"The Gran' Scam of Things"

The Gran' Scam of Things (2010) is a short fictional tale beginning with an email from Osagioduwa Williamson, a Nigerian banker, addressed to a senior citizen, offering her $16,000,000 if she would respond and cooperate. 

The fanciful comedy produced on video was written and directed by Leor Baum through Rooftop Mind Productions. The Internet Movie Database lists and describes the movie ("An elderly woman opens an email that leads her into the welcoming arms of an international crime ring."), as does Vimeo. Leor created a Facebook page for viewers to follow the film, and posted some production photos on Flickr. 

I first heard about Leor's project when I received, ironically, an email message from him on October 21, 2010.  He said, in part:

My team and I have put together a comedic, light-hearted film that we hope can spread a little awareness about elder financial abuse and online safety.

I discovered your blog and after reading more of your material, I felt compelled to write to you and share what I'm doing. I hope you can take a look. * * *

I did not act until now, since I wanted to make sure that . . . well . . . that it wasn't a scam. After all, I am concerned about scams.  See: EE&F Law Blog posting Talkin' SCAMS! (01/06/11). 

Now, with those validating references on the Internet, and with the online report of its funding and production completed, I acknowledge this creative, multimedia effort to educate, in a humorous way, about senior citizen scams and financial elder abuse. 

I watched the movie trailer and read two reviews online. The reviews are favorable. See:

• The Gran Scam of Things, reviewed on Cinema-Crazed by Felix Vasquez Jr. (01/13/11): "Director Leor Baum's dramedy is a fantastic short that shows what happens when karma and fate plays a hand in an average woman becoming a hero and helping others in the journey for happiness. "The Gran Scam of Things" is a beautifully acted crowd pleaser and a socially conscious one at that."

• The Gran' Scam of Things reviewed on Rogue Cinema by Duane L. Martin (01/01/11): "So how was it? Well, to put it simply, I LOVED this film, and my wife, who watched it with me, felt exactly the same way. There's a really nice sense of innocence to this film that you don't see too often, and it was fun from start to finish. What I found probably the most hilarious though were the fantasy scenes of Osagioduwa peeking around the side of a door on a sandy beach and then emerging with this giant 16 million dollar check and a big friendly smile on his face."

Given its short length and humorous approach, yet its very timely topic, The Gran' Scam of Things should offer good "movie night" viewing, particularly for seniors and their families.

Update:  2011-01-16 (Sun) at 6:30 pm: 

Leor responded to my posting with two email messages.  Here are portions of them:

I will try to keep you up to date as we apply to the film festivals and try to get this film seen by a wider audience. It would be nice to get a screening in PA someday down the line. * * *

I'll look into the PA festivals and if we can afford it, we will submit. It all depends on how much we can raise by the deadlines. Following the Kickstarter campaign, we've been offering gifts for anyone who helps us submit to the festivals: www.rooftopmind.com/donate.

If your readers want to contact me about the film, they can write to gsot@rooftopmind.com.

The official website is www.rooftopmind.com/gran-scam if anyone wants to see more.

Ageing in Ireland: "Older, Louder, Stronger"

In early March, 2010, a friend of mine, Katherine C. Pearson, sent me an email message from Belfast, Northern Ireland, where she conducts her sabbatical from her position as a Professor of Law at Penn State - Dickinson School of Law, in Carlisle, PA.

In the fall of 2009, Professor Pearson was the Petersen Visiting Scholar in Gerontology and Family Studies at Oregon State University.

During the spring of 2010, she will be a scholar in residence at Queen's University Belfast, in Northern Ireland on a Fulbright grant, conducting interdisciplinary research on policies related to protection and care for older adults, with an international perspective. * * *

After relaying kind personal thoughts, she made an offer that only now -- belatedly, but gratefully -- I accept:

In case you might want a "different" sort of aging article for your blog, I'm attaching something I put together on the train while coming home for an interesting conference in Dublin.

But regardless of the attachment, I hope this email finds you -- and finds you well. I'm sending good wishes and a pot of Irish luck your way!

I note the purpose of that Irish partnership, which promotes its work under the banner "Older, Louder, Stronger":

Changing Ageing Partnership (Cap) funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies seeks to develop a robust evidence base to inform policy development with respect to older people. Research is being developed across a range of areas including: law; economics; politics; sociology; environmental planning, consequently a diverse range of methods will be used. * * *

By her participation, she is gathering ideas from the Continent and considering how we, under our American systems, might better address the concerns raised by our aging population. We will need such ideas to address our growing senior needs creatively!

The Business of Aging – or Ageing – in Ireland
Copyright © by Katherine C. Pearson
[Links added by NEH]

I have long been involved with legal professionals engaged in the business of aging, while also watching students begin their careers in Penn State Law’s Elder Law and Consumer Protection Clinic. With that background, I decided to attend a conference on “The Business of Ageing” in Dublin, Ireland on March 3, 2010. (“Aging” in the U.S. is spelled with an “e” in Ireland and the U.K.)

The conference was sponsored in major part by technology powerhouse Intel, which has a center of health product research in Ireland. My spring sabbatical residence is in Northern Ireland, where I am working at Queen’s University Belfast’s Changing Ageing Partnership, and that made it easy to take advantage of this opportunity.

The motto of the conference was “Turning Silver into Gold” and frankly that phrase gave me a few worries. Students in Penn State’s Elder Law and Consumer Protection Clinic have had a few too many opportunities to see the consequences of home repair “experts,” home lenders, hearing aid companies and insurance companies that tried to tap into the presumed riches held by older persons. Fortunately, I encountered no one trying to market financial products such as deferred pay-off annuities or reverse mortgages that have often have high commissions or hidden transaction costs.

Over 300 people attended. It was standing room only for speakers ranging from the political leader of Ireland, Taoiseach Brian Cowen, to a Harvard professor giving the latest economic and demographical profile for Europe and Ireland.

Unlike the U.S. and U.K., Ireland is still a few years away from hitting the inverted population pyramid created when older persons substantially outnumber younger workers. The extra time is the result of a longer period of high birth rates among its younger families. [See: Irish Times article, State pension age to be set at 68 by 2028 in radical overhaul of qualification structure (03/04/10).]

However, despite the grace period, the economic downturn of the last several years has hit Ireland hard. Even as Ireland’s governing head was trying to put a good face on opportunities for innovation in Ireland, the government was also announcing the need to increase the pensionable retirement age and predicting that future workers would be expected to pay a significant portion of earnings into Ireland’s pension system.

The energy in the room was substantial. I spoke to a young woman working on a PhD that capitalizes on a recent project at Intel where she matched older adults with college age students to provide one-on-one computer training. This project virtually eliminated the drop out-rate from previous efforts to bring older adults fully into the computer age. I met seasoned business people in health and technology fields who were looking to adapt U.S. models for home health and monitoring systems for the population of Ireland.

Speakers included advertising executives and the head of a venture capital company. A few speakers seemed to struggle with political correctness in the language of aging, and some admitted this was the first time they had consciously considered how to market to older adults.

Occasionally I had a renewed shiver of fear, as when one speaker compared marketing for older adults to Robin Hood’s reason for targeting the rich for his thievery, wholly ignoring the fact that at least the fictional Robin Hood was giving the money to the poor rather than lining his own pockets.

Far more impressive was the speaker from B & Q, a home and garden product retailer that has made a conscious effort in Ireland to recruit older employees. B & Q provides the same training and promotion opportunities for all employees, and its older worker profile has helped to ensure a reliable workforce.

Who was missing from the conference – at least as far as I could tell?

I did not encounter any attorneys. Although one accountant assured me, with a smile, that was a good thing.

Genealogy Traces Roots

This morning, Tuesday, April 20, 2010, WITF-FM's Radio SmartTalk focused on genealogy -- the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history -- in an episode entitled Family Trees and Genealogy:

Living in the early 21st century has its perks – among them, access to information like never before. DNA testing can help you trace your roots. Social networking sites can help you reconnect with relatives. A lot of folks are taking advantage of these and other tools to develop a family tree.

We welcome your questions about genealogy for Jonathan Stayer and Aaron McWilliams, archivists with the Pennsylvania State Archives. They'll offer some insights into how to research your family's history, track down records, and get it all organized.

We'll also talk with a couple who have just completed an extensive family tree – Radio Smart Talk host Craig Cohen's parents, Ed and Sheilah Cohen. They've compiled the tree, records, biographies, and assorted family anecdotes. They'll share some of what they turned up – including some stories and connections to history, and some of the sleuthing they did to fill in some missing pieces of their family's past.

The hour's discussion , which can be heard via the Internet using a multimedia computer, was a mixture of "how to" steps in a genealogical study using Pennsylvania's extensive and available resources, which are summarized online, and also "done that, been there" experiences and emotions shared by the host's parents, who researched their Russian ancestry into a printed book.

I listened with interest from two points of view.

First, as a lawyer, I know that, where an intestacy occurs upon a death or where a Last Will makes class bequests or invokes substitution provisions, a "family tree" will determine what interests become distributable to living heirs. But such investigations involve just a few generations. That exercise is more like a study of kinship to pass possessions or wealth.

Second, as a young man nearly forty years ago, my father presented me with a Hendershot genealogy, researched by one of my distant relatives, Alfred E. Hendershot, of Ohio. He prepared a Genealogy of the Hendershot Family in America (1961), spanning from my generation back to the immigration of an ancestor from Germany in the early 1700's (as I recall). I found it referenced online, along with a database at ancestry.com. That book traced my deep roots.

That sense of personal history -- of connection to people who lived in the past, and of our legacy of their hopes and beliefs -- is important.

I urge listening to that session.

Senior Athletes and Senior Idols

On April 14, 2009, the York (PA) Daily Record published an article entitled "Former Senior Idol competitor donates body to study" by Teresa McMinn, who reported that 92-year-old Ed Clautice recently helped "doctors study aging even after his death."

Ed Clautice believed that helping others and staying physically and socially active would help him maintain a long and happy life. Apparently, he was right.

Clautice, who died last year at age 92, competed in local events, including the PA Senior Idol contest hosted by Online Publishers and the senior games.

He also participated in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging for about a quarter-century. When he died, he donated his body to the study as an anatomical gift. * * * [Links added.]

The article noted the value of staying active bodily, and challenging the mind educationally, to maintain physical and mental health into a long life.

Studies also show that staying mentally and physically active can prevent dementia, [said Dr. Luigi Ferrucci -- Director of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging and editor-in-chief of Journals of Gerontology Medical Science].

"He played bridge just a week before he passed," said Ed Clautice's son, Ed Clautice "the younger."

He described finding a diary his dad started writing in the 1930s.

"He would keep track of how many hours a day he studied," the son said. * * *

Ironically, and quite appropriately given Ed's death, the 2009 Pennsylvania Senior Games, an amateur athletic competition, will be held July 20-26 in York, PA.

Another opportunity for seniors to strut their stuff on stage is underway now.

Also on April 14, 2009, the York (PA) Daily Record published an article entitled "Singers audition for PA Senior Idol" also by Teresa McMinn, who highlighted the fourth annual PA State Senior Idol competition.

It took some persuasion from his co-workers for Martin Bentley Krebs of Springettsbury Township to audition for the PA Senior Idol competition Tuesday at York Little Theatre in Spring Garden Township. But after learning he was among the top three performers and will advance to the finals, he was glad he gave it a shot.

At 50, Krebs -- who sang "The Best is Yet to Come" -- said he feels too young to be considered a senior citizen.

"I feel like the new kid on the block . . . the freshman," he said and added that he and family members close to his age recently discussed getting older.

"We seem so much younger at this age than our parents did."

About 100 seniors in five counties auditioned for the event, said Kimberly Anderson, events manager for Columbia-based On-Line Publishers Inc., which hosted the contest.

The winner of the contest, which is open to Pennsylvania residents ages 50 and older, will receive a trip for two by limousine to New York City for dinner and a show. They'll also be invited to perform at the six 50plus Expos that Online Publishers hosts in six counties each year. * * * [Links added.]

The website of the PA Senior Idol program opens with an energetic invitation:

Do You…
Dance…Sing…Play an Instrument…Perform Magic…Tell Jokes?
Have You…
Ever watched “American Idol®” and thought, “I can do that!”
Ever thought you’re good enough for the “big time”?

Here’s your chance to audition and become On-Line Publishers’
PA STATE SENIOR IDOL!!

The PA STATE SENIOR IDOL competition is a fun, motivational experience for today’s active adults. Many participants have never performed before a live audience.

Live your dream! Show the community just how much life there is after 50!

Auditions in the 2009 PA State Senior Idol competition were held in five locations throughout the region from April 7th to 15th, and are now concluded.

The Finals will be held June 8, 2009 at at the Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre in Lancaster, when "friends, neighbors and relatives of the finalists as well as the general public are invited to enjoy dinner at 5:30 and the talent show at 7:00 p.m."

If interested in attending, you can call the Theatre (717-898-1900) for tickets.

"To let other people see that life isn't over at age 85
or whatever number you want to hang onto --
activity . . . is its own award."
-- Ed Clautice

In PA, Bingo's Gamblin', Poker Ain't

Gambling by seniors is a concern, not only in Pennsylvania, but nationwide, because involvement in games of chance can become additive, and the financial consequences can become dire.

Bingo is a game of chance, seniors know. But seniors who play poker in PA can be relieved: Playin' Texas Hold 'em ain't gambling.

The Senior Journal noted on November 12, 2008, in a brief posting online that "Senior Gambling [is] Getting Attention":

Gambling addiction is a significant problem in the United States impacting adults of all ages and their families.

Older adults are, perhaps, more vulnerable than other age groups given their greater dependence on fixed incomes and more limited ability to recover to secure debt or recover from gambling losses. * * *

The traditional game of chance for seniors is bingo, a pastime that serves as a recreational event in many communities.

The growth of riverboat and Indian casinos, state and national lotteries, and Internet access to off-shore sports and parlor betting, has dramatically increased access for all adults including seniors. * * *

An Associated Press article, dated April 2, 2001, entitled "Wagering: boon or blight of retirement?" reposted by Today's Senior Network, is representative of reports noting that "[a]s the number of older gamblers surges, experts worry that seniors are more vulnerable to financial ruin." See also: "Are seniors gambling away their retirement?" by Liz Weston, posted on MSN-Money, who noted that "[c]asinos, slot machines and poker parlors on seemingly every corner present high-rolling seniors a growing opportunity to lose their nest eggs."

I noted the debate in Pennsylvania in a prior posting, "Gambling, "Gray Lives" & Grief" (11/02/06); and that debate continued as licensed casinos began operation in the Commonwealth statewide.

On January 15, 2009, The Philadelphia Inquirer published a commentary by Daniel R. Reynolds, entitled "Gaming law has been a bust." He asserted that, "[a]s Pa. officials tout a rise in revenue, they overlook the cost, and an unfair tax system."

This year will mark the fifth anniversary of Pennsylvania's gaming law, originally conceived as a way of protecting the state's horse-racing industry. Neighboring states such as Delaware and West Virginia had instituted slot-machine gaming to boost purses at their racetracks.

But the bill's initial intent got hijacked at some point. Signed by Gov. Rendell in July 2004, the bill was sold not as horse-racing protectionism, but as a tax-relief vehicle. Revenue from gaming, it was said, could be used to trim property taxes.

Written by the office of now-indicted former State Sen. Vincent Fumo, the bill expanded gaming way beyond the imagination of the framers of the horse-racing protection bill, who merely envisioned slot machines at the state's four racetracks. As it turns out, when slots casinos become operational in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania will have 61,000 slot machines - more than any other state except Nevada.

State officials say they are cutting taxes with gaming revenue. In fact, they are subjecting Pennsylvanians to higher taxes.

The government says nearly $1 billion in gaming revenue has been made available to trim property taxes, but it isn't fluttering down from heaven or being printed by the Federal Reserve. It's coming out of the pockets of Pennsylvanians who are walking into casinos, putting it into slot machines, and not getting it back.

Expanding gaming in Pennsylvania is simply an additional de facto tax -- on top of the state lottery implemented many years ago. * * *

In response, some organizations have addressed "compulsive gambling" by education of consumers and training of professionals.

For example, the Council on Compulsive Gambling of Pennsylvania is a nonprofit organization affiliated with the National Council on Problem Gambling.

Its purpose is to educate and disseminate information on compulsive gambling and to facilitate referrals.

The Pennsylvania Council provides speakers, workshops, seminars, and information on this public health problem to business, industry and labor groups, schools and colleges, health care and treatment facilities, and to community and religious organizations.

In 2008, CCGP held a 2008 Statewide Conference on Problem Gambling. Its website lists weekly Gamblers Anonymous local meetings at statewide locations. Its next training sessions, "Advanced Gambling Treatment Seminars - Level II," will be offered this month and beyond by that organization "Courtesy Of The Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem." [Links added.]

But, at least in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, such outreach efforts need not be directed towards poker players. Because they are not "gamblers."

It has been judicially determined, in that county at least, that participation in a game of Texas Hold 'em, even with bets, is not gambling, since it is a game of skill.

The ruling by the Court of Common Pleas of Columbia County, PA was reported on January 24, 2009, in an article entitled "A Crazy Game of Poker; Judge Rules Poker is a Game of Skill in Gambling Case" by Eric Bower, posted by BloomUToday.

Last week Columbia County Judge Thomas A. James Jr. ruled that Texas Hold’em poker is a game of skill and therefore not gambling under Pennsylvania law.

The ruling stems from gambling charges filed against Walter “Buzz” Watkins and his girlfriend Diane Dent in September.

Watkins is a manager at the Good Old Days Bar in Bloomsburg and also runs the poker tournaments held there.

In addition to hosting poker at Good Old days, Watkins also hosted cash poker games in a garage at his residence in Bloomsburg. The legality of those games soon came into question after State Police received complaints about the poker games and began an undercover investigation. * * *

The game being played at the garage was $1-$2 No Limit Texas Hold’em poker.

The undercover officer indicated that Dent was the dealer when he played. The officer reported that Dent or Watkins would exchange player’s cash for playing chips when they entered the game. Dent and Watkins would also exchange chips for cash when a player left.

No fee was taken by Watkins or Dent to play[. I]nstead, players were encouraged to tip Dent at the end of every hand based on the pot’s size, just as they would in conventional casinos. * * *

Police filed 20 charges each against Watkins and Dent on September 19th. Watkins said that around 15 officers raided his garage while poker was being played when he was arrested. Watkins also said that Dent was asleep in the residence that was also raided by police when she was arrested. * * * [Link added.]

The judge's opinion resolved the case in favor of Watkins and Dent, according to the article.

All charges in the case were dropped last week after Columbia County Judge Thomas A. James issued a 16 page opinion on the case.

The basic question, according to Judge James’ ruling, is whether poker is dominated by chance or skill.

James wrote is his opinion “Simply, if chance predominates, Texas Hold’em is gambling. If skill predominates, it is not gambling.”

In Pennsylvania, video poker machines are not allowed because their outcomes are primarily due to chance, not skill.

In the case of Texas Hold’em, however, Judge James explained that extensive literature exists that describes winning strategies to play the game.

James quoted several books on the matter including Mike Caro’s “Secrets of Winning Poker”. In an excerpt from the book James used, [the author said] “the money flows from the bad players to the strong players.” * * *

The decision issued by Judge Thomas A. James, Jr. on January 14, 2009, in the matters of Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Watkin and Dent (PDF; 14 pages, plus Order) is fascinating reading.

I recommend it to poker players of all ages.

* * *

You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table.
There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done.

-- "The Gambler"
sung by Kenny Rogers

Update: 01/29/09:

The American Bar Association Journal's "Law News Now" posted an article on January 29, 2009, entitled "Is Poker a Game of Skill that is Legal? S.C. Judge Will Decide" by Debra Cassens Weiss, on this topic.

Five college buddies nabbed in a poker bust are asking a South Carolina judge to decide whether Texas Hold 'em is an illegal game of chance or a permissible game of skill.

A South Carolina law bans ''any game with cards or dice'' but state Attorney General Henry McMaster says his office interprets the statute to ban games that rely more on chance than skill, the Associated Press reports. And for years, the office has viewed Texas Hold ’em as an illegal game of chance.

Thirty-eight other states have laws that also bar games of chance, according to Colorado lawyer Chuck Humphrey.

Some poker players are beginning to claim — with some success — that the laws don’t apply to them. A Pennsylvania judge ruled Texas Hold ’em is a game of skill and acquitted a man who held poker games in his garage, according to CardPlayer.

And a Colorado jury acquitted the organizer of a poker league after a University of Denver statistics professor testified poker is a game of skill, according to a press release by the Poker Players Alliance. * * *

Journeys and Journals by Dying Folks

In the movie The Bucket List (2007) "two terminally ill men escape from a cancer ward and head off on a road trip with a wish list of to-dos before they die."

But what if they wanted to do was blog about dying, that is, write a public daily journal about their progress and reactions, good or bad -- what would they say?

One man's statements are found in a Dying Man's Daily Journal, which began on September 26, 2006, with a statement about the author's situation and his intentions:

I am dying, so why am I on the internet telling the world about my problems? After all a lot of people are dying and in a lot worse shape than I am, being in pain or severe discomfort.

I have a bad heart after 4 heart attacks and in congestive heart failure. According to the doctors I could go basically any time. * * *

[It] is my hope that by journaling my experiences, I can maybe help others when they are faced with the same issues. I have prepared myself and right now have no fear. * * *

After more than two years, he was still writing:

I am a 54 year old male and my doctors have told me I am dying. It is my hope that by sharing my experiences, I can encourage others faced with the same situation. I hope to also help the families of those individuals to have an understanding of the process and deal with the fear or dread of being around the dying.

I am not a doctor, not a man of the clergy, I am not a therapist. I am just me, Bill Howdle, I am merely sharing my thoughts and ideas. I write of death and dying, understand this is my personal prospective, based on what I am encountering.

Since Bill began his online journal, his site counter recorded over 170,000 hits, while he soldiers on, surprised.

But neither wild antics nor writing can shield us from suffering and death.

Another man, Leroy Sievers, a blogger, podcaster, & commentator for National Public Radio, made public his fight with cancer, beginning a few months earlier than Bill.

In May 2006, Leroy Sievers began a Morning Edition commentary on his fight with cancer by saying, "My doctors are trying to kill me."

For more than two years since, Sievers contributed a monthly commentary to Morning Edition, wrote the daily "My Cancer" blog on NPR.org and voiced a weekly podcast. * * *

Then one day after his wife, Laurie, noted on Leroy's Blog, "Leroy is planning to be back next week," NPR sadly announced on August 16, 2008: "Leroy Sievers passed away on August 15, 2008, at the age of 53."

I'm so sorry to bring you this news. Leroy passed away last night. It happened very quickly.

You will hear from Laurie later. In the meantime, please let me tell you something all of you already know, how much this blog and all your comments have meant to Leroy. He felt all the affection and good wishes and strength you sent him every day.

He told us that of the many things he had accomplished, he was proudest of My Cancer. The connection he felt with all of you made such a difference in his life. * * *

I had followed his broadcast commentaries. I remember exactly where I was when I heard the announcement of Leroy's death over the radio. I, among millions of others, had lost a long-distance friend, a fellow journeyman.

What is most extraordinary is the continued posting, by Laurie, of almost daily entries on his blog, which now has become his and her "My Cancer" blog.

Instead of contemplating his deteriorating physical illness, she ponders her permeating grief after his death.

Both degeneration and loss rob a person of peace. Yet, in journaling, we can explore pain, distill lessons, form faith, and create healing, if not in the exact way we might have hoped at the outset.

The writing need not be public, but it must be personal to be helpful. And if a journaling writer is strong enough to post thoughts publicly, then others can share and learn too.

It is that desire to teach lessons personally experienced that motivated Professor Randy Pausch, of Carnegie Mellon University, in Pittsburgh, PA, to record a "last lecture," as described by Wikipedia:

He gave his "The Last Lecture" speech on September 18, 2007 at Carnegie Mellon. Pausch conceived the lecture after he learned that his previously known pancreatic cancer was terminal.

The talk was modeled after an ongoing series of lectures where top academics are asked to think deeply about what matters to them, and then give a hypothetical "final talk", with a topic such as "what wisdom would you try to impart to the world if you knew it was your last chance?"

The talk was later released as a book called The Last Lecture, which became a New York Times best-seller. * * *

What would your "Bucket List" include, your blog entries describe, your "Last Lecture" say?

* * *

"It's not about how to achieve your dreams. It's about how to lead your life.
If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself. The dreams will come to you."
-- Randy Pausch

History Channel Airs "Corpse Tech"

On Friday, November 28, 2008, from 7 to 8 pm, The History Channel aired a Modern Marvels episode entitled "Corpse Tech" (2008, 50 mins.) that featured Dauphin County (PA) Coroner Graham Hetrick and Funeral Director Nathan A. Bitner, both of Harrisburg, PA.

Celebrating ingenuity, invention and imagination brought to life on a grand scale, MODERN MARVELS® tells the fascinating stories of the doers, dreamers and sometime-schemers who created everyday items, technological breakthroughs and man-made wonders.

It may seem grisly or macabre, but a human's body remains useful long after the person who lived in it has passed away. From forensic investigations to medical experimentation to organ and tissue transplantation, every cadaver has a purpose.

In CORPSE TECH, MODERN MARVELS tours the boneyard to discover just how our remains are put to use.

Meet a County Coroner and visit the University of Tennessee's famous Body Farm to see how dead bodies contribute to criminology. And tour a morgue, a crematorium, and one of the largest tissue banks in the United States to discover the multitudinous fates awaiting our earthly vessels.

So, whether saving a life, catching a crook, or memorializing the departed, CORPSE TECH will show you how the job gets done.

The nationwide television appearance of Graham Hetrick and Nathan Bitner --both of whom I've known here in Harrisburg for awhile -- came as a surprise to me when I viewed the new episode.

However, their appearance had been noted in advance in a Press Release issued by Dauphin County, PA, dated July 23, 2008, entitled "Dauphin County Coroner to Appear on TV Show" (which only mentioned it in the title).

Graham noted the significance of death as an emotional and spiritual event that holds the deepest meaning. Nathan explained (and demonstrated) how rendering a corpse in a presentable way can allow for some closure in the grieving process.

The documentary was upbeat, detailed, and antiseptic in exploring the technological, business, and environmental aspects of its offbeat, but common, topic -- disposal of human remains by burial or cremation.

This episode is one of a few produced by The History Channel about death, which include:

• Crypts, Coffins and Corpses -- "From the Ganges River to a college of Mortuary Science, this is a comprehensive look at how mankind has dealt with the dead throughout the ages."

• Rites of Death -- "How does belief in an afterlife affect rituals which give meaning to the greatest and most terrifying of mysteries: death?"

• Business of Death -- "Go inside the San Francisco College of Mortuary Science, where they believe in hands-on training."

• Cemeteries -- "Industry insiders offer a behind-the-scenes look at the $20 billion American funerary business. It's the one journey we all make."

• Beyond Death -- "Mainstream researchers, mediums and those who have had near-death experiences help explore the eternal mystery of what awaits us when we die."

That last episode leads to the topic presented in A&E/History Channel's Paranormal State: Cemetery, which featured Pennsylvania State University students in their club affiliated with the Paranormal Research Society:

Other students at Penn State University join clubs to play chess, speak French or go camping.

But a special few share an interest that goes far beyond this plane of existence. They are The Paranormal Research Society (PRS).

Under the leadership of club founder and director Ryan Buell, the intrepid team sets out each week to discover the truth behind terrifying real life mysteries, hauntings and ghosts. * * *

If you are interested in their investigation at cemeteries, this is what that episode covered:

Spend some quality time among the gravestones with Ryan and the rest of the PRS crew as they track a disturbing force to a mysterious, unclaimed cremation urn.

• Forget the Ghostbusters! Call the Paranormal Research Society!
• PRS investigates cases submitted by ordinary people suffering hauntings and other phenomena.
• A gothic graveyard is a suitably creepy setting for PRS' latest investigation.

I know, I know . . . you'd rather watch Modern Marvels: Corpse Tech, like I did.

Well, I have some bad news, straight from The History Channel's website: "There are no upcoming airings within the next two weeks."

"Last Will" Movie Now in Production

"Tatum O'Neal, Tom Berenger and James Brolin will face deception, corruption and misguided family loyalties" in the independently-produced, suspense dramatic film "Last Will," which is presently in production.

For information about the film to be released in 2009, see: Last Will, posted by the Internet Movie Database.

The article "Trio fight for estate in 'Last Will' -- Tatum O'Neal, Tom Berenger, James Brolin join drama" (10/31/08) by Gregg Goldstein, posted by The Hollywood Reporter, described the movie's plot:

"Will" centers on Hayden (O'Neal), a woman framed for the murder of her wealthy husband (Berenger) in their affluent Midwestern town.

With all evidence stacked against her, she's arrested by a detective (Brolin) and begins a quest to uncover the truth.

Another posted article, "Production Begins On 'Last Will'" (10/31/08) posted by News Guide, expands upon that plot line:

In LAST WILL, a beautiful young woman Hayden (TATUM O'NEAL) is framed for the murder of her wealthy husband Frank (TOM BERENGER).

With all the evidence stacked against her, Detective Sloan (JAMES BROLIN) arrests her and Hayden finds herself in the fight of her life as she tries to uncover the truth.

Set against the backdrop of a wealthy Midwestern city, LAST WILL tells a story of deception, corruption and misguided family loyalties. * * *

Last Will is in the "shooting" stage, on location, according to that article:

Shooting began in Kansas City, Missouri on October 27 [2008] under the direction of Brent Huff (CAT CITY, WELCOME TO PARADISE), the actor/writer/director who's bringing his latest project to his native Missouri.

Huff directs from a screenplay by Alan Moscowitz. The film is produced by Irmgard Pagan and executive produced by Miguel Pagan for Moviecid. * * *

The behind the scenes creative team includes cinematographer Andrew Huebscher (Sundance Festival entries IN THE MORNING, SWALLOW), production designer Lori Mazuer (CAT CITY), and costume designer Jayme Bohn (NIGHT TRAIN, WELCOME TO PARADISE).

LAST WILL shoots at over 20 locations in the Kansas City area before wrapping at the end of November [2008].

An exact release date for the movie is not specified.

Thus, if you want to watch a movie with "last will" in the title during the near future, you will be limited to existing movies, like:

• Last Will and Testament of Marboro Patch (movie released: 12/31/04; DVD released: 03/22/05)

• The Last Will (released 2005)

• The Last Will and Testament of Tom Smith (released 1943)

• Mr. Marfil's Last Will and Testament (Unknown release date)

Well, maybe you could skip the last one, if you anticipate a dull, but critical crowd for "movie night" at home.

Photo posted by The Hollywood Reporter of
Tatum O'Neal (left), Tom Berenger and James Brolin (Getty Images photos)

Elder Leaders Successful in Sports

On Wednesday, October 29, 2008, National Public Radio broadcast a segment entitled "NCAARP? Old Coaches Don't Quit" by quick-witted commentator Frank DeFord, who took note that "there are an awful lot of old folks in sports today."

I don't mean your decrepit 30-something-year-old players, who are invariably called "aging veterans," but the actual AARP geezers who are still breathing and pulling the strings.

Senior citizens, oldsters, who are — ugh — "many years young," graybeards who are — ugh — "up in years." * * *

Here in Pennsylvania, we are proud of our elder sportsmen, like Joe Paterno, head coach of Penn State's football team. Wikipedia describes his accomplishments:

Joseph Vincent Paterno (born December 21, 1926, in Brooklyn, New York), nicknamed JoePa, is the head coach of Pennsylvania State University's college football team, a position he has held since 1966.

Paterno, along with Chris Ault, Bobby Bowden and John Gagliardi, is one of four active coaches who have also been inducted in to the College Football Hall of Fame.

Paterno holds the record for the most victories by a Division I FBS football coach. Paterno also has more bowl game wins and more FBS undefeated seasons than any other coach in college football history. * * *

He could have begun studying in 1950 to become a lawyer (see: "Courtroom's loss is college football's gain" by Beano Cook posted 08/14/01 on ESPN), but he loved coaching football too much. That desire still drives him today, and his age does not limit his success.

DeFord noted JoPa's role as a poster-senior for the elder leaders who consistently guide some successful sports teams:

If Penn State keeps winning, Old Joe Paterno — in the vernacular, JoePa, with the emphasis on the latter — will be coach of the national champions at the age of 82.

But then, Pa can't stop coaching. Or Old Bobby Bowden, who is merely 78 and has his Florida State team ranked No. 15, could pass him for most career wins. * * *

DeFord named three old-style play patrons, whom he contrasted with today's new-age sports seniors:

• Glenn Scobey "Pop" Warner (retired at 67) -- 44-year career as a head coach (1895–1938), who coached at (among others) the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania, the University of Pittsburgh, Stanford University, and Temple University
  

• Bear Bryant (retired & died at 69) -- 37-year career as a head coach (1945 - 1982), with 25 years at the University of Alabama

• Woody Hayes (retired at 65) year career as a head coach (1947-1978), with 28 years at Ohio State University

DeFord also mentioned another recently successful Pennsylvania sports franchise -- the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team and its "senior" leadership:

Look who's managed the Phillies to the World Series — Old Charley Manuel, a war baby of 64. The general manager, Old Pat Gillick, is a Depression Baby of 71.

And the Phillies had to beat Old Joe Torre's Dodgers to get to the Series.

The commissioner of baseball is Old Buddy Selig, who is 74. * * *

"Talk about reinventing yourself at twilight time" -- that is the point of DeFord's commentary, which you can hear, in replay online, here.

DeFord concluded his comments with an observation: "Sometimes these days, sports looks like an assisted living facility — or the United States Senate."

That is an interesting observation -- one that was noted, and then presented by a reporter to JoPa, in "Desire to coach still drives 81-year-old Paterno" by Ivan Maisel posted 04/15/08 on ESPN:

Washington is one of the few cities outside of University Park, Pa., where an 80-year-old man yearns to work long hours in the public eye.

Six members of the U. S. Senate are over the age of 80. Two of them, Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) and Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), both 84, are running for re-election this year.

"I'm told that 90 is the new 80," Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., who turns 91 in November, told The New York Times last week.

If that is true, maybe 80 is the new 65. According to U.S. government data, a man who turned 65 in 1991 had an average life expectancy of a shade under 15 years.

When Paterno hit that demographic wall in 2006 [the year that the photo (above) was taken], his last complete season had come a last-play loss to Michigan away from an undefeated regular season and a berth in the BCS Championship Game.

Maybe old doesn't have the same meaning that it did a generation ago, a decade ago, or even last week. * * *

Read that article for JoPa's characteristic, somewhat gruff, response to the injection of age into a substantive conversation.

Go Lions! Go Phillies!! and Go seniors!!!

"Believe deep down in your heart that you're destined to do great things."

-- Joe Paterno

Powerful Pain Put on a Small Stamp

On October 17, 2008, in Morgantown, West Virginia, the U.S. Postal Service issued a 42-cent Alzheimer’s Disease commemorative stamp.

Art Director and Designer Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, Maryland, worked with illustrator Matt Mahurin to draw attention to the importance of the caregiver for those who have Alzheimer’s disease.

“For the person with Alzheimer’s,” Kessler says, “that interaction with the caregiver means everything.”

Three words — care, support, research — appear in the selvage in the upper right corner of the stamp sheet.

The stamps and related issuance keepsakes are available for purchase at The Postal Store.

Issuance of a stamp focusing on Alzheimer's Disease was anticipated, since the USPS first issued a Press Release on November 1, 2007, "Alzheimer’s Disease to be Highlighted on Stamp Next Year," announcing it as the "Latest Addition to [the] Postal Service Social Awareness Stamp Series."

That announcement had also highlighted the first day in November as the beginning of both National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month and National Family Caregivers Month -- annual recognitions soon to be marked again.

Then, on September 19, 2008, the USPS issued a Press Release, "New Alzheimer’s Social Awareness Postage Stamp Unveiled" recounting the stamp's public unveiling three days earlier, describing its commemorative purpose, and announcing its forthcoming availability.

The stamp recognizes the importance of knowing more about Alzheimer’s in an effort to help raise awareness. The 42-cent Alzheimer’s Awareness stamp will be available at Post Offices nationwide beginning October 17, 2008.

"For more than half a century, the Postal Service has issued special stamps to help raise public awareness about important health and social issues. Today, we are proud to use the program to call attention to Alzheimer’s disease," said Larkin.

"It is our goal — and our expectation — that the Alzheimer’s Awareness stamp will encourage the public to learn to recognize the symptoms of the disease, understand what to do for those who have the disease, and lend their support to find a cure." * * *

At the stamp's public unveiling in San Francisco, California, Eric J. Hall, president & CEO of the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, said, "We hope this heartfelt stamp will help spread the passion and commitment to the cause felt by caregivers around the world," noting that a cure is desperately needed for this "devastating disease."

Experts estimate that more than five million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease.

The disease initially affects the parts of the brain that control language, thought and memory, and progressively causes difficulty in carrying out daily activities.

It is the most common form of dementia among older people, and it the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. * * *

There are personal story behind the stamp's creation.

One of its designers, Art Director Ethel Kessler, tends her mother, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease.

Her story was the subject of a touching article published by The Washington Post on October 23, 2008, entitled "A Pain Vast and Personal, Writ Small" by Steve Hendrix.

[W]hen it came to reducing the vast and tragic issue of Alzheimer's disease to a one-inch canvas, that was tough. Because that was personal.

[Ethel] Kessler's mother is in the later stages of Alzheimer's. And it was just as the designer began working on an Alzheimer's awareness stamp three years ago that her mother began a steep decline, stopped recognizing her daughter and had to move to a nursing home.

"It's one of the most emotional projects I've ever worked on," Kessler said Friday, the day her Alzheimer's stamp was officially released. "I'm not even sure my mother remembers my name now. She hasn't said it in a long time."

Kessler's design portrays an elderly woman wearing an expression of soft emptiness, a hand laid comfortingly on her shoulder by an unseen companion. It's that loving touch from behind that stems from Kessler's experience, the recognition that Alzheimer's strikes not only its victims but their families. * * *

The stamp's other designer, Matt Mahurin, also found its creation over a year to be a fulfilling experience. See: "New Alzheimer's stamp by Northport artist" (10/16/08) by Deborah S. Morris posted by Newsday.

"I wanted to have a balance between the kindness of caregivers and the sadness of the disease," he said, "but also the message of hope that was indicated in making a stamp to bring attention to the disease."

The face on the stamp is that of Mahurin's aunt, and the arm is that of his wife, Lisa, an author and illustrator. * * *

For more information about Alzheimer’s Disease [NIH description updated 10/23/08], the USPS recommends contact with the Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral Center, the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, or the Alzheimer’s Association.

"Last Will & Testament" -- The Comic Book

On September 18, 2008, BookSpot Central posted "Comic Book Review - Last Will and Testament" by Jay, which showed just how far from reality the phrase "Last Will and Testament" can stray.

The subject comic book was the joint effort of writer Brad Meltzer and pencilers Adam Kubert (also the cover artist) & Joe Kubert, as published by DC Comics in August 2008 as a "one-shot" issue.

I read Jay's review numerous times, but must confess to continuing confusion over its world of characters, settings, and forces.

[Y]ou still have a story we all understand -- about retrospect, vengeance; to remind us not only of what the heroes fight and would die for, but what they live for.

It’s about a rural couple that would raise an alien that inspires generations, it’s about a family of orphans from Gotham, a graveyard offering by a god touched Princess -- the stories that are the foundation of Super Hero comics.

The players are loud so they can have these quiet moments, but the center of the story illustrates and highlights a story of vengeance, someone who cannot allow for the chance his enemy will die with the world, someone whose pity and pain needs to do it himself. * * *

So why is this comic book named Last Will and Testament?

The term “Last Will and Testament” is a actually an ornamental term, one that employs four words to describe what one of them in fact can and is -- a Will. * * *

This is the reviewer's summation:

Meltzer’s last page is perfect. Dumas tells us that “All human wisdom is summed up in two words: wait and hope” and Meltzer and the Kuberts’ do not leave without the final ingredient.

A Flash makes a promise mindful of the history of his mantle in times of crisis and across generations, and legacies, we are reminded that facing the coming storm are the real, brave and the bold.

After reading this review of a comic book, I realized just how much more comfortable I feel reading a real "Last Will and Testament."

Update: 09/19/08:

Professor Gerry Beyer followed my posting with one of his own, entitled "Last Will and Testament" -- The Comic Book" (09/19/08):

On August 27, 2008, DC Comics released Last Will and Testament by Brad Meltzer.

I was excited at the possibility of estate planning instruction being presented in graphic novel format. I thought that this would be a great method of exposing our young people as well as older folks who enjoy comics to the benefits of estate planning in a "fun" manner.

Unfortunately, the comic is not about estate planning. Here is the publisher's description:

The final battle is quickly approaching. How do the heroes of the DCU prepare for the end? Whom do they approach and say goodbye to before they make the ultimate sacrifice?

Featuring the entire DC Universe, Meltzer takes us deep into the hearts and psyches of our heroes. It's the day before you die. What would you do?

The use of the phrase last will and testament is somewhat confusing. Here is the explanation from Jay, Comic Book Review - Last Will and Testament, Sept. 18, 2008:

The term “Last Will and Testament” is a actually an ornamental term, one that employs four words to describes what one of them in fact can and is -- a Will.

Special thanks to Neil Hendershot, editor of the PA Elder, Estate & Fiduciary Law Blog, for bringing this comic to my attention.