DC at 50+ - Thursday

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Source: AARP.org

As many as 10,000 people gathered at 9:30 a.m. this morning in a packed auditorium at the Washington Convention Center for the opening session of Life@50+ 2008. Regis Philbin was the main attraction, but AARP CEO Bill Novelli first took the opportunity to remind attendees about AARP’s Divided We Fail effort on behalf of affordable healthcare and financial security for all Americans.

Novelli reminded us that one-fourth of voters in the last election were AARP members. "We need to play a powerful role in the direction America will take," he challenged attendees. "We need the public to demand answers and action."

On Saturday this week, Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain will address attendees via a satellite feed into the member event. (You can watch the feeds on AARP.org via our live webcast.)

AARP Celebrates Milestone
This year marks AARP’s 50th anniversary, and Novelli joked, "AARP is 50—finally old enough to join ourselves."

40 Millionth Member
Shereen Remez, AARP’s vice president of membership, introduced AARP’s 40 millionth member—David Squires of Hampton, Va.

Regis Philbin and His Underwear
Regis was full of humor today. He reminisced about growing up in the Bronx. He talked about joining the Navy—with a promise to his parents that he'd figure out his career path while enlisted. After two years in the service, he decided to go to Hollywood to try to make his fortune in show business. Regis went back to New York and in 1955 got a job as a page at the Hudson Theater. The rest, as they say, is history.

Oh yeah—there was one final, ahem, revealing moment from Regis’ session, which closed with an engaging Q and A with the audience. The last question: "Regis, do you wear boxers, 'tidy whities,' or thongs?" Turns out Regis is a boxers man.—Carolyn Hall

The Exhibit Hall
In many years, the opening of the Life@50+ exhibit hall has resembled the running of the bulls in Pamplona—a mad dash down the rows and rows of freebies, demonstrations, and valuable information. This year’s opening was a bit more subdued, perhaps because Regis Philbin’s opening session was still occupying many attendees’ time.

Dancing for Oatmeal
One of the more intriguing sights on the exhibit floor is AARP members dancing at the Quaker Oatmeal booth. Videos of the dances are uploaded to the Live With Regis and Kelly Web site. When the morning show airs selected videos, the lucky dancers receive a phone call to answer a trivia question for a $10,000 prize.

Willard Scott
Crowd favorite Willard Scott rode through the exhibit hall on a small trolley, stopping to pose for pictures with attendees. One woman asked who was going to wish him a happy birthday when he turns 100. "I’ve already taped mine," he says.

Five Must-Dos for Your Health
It sounds simple enough, but the first step in living a healthier life—making a conscious choice to be healthy—can be the hardest. "You deserve to live life to the fullest," said Dr. Reed Tuckson, the senior vice president of UnitedHealth Group. "So take charge of your health."

Here are your next four steps:

1. Get a good doctor. Shop for someone who will be your advocate, who you can talk to, who will listen to and answer all your questions. Don't put up with someone who won't. "You are allowed to fire your doctor," said Tuckson.
2. Wear a pedometer every day. Gradually work up to 10,000 steps a day for the optimal amount of exercise, advised Tuckson. But don't sweat your goal, he advised. "Just move," he said. "Walk in place if you need to."
3. Watch for side effects and interactions with your prescriptions. You may be taking a lot of drugs, so heed how they affect you and each other. (Editor’s note: Type your meds’ names into AARP.org’s online drug-interaction checker to check for conflicts among drugs, foods, and other lifestyle factors.)
4. Keep your drug list handy. Write down all your meds, and carry the list with you. In a medical emergency, this list could save your life, said Tuckson.—Bridget Murray Law

Lincoln Memorial Celebration
Thousands of AARP staff, volunteers, and members congregated beneath the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., on Thursday afternoon to celebrate AARP’s 50-year history. Oscar-winning actress Sally Field inspired the masses with her activist spunk, asserting that “change comes when we’re filled with fear—and do it anyway.” Then, reverting to her motherly persona, she encouraged everyone to “put some sunblock on!” in acknowledgement of the intense mid-afternoon sunshine.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter received an emotional welcome from the audience, her presence stirring memories of her father’s famous speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial 45 years earlier.

“Service is an American legacy,” she said, challenging every citizen to continue the fight against injustice. She praised “the power of one person—one Abraham Lincoln, one Martin Luther King Jr., one Ethel Percy Andrus” to make a difference in the world; and reminded everyone that “there is more work to be done.”—Amy Greber

What It Takes Is the Right Attitude
Bill Boggs’ new book “Got What It Takes?” might offer self-help, but the understanding it provides is from the school of life.

To write his book, Boggs, a prominent talk-show host, spoke to notables he met through the years on programs like “Southern Exposure” and AARP’s “My Generation.” Ever one who can pull gems out of people, Boggs got his start managing two comedians who ended up writing scripts for the Bob Newhart and Mary Tyler Moore shows, among others.

“One day, sitting and having a drink with Frank Sinatra,” Boggs remembered, “I reflected that I’d had the opportunity to sit down with some of the greatest people in our society. And they were saying things to me.” He realized that he could collect the insights into an inspiring book.

In his session today at the AARP member event, Boggs shared many morsels. My favorite was from Duke Ellington, who said, “Be happy in this moment, because this moment is your life.”—Elizabeth Gibbens

Getting What You Paid For
Five minutes is all you should remain on hold when calling any company’s customer-service department, advised AARP The Magazine and AARP.org consumer columnist Ron Burley in his session, "Fighting Back: Consumer Tools + Techniques to Get What You Paid For."

After the five minutes, simply hang up. Your next call should be to the company's sales office (you can look that up on the company's Web site). Calling there, you will likely get an employee to help you.

Burley also told attendees to always get a name, I.D. number, and call-center location when you reach a customer-service agent.—Tara Coates

Editor’s note: Read more of Ron's stories about resolving consumer issues, or submit your own question for possible consideration in an upcoming column.

Online Dating
Fortunately, this afternoon’s panel discussion about online dating—with experts such as relationships expert Dr. Gilda Carle and Tom Blake, author of the weekly newsletter Finding Love After 50—wasn’t billed as an opportunity for audience members to find potential matches on-site. That’s because, with a 10-to-1 ratio of women to men in the audience, there wouldn’t have been a lot of satisfied customers.

Still, attendees learned several fundamental tips to put into practice at home, where as many as 20 percent of members of online dating sites such as Match.com are singles age 50+. Here are your dos and don’ts:

• Seek friendship first, and build up to a more meaningful relationship.
• Leave your “baggage” behind.
• No prom pictures. Be honest! Use real, current pictures.

One of the men in the crowd earned the loudest applause when he asserted, “I'm not interested unless she has an AARP card and hot flashes.”—Carolyn Hall

Peter Greenberg: Traveling Is Your Right
Anyone who has ever endured the weeping and teeth-gnashing after a cancelled flight knows that the travel industry causes some serious headaches, now more than ever. The airlines, especially, have become “the land of the fee”—to the point that even pay toilets are on the horizon, according to AARP travel expert Peter Greenberg.

"I don't want to be behind you when you don't have correct change," he quipped during his presentation, "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Traveling the World and Having a Great Experience—and AFFORDING IT—in Uncertain Political and Economic Times.”

Meanwhile, frequent-flier programs make more money than any other airline division, yet they continue to change the rules almost daily—and not in our favor. Even low-cost airlines are struggling to keep up with rising fuel prices. Hotels rarely disclose their fees and taxes up front, and some even charge a "hospitality tax."

"That's not how I define 'hospitable,'" Greenberg said, encouraging the capacity audience of more than 1,000 to demand more from their travel providers. "We believe travel is our right, and it is! It’s in our cultural DNA. We won't let anyone mess with that.”

There is more good news. For one, Greenberg claims that "staycation” (describing recreation occurring in or near one’s hometown) is a “manufactured term.” Americans are still traveling, "but they visit France for seven days instead of 16,” he said. “We adjust.”

He also noted that Americans are adjusting their methods of travel. For example, RV sales are down 20 percent, but RV rentals are up 22 percent. Trains and buses are underutilized but can be wonderful ways to travel. Amtrak, for example, offers a 15-day, unlimited ticket for only $495.

Greenberg also asked the audience to think of travel on a larger scale, “Traveling is the best thing we can do to better the world, open doors, meet new people. Travel is a powerful tool for building bridges to peace.” He would like the U.S. to establish a federal tourism department. “For 93 countries, travel is the biggest contributor to their GDP. Many countries have ministries of tourism. We have the FAA," Greenberg joked.

Finally, Peter fielded questions from the audience, including:

• How do I get the best deal? He advised looking for packages that bundle your airfare, car rental, and hotel.
• Should I buy travel insurance? He recommended that you absolutely should if you are going on a cruise or on any trip that is an investment for you.
• What if I'm traveling alone? He reported that there are a number of companies that help you avoid the dreaded "single supplement charge."

This and other advice can be found in Greenberg's new book, "Don't Go There: The Travel Detective's Essential Guide to the Must-Miss Places of the World."—Laura Boswell

Take a Squeegee to the Window of My UFO
Prior to her presentation to a packed house of 4,500 in the Washington Convention Center Ballroom, someone asked the globetrotting Shirley MacLaine where she'd like to go next. "I'd like to get aboard a UFO," she mused. “I see them all the time” on her sprawling ranch out West.

Meanwhile, appearing at an AARP Movies for Grownups screening, "Flash of Genius" star Greg Kinnear says that when he was first approached to do the movie—a drama about the man who invented the intermittent windshield wiper—the film was called "Windshield Wiper Man." Kinnear told a packed preview-screening audience, "Well, I wasn't about to wear a cape and go around carrying a squeegee. So that thing sat on my shelf for a good long time before I read it!"—Bill Newcott

Musical Icons Keep Life@50+ Rocking Into the Night
Thursday night’s pair of concerts—by Chaka Khan and Natalie Cole—jazzed and rocked AARP members, whether feeling joy or sorrow, romance or despair.

The 1970s and ‘80s glamour-R&B disco queen, Chaka Khan, reminded audiences of the svelte sexiness of the ‘70s with “Do You Love What You Feel?” and “Tell Me Something Good.” The decade’s feisty feminism came to the fore with “I’m Every Woman,” which Chaka asked every female audience member to get up and sing—and most did.

But the sweet singer Natalie Cole moved the audience to a higher crescendo that ended with “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love).” Along the way, she “visited” her dad, 1950s idol Nat King Cole, singing “Unforgettable” alongside video of him. “Walking My Baby Back Home” had no video but made up for it in the lilting tone of Natalie’s voice as she assented to her dad’s invitation to interrupt the homeward stroll with barbecue. And the way she sang Charlie Chaplin’s tune for Nat, “Smile,” was indeed completely unforgettable.—Elizabeth Gibbens