. The series lasts eight episodes and is (very loosely) based on a true story.

Ragnarock

This is different. It’s a version of an old Norse myth, updated for climate change, and is a lot of fun. The young hero, Magne (David Stakston) discovers his superpowers when his mother Turid (Henriette Steenstrup moves him and his brother Laurits (Jonas Strand Gravli) back to a small remote town where she grew up. At school, we learn Magne is dyslexic and we watch a romance of sorts develop while he gets tutoring help from Isolde (Ylva Bjørkaas Thedin). She is an environmental activist and her discovery of pollution by a rich local family leads Magne to uncover the truth about the family. He also discovers, like Thor, he can throw a hammer almost two kilometers.

Varg Veum

This MHz series, named for the private detective character created by novelist Gunnar Staalesen, takes place in the fjords and islands around Bergen in western Norway. Veum, played by Tron Espen Seim, gets beaten up a lot as he ignores danger to chase clues that lead deeper into more elaborate plots. His cases keep viewers on the edge of their seats guessing where the leads will go. Two seasons of six episodes each.

The Heavy Water War

This six-part series on MHz takes us to Norway during World War II. Germany invades and captures a Norwegian heavy water plant that it needs to build an atomic bomb. Six local men are trained in England and return to sabotage the plant before the Germans can crank up production and produce a weapon that will win the war. It’s based on a true story and is one of the gripping chapters of the war.

Twin

Kristoffer Hivju, who viewers will remember as the tall red-bearded wildling in Game of Thrones, plays identical brothers in this MHz series. Eric is a slacker surfer who lives in a bus. He’s estranged from his uptight entrepreneurial brother Adam. But when he visits to try to borrow money to save his surf camp, both brothers suffer accidents. Adam dies but authorities think Eric’s the fatality, and with the lead of Adam’s wife Ingrid (Rebecca Nystabakk), with whom he has a history, Eric assumes Adam’s identity. The ensuing complications over ten episodes make us root for Eric and Ingrid even as we rethink the wisdom of ever making snap choices.

You can find our recommendations for France and Denmark here.

And recommendations for great Italian shows here.

Italian Shows To Watch on Amazon Prime

January 4th, 2021

We love traveling in Italy. Back home, our interest led us to RAI and the terrific shows they produce, and launched our immersion in MHz Choice on Amazon Prime. The first Italian shows we watched were wrapped in beautiful scenics, had great music and excellent actors. Detective Montalbano, based on the mystery novels by Andrea Camilleri, got us started. We enjoyed the novels and liked Camilleri’s personal story. He worked as a screenwriter and RAI producer writing books on the side. He published the first of many Montalbano books when he was 68. They’re set in Sicily and the books and subsequent series became international hits.

Detective Montalbano

Luca Zingaretti plays Inspector Salvo Montalbano, a detective and police chief who rarely misses a good meal, even in the middle of a complicated investigation. He begins each day with a swim in the Mediterranean and has breakfast on his terrace overlooking the sea. The interesting, twisty, police procedurals unveil life in small Sicilian towns as Montalbano’s squad, a mix of comic and serious characters, fight criminals and corruption. His best friend, Mimi Auguello (Cesare Bocci), is a handsome womanizer who inevitably develops the wrong theories. Inspector Giuseppe Fazio (Peppino Mazzotta), a literalist, reads from his notebook every detail of a crime to an impatient Montalbano. Agente Caterella (Angelo Russo) stumbles in out of Montalbano’s office but seems to be a tech whiz. Several actors have played Montalbano’s long-distance love interest, Livia, who drops in now and then from Genoa. The beautiful settings around Ragusa, as the fictional town of Vigata, and other parts of Sicily add to the pleasure of watching.

The Young Montalbano

The prequel to Inspector Montalbano is almost better than the original. Michele Riondino plays the newly arrived Vigata police chief and it’s fun to watch his eccentricities develop. Food, crime and beautiful scenery dominate this series, too.

Imma Tataranni

This police procedural set in Matera, in the south of Italy between Apulia and Calabria, has the same vibe as the Montalbano stories. But Imma Tataranni, a deputy public prosecutor played by Vanessa Scalera, has a complicated life. Her devoted husband Pietro De Ruggeri (Massimiliano Gallo) tries to ease her stress. Her teenage daughter Valentina (Alice Azzariti) adds to it. So do her mother, who suffers from dementia, and her mother-in-law, who hates her. The brilliant Imma wears short skirts and high heels no matter how inappropriate, has a great memory and manages against the odds, including opposition from her boss, to solve crimes. A young Carabinieri corporal, Ipazzio Calogiuiri (Alessio Lapice), adds sexual tension as her loyal partner with a secret crush. The series puts you in beautiful locations in the Basilicata region and that, too, adds to the viewing pleasure.

Murders at Barlume

Massimo Viviani (Filippo Timi) runs a bar on the coast of Tuscany. It’s the local for a band of quirky oldsters and they, like Massimo, enjoy the puzzles he plunges into now that he’s divorced. When the puzzles include murder Massimo follows the clues as the regulars urge him on and contribute their own zany theories. The mix of mystery and comedy on MHz totals ten episodes over two seasons.

Lampedusa

An MHz series of just two episodes, Lampedusa is set on the Italian island of the same name in the southern Mediterranean near the coast of Tunisia. Commander Serra (Claudio Amendola) arrives on the island to captain an Italian coast guard ship patrolling for refugees fleeing Africa for Europe. They’re packed into overflowing boats and inflatable rafts run by human trackers and Serra’s mission is to save lives and get the refugees to a center on Lampedusa. It’s a sympathetic look at the crisis that shows the refugees as people with hopes and dreams we recognize.

Bulletproof Heart

Bruno Palmieri (Gigi Proietti) is an investigative journalist nearing retirement. But he thinks he’s been living too cautiously, the result of a bullet lodged in his heart from a shooting thirty years ago. Now he wants to eat without counting calories and enjoy a glass of wine or two without worrying about his health. Above all he wants to chase the kinds of stories that make front-page news and solve mysteries, and doesn’t care that danger is involved. He has an enabler in his photographer friend Fiocchi (Marco Marzotta). The MHz series, set in beautiful Rome, has ten episodes over three seasons

Fog and Crimes

This serious police procedural is the polar opposite of the lighter Italian mysteries. Set in Ferrara where it always seems misty and cold, the police chief Franco Soneri seems equally moody. Played by Luca Barbareschi, the detective is an appealing character and you believe him as he digs into murder, corruption, sex offenses and everything bad that can happen in the Po Valley. He has a tangled relationship with Ukrainian lawyer Angela Corneila. played by Natasha Stefanenko, who sometimes represents people he’s investigating. It runs for two seasons with a total of ten episodes.

Nero Wolfe

This series transplants detective Nero Wolfe, the Rex Stout character, from his Manhattan townhouse on West 35th Street to Rome. The brilliant detective was asked to leave the United States because, the story tells us, the FBI felt threatened by his talent. Stout, played by Tino Buazelli, still doesn’t leave his home, his orchids, or the elaborate meals prepared by his chef. But he does respond to pleas for crime-solving help and sends his sidekick Archie Goodwin, played by Paolo Ferrari, out to investigate for him. The stories are charming, and the 1950’s period clothing and scenic Rome make it fun for the eight episodes that it runs over one season.

Featured Stories, Latest News

When Can You Get The COVID-19 Vaccine?

January 2nd, 2021

New York City was supposed to have received 368,650 doses of COVID-19 vaccine by New Year’s day, according to Governor Andrew Cuomo. At a news conference during the last week of December he said, “They will not necessarily have been administered. But they will have been delivered.”

So where are those COVID-19 vaccine doses and who gets them? Nobody in the city seems to know the answer as of the first weekend of the new year.

The latest from Cuomo as of January 2 is that,
“The state is working around the clock with the medical community to not only ensure vaccines are distributed as quickly and efficiently as possible, but to also continue growing bed capacity so hospitals do not become overwhelmed.”

Mayor Bill de Blasio said he wants to vaccinate as many New Yorkers as possible and set a target of one million vaccinations by the end of January.

But the vaccination roll-out seems to have taken the weekend off while COVID-19 cases are going up. On January 1, 2021, the state-wide positivity rate was 7.52 percent and the city was at 5.85 percent.

Cuomo said that 140,000 doses of the vaccine were administered as of Monday, December 28, 2020.

So what’s the hold-up?

In New York City, the mayor apparently needs authorization from the federal government and the state to give the vaccine to people beyond first responders and healthcare workers. As for administering one million shots by the end of January, “We are doing everything we can . . . but to really pick up the pace, we need our federal and state partners on board—and fast. It will be tough, but I believe that we can do it, ” he said on New Year’s Eve.

That leaves us wondering where and when a widespread vaccine roll-out will take place. The mayor’s press release laid out some priorities.

1. First vaccinations will go to people who work in health care and are at increased risk of getting COVID-19. This includes people who take care of COVID-19 patients or work in areas of a facility where COVID-19 patients are seen.

2. First responders and nursing home residents and staff.

After that group, essential workers.

3. Essential workers who interact with the public and who are not able to physically distance, along with people at higher risk of complications from COVID-19 because of age (75 and over) or underlying medical conditions

4. Then the rest of New Yorkers when enough vaccine doses are available

Who will administer the vaccine remains a question.

The mayor’s press release said, “You will likely be able to get the vaccine at the same places you usually get vaccines, such as: Your health care provider; Community and hospital clinics; Pharmacies; Urgent care centers. Some COVID-19 testing sites and community pop-up locations may also provide vaccinations.”

CVS is administering vaccines in nursing homes. But when we called our local CVS a recording told us, “The COVID-19 vaccine is not currently available at CVS locations. Please visit CVS.com to get the latest vaccine news and updates.”

We reached out the offices of the mayor and governor to try to get clarification.

Consumer News, Featured Stories, First Person, News

Gratefully We Celebrate Thanksgiving for Two 2020

November 26th, 2020

by Nick Taylor

We’re having Thanksgiving for two this year. Far to the west in Colorado, our chef nephew Doug and his family – wife Jenny and two lovely, lively and kitchen-oriented children Jeffrey and Juliann – are having Thanksgiving for four. And farther west, in the mountains, Barbara’s sister Hope and our brother-in-law Ed, are like us having Thanksgiving for two. Or three, counting Sammy their miniature Schnauzer.

Mule Deer Crossing the road in Edwards, Colorado

Normally all nine of us would be together at Hope and Ed’s house. We’d spend some time by the fire in the living room, peddling away in their workout room, catching up on the many Thanksgiving weekend football games, looking out at the mountains to catch a glimpse of snow, or the mule deer running up from the valley. We’d walk Sammy along the steep roads around the house, keeping a firm grip on his leash in case he bolts after one of the deer that share the neighborhood. But the vast majority of the time we’d gather together in the kitchen.

It’s a long room. There’s a long counter island with stools on one side and work space on the other. A door opens to a pantry at one end, a wall counter at the other end holds drawers, a sink and two dishwashers. Ed’s the central figure in this tableau. He’s the cook, and Barbara and I await orders to cut or slice or trim. Doug has a wider repertoire, and since the pandemic shut us all in he’s been perfecting his baking. We’d be fatter feasting on his baked goods if the pandemic hadn’t kept us home this year.

Doug Tudanger’s baked goodies, Thanksgiving 2020.

Hope keeps things neat and Jenny keeps company and reads. Jeffrey, if past years are a clue, sits at the kitchen table in one corner engrossed in Yugioh with a cast of difficult-to-comprehend characters and rules or Pokemon. Juliann, when she is not chopping or helping with cooking, drapes a towel over one arm and acts the part of a server taking orders. We all hang out together.

Turkey, mash potatoes and onions — Food ready to eat Thanksgiving 2018, Edwards, Colorado.

Thanksgiving, of course, is premised around food, but food brings people together day in and day out, year after year. We need sustenance, and there’s pleasure in good food, but on days like Thanksgiving it’s the company that brings us joy. That’s one reason why 2020 has been such a hard year. It’s why, despite over 260,000 deaths, millions of COVID-fatigued Americans got on planes this weekend to visit relatives despite Centers for Disease Control warnings that family gatherings could spread the deadly virus.

Barbara Nevins Taylor cooking Thanksgiving dinner 2018 — Barbara Nevins Taylor cooking Thanksgiving dinner 2020.

Barbara and I haven’t been to a restaurant since March. We haven’t sat down to eat with anybody but each other. We’re lucky to be able to enjoy this after all this time. We’d also like to see other people whom we love, and other people who bring new information and perspectives to the table. But we don’t want this enough to ignore the possibility that it would be dangerous to them, or us.

So we offer our gratitude this Thanksgiving for having come this far. We’ve learned that we can, after all, live with changes to our lives that we couldn’t have imagined. We’ve learned, as our parents told us, that patience is a virtue. We’ve learned that if we’re patient for a few more months vaccines may let us resume lives we once thought of as normal.

Finally, we’ve learned that the disruptions to our lives are ripples on a pond compared with many others. Look at those who’ve died, and their families. Look at the nurses and doctors who have treated the victims. Look at the people who deliver the packages we don’t shop for in person anymore. Look at the people who bring us the takeout food we order. Look at the shopkeepers and store clerks who keep goods and groceries on the shelves. Look at the cops and firefighters and emergency workers who keep a lid on the chaos. We have so, so very much to be thankful for, and this season we’re reminded as never before that we should never think otherwise.

Featured Stories, Latest News

Former Atlanta Mayor Reflects on Election

November 4th, 2020

ATLANTA, November 3, 2020

* The United States woke up after election day to more dispiriting evidence that we remain a divided country. Shirley Franklin, a Democrat, was mayor of Atlanta, GA, from 2002 to 2010. She shared the thoughts below with us this morning.

by Shirley Franklin

Today I have a greater appreciation for those who are willing to break with their dark history to support progressive and moderate public policy.

I am horrified that any immigrant — first, second or third generation — believes they succeed in America because of their hard work alone. That is a selfish narrow-minded approach to human rights and economic freedom

I am convinced the fight for justice is harder today than any time since slavery.

I am annoyed that much of heartland and rural America rides on the economic backs of urban America, yet many still thumb their noses at urban Americans who are more diverse and much less selfish than they are.

The lessons of Ida B. Wells and Frederick Douglass and other abolitionists tell us to be loud, uncompromising, proud and persistent. Those lessons are more pertinent for these days than I imagined.

New York Early Voting Draws Crowds And Calls For Reform

October 27th, 2020

by Barbara Nevins Taylor and Nick Taylor

If you wanted to make sure your vote counted and you voted early in New York City, you probably waited in line. Nearly 200,000 people came during the first two days of early voting and some waited for hours before they got to fill out their ballots.

People waiting for early voting at St. Anthony's Church in Soho. — The line for early voting snaked around for blocks in Soho.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said, “This is a great sign that people may be getting involved in an unbelievably powerful manner. And this could be great for our future as well.”

But voting was tarnished by the long lines, caused by the consolidation of polling places and confusing and inconsistent hours. Here’s how to find your polling place for early voting and the hours it’s open. Once you’re there, you’ll find tablets replacing the old paper forms for signing in and matching signatures. Filling out your ballot and feeding it into a scanner is a fairly smooth process, at least where we voted at the St. Anthony of Padua Church in Soho.

Nick Taylor waiting on line for early voting. — Nick Taylor waits in line patiently to vote. Photo by ConsumerMojo.com

Still, it could be easier. We arrived near the opening time of 10 a.m. on Sunday. Once our line started moving, it snaked from Houston Street down Macdougal to Prince, then east two blocks to Thompson, north again to Houston, and then a block back east to Sullivan. We entered the voting area around 11:30, and felt like the time we spent was worth it.

Voting place in New York City area to fill out early voting ballots — You fill out your ballots in privacy pods. Photo by ConsumerMojo.com

But a lot of early voters have less time. That’s why de Blasio called for the Board of Elections to “Step up” and put more machines and more workers on the job to allow more people to vote before the November 3 election. He said, “There are plenty of election machines, voting machines that are on hold for Election Day. Those machines should be brought out now and put in the early voting sites so that New Yorkers can vote more easily. The hours right now – the weekend hours for early voting are only 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. This coming weekend, those hours should be expanded.”

De Blasio repeated his call to abolish the Board of Elections, where nepotism and political patronage by both Republicans and Democrats get people jobs.

Bronx Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez voted early in the Bronx and said at a news conference, “There is no place in the United States where two, three, four-hour waits to vote is acceptable. And just because it’s happening in a blue state doesn’t mean that it’s not voter suppression.”

But both she and Mayor de Blasio praised poll workers for their dedication and hard work.

And most of the voters we talked with felt optimistic about voting and resigned to waiting. Watch the video!

55 Plus News, All 55 Plus, Featured Stories, Medicare

Take Advantage of Medicare Open Enrollment

October 17th, 2020

Medicare Open Enrollment runs from October 15th through December 7th. Now is your chance to review your Medicare choices if you’re enrolled in a private health or drug plan. You can change your plan for another or sign up for the first time.

The Medicare Rights Center advises, “Even people who are currently happy with their plan should do so, because plans make changes to their benefit packages every year. Those enrolled in Original Medicare can also decide at this time to switch to a private plan.”

You can change your Medicare health and drug coverage without penalty now as long as you do it on or before December 7, 2014. Your new benefit plan will go into effect on January 1, 2015.

Joe Baker, President Emeritus of the Medicare Rights Center, told us, “Medicare beneficiaries need to be aware of any changes to their current plan and carefully review all of their options in time to make a decision by December 7. While reviewing your options, it is important that you contact the plan to confirm any information you find. Once you have made your decision, you can enroll in the plan by calling 1-800-MEDICARE.”

Why review your Medicare plan? Some insurance companies plan to raise monthly premiums in 2020 and that’s one big reason for you to take a look.

It’s also a good idea to review the medications the insurer plans to cover in 2020

They may drop your medication and that’s a pretty good reason to seek out another company. The booklet they sent you announcing changes should include the “formulary.” That’s what insurers call their list of covered medications.

It may contain only a partial list, so it’s wise to follow the instructions they offer and try to communicate with a representative to find out if the plan includes what you need for 2020

We provide tips to figure out the key things to consider in your Part D plan in ConsumerMojo’s post Why Change Your Medicare Part D Plan?

All 55 Plus, Video: Most Viewed, Videos, Vids: 55 Plus

Living! Get Some Inspiration – Finis Jhung

October 15th, 2020

Updated October 16, 2020

My back ached and nothing seemed to help. I tried to recall everything that had worked to ease back tension in the past. Then it came to me. I remembered Finis Jhung and his kitchen sink stretch.

A few years ago, we produced a video about the renowned ballet teacher, who was then 77, for our “Living!” series. Finis Jhung inspired me in the same way that he has inspired thousands of others who have taken his classes and watched his videos. I began to do the stretch and it felt great. My back eventually eased up and parts of me moved more fluidly. Thinking about Finis made me smile and I got in touch to find out how he was doing.

At 83, he’s retooled his teaching and, because of the pandemic, designed classes for people to do at home through Zoom. He said, “Since the shut-in, we’ve been doing online classes and now we are in our 30th week of Zoom classes five days a week. I actually enjoy Zooming because I can see so many students from all over the U.S. as well as Hong Kong, Canada, the UK and Portugal. I have 2 TEAM FINIS demonstrators who lead the class so I can watch and correct.”

Finis had been teaching regularly at the Ailey School and that’s where we shot his classes and interviewed students. But now he can come to you directly through his regularly scheduled Zoom sessions as well as through the videos that he has produced.

When you watch our video, you’ll find that Finis treats his students like professionals and helps them get the most out of their bodies and their time with him.

At the time he explained, “Working with adult beginners at the Ailey School has been wonderful for me because you are dealing with adults who for the most part have never danced. They don’t have ballet bodies, they don’t have ballet minds. But they are people who love ballet.

“They have always wanted to learn and they work so hard. And they start to change,” he told us. Finis thinks many of us, especially as we age, need to pay more attention to our posture and how we move.

He said, “If people could have some kind of awareness about posture, so that they balance their body properly, they are then able to walk more smoothly. Many of us get caught up in moving around without considering how we hurl ourselves through life.

“I can look out my window and I watch people walking on the street, and a lot of people are just kind of constantly in the state of falling forward and trudging,” he continued.

Looking at our devices as we walk, sit on a bus or subway or in front of our computers often causes our heads to droop and puts pressure on our necks and shoulders. That affects the way we walk when we stand up.

Finis offers this tip: “If I had one tip to give you about posture, it has to do with your head, because you must remember that your brain is in your head, so it is very important. Yet with most people the head is falling. What I teach my beginners is: Lace your fingers and put your fingers on the back of your head.”

Continue →and Watch Finis Demonstrate.

You can also find Finis Jhung and his classes at finisjhung.com/events

And on Facebook and Instagram where they post several times a day.

You may also want to watch more in our Living! series: artist Pierre Clerk.

All 55 Plus, Healthcare, Helpful Tips:All, Medicare, Video: Most Viewed, Videos, Vids: 55 Plus

Finis Jhung’s Kitchen Sink Stretch.

October 15th, 2020

updated October 16, 2020

Finis Jhung’s kitchen sink stretch offers a prescription for staying healthy. When we made this video three years ago, Finis demonstrated and explained that it’s part of his routine. He wakes up every morning, spends time in mediation and prayer and then stretches. “I stretch every part of my body,” he told ConsumerMojo.

The renowned ballet teacher thinks all of us can benefit from a good basic stretch, especially people over 65. He demonstrates a stretch that you can do at home in your kitchen. You don’t need any special props, or tools.

All you need is the kitchen sink. But you want to make sure to ask your doctor or health professional if this is okay for you to try.

Finis Jhung’s Kitchen Sink Stretch

1. Grip the edge of your sink and hold on tight. You want to make sure you don’t slip.

2. Stand with your feet planted hip width apart about two feet away from the sink.

3. Pull your belly in and push all the way back. Keep your arms straight.

4. Keep your head down, in neutral, as though you are floating in water.

5. Hold for a count of 15-30.

6. Keep your head down. Tilt your pelvis forward. Push in with your stomach. Press down into the floor.

7. Bend your knees. Keep your arms straight and push up while you press your feet down.

8. Stand slowly.

9. Now you want to go the other way.

10. Pull your stomach in.

11. Look up. Be careful if you have neck problems. (Ask your doctor if you can do this,)

12. Lean into the sink. Arms bent. Shoulders down.

13. Arch your back.

Be careful if you have lower back problems. (Ask your doctor if you can do this.)

14. Don’t go too far.

Then you can stand up straight and Finis says, “You feel a lot taller.”

←Previous The full Finus Jhung video is here. You can learn more about his stretches from his videos that demonstrate simple stretching routines. He also produced a successful line of videos for dance teachers and aspiring dancers. Watch more in our Living! Get Some Inspiration Series.

Consumer News, Featured Stories, News

Coronavirus and the Block Party

October 11th, 2020

by Barbara Nevins Taylor

Live music bounced through our closed windows and it sounded like people were having fun outside. This wasn’t the muted noise we usually hear on weekends with the pandemic in full swing. We live in Greenwich Village and our street closes at noon on Saturdays because the bar at the corner sets up tables outside for food and drink.

Restaurants on the surrounding streets Bleecker, West Fourth and Cornelia have attractive setups outside too and we root for them to survive and make it past COVID-19.

But this music was different, more exuberant, and when I went to do an errand with darkness falling in the early evening I found out why.

Despite coronavirus, our neighbors had set up for a jam and a mini block party. Most of the band members wore masks, and some of the onlookers did, but others didn’t.

A couple of guys tended a barbecue grill. A little farther down the street a group that didn’t seem connected had set up an al fresco dinner party table. The folks who looked like they were part of it stood around with their masks dangling from their ears or tucked under their chins.

A guy I usually chat with came up to me as I took some photos and said, “It’s great, isn’t it? The music made me come outside.” I muttered through my mask, “Yeah. But look at the people not wearing masks.” He said quickly, “You’re wearing a mask and so am I.”

I nodded, but I felt out-of-step and like a kill-joy for worrying about the spread of coronavirus at a block party. I had to keep my distance from all. My 9/11 scarred lungs will be challenged by coronavirus and I, like millions of others, have taken care to protect myself.

My friend turned toward the dinner party table and said, “And look at that. It’s really cool, isn’t it?”

Really cool, in another era when a potentially deadly virus doesn’t drift through the air. I stepped farther away and took some more photos. A woman I know well sat hunkered down in a lawn chair. Something made her turn toward me and her eyes brightened over her mask. “Great fun, isn’t it? How are you?”

Her partner stopped working at the barbecue grill and came toward me. “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em,” he said. Just last week, he told me he worried about the party atmosphere on the surrounding streets.

But I guess COVID fatigue got to him and the others. I can’t blame them for wanting to be outside at the block party, to socialize and to have fun. So far in our zip code 419 people have tested positive. That’s a relatively small number compared to other communities. Here 29 people have died and that doesn’t come close to the suffering in Corona and Elmhurst and parts of the Bronx.

But we’ve gotten this far. Coronavirus rates are rising in other parts of the city. The coolest case for a block party would be to celebrate the end of the virus, when it is really gone. Until then, I’ll take a few photos from a distance, stay away and continue to feel that I am out-of-step.

55 Plus News, Featured Stories, News

Mysterious Facebook Friends Want Me

September 24th, 2020

Those poor lonely women. All young, all single, all good-looking in a cookie cutter kind of way. And with the most exotic names! My goodness, the double vowels alone simmer with the mystery of foreign shores just waiting to be discovered and explored.

And yet they have no friends on Facebook. This is why they’ve come to my attention. They searched the site, were captured by my winning smile, sensed my natural empathy and online bedside manner, and understood that I’m older but saw me as a potential mentor. I’m sure that’s why they reached out to friend me.

This has happened quite a bit lately. So much so that I decided to ask my actual Facebook friends what they thought was up. I got a lot of answers. People have been having the same problem, and not just men of a certain age being trolled by bots pretending to be beautiful young women.

One woman friend wrote that she got friend requests from guys claiming to be widowed. Another said she gets a lot from older single guys, of whom her favorite was named “Ari Zona.” She went on to describe a pattern of men wearing military or medical uniforms, with usually a close-up of a flower thrown in. A third said she also was hearing from foreign men in uniform.

And of course I got some snarky — and funny — answers like: “I thought Natasha was interested only in me.”

But the most succinct — and I’m sure accurate — response was: “They’re all crooks, from around the world, just trying to get access to your friends list and otherwise get access to and abuse your personal information.”

Another to-the-point remark was “Don’t download anything from them. Nothing. Delete and run for cover!”

Of course, as November 3 nears with the news that Russia continues to tamper with voters using Facebook and other social media to turn the election in Trump’s favor, it’s more important than ever to protect yourself online.

Fortunately, Facebook recognizes this problem and has a setting that lets you decide from whom you want to see friend requests. The link will let you choose to see requests only from people with whom you have mutual friends.

Sorry, Bikilaa and Margaa. It was fun while it lasted.

Featured Stories, Latest News

9/11 Stays With Us

September 11th, 2020

9/11 lives inside me although I try not to think about it. This week, I had to write a statement about 9/11 for the Victim Compensation Fund. The images remain indelible. But I tried to keep my response simple.

What do you remember about being there at the time?

When you ask a question like this, I close my eyes and sigh. 9/11 was a Tuesday, election day, and I was listening to the news on the radio and putting on makeup getting ready to go vote. A low-flying plane roared over our house in Greenwich Village and the small building shook. The radio went dead. My husband Nick Taylor came in from outside, breathless, and said that a plane had crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. I said, “You have to come with me.” I called my office and Assignment Editor Elaine Higgins agreed that I should head to the towers. I put on a black dress, sneakers and grabbed a backpack.

Outside some of our neighbors huddled in groups looking shocked and confused. Others stood at the corner of Seventh Avenue South and Bleecker Street where they could see the burning North Tower

I remember the bright blue, cloudless sky as Nick and I headed south along Seventh Avenue South, which becomes Varick Street. Hundreds of people ran north and passed us without looking at us. We walked against this sea of people toward the towers. I called my office and learned that it was terrorist attack. Another plane had flown into the South Tower, one had struck the Pentagon, and a fourth had crashed in Pennsylvania.

Where were our intelligence people? Why weren’t they paying attention? Nick and I wondered.

As we got close an acrid smell filled the air and burned in our nostrils. We saw jagged flames shooting out of the North Tower and looked up to see people, tiny images in windows waving white flags, or shirts hoping to signal rescuers. Fire trucks, EMS, and police surrounded the buildings. We stood on Vesey Street near the foot of the North Tower and two sets of plainclothes detectives appeared beside us. They said they had been in their cars on the Brooklyn Bridge and like us had come to try to do something, me to report, they to help. We stood there together for a few minutes and then a creaking sound followed by a roar told us something was happening.

One of the detectives yelled, “Run! She’s coming down.” We ran north on Greenwich Street as the South Tower collapsed. Clouds of dust and debris shot around the corners of the buildings behind us. People ran beside us screaming. A heavy-set woman wearing heels fell and pushed herself to her feet again and kept running. Nick and I stopped at the corner. The burning smoky smell filled the air. I tried to reach my office but my analog phone did not work. The assignment editor had told me they were trying to get a camera crew for me and I wanted to connect with them.

It felt like a bad dream where everything slows down and you can’t move. Dust and shreds of paper filled the air. Nick and I stood close to the curb and looked up at the North Tower and watched the flames shoot out of the middle of the building. A helicopter flew close to the corner of the north windows. It wobbled. People high up near the top appeared like little white dots. The helicopter rocked back and forth. I thought and wished that the pilot would rescue people. Then the helicopter flew away. A second or maybe a minute later someone jumped, “No. Don’t do that,” I screamed as the body tumbled out of the window. A man near us said, “Maybe they don’t have a choice.” One person tumbled into the air after another. Sometimes it was two people together, holding hands.

We stood there unable to make a difference, to help. I knew the one thing that I could do was tell the story. I had to find a phone. We walked to Chambers Street. The area seemed oddly deserted. The sky was still bright blue and cloudless but smoke floated in the air. I saw someone in the closed McDonald’s and knocked on the door. The manager was alone and let me use the handset of his fax machine to call my office. The Assistant News Director Michael St. Peter told me that the WNYW-Fox5 truck was getting into place on Avenue of the Americas a little north of where I was. They were waiting for me to do a live report.

Nick and I headed up Church Street. A crackle and roar tore through the air. We turned to see the North Tower collapsing straight down like an accordion closing. Black dust and debris chased us. I thought for a minute that the scaffolding on the front of the Department of Human Resources building would fall on us. We kept running and just north of Canal Street reached the Fox5 truck and the crew where I began to report live for the rest of the day.

Here’s an outrageous story reported by The New York Daily News about how the federal government withheld money from the funds dedicated to provide healthcare for fire fighters who responded to 9/11.

It starts like this:

“The Trump administration has secretly siphoned nearly $4 million away from a program that tracks and treats FDNY firefighters and medics suffering from 9/11 related illnesses, the Daily News has learned.

The Treasury Department mysteriously started withholding parts of payments — nearly four years ago — meant to cover medical services for firefighters, emergency medical technicians and paramedics treated by the FDNY World Trade Center Health Program, documents obtained by The News reveal.” Read More.

Featured Stories, Latest News

Fathers and Heroes, Not Suckers and Losers

September 6th, 2020

by Nick Taylor

A friend I know from college posted something on her Facebook page the other day that was so stunningly eloquent in pain and outrage that it crystallized a moment.

Here is what Betty Jo Allen, a mother, grandmother and lifelong teacher in Lincolnton, North Carolina, now retired, wrote:

“I am at a loss for words over the latest revelation about Trump in The Atlantic, and do not doubt for one minute the truth of that article. As I heard about the article, heard the words of Trump about his opinion of people who serve in the military, people who are wounded, and those who gave their life in service to our country, my body shook, and tears welled in my eyes, for never have I heard any comments so despicable regarding the U.S. military. All I could think about were my dear friends who so bravely, courageously, and proudly served during the Vietnam War, some of whom were physically injured, all of whom carry with them to this day, the impact of that war. I think of my father’s generation, their service in WWII and Korea, where they also proudly, courageously, and bravely fought for our country.

From the communication I have had with a few of those men, I am well aware they also carry scars from their service. But, I do not doubt for one moment if they had the opportunity to serve again, they would, because of their love of our country and their willingness to sacrifice all, if necessary, to preserve our freedoms.

“And of course, my father Claude Evans Allen, my hero, is never far from my mind on almost any day. I was not blessed with a father in my home because he was killed in action in Korea, when I was only four.

Betty Joe Allen and her dad — Betty Jo Allen and her dad Claude Evans Allen. Photo Courtesy Betty Jo Allen

Now to hear that the President of the U.S. considers men like him to be losers and not smart because they gave their lives for a cause greater than themselves, is almost more than I can stand.

“As I shared above, when I heard of this report, the lifelong grief I have felt over the loss of one so dear to me, one I loved as only a little girl could love a father she adored, emotion welled up within me. How could anyone be so hardened to goodness, unselfishness, duty, love of country, to ever say such things against our military? It is unthinkable in my mind! And yet, once again this man has shown us who he is. This time, I do pray more people will actually see it and believe it.

“He has been telling us his whole life, and yet, some have refused to believe.”

Major Claude Evans Allen was 36 years old when he was killed in action in Korea. He received a Bronze Star for his service in World War II and another for Korea. He received the Silver Star for his service in Korea and was posthumously promoted to Lt. Colonel.

Betty Jo Allen, Major Claude Evans Allen, her mom and sister. — Betty Jo Allen, Major Claude Evans Allen, sisters Margie and Sonni. Photo Courtesy Betty Joe Allen.

COVID Times Birthday Celebration

July 26th, 2020

by Barbara Nevins Taylor

Helicopters whirr over our neighborhood. Protestors’ chants come at us like the dull roar of distant waves. COVID keeps me in the house away from the protests, away from physically reporting about them, or participating, which I want to do.

This morning I picked Nina Simone as the soundtrack for my COVID times birthday. The Essential Nina Simone, compiled and released by SONY Legacy in 2011, seemed to have all the right songs.

The music blew us back to the ’60s when we protested and marched for change. The songs made me furious all over again The lyrics sounded a call to action that felt as fresh and as right as they did when they were written and performed during the great civil rights era.

Backlash Blues, written by Langston Hughes, tells a story that still hits hard today. Here’s a sample of what I’m talking about.

Mr. Backlash, Mr. Backlash,
Just who do think I am?
You raise my taxes, freeze my wages,
And send my son to Vietnam.

You give me second class houses
And second class schools.
Do you think that all the colored folks
Are just second class fools?

It goes on.

You probably know about Mississippi Goddam, the song Nina Simone recorded at Carnegie Hall in 1964. Simone called it her “first civil rights” song. The lyrics highlight the frustration she and other black and brown people felt then, and there’s a loud echo in today’s Black Lives Matter movement. Here’s the refrain and a little more:

‘Do it slow’
Desegregation
‘Do it slow’
Mass participation
‘Do it slow’
Reunification
‘Do it slow’
Do things gradually
‘Do it slow’
But bring more tragedy
‘Do it slow’
Why don’t you see it?
Why don’t you feel it?
I don’t know.
I don’t know.

You don’t have to live next to me,
Just give me my equality.

Much has changed since I first listened to these songs over and over again and marched in the ’60s. Optimism and expectation fueled us then. We felt certain that what we did, what we said and the support we gave would make a difference. Being out there mattered.

March on Washington 1963. Library of Congress Photo. Public Domain.

The Civil Rights Act changed things. The Voting Rights Act changed things. Federal and local anti-discrimination laws improved opportunity. But when you honestly look around you see that people of color still get treated like second class citizens. That’s wrong.

Why should a young black or brown man or woman fear for their life when they see a police officer? It’s wrong. But it’s real.

The actions and the indignities heaped on us by the Trump administration compound the historical problem. They make optimists like me fear for the future. Trump’s war against the people is a preview. His efforts to roll back voting rights, women’s rights, environmental protection, the right to healthcare, immigration reform and more touch every area we fought for. They undermine progress on broad fronts we have made over many decades.

It is infuriating all over again. I am glad that young people, the Portland Moms, and others are back in the streets even if I can’t be out there with them making “good trouble,” as the great John Lewis put it. They are a gift for my COVID times birthday.

The Museum of Reconsidered Statues

July 25th, 2020 2 Comments

Nick Taylor

A few years ago in Zagreb, Croatia, Barbara and I visited the Museum of Broken Relationships. It was a compelling little place. Its displays told stories of passions grown cold, of devotion reconsidered.

Old love letters crumpled for the waste can. Torn photographs. Objects once shared and now discarded. It was sad and heartening, recognizable and human. The message it sent is that people reassess and move on.

Right now a whole lot of people are reassessing some statues.

They depict men — they’re ALL men — we’re not so sure about as we once were. Confederate generals most of all.

Robert E. Lee, Charlottesville, Virginia. Public Domain photo.

Explorers who pillaged what they found. Colonial overlords. Slave holders who penned eloquent words about freedom and equality. Expansionists who stole tribal lands and murdered their people.

These were men of their times. They did what they did in the context of their eras. Some of them stood for higher ideals than their times reflected, ideals better often than they lived.

Jefferson Davis, Richmond, Virginia. Photo by Billy Hathorn, Courtesy Wikimedia.

We stuck with them for quite a while. But now they’re like old lovers we at last see clearly and face the whole truth of who they were. Here and there we’ll see things to still admire. But it’s time to remove them from the pedestal for history’s sake.

The Museum of Broken Relationships is a good model for these statues. Don’t tear them down and break them up. I propose a better place: a Museum of Reconsidered Statues.

In the Museum of Reconsidered Statues, Robert E. Lee astride his horse Traveler can still cut the figure of a brilliant general. But he’ll be gone from the courthouse squares where the Daughters of the Confederacy elevated him to reassert white supremacy after post-Civil War reconstruction gave way to anti-black Jim Crow laws.

Robert E. Lee, Robert E. Lee High School, San Antonio, Texas. Photo by Billy Hathorn, Courtesy Wikimedia

A plaque will describe when and why his statue appeared throughout the South. It will describe his West Point career and his service in the Mexican-American War, his devotion to education as a college president, his respectful treatment of his slaves, his chivalry toward women, and his role as a traitor who took up arms against his country to preserve slavery.

Thomas Jefferson Statute by Alexander Galt. Photo by Alexander Galt, Public Domain.

Thomas Jefferson deserves a place in the Museum of Reconsidered Statues. The founder and third president wrote the ringing words in the Declaration of Independence, “All men are created equal.” Yet the Constitution he helped write valued slaves three-fifths as much as whites for apportionment and Electoral College votes. Even this diminished value gave southern states political power slaves had no access to. Jefferson owned hundreds of slaves in his lifetime, sold them to pay his debts, believed they were inferior to whites, and believed they should be freed and recolonized to Africa. The plaque on his statue will give him extra points for irony.

Andrew Jackson is another former president bound for the Museum of Reconsidered Statues. He was a slaveholder, a soldier who defeated the British in the Battle of New Orleans, and a rough-hewn populist. As the seventh president he paid off the national debt.

Andrew Jackson in Lafayette Square, Photo by David, dbKing, via Flickr. Creative Commons License

But his ticket to the Museum of Reconsidered Statues is the Indian Removal Act of 1830. This cleared native American tribes from the eastern United States so that whites could settle on their lands. Creeks, Choctaws, Seminoles, Chickasaws, and Cherokees were forced to resettle west of the Mississippi, and thousands died on forced marches collectively known as the Trail of Tears. The City of New Orleans has already reconsidered and taken down the Jackson statue that was there, so we have a place for it.

In the International Room of the Museum of Reconsidered Statues, visitors will find Christopher Columbus.

Christopher Columbus Statue, Union Station, Washington, D.C. Photo in the Public Domain, Courtesy Wikimedia.

Columbus, the Italian navigator who reached the New World about 500 years after Leif Erickson, was trying to reach the Indian Ocean and the riches of the East without going around Africa. That’s why the indigenous people he found became known as Indians. He made four voyages sailing for the Spanish crown, whose investment sought a return in gold, slaves and, since the Inquisition was in full swing, “godless savages” converted into Christians. The European presence brought by Columbus to the Caribbean islands and the rim of South America he touched devastated the native people by disease, war and enslavement to a fraction of their population.

The world we Americans live in grew up around notions of white civilization and religion. It’s past time to put those notions in perspective and see the harm they brought to native people and those brought here against their will. The Museum of Reconsidered Statues will help clarify our history.