One-stop Resource for Boomers on the First Coast
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Beauty is in the skill of the photographer
By Vanessa Wells and Keith Moody
We’ve all done it. We’ve invested in a digital camera. We are so excited because now we can capture an endless amount of memories. Whether it’s the grandkids, vacation or your anniversary, a digital camera means you get instant images you can immediately share with the entire family. What’s happens, though, when the pictures don’t turn out the way we anticipate? Keith Moody, local photographer and owner of Grafton Studios, gives us some insight into common mistakes novice shooters make. These fast and easy tips will help you take better photos wherever you go.
Meet Click, a retired teddy bear, who likes to spend his vacation in Jacksonville Beach. Click and Keith are going to show you how to optimize your vacation photos. Please note that all photos were taken with a standard point and shoot digital camera.
Common Mistake 1: Flash
Most people will use cameras in auto mode. Unfortunately, the metering in auto mode can be fooled by back light, (i.e. when you take pictures in front of windows or under an umbrella at the beach). Stay away from auto mode. Go to the menu and select program mode. Program mode lets you turn flash on and off whenever you want to.
Common Mistake 2: Action Shots
When you are trying to snap shots of your granddaughter playing soccer, don’t use auto mode. Select the scene menu and click sports mode, burst mode or multiple shots. The faster shutter speed will compensate for movement and track on the subject.
Common Mistake 3: Zoom (or fill the frame)
Most people turn the camera on and don’t zoom. When this happens, you aren’t really planning a shot. Unless it’s a landscape shot, reasonably fill the frame with your subject. Don’t be afraid to use the zoom. On that note, use the manual zoom instead of the automatic as long as that’s an option on your camera.
Common Mistake 4: Size Matters
This common mistake typically happens when you are on vacation and you are running out of room on your card. You set the camera to email mode or reduce the pixels or size of your files. Then you take a beautiful shot, and when you try to print, the image is too small and pixelated.
Common Mistake 5: Backup
Perhaps the biggest mistake you can make is not backing up your files. People leave everything on the camera and think the card is infallible. The card can get corrupted and you can lose all of your files. So always, especially after a vacation or any time after you’ve taken a lot of photos; download photos to your computer, burn a CD or both. You don’t want to lose those memories!
To read more tips and learn about Keith, click here.
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By Susan Barrow
Below is an except from Barrow’s wacky retelling of Jacksonville history. You can read Barrow’s entire article, which appears in Mature Matters this month, by clicking here.
On September 11, 1964, the Beatles performed at the Gator Bowl (now Everbank Stadium) on their first American Tour. It was their only performance in the Sunshine State. The most expensive ticket was $5.
The Mop-Tops braved out the aftermath of Hurricane Dora, which had struck St. Augustine and Jacksonville only the day before, to get here. Scheduled to arrive on September 9, the storm diverted their plane to Key West and they didn’t make it here until the morning of the concert; 150 fans awaited them, quite a number, considering the destruction caused by Dora.
Accompanied by police motorcade, they were whisked off to the downtown five-star George Washington Hotel (1926 to 1971) where they were to stay. Due to some snafu regarding “hotel occupancy,” their accommodations were no longer available. (Lemme get this straight. The Beatles – that’s THE BEATLES – were told they didn’t have a place to sleep, shower or walk around in their sock feet after spending two days of not-inconsiderable effort to reach the venue where 32,000 tickets had been sold. WOW.)
They held a press conference in spite of the fact their luggage was probably still sitting in the lobby. Maybe they even perched on it. They also ate with the reporters. (I’m picturing them changing clothes in a public restroom.)
When they arrived at the concert site, in the face of turbulent winds, most of the area still without power and devastation from the storm everywhere, 23,000 fans awaited them; 9,000 were unable to reach the stadium, but I’m betting most still have their tickets tucked safely away.
The opening acts for them included The Bill Black Combo (Bill Black was the bassist in Elvis Presley’s early trio); The Exciters (who recorded the original version of “Do Wah Diddy Diddy” in 1963); Clarence ‘Frogman’ Henry (one of the original performers of New Orleans Rhythm’n Blues); and Jackie DeShannon (one of the first female singer-songwriters of rock ‘n’ roll).
And then another more serious snag; the band learned the audience was segregated and refused to play. John Lennon stated, “We never play to segregated audiences and we aren’t going to start now. I’d sooner lose our appearance money.” Officials relented, Ringo’s drums were nailed to the stage to prevent the 45 MPH winds from blowing them away and the concert began.
Shrieking, fainting and hair-pulling ensued. There were 140 police officers on duty, and 84 firefighters acted as ushers to prevent the fabulously deranged fans from rushing the stage.
The following year, the Beatles’ contract to play the Cow Palace in California specified an integrated audience, as well as electricity and water in their trailer. It recently sold for more than $23,000 at auction. I love these guys.
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Dietary factors to consider when taking meds
By Jon Vredenburg, MBA, RD, CSSD, LD/N
“Take two and call me in the morning.”
This is a familiar axiom for medication usage. However, as many of us know, the instructions are not that simplistic. Recognizing the interactions that foods and drugs can have with one another is just as important to your health as the medicine itself. Older adults are at a higher risk for food-drug interactions because they are likely to have one or more chronic conditions that require some type of ongoing treatment with a drug. In fact, adverse drug reactions account for about 15% of the hospitalizations for older adults. Although these reactions are not always triggered by our diets, it is still essential to get your kitchen counter to cooperate with your pharmacy counter.
By definition, a food and drug interaction is the reaction between a food, or one of its components, and the way a drug is metabolized in the body. It is important to remember that these interactions can also go the other direction since certain drugs can also affect the use of nutrients in the body.
Grapefruit
Perhaps the most widely known food and drug interactions occur with grapefruit juice. Part of the reason they are so widely known is because the juice interferes with several types of drugs, including blood pressure medications, statins (used for lowering cholesterol) and certain anti-depressants. Grapefruit juice contains a compound that blocks special enzymes in the intestines that break down many medicines. The result is higher levels of the medication remain in the body and side effects can become more likely. Seville oranges, which are commonly used for marmalade, and tangelos, can also cause similar issues. Be sure to check with your healthcare provider to see if these foods are suitable for consumption. Oranges, and their juice, lemons and limes do not have this same compound and therefore can be safely used with most drugs.
Vitamin K
Another common food and drug interaction occurs with the blood thinner warfarin, more commonly known by its trade name Coumadin®. Using this medication requires careful scrutiny of foods high in Vitamin K since this vitamin helps the blood to clot and works against warfarin. Foods high in vitamin K include green leafy vegetables, cauliflower, liver and soybean oil. Green tea also contains a fair amount of vitamin K as well. It is difficult to avoid all foods high in vitamin K so the most practical advice is to maintain consistency with your intake while on this medication. “If patients generally do not eat a lot of foods with vitamin K then they should continue like that or if they like to have those foods then they need to make sure their doctor is aware so the dose (of warfarin) can be adjusted,” states Emily Hoffman, a Registered Dietitian with the City of Jacksonville’s Senior Services Program. It is also prudent to be careful with dietary supplements while on blood thinners too. Ginseng, fish oil, garlic and ginger; in their concentrated supplemental forms can increase the overall risk of bleeding.
Nutrients and Minerals
Medications can influence nutrient status by causing the body to maintain higher or lower levels of certain minerals, depending on their mechanism of action. Potassium levels are commonly impacted by many types of diuretics. Furosemide and hydrochlorothiazide are diuretics that cause the body to lose potassium and other minerals. A potassium supplement may be prescribed by your doctor for this reason. Certain diuretics are designed to spare potassium losses therefore potassium supplementation is not always warranted. These medicines are often prescribed for high blood pressure so salt restriction is also part of the treatment plan. Therefore, you need to check with your doctor to see if salt substitutes would be suitable for use. Salt substitutes often contain a substantial amount of potassium, in place of the sodium, and could lead to higher potassium levels than normal in the body. A half teaspoon of salt substitute can provide over 1500 mg of potassium. To put that in familiar terms – that is the potassium equivalent of four bananas.
Alcohol
Alcohol is another food that can react with a variety of medications. Most of the alcohol-drug interactions occur with pain medications such as acetaminophen and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Moderation with alcohol use, a standard mantra, is a necessity with these drugs. Acetaminophen has been associated with liver damage, and the chances increase substantially if you consume three or more alcoholic drinks per day while using them. NSAIDs relieve pain by interfering with enzymes called cyclooxygenase, or COX, for short. These enzymes are responsible for releasing the prostaglandin chemicals associated with inflammation. However, this enzyme also provides protection in the stomach from indigestion and ulcers. Liberal alcohol consumption while on NSAIDs substantially increases the risk of bleeding from gastric ulcers. Alcohol also needs to be used with caution while on anticonvulsant medications and antihistamines since it can increase drowsiness in each situation. Lastly, nitrates that are used to treat chest pain often have alcohol warnings. Nitrates work by relaxing the blood vessels that lead to the heart therefore improving blood and oxygen flow. Alcohol can enhance the relaxing effect of this medicine and lead to a precariously low blood pressure.
Resources
The Food and Drug Administration offers a variety of online resources to help you become an informed consumer. The websitehttp://www.fda.gov/usemedicinesafely is an appropriately named consumer education resource and http://www.fda.gov/drugs/ucm079489 has a tool to help you create a record for all medication and supplement use to share with your healthcare providers.
You can do many things to maximize the benefits of drug treatment. Hoffman offers practical advice to ensure safe medication use. “First, make sure you know what you are taking and then know the side effects and also talk to your doctor, pharmacist or dietitian to find out if the medicines could have any interactions with foods or other medications.” Since your medical team is composed of many players, it is your responsibility to take charge of the treatment and communicate with your healthcare providers.
