Regional NORTHWEST HERALD Section B Tuesday, August 27,19*5 Page 5 MFVmme a mermjcpH| HHal costs not covered by MIH Kiranee will be picked up by GolaiH fnaximum Medicare-covered days. GollB an insurance plan, and it is not a healtfv organization (HMO). What does it cost to join GoldenCare PLUS? iave to do is fill out an applicatl There is none. This is a free program that the Frar iSisters are happy to be able to offer to help the e| fcith rising health care costs. Il&l have to have supplemental insurance to joiri ever, we recommend that you keep igntal insurance since it covers dod •he.costs and home health cayg 1 time. However, we Hospital? GoldenCi What is GoldenCare PLUS? We have received numerous applications for GoldenCare PLU Here are some of the questions that people are asking. How do I know if I have Parts A Your Medicare card will tell you insurance", that's Part A. On th have Part B, it will list "medic B, which cover doctors' fees. go to other hospitals? denCare PLUS card is , benefits a Saint Josep ng this inno in Elgin to be GoldenCare - + TPILTDTg) What is GoldenCar ii ii iliili seph Hospital l&ggembers. life: sour Who is eligible to join GoldenCare PLUS? GoldenCare PLUS is open to anyone age 65 an is covered under Parts A and B of Medicare. Yes. GoldenCafi^i^ hospital care including tests, X-rays, and em visits. A and B what Medicare and hat GoldenCare PLUS atement will be Do I have to sign up by a cer You can sign up for the prog recommend not waiting. Will I receive a bill from Sai You will receive a stateme supplemental insurance p picked up. The good news i marked PAID! Thousands of area residents have recei#jftfteir fffce GoldenCare PLUS membership card. Get yours today! For more information $fe|«$0ncation, call Marcia Kovac or Nancy Gal- legos, GoldenCare PLUS Financial Counseled, at (312) 931-5514. rx Saint Joseph Hospital Caring for body, mind and spirit 77 N. Airlite Street Elgin, I llinois 60120 A Division of the Franciscan Sisters Health Corporation. They asked for it, but 1 have to live with the decision "Give the people want they want." J « The Kinks I gave them what they wanted, each and every whisker. The c^ean-shaven face you see within this column wasn't smooth a few weeks ago. It was covered with an irregular, scruffy, unruly mass of hair -- better known as my beard. There have been better beards, but this one was close to my heart. After all, it had covered my face for 10 months, through winter's icy blasts and summer's heat. But I awoke one day, looked in mirror, and wondered for the first time since those itchy early days whether I really wanted to wear a beard. Several times I had come within inches of shaving it off. While trimming, a pesky task required every other day for neat ness' sake, I had been tempted to go hog wild and saw off the entire growth. But the beard prevailed. "What should I do, shave or join ZZ Top?" I asked a co-worker. He jumped at the opportunity and quickly made a large ballot with a dueling photos of a clean-shaven Steve and a bearded Steve. "Should it stay or should it go now?" was the heading, and Herald employees were invited to clash their Steve Metsch Herald staff writer I never realized my beard had so many enemies. Some folks had the decency to put a simple "X" on the ballot. Others went a bit too far. Here are votes from people I thought were normal, red-blooded, beard-loving Americans: "Just the left side." "If he gets a Mohawk." "Lose the mustache and get hip on the Amish look." "No beard, no mustache, no nothin'," "Shave off beard and paste leftover hair onto chest to look even more manly." "Shave it with a dull buck knife without lather!" That last comment had me making sure I sat with my back to the wall. On the other hand, a few faithful fuzz worshippers remained out there: "Shave head. Keep beard." "Dye it different colors (punk)." "The more of your face hidden, the better." "Looks good! Keep it!" "Looks distinguished -- many great men have had beards -- Abe, Disraeli, Bluebeard, Henry VIII." "Love that 'grubby' look." Alas, those in favor were outnumbered, 20-14. Keeping true to my word, I stood in front of the bathroom mirror, scissors in one hand, razor and shaving cream sneering at me from the medicine cabinet: "Thought you'd never see us again, eh, Metsch? Well, get ready for nicks, cuts and razor burn. Ha, ha, ha." I came to and got down to the dirty business at hand. First, I put the Beatles' "Magical Mystery Tour" album on the turntable. I figured the Fab Four, who changed their looks more often than some people change socks, would inspire me. Snip. A large clump tumbled free. Snip. Another chunk. Snip. Snip. Snip. The counter soon resembled a barber shop's floor. When I finally got the beard down to short, manageable whiskers, out came Mr. Razor. To my surprise, I hadn't forgotten how to shave, spread mint-scented shaving cream over my face and started hacking; away. With each swipe, I felt a little twinge inside. There went keeping my face warm at freezing football games. There went an excuse to thoughtfully stroke my chin while pondering whether to buy generic or brand-name peanut butter. There went a cushion for my chin when it hits the desk after staying out to the wee hours the night before. A dousing of hot, soapy water and one dry towel later, all that remained was my mustache. For good measure, a haircut loped several inches off and my hair barely brushed over the tops of my ears. There it was -- a new me. The response was tremendous. All the anti-beard people rejoiced and even some beard lovers admitted I looked OK. "You look 10 years younger" -- making me a 14-year-old college graduate -- was an odd comment. I was told I looked older, thinner or fatter. Some thought I should immediately start growing another beard. Perhaps I will in the winter when bitter cold awaits us middle-of-the- night car starters. For now, I'll keep the slick chin. "You have a handsome face. Why cover it up?" was my favorite reaction. Hmm, on second thought, maybe that beard is gone for good. IMS to benefit from Sept. 8 Bike 'N' Hike Safety and miles completed are "Key factors to the success of an lipcoming Bike 'N' Hike. v Volunteers for the 14 Multiple j|clerosis Bike 'N' Hike routes {fanned for Sunday, Sept. 8, are working to ensure the safety factor gnd make the achievement of many jniles as attractive as possible. ' Cyclists may check-in at the route 6f their Choice and may continue to tide as long as they care between ihe hours of 8:30 a.m. arid 4:30 p.m. She length of individual routes var ies from 1.5 miles to 18 one-way. Cyclists accumulate miles by re lating the round trip of the route Several times. Crystal Lake's 6-mile round trip will begin at West Beach. The route les riders west on North Avenue Briarwood, where they'll make a ghtflhfcyifherf1 turrflH0&>4ti<Westj School <tt B&flSM RoHS 'and sffay oh Ballard until Haligus Road, where they'll make a left. r After traveling south on Haligus jpast the Turnberry sign and onto Bard Road, they'll pass the route's third checkpoint at Bard and Turn- berry Trail. The riders then will cycle to Crystal Lake/Huntley Road, where they'll make a left and continue back to West Beach. Checkpoints will also be at West Beach and the intersection of Bal lard and Haligus roads. Restrooms and parking will be available at West Beach. West School also has parking. In addition to Crystal Lake, sever al other cities are planning Bike 'N' Hikes. < Community routes are set for Rockford, Naperville, Zion, South Cook (Park Forest), LaGrange, Li- bertyville, Hickory Hills, the North Branch Bicycle Trail (Niles, Morton Grove, Gicnvlew, Highland Park), Lombard^G^^Syn, Wheaton), Palatine, Elk Grove Village, and Chicago's north and south lakefront. The newly-introduced "Century Ride" (100 kilometers or 62 miles) begins in north Aurora and pro ceeds along the Fox River to St. Charles, where it continues west to Sycamore. Mileage can mean success to the Bike 'N' Hike sponsored by the Chi cago-Northern Illinois Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Soci ety. Sponsors of participants pledge a specific sum in support of each mile completed. Volunteers who have served at route checkpoints in previous years have observed that riders enjoy distance as a chal lenge. Some manage to build up miles and are refreshed by snacks and beverages along the way. Assuring safety for participants has always been a priority. Volun teers at checkpoints and others in cars spend the <tey making them selves available for any problems that may arise. They watch for overtired riders, urge them to drink plenty of liquids, and keep first-aid kits handy. Overseeing safety of rid ers and hikers in general are volun teers for REACT, the citizens' band radio organization, who maintin ra dio contact with each other. This year, the MS Society is pro viding a pamphlet on bicycle safety rules to riders which will offer tips to use wherever they cycle this fall. In additional pre-registered riders will receive a bicycle safety reflector Top prize in the MS Bike 'N' Hike is airfare for two to anywhere in the U.S. served by Continental Airlines to be awarded to the person who collects the most pledges. An array of other prizes will be awarded at various levels of funds raised. All participants receive souvenir T- shirts at their sign-in checkpoint. There will be a $15 registration fee for the "Century Ride" only, and this route will begin at 7 a.m. with the last group of riders starting at 9 a.m. For route maps and spon sor forms for all communites, call the MS office at (312) 922-8000, or the toll-free number at 1-800-2 HELP MS. Nicaragua (Continued from page IB) "Anything positive is made unusable," Mateyko said. "It's a joke to think of contras trying to win the hearts and minds of the people. It's psychological." "Traditional guerilla warfare involves winning people over to your side," Poppen added. "It's not support, it's money for weapons, and it will continue as long as the U.S. funds it." During the interview, Mateyko produced a seemingly endless supply of religious literature, which he said proves there is presently no religious persecution in Nicaragua. He and Poppen emphasized that religion permeates every aspect of Nicaraguan life, including politics and the military, Both attended various church services, and Mateyko said he watched a Catholic priest record -- then radio broadcast a mass -- without any sign of censorship. One of the high points of Poppen's trip -- which took her group from Managua to the country's central region -- was a stay at Wilike, a voluntary settlement camp near Rio Bianco. She said the camp -- which was given to 60 families by the government last October -- has suffered several attacks by the contras. She noted that the people were impover ished, and that its 120 children followed them everywhere. She added that many suffer from parasites and malaria because of the difficulty of bringing in medicine. On her second night there, she and other group members slept on a tarp on the floor of a large schoolhouse, listening to the cries of distressed children. At around 1 a.m., they were awakened by the sound of machine gun fire. Although it was only a false alarm, Poppen noted that everyone had stories of other nights when loved ones were tortui ed, killed, or kidnapped by the contras. Mateyko, who traveled from Managua north to several villages near the Honduran border, told about living with Pablo and Norma, the parents of 12 children who were given 100 acres under the land reform. They subsequently built a five-room house on it, but were forced to move to a shack after Pablo was held and beaten by contras for three days. Although he was scheduled to be executed, Pablo's life was spared because he was so popular amongst the local people, who pleaded on his behalf. Of their 12 children, Mateyko said that Pablo and Norma haved buried one son and a son-in-law from the contras. Another son, Pedro, is paralyzed with a bullet in his spine. Mateyko noted that 11 days before his group arrived, the contras had also viciously killed an adult education teacher. From their various conversations, Mateyko and Poppen said they have also concluded that the Sandinista regime is not committed to the Soviet Union, and that its current platform calls for establishing trade relations with Japan, Western Europe, the U.S., as well as Third World countries. Poppen said that although President Daniel Ortega's trip to Russia was highly publicized, the press ignored his following visit to Western Europe, where he received the same amount of foreign aid. Mateyko also believes the word "contra" is also a misnomer. Short for "counterevoluciou" (against the government), he said it is used only to refer to the UNO group, originally organized, trained and supplied by the CIA and operating out of Honduras. He said the Pastorists, another "contra" operating out of Costa Rica, are led by Eden Pastora, a major Sandinista hero of the revolution. "He is anything but anti-revolution," he said. Despite the escalating danger, and the feelings of family members (Mateyko said his were scared to death, while Poppen's children thought her going was "weird"), both said they would return to Nicaragua. Poppin said she would like to see Sen. Jack Schaffer (R-32nd) and Rep. Philip Crane (R-12th) go to both Nicaragua's urban and rural areas. "Rep. Crane said he votes by his convictions, not his constituen cy, so it's particularly important that he go there," she said. "There's a big lie being told to the Americans," Mateyko claims. "It's brazen. The only way to find out is to go down there yourself, talk to the local people, and have them tell you what they see." As far as an answer to why the U.S. government would want to "lie" to its people about the situation in Nicaragua, Poppen thinks "it's idealogical, and it's a threat to the U.S." Mateyko said he thinks the U.S. is afraid the changes taking place in Nicaragua could possibly influence other countries like South Africa and the Phillipines. Both, however, agree that that answer "is bigger than Nicaragua itself." >