AARP Bulletin - May 2012

Your Health ; In the News

33 Percentage of Medicare expenses in 2010 that went toward hospital services.

Photographer Ari Seth Cohen believes style is ageless, and it’s evident in his new book, Advanced Style, a showcase for the fashion flair of New Yorkers who are decades his senior. ; “I have an affinity for older people,” says Cohen, 30, whose best friend was his spirited late grandmother, Bluma. ; The book, due out May 22, presents Cohen’s best street shots of chic women and men. These head-turning style veterans boast both the elegant (white lace gloves and colorful pocket squares) and the eccentric ( cat-eye sunglasses and fuchsia trousers). ; Cohen’s brand of fashion photography was the inspiration for his Advanced Style blog, which led to the book and a documentary still in the works. His images also inspired the exaggerated hats and oversize coats featured in designer Marc Jacobs’ 2012 collection. ; “I hope my photos help people feel better about aging,” Cohen says. “The people I photograph are true style icons.” —Jason Lawrence

Style for the
Advanced Ages

; What an Outrage Fines Bloom From Planting Flowers

; Two of Ari Seth Cohen’s fashionistas

people and damaged 8,000 buildings there. ; Bird, 72, of nearby Baxter Springs, Kan., is the driving force behind a free concert scheduled for May 12 at Joplin Memorial Hall. Local schoolchildren and volunteer musicians will perform “The Other Side of Storm,” his 45-minute three-movement work for chorus and orchestra. ; While people from around the world have helped out residents with money and clothing, says Bird, he also wanted Joplin to have an “artistic gift.” —Blair S. Walker

Tribute to a Storm-Ravaged City

When Kimberly Bois found a condo development under construction that she liked in Portsmouth, N.H., the developer assured her that she’d be able to plant flowers in front of the townhome she was eyeing. ; And after buying the Atlantic Pointe property nearly four years ago, she did just that—daylilies, hibiscus, lavender and other flowers contained in a 5-by-8-foot bed nestled beside her front steps. ; That decision is coming back to haunt her. Members of the condo association board, which was established to oversee the community two years after Bois arrived, say the flowers are not OK and now must be removed. ; When Bois declined to pull up her plants, the association began assessing a daily penalty. So far, the fines total more than $5,800, in addition to thousands in attorney’s fees. The condo association also put a lien on her property, Bois says, and efforts to negotiate a compromise have been unfruitful. ; “I found myself trapped,” Bois says. “These people used to be my friends. It’s really sad.” ; Sandy Roberts, an attorney representing the association, did not respond to requests for comment but defended the board’s actions to the Portsmouth Herald. “The practical implication is that what one person thinks is beautiful, another person thinks is horrible. Whether you like it or not is not the issue.” —Michelle Diament

; Hubert Bird orchestrating hope for Joplin, Mo.

Retired music professor Hubert Bird has concocted a musical balm for Joplin, Mo., one year after a powerful tornado killed 162

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