The South Coast Insider - February 2015

February 2015 Vol. 19 / No. 2

the south coast coastalmags.com

A HEARTFELT ISSUE PUMPING UP THE HEART ART IN THE AIR GET A FEEL FOR FADO

HOW TO BUY THE BEST LOVELY FOODS

Mixing business with pleasure The tale of a dog Linda Morad, senior business development specialist, called on a customer recently and came home with a dog!

It might have been fate that brought her and her new canine friend Heidi together that day.

And maybe it was that same fate that brought St. Anne’s Credit Union to mind when the Forever Paws Animal Shelter in Fall River started thinking about financing.

It all started out simply enough. A New Bedford animal control officer knew Linda, knew about St. Anne’s Credit Union, and was very familiar with Forever Paws, a shelter that protects and cares for stray, abused and abandoned animals from throughout the area. A referral from that animal control officer brought all three — actually, ultimately four — together.

Forever Paws contacted Linda to inquire about a business line of credit. She headed to Fall River to drop off a loan application. That’s when a Shelter hound named Heidi jumped into her lap and then wouldn’t leave her side during the entire visit.

Linda, Heidi, and Erin at the Forever Paws Animal Shelter in Fall River.

Bottom line? Linda and Shelter manager Erin Pacheco ultimately swapped applications. One was for a line of credit; the other for a pet adoption!

Both applications were approved. Heidi is now an official member of the Morad family. Forever Paws is a happy member of the St. Anne’s Credit Union family.

“I was proud to be able to meet the banking needs of Forever Paws,” says Linda.

“It’s a wonderful organization that, like St. Anne’s Credit Union, is making a difference in our community.”

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OUR WONDERFUL EMPLOYEES “We wanted to take this opportunity to commend three of your employees for whom we are very grateful. Our father has recently become a resident moving from a five year stay at Emeritus. The transition has been difficult for both him and the family. For the past 39 years, he has spent each and every holiday at our home in Burlington and as you can imagine, the first empty chair holiday is an emotional one.

My sister informed us of the Christmas Dinner hosted by Brandon Woods and we were planning on attending. Unfortunately, she never made the reservation … I called again on Saturday, December 21st and was fortunate enough to speak with Nicole, who actively listened and could hear the desperation in my voice. I asked only to have a chair so that a family member could be present while Dad ate his dinner. Nicole responded that if it were any other holiday the rules would have to be followed, but “no one should be alone at Christmas” and that she would have some solution when we arrived on Sunday at noon. Both she and Tara greeted us with the news that a table had been added to the dining room and that we could have dinner with my Dad. My mother was an RN. Nursing is never defined or limited to what is gleaned from a textbook. It is not only treating the patient but the entire family. The compassion is what separates the effective clinical nurse from one that has only attained the academic degree. The Christmas Dinner was our family Christmas with our dad and it would not have been possible without Nicole or Tara.

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contents

FEBRUARY 2015

20 10

26

In every issue

THINGS TO DO

YOUR HEALTH

4

10 Fall in Love with Fado

18 Breathing in Sync

15 Top Shopping

20 Being Heart-Healthy

BUSINESS BUZZ

23 Healing Hearts

From the Publisher

24 Book Picks

By LAURA LATOUR

34 Dateline: South Coast

By Elizabeth Morse Read

By MICHAEL J. DECICCO

COVER STORY

12 Sterling Shops

8

30 Bring Technology to Town

Making Dreams Come True

By Jay Pateakos

ON MY MIND

FOOD NOTES

6

2

By PAUL E. KANDARIAN

February 2015 / The South Coast Insider

By SEAN McCARTHY

By ROSS PERRY

32 Culture in the Forecast

Je Suis Humanity

By Elizabeth Morse Read

By DEREK VITAL

26 The New Swansea Beach

By Jay Pateakos

By DAN BRULé

By JOYCE ROWLEY

16 Filling Hearts and Stomachs

By BRIAN J. LOWNEY

Read us online www.coastalmags.com

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FROM THE PUBLISHER February 2014 / Vol. 19 / No. 2 Published by

Coastal Communications Corp.

Can you feel that? If you have someone to help keep you warm this winter, you already know what I’m talking about—love is in the air! Although February is the shortest month, it’s still long enough to take advantage of all the South Coast has to offer. Become enamored with the region all over again as this month we explore the affairs if the heart.

Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Ljiljana Vasiljevic

Editor

Sebastian Clarkin

Online Editor Paul Letendre

Contributors

Dan Brulé, Michael J. DeCicco, Paul E. Kandarian, Brian J. Lowney, Laura Latour, Sean McCarthy, Jay Pateakos, Ross Perry, Elizabeth Morse Read, Joyce Rowley, Michael J. Vieira, Derek Vital

The South Coast Insider is published monthly for visitors and residents of the South Coast area. The Insider is distributed free of charge from Mount Hope Bay to Buzzards Bay. All contents copyright ©2014 Coastal Communications Corp.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, by any means, without written permission from the Publisher. All information contained herein is believed to be reliable. Coastal Communications Corp. does not assume any financial responsibility for typographical errors in advertisements, but will reprint that portion of an advertisement in which the typographical error occurs.

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On page 8, Mike Vieira shares the heart-touching story of a group of local kids who experienced the trip of a lifetime.

If you’re in the mood to be moved, turn to Michael DeCicco’s article on page 10 about fado music, the traditional Portuguese song style that speaks to forlorn hearts around the world.

Still don’t have that perfect gift and starting to feel the time crunch? Derek Vital has you covered on page 12, where he profiles two top local jewelers and sees what they have to say about their favorite shiny presents. Also check out some of our own gift recommendations on page 15!

The winter is also a great time to focus on cardio care. On page 18, Dan Brulé teaches us how to regulate our heart rate. Just after that, Elizabeth Morse Read offers some practical heart health tips on page 20. And on page 23, Sean McCarthy looks at what professional doctors are doing to help keep that blood pumping.

There’s so much to see and do, and so many ways to grow and improve. The year is still just starting, so make sure you’re happy and healthy as things begin to warm up!

The South Coast Insider 144 Purchase Street Fall River, MA 02722

Phone

(508) 677-3000

Ljiljana Vasiljevic

Website

Publisher and Editor-in-Chief

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editor@coastalmags.com Our advertisers make this publication possible— please support them.

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February 2015 / The South Coast Insider

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5

ON MY MIND

Je Suis Humanity

BY Paul E. Kandarian

Last month I was in Quebec visiting a new luxury hotel, doing a little skiing, getting a spa treatment, and just enjoying things. I am a travel journalist, and such are the occasional perks of the job.

The week before had been the slaughter of 12 journalists in Paris, in the offices of “Charlie Hebdo”, a satirical newspaper. While I was in Quebec, it surprised me how many people, when they found out what I do, asked with well-intended earnestness, how I, as a journalist, felt about the murders.

It honestly took me aback. How was I supposed to feel? Twelve people, innocent people, brandishing only the weapon of humor, were gunned down. Truth be told, though, it didn’t matter if they were writers or not. If it were the murder of 12 soldiers or hairdressers or store clerks or nurses or bartenders or janitors, I’d feel just as badly about it. Just because I, as a fellow journalist, was one of “them,” well, who cares? It doesn’t make me feel any better or worse about it. It was horror, pure and simple—abhorrent and repugnant.

People are funny about that, and I guess that’s human nature. When cops die, or when cops kill people, the ensuing publicity rallies the public and/or the cops together, banding as one to show support. And that’s fine. But when it’s a group that usually doesn’t fear getting killed in the line of duty, well that is pretty jarring.

The people at “Charlie Hebdo” were doing their job, that job being making

6

February 2015 / The South Coast Insider

fun of things, that being the gist of satire. It’s a form of humor that’s not for everyone, but as with all humor, it’s a vastly exaggerated form of the truth.

Satire makes you look at things differently, perhaps allowing a point of view you’d not had. Satire makes people talk, makes them hold conversations with one another. Never a bad thing, that.

“Charlie Hebdo” journalists died because they made satire of a group of people who didn’t like it. I’m a satirist, at times. Do I fear for my life?

Satire does not often make people kill. But as in most murders of this sort, it’s easy to pass it off as the work of the crazy. Crazy is easier to deal with.

Crazy we can explain away.

Murder in the name of a god, a faith, a religion, a belief system is far, far more insidious and frightening, for the embrace it has on those who murder, with their deep-rooted inner compass solidly pointed to mayhem, is

unnerving and damn near impossible to fight.

I once did a story on Rev. Dr. Bernard Lafayette, one of Martin Luther King’s right-hand men, a freedom fighter back in the brutal incipience of the Civil Rights movement, who was taunted, beaten and nearly died for the cause he so resolutely believed in.

I interviewed the late David Halberstram for that story, who knew Lafayette as he covered the movement. He told me something I never forgot, in talking about Lafayette: Never, ever underestimate the power of conviction.

The conviction of right-minded folks, which luckily most of us are, is easy to handle. We don’t kill people because they disagree with us. The conviction of those so horribly different from us is impossible to fathom. They do kill people who disagree with them.

That isn’t right to us of course, but the power of conviction, no matter which direction it takes, should only be underestimated at the risk of falling victim to it.

And that’s the troubling part of the “Charlie Hebdo” murders by Muslim fanatics. They do not embody what most of that faith’s adherents do.

Every religion has fanatics because every religion has humans in it and humans are fallible. It goes with territory of having two legs and walking upright.

The fanatics (or lunatic fringe if you prefer,) are capable of extreme and horrific acts of violence because they

are convinced it’s the right thing to do. Consider how you are convinced that getting up, going to work, loving your kids, having friends, is the right thing to do. Imagine being equally as convinced murder is. Scary thought.

“Charlie Hebdo” journalists died because they made satire of a group of people who didn’t like it. I’m a satirist, at times. Do I fear for my life? I’ve made fun of people—and religions— and never felt threatened. I’ve gotten some nasty mail over the years, and that’s fine. I have my point of view and others have theirs. We are all free to express them.

Freedom of speech is a massive pillar on which this country was founded, one many have died to protect. I don’t

take that freedom lightly and respect it greatly. I don’t fear the lethal consequences of expressing it, any more than, I’m sure, did the journalists at “Charlie Hebdo.”

I feel badly that they died, as I do about many others dying. It’s not fair, but fair’s got nothing to do with it. It’s just a screwed-up world sometimes that screws up a lot of lives. And the best we can do is get on with ours and enjoy it as best we can.

If there’s any legacy to the slaughter, it is this, the same as it was after 9/11, the same as it is whenever a small faction of evil makes a big lethal splash on the world: Live life without fear. If we fear, they have won. They didn’t win this time. And they never will.

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Making dreams come true

COVER STORY

By Michael J. Vieira

Many people only dream about going to Bermuda, but the goal came true last year for a group of kids at the Dream Out Loud Center for the Arts in New Bedford.

It all started when a group of students at the Center received an invitation to perform in Bermuda in August as part of a celebration on the island. It commemorated the “Star Spangled Bermuda 200” celebration at the World Heritage Centre.

The event was hosted by the Bermuda Heritage Partnership and sponsored by the Bermuda Tourism Authority and XL Foundation.

According to the invitation, it celebrated, “Bermuda’s role in the events of 1814 leading to the sacking of Washington and ultimately inspiring the penning of the Star Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Key which became the US national anthem.”

Thanks to a grant provided by Roger Michel, assistant district attorney in the New Bedford DA’s office, the eight girls and their chaperones had the experience of a lifetime, as 8

shown in the following excerpts from thank you notes to the donor (and used with permission.)

“Bermuda changed my life in a tremendous way,” wrote Ines DaSilva, 11. “It helped with my stage shyness and helped me project my voice.

“It was a great experience! I felt like I was living the pop star life. I had to wake up early every morning, practice, eat, sleep and repeat. But most of all, the people are the ones who changed my life because they were always there for me!”

Molly O’Leary, 19, agreed: “We got to travel out of the country to the beautiful island of Bermuda, where our dreams came true as we did what we love to do the most – sing. Through music, we have all learned how to express ourselves and find purpose in our lives, and with your help, we were able to

February 2015 / The South Coast Insider

project our passions to the highest degree.

“Bermuda taught me that anything is possible and that I should never put limits on my dreams. It also taught me the value of friendship and love as I bonded with so many talented and dedicated girls.”

The experience also was recognized by parents and family, including Marilyn Santos, mother of Gianalis J. Estrella,13, who said, “Thanks to your donation, her group at Dream Out Loud Center was able to travel to Bermuda. Her dream of traveling out of the USA and owning a passport came true. Thanks to you there’s a stamp already on it.”

But she added that it her daughter’s experience with the Dream Out Loud Center is much more than an opportunity to travel. She continued: “Most of all I want to thank you

because her dreams of singing for people became a reality. She has broken out of her shell in a very big way and has even written her own song.

She has performed in downtown New Bedford, and looks forward to doing bigger and better things.”

For music instructor Angel Diaz, it was also an amazing opportunity.

“It was a challenge and a challenge I needed. The reason I say that is because growth is the most important thing in life. I not only got to witness it within my students but also within myself. Growing up in poverty, never would I have thought someone would pay for me to travel to do what I love the most: teach and perform. It goes to show that good people exist in this modern society, where most people can care less.”

Providing opportunities

Although the Bermuda trip was a unique experience, it was just one of a number of accomplishments for the small, non-profit organization located in downtown New Bedford. Led by Tracy A. Furtado, it traces its history back to the Creative Careers Program which she and Jeffrey Lambert founded in 2001.

At the time it was part of a community organization called, “Brick by Brick” started by Lynn Donohue. She currently continues to run a group called, “Brick by Brick Entrepreneur and Career Training, Inc.” which is not affiliated with the Dream Out Loud Center.

In 2011, to mark the beginning of their 10-year anniversary celebration, the board of directors voted to change the name and to reorganize the group’s structure. At the time, Erynn Jones was the chair (in the interest of full disclosure, this writer now chairs the board.)

“The Board of Directors chose the name Dream Out Loud for the Arts to better represent the work we have done and continue to do in the community,” Jones said, “Family, friends, and teachers have an obligation to encourage and foster a young person’s gifts and talents. This is what Brick By Brick has done and what Dream Out Loud will continue to do.”

At the same time, Furtado was named President/CEO of the Dream Out Loud Center. She had been the full-time Executive Director of Brick by Brick from 2001-2004 and has served as the half-time Executive Director from 2007 to the present.

Furtado also believes in dreams.

“I have witnessed over and over the power of someone – youth or adult – following his or her dreams. Once a person learns how to dream, he or she wants to learn the discipline and confidence necessary to make that dream come true. I’m excited to see what these dreams will build in the next ten years,” Furtado said.

Creating creative careers

At the heart of the Dream Out Loud Center remains the Creative Careers

Program. This opportunity for youth provides free creative arts courses (music, theater, creative writing, and graphic design,) which culminate in public performances, recorded CDs, multimedia presentations, and print publications.

The CCP has worked with thousands of youth from 8-18 years old in the Greater New Bedford area over the past ten years and has plans to once again expand this program for adults in the future.

In addition, they have provided free creative courses for youth, offered summer employment opportunities, developed experiences like running a holiday store, and more.

One of the students was Diaz, who has since become the Center’s Music Program Coordinator and now serves as co-program director.

“When I was a student, I was encouraged to dream. During that time, I also learned how to make my dreams a reality. Since then I have continued to work in the community, have started my own music business, Anghelli Productions, and am continuing to be an ‘edutainer’ in the community,” he said.

Naomi Coombs, 13, who performed in Bermuda, summed up the whole experience powerfully: “Bermuda, to me, is a symbol that no matter what life throws at you, with courage and strength, but mostly willpower, you can always overcome it. I live to entertain people and make them feel happy. Feel good. With music, I can let myself out while still giving people a good time.

Music lets me be me.”

Dream Out Loud Center For The Arts at 13 N Sixth Street in New Bedford is a 501c3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to advance the personal and career goals of South Coast residents. For more information about the organization, call 508-990-9090.

The group also has a Facebook page and accepts donations through its new Fundly site at https://fundly.com/ help-us-dream-out-loud.

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9

THINGS TO DO

15-year-old Fado singer Mara Pedro brings in a crowd at Lusitanto’s whenever she visits America.

Fall in love with Fado

by Michael J. DeCicco

Valentine’s Day is a time for couples to dine where the candles are dim, the wine is imported, and the live music expresses deep longing to a quietly attentive audience.

Around the South Coast, that means a night spot featuring fado music— Portuguese urban folk music so rich with powerful emotions of joy, sadness, pain, and passion that you don’t need a translator to enjoy it.

“Fado music is a great idea for a romantic evening and is easy to find in Southern New England,” said Felogenio Mederios, whose Woburn, MA-based web site, FadoNight.com, posts fado performances and events happening around Massachusetts and the country.

“Fado tells a powerfully emotional story about a longing or nostalgia for something,” Mederios said. “’Fado’

10

February 2015 / The South Coast Insider

comes from the word ‘Fatum’, which means ‘fate’. A common theme in fado lyrics is ‘saudade.’ The word ‘saudade’ is difficult to translate in any language. But it refers to a longing for a happier moment in a person’s life and a yearning and hopefulness towards re-living that moment.”

It is great music to be performed in a romantic setting, he said, because its emotional force works best on the senses in a candlelit room after eating dinner and while sharing a bottle of wine. The singer typically performs with no microphone or amplification.

He or she is traditionally accompanied by a lone acoustic guitar, and the

audience is quietly attentive.

“It is out of respect that there is silence, and there’s silence to let the power of the song reach your senses,” Mederios said.

Based on his own visits to the South Coast, he recommends area residents check out the O Dinis Restaurant in East Providence, RI, and Lusitano Restaurant & Royal Gardens in Fall River, MA, both of which regularly feature fado music. Check out both on their respective Facebook pages.

O Dinis, 579 Warren Avenue, East Providence, has featured fado musicians every monday night along with a buffet dinner for the past 20 years,

said manager Natalia Paiva.

She said the highlight of its early 2015 fado schedule will be the February 2nd performance of Manny Brando, who sings fado but also Sinatra Rat-Pack style tunes.

Her father, Dinis Paiva, the owner, started the restaurant’s Fado Nights because he himself is a fado singer and musician who has traveled the world performing, she said.

Speaking the day after its December 28nd Fado Night, Paiva said, “We were completely packed, and it’s been like that every night. The crowd gets smaller through the holidays but picks up after that. It’s a very popular night because it’s reminiscent of our experience living in Portugal. It recreates that experience here.”

Luisitano, 822 King Philip St., Fall River, features live fado on the first

said the Grill features fado two to three times a year on Saturdays. She said she had not yet finalized who the featured artists will be, but she expects a large turnout every time.

The highlight of the season for fado fans, however, likely will be two shows at the Zeiterion Performing Art Center, 684 Purchase St., New Bedford (www. zeiterion.org) in March.

Carminho and Camaine, a female-male fado singing duo from Portugal, will perform on March 7th.

Veteran local fado singer, Ana Vinagre of New Bedford, will perform on the Zeiterion stage on March 5th.

Ana’s husband, Jose Vinagre, regularly performs with her, including what will be her third solo performance at the Zeiterion.

He said appearing on a large stage carries with it a high responsibility of

Fado is Portuguese feelings. It talks about our culture. Fishermen out to sea, leaving their love behind. It’s romantic because you have to feel it to understand it. friday night of every month. Manager Horatio Soares said its largest audience last year came in August to see Mara Pedro, a 15-year-old singing sensation from Portugal who was in the USA to perform at the world famous Madeira Feast in New Bedford. In October, Claudia Madera, a native of Northern Portugal, also drew a large crowd. He is proud to note Madera might be back this year as well.

Soares has always been a fan of fado. “Fado is Portuguese feelings,” he said. “It talks about our culture.

Fishermen out to sea, leaving their love behind. It’s romantic because you have to feel it to understand it.”

Elsewhere on the local fado calendar, the Fall River Grill Restaurant & Bar, 363 Second St., in its namesake city (www.fallrvergrill.com), will start its 2015 season of fado performers on February 7th. Manager Rita Macedo

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performance. “The audience expects the top of perfection.”

He said he knows Ana has succeeded at that task just because the audience that attended her first Zeiterion appearance returned for the second and will likely return again.

FadoNight.com owner Felogenio Mederios is proud that fado’s popularity has traveled far from its humble roots. “The coolest thing about fado is that it started in the back alleys of Lisbon in the early 1800s,” Mederios said.

“It was the home of prostitutes, the worst neighborhood of the city. But little by little it has gained acceptance into the upper class and the World Music Circuit. It has gained popularity with educated people. A fado song, known as a ‘fadu,’ evokes strong feelings that can be empowering, even cathartic.”

The South Coast Insider / February 2015

11

BUSINESS BUZZ

Sterling shopping advice

By Derek Vital

Are you at a loss for what to get your significant other for Valentine’s Day? If the thought of purchasing jewelry has crossed your mind, this article may provide some helpful hints to the males who think that karats help improve your eyesight.

At Plante Jewelers in Swansea, owner Nancy Plante said that her store doesn’t sell many diamond rings for the holiday. Instead, men are typically looking for something with sentimental value.

She said diamonds are most popular for Christmas, birthdays and anniversaries.

“We don’t do many engagement rings for Valentine’s Day,” said Plante, who runs the business with her husband Pierre. “A lot of people are looking to purchase fun, love-y things. “ For Valentine’s it’s mostly the last minute, spur of the moment shopper who is looking for a fun gift for their loved one. Plante said unique items from local designers have been popular gift items.

“There’s not as much pressure at Valentine’s Day,” said Plante.

Which is not to say you should show up empty handed. Plante said one year she had a regular customer show up a few days before Valentine’s Day. He was talking to his co-workers about gift ideas for Valentine’s Day. He said that he had recently re-done his kitchen and did not buy his wife a gift.

The stunned reaction of his peers prompted him to drive to Plante Jewelers where they helped him pick out the perfect item.

Plante recalled another time where a man showed up the day after Valentine’s Day and nervously exclaimed that he needed a diamond ASAP.

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February 2015 / The South Coast Insider

He and his fiancee were meeting with the priest to work on wedding arrangements. She expected a ring on Valentine’s Day which he did not produce.

In between frantic calls with his bride-to-be, the man was able to select a diamond which then needed to be set into a ring. Despite not having one of the essential tools, Pierre was able to set the ring and the man raced off to meet with his fiancee and the priest.

“I guess we saved his bacon,” said Plante.

“Sometimes there are expectations on Valentine’s

Day.” It doesn’t always have to be your spouse or significant other that receives a Valentine’s Day gift.

Plante said one year a young man came in the store and decided he wanted to buy a piece of diamond jewelry for a woman he had been admiring from afar.

“He had stars in his eyes,” said Plante. “He decided to go for it on Valentine’s Day.” After talking to the man, it became apparent he had about $100 to spend. They helped him choose

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R EPU R POS E v R EC YCL E v R EUS E v R EPU R POS E v R EC YCL E v R EUS E

a handmade silver piece which he excitedly left the store with. She never heard back from the man but hopes the gift ended with his desired result.

“It was beautiful,” said Plante. “I always wondered how that turned out.”

Plante emphasized that they can work with any budget to come up with a unique gift that your loved one will treasure for a lifetime.

“We can always help them leave with a gift,” said Plante.

If it is a diamond you desire, Plante said her husband has many years of experience and can help the nervous customer come up with a ring that will keep you in good graces for years to come. Some people are more concerned with the color of the diamond while for others its the size that matters.

Plante Jewelers, which has been a family-run business since the turn of the 20th century, can point you in the right direction.

“There’s no pressure. He has different ways of getting the look they want in their budget.”

Plante Jewelers is located at 207 Swansea Mall Drive Suite 106 in Swansea. They can be reached by calling 508-673-0561 or by visiting www.plantejewelers.com.

Perhaps you have some old pieces of jewelry laying around your house and you are looking to repurpose them. That’s where Peter Tirpaeck comes in. The custom jeweler owns and operates Studio by the Sea in historic Tiverton Four Corners.

Tirpaeck performs a number of tasks out of his location, including designing new pieces, repairing old ones, and reconfiguring a piece of jewelry into a unique item.

Tirpaeck said he had a customer that had bought an emerald for her sister. The sister had a broken ring with a pearl in it that was given to her by her father. Given his skills as a jeweler, Tirpaeck was able to combine the emerald and the pearl and repair the broken ring.

“It was quite spectacular,” said Tirpaeck, who has more than 30 years experience as a jeweler.

Tirpaeck said he has done a great deal of redirecting of items since the economy dipped in 2008.

People had less disposable income but still wanted to come up with unique gift ideas for their loved ones.

“Everybody has broken jewelry,” said Tirpaeck.

“They inherit it, it sits in the back of their drawer.

They don’t wear it for whatever reason. It ends up just sitting, not doing anything. I take a look at what they have and redirect those pieces. We’re not talking about melting them down. When you melt down a piece of jewelry or gold you’re actually going backwards in the manufacturing process. I

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cut them into component form. When you split a wedding band into forks, they have two raised rails.

Then we can build settings. Wedding rings can be turned into pendants. I’ve got coin pendants that have a lot of components of past pieces of jewelry.”

Tirpaeck said this process is not only cost effective, he can redesign the item in less time than it would take a typical mall store. A redirected ring could cost anywhere from $300 to $700 while if you purchased that item new it would run you anywhere from $900 to $1,800. He can complete the redirection process between three days and two weeks.

“It’s a very affordable way to leverage what you own,” said Tirpaeck.

Tirpaeck also comes up with original designs which allow the customer an opportunity for creative input. They can either show him a picture of their desired item or they can talk through the process.

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February 2015 / The South Coast Insider

“I sit down with a customer and they mention words like ‘symmetrical’ or ‘off-set’ or ‘bold,’ ‘modern,’ or ‘traditional’, “ said Tirpaeck. “I do a rendering right here in the shop and its a back and forth in the design process. One of the things I like to do is get the customer involved in the design process.

They get a kick out of being a designer. I can make just about anything, but when I’ve got someone sitting across the table from me I want to do it for them. They’re going to wear it. I’m not doing it to satisfy my ego.”

Tirpaeck also has a series of custom-designed belt buckles with a nautical theme that are available for purchase.

“The skills of the jeweler are varied,” said Tirpaeck.

“I made a conscious decision to bring the skills of a jeweler to the fashion accessory trade. That has worked out very well for me.”

Studio by the Sea is located at 3879 Main Road in Tiverton. For more information, contact 401-8165655 or visit www.studiobytheseari.com.

Happy shopping!

One Pound of Hand-Dipped Chocolate-Covered Strawberries $26.95 New Boston Bakery 279 New Boston Road Fall River, MA 508-672-0207, NewBostonBakery.com It’s only over-the-top if you stop wanting more! The classic Valentine’s Day confection reaches top form thanks to the sweet tooths at New Boston Bakery. Whether you’re coming in for brunch, lunch, or a hot cup of coffee, make sure you walk out with a box of these decadent treats.

Refashion Your Jewelry Studio by the Sea Historic Four Corners, Tiverton, RI (401) 639-4348, studiobytheseari.com This gold ring is an example of artist Peter Tirpaecks’ “redirecting” process, in which he refashions the components from older rings into entirely different designs. Engage yourself in designing jewelry that preserves the symbolism and value of what you own.

“Love-ly” Gifts Chocolate Nachos with Toffee $21.99 - $31.99 Liv a Little LLC Rochester, MA 508-763-5601, LivaLittleNachos.com These unusual gourmet specialty treats have a very light and crunchy consistency with a wonderful cinnamon flavor. This burst of flavor then melds incredibly with our decadent drizzles of both milk and white chocolate. We then follow it up with a tempting topping of your choice of either golden toffee, slightly salted pecans, peppermint or coconut. Our beautiful chocolate brown gift boxes are then embellished with colorful ribbon and a lovely gift tag. Take your decadence to a new level!

Wood, Wind and Water: A Story of the Opera House Cup Race of Nantucket $45 Anne T. Converse Photography Marion, MA (508) 728-6210, annetconverse.com This book consists of photos by Anne T. Converse, and text written by Carolyn M. Ford. Live vicariously through the stunning pictures and colorful tales of classic wooden yacht owners with a passionate commitment, who restore and race these gems of the sea. A visual tribute to preserve a piece of our yachting aesthetic, this is a collectable for sailors and yacht lovers worldwide.

PURE SOY CANDLE $21.95 Green Koala Marshfield, MA 617-359-3587, GreenKoala.net These candles are crafted with 100% pure soy wax and cotton wicks, and hand-poured into reusable, stylish containers. Pamper a loved one as the Rose Petals scented candle fills your home with the scent of freshly cut roses for hours. Pair the gift with one of the Marshfield-based company’s natural skincare products to complete the sentiment.

Use the promo code GKCOASTAL10 for a 10% discount on all online purchases.

The South Coast Insider / February 2015

15

BUSINESS BUZZ

Filling hearts and stomachs

New Boston Bakery’s succulent brunch items include; ham, egg and cheese croissant; bacon, egg, spinach, tomato and cheese pannini and heart cookies .

By Brian J. Lowney

Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to crawl out of the winter doldrums and have a little fun.

Whether you’re planning a lavish dinner for your sweetheart or a cozy family supper, why not celebrate the occasion with a special dessert or festive breakfast?

According to Kim White, owner of Sweet Karma Cakes, based in Dartmouth, cupcakes continue to be a popular choice for people of all ages who have a sweet tooth.

White bakes birthday, anniversary, wedding, First Communion, and other specialty cakes, cupcakes, brownies, cookies, and treats of all kinds in a shared commercial kitchen operated by the Dartmouth Grange. The products are delivered free of charge within a 50-mile radius of the kitchen.

Sweet Karma Cakes cupcake arrangement

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February 2015 / The South Coast Insider

For Valentine’s Day, White creates a rose bouquet featuring eight cupcakes beautifully embellished with dazzling roses made from vanilla buttercream that can be tinted bright red, pink, or any other color.

“I do more cupcakes than anything else,” White reveals, adding that heart-shaped sugar cookies sprinkled with colored sugar and embellished with romantic messages such as “I love you” are also popular during this festive time of year.

The baker, who earned an associate’s degree in Baking and Pastry Arts from Bristol Community College in 2008, says that chocolate remains the most popular flavor when customers order baked treats.

White adds that cupcakes are also becoming a popular wedding dessert.

“So many people are starting to have cupcake towers,” she says, adding that these large decorative stands often offer many choices for guests to select from and enjoy.

On Valentine’s Day, White and her husband Richmond spend a quiet evening at home with their two children, Ella, age 4, and Zack, age 2.

The talented baker whips up a batch of her husband’s favorite cookie—chocolate chip – and the children help their mother

bake and decorate heart-shaped sugar cookies.

At New Boston Bakery in Fall River, owner and baker Jim Souza says that customers flock to the patisserie to purchase chocolate covered strawberries for their loved ones on Valentine’s Day. “Anything pink, red, or heart shaped is also popular,” Souza shares, adding that for Cupid’s celebration, the bakery offers several special treats including sugar cookie hearts with pink frosting, brownies embellished with pink rosebuds, or sprinkled with granulated sugar and drizzled with chocolate, heart-shaped Linzer Torte cookies and strawberry cream turnovers.

A lovely brunch

New this year at New Boston Bakery will be a Valentine’s Brunch, set for Saturday, Feb. 14, from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Although the eatery is usually closed on Saturdays, Souza says he decided to offer the brunch to give loyal customers and new visitors a chance to begin the special day with a little celebration.

The menu will include a ham, egg, and cheese croissant, French toast served with a praline topping and Irish sausages, various paninis, berry scones, lemon raspberry muffins, and much more.

For folks seeking to tantalize their beloved’s taste buds with a simple yet delightful dessert, Sara Mydlock, owner of Liv a Little Chocolate Nachos

in Rochester, says a scoop or two of ice cream garnished with crumbled dessert nachos is a spectacular dessert that will please folks of all ages.

Mydlock got the idea for her two-year-old company after bringing platters of he treats to family gatherings.

“People would rave about them,” she remembers. “They’d be the first dessert gone.”

Each nacho is about the size of a small pizza slice.

“The base is light and crunchy with an enticing cinnamon flavor,” the entrepreneur explains, adding that the nachos are hand dipped in rich chocolate and are available plain or generously garnished with various toppings such as toffee, pecans, coconut, or crushed peppermint candies, and all are finished with a drizzle of white chocolate.

To learn more about the dessert nachos, visit www.livalittlenachos.com.

While individuals who are gluten-intolerant once had to forego luscious Valentine’s Day desserts, they can now indulge in decadent brownies, cookies, and other treats, thanks to Duke’s Variety and Bakery in Fall River, the city’s only gluten-free bakery.

Owners Chris Golden and Dorry Silva pull out all the stops on Valentine’s Day, offering a vast selection of gluten-free treats including chocolatecovered strawberries, a heart-shaped cheesecake, heart-shaped cookie bouquets, and a complete gluten-free dinner package that features chicken Parmesan, pasta, and a festive heart-shaped chocolate cake.

At the Mattapoisett Inn, located in the town that lends the cozy bed and breakfast its name, owner Deanne Girouard plans a very special Valentine’s celebration for her guests.

White roses are placed in guests’ rooms, accompanied by a bottle of chilled champagne, fresh strawberries and tantalizing Belgian chocolates.

“The guests typically enjoy their champagne and strawberries by the fireplace prior to dining out,” the innkeeper shares.

Girouard adds that the favored Valentine breakfast is heart-shaped banana-pecan waffles drizzled with rum raisin syrup and served with seasonal fresh fruits, French scrambled eggs with tarragon, crisp bacon, juice, coffee or tea.

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Mattapoisett Inn Valentine’s Day Waffles Ingredients:

½ cup raisins n ½ cup dark rum n 2 cups pure maple syrup n 2¼ cups all-purpose flour n ½ tsp. baking powder n ½ tsp. baking soda n ½ tsp. salt n ¼ cup packed brown sugar n ½ cup chopped pecans n 3 eggs, separated n 2-2½ cups buttermilk n 6 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted n 2 very ripe bananas, peeled and pureed n

Directions:

Soak the raisins in the rum for 30 minutes. In a small saucepan, bring the maple syrup to a simmer, add the raisins and rum and stir to combine.

Keep warm.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl and stir in the pecans.

In another mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks and add the buttermilk, butter, and banana purée. Stir in the dry ingredients just until moistened.

In a separate mixing bowl, whip the egg whites into stiff peaks and fold into the batter.

Pour the batter onto a hot waffle iron and cook until golden brown but still moist inside, about 4-5 minutes. Serve with the warm rum raisin syrup.

Serves 6-8. Bon Appétit!

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The South Coast Insider / February 2015

17

your health

Avalon Medical Spa

Breathing in sync

by Dan Brulé

Do you know about “heart rate variability?” This refers to the heart’s natural tendency to speed up and slow down with each breath. It is a sign of heart health, and overall wellbeing.

W

hen you inhale, you speed up your heart rate by stimulating the sympathetic branch of your nervous system; when you exhale, you slow your heart down by stimulating the parasympathetic branch.

Heart rate variability is linked to longevity, and it is inversely proportional to stress. The more stressed you are, the less your heart speeds up and slows down with every breath. The less stressed you are, the greater the range of heart rate variability.

Normally when we take someone’s pulse, we measure it in beats per minute, and we assume it is beating in a steady rhythm. However, when we measure the heart rate in milliseconds, we find that the time between two heartbeats is never the same. At that level, there is no such thing as a “regular” heartbeat or a “steady rhythm!”

Imagine a tennis player waiting for her opponent’s serve. She doesn’t take a solid stance, and she doesn’t move in a predictable direction or in repetitive ways—she keeps moving, jumping, randomly shifting from one foot to the other. This is how she remains ready to respond in any direction at any time.

A healthy heart is always adjusting to the internal and external environment. A healthy heart is resilient, responsive, adaptable, alive. So don’t worry and don’t be nervous if you notice your heart speeding up or slowing down. It is doing its job; it is serving you. Thank it for being so alive and responsive!

One of the amazing things about the heart is that it generates electromagnetic energy—an electromagnetic field—and its field is 500 times more powerful than that of the brain! The heart is like a

18

February 2015 / The South Coast Insider

radio transmitter, and the energy it generates can be easily measured from 50 feet away.

Regulate your breathing

We can create what is known as “heart coherence” by breathing at a rate of six breaths per minute for as little as five minutes.

Six breaths per minute is called a resonant frequency, because it matches the natural frequency of the heart, lungs, and aorta—the cardio-pulmonary system.

Heart coherence refers to the continuous fluctuations in the heart rate. It is associated with a positive state or mood—a feeling of inner balance and centeredness—alert yet relaxed, energized yet calm.

There are a number of ways to create heart coherence. There are cognitive methods—for example, visualization. When we imagine or remember a pleasant event or a wonderful experience, the heart tends toward coherence.

There are emotional methods. When you

generate feelings like love and affection, compassion, goodwill, gratitude, etc., you create heart coherence.

There are evocation methods: we can repeat affirmations, declarations, positive verbal statements, prayers, mantras, and so on.

However, the quickest and most effective way to guarantee heart coherence is through conscious breathing. Paced breathing at 6 beats per minute (BPM) automatically creates heart coherence. Six breaths per minute means a five second inhale and a five second exhale.

Studies show that just five minutes of paced breathing at a rate of six breaths per minute, three times per day can reduce heart rate, blood pressure, and cortisol levels (that’s the stress hormone) by up to 20%!

A daily practice of conscious breathing comes with a guaranteed promise of higher levels of fitness and performance, and a healthier heart and a longer life. So start today!

Heart rate glossary

Heart rate variability is the ability of the heart to accelerate and decelerate in relation to changes in your internal and external environment. The range of this variability reflects your capacity to adapt to change and cope with change.

Heart chaos is the normal state of the heart rate variability curve. The heart accelerates and decel-

erates in a seemingly random fashion as it adapts moment to moment to our internal and external environment.

Heart coherence is a specific state of increased heart rate variability induced by paced breathing.

It represents inner harmony and balance, and it results in many beneficial effects on health and wellbeing.

Heart resonance is a specific state of heart coherence attained when breathing consciously and deeply at a frequency of six times a minute (0.1 Hz).

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How to do it

You are taking conscious control of an involuntary part of yourself. Your breathing practice should be a daily ritual, like showering or brushing your teeth.

Create a conscious intention before each session.

State it as an affirmation, an assertion, a command or a prayer. For example: “I am strengthening my ability to survive and thrive till I’m a hundred and five!” Or, “May every breath make me stronger, healthier, and more alive!”

Sit straight and strong, but relaxed and at ease.

It’s easier to breathe fully and freely, and to create heart coherence if you are sitting or standing upright.

Do your first five-minute practice session as soon as you wake up in the morning, before doing anything else—especially before drinking coffee or having breakfast. This is the most important session of the day.

Do your second five-minute session about four hours later, just before lunch. This pre-midday session clears away stress, and rebalances the nervous system after a hectic morning. It also prepares your system for digestion, and it helps prevent afternoon drowsiness, sleep urges, or “crashing.”

Do your third session at the end of your workday, perhaps in your car after your drive home, or do it before starting your evening. Practice breathing six breaths per minute for five minutes to help you shift from work mode to family life.

On especially long or busy days, you can add one more session, perhaps an hour before sleeping (for example, at 10p.m.) Breathe in for five seconds through your nose, focusing on sending the breath low into your belly. It’s okay to breathe in through your mouth if that feels more comfortable, interesting, or enjoyable. Breathe out for five seconds, perhaps through pursed lips as if you are blowing through a straw to make

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bubbles in your drink, or by making a “shhhh” sound. Some people like to hum on the exhale.

Do what feels comfortable or enjoyable.

When you make your in-breaths and out -breaths last for five seconds each (with barely-perceptible pause between them), you create frequency resonance and heart coherence.

When you practice, be fully mindful of each breath. Focus one hundred percent on the subtle sensations of breathing. This is how we access our unconscious autonomic system and take control of so-called involuntary patterns.

To reinforce the signal, focus on your heart (you can even put your hand(s) over your heart). Focus on positive emotions, wonderful images, and positive intentions.

Use the “shhhh” sound on the exhale, or purse your lips as if blowing thru a straw to make bubbles in your drink.

Do one or two minutes of practice before an important meeting or activity, to calm and focus yourself, to prepare physiologically. Do it when you become emotionally upset or offended. Use it when you lose your cool!

Breathing at resonant frequency not only helps you, it also influences the hearts of those who are close to you. Practice it when your children become agitated, try it when your baby cries, or when your spouse is angry, upset, or in pain.

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Remember the formula

4 3 times per day 4 6 breaths per minute 4 5 minutes practice duration The South Coast Insider / February 2015

19

your health

How to be heart-healthy February is National Heart Health Month—so what are you doing about it?

BY Elizabeth Morse Read Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the United States. One in every three deaths (more than 2,000 men and women every day) is caused by cardiac disease, strokes and high blood pressure. CVD is also the leading cause of disability in America, costing over $300 billion in health care costs, medications and lost productivity.

CVD is closely linked to obesity, diabetes, kidney disease and a host of other preventable maladies.

Many of these deaths and related disabilities could be prevented or made manageable by making simple changes in diet, lifestyle habits, and getting regular medical care. Some people may be born with a higher

20

risk of CVD because of their genetic profile, but cardiovascular disease doesn’t just develop overnight. All the warning signs are there as we go through life, and if we ignore them, we do so at our peril. [see sidebar]

The silent killer

High blood pressure (aka HBP or hypertension) is called the “silent killer” because you don’t notice it outwardly like you would a rash or a sudden pain. But if it’s left undetected, it can eventually contribute to early death or disability. Blood pressure is, basically, the force of the blood pushing against the inner walls of your arteries once it’s pumped out by the heart. If the pressure is too high

February 2015 / The South Coast Insider

over the years, it can cause damage to your heart and blood vessels, eyes, brain and other internal organs. High blood pressure can be caused by bad genes, too much stress, too much sodium, and/or arteries already narrowed by cholesterol sludge. But if left untreated, hypertension can lead to strokes, blindness, heart attacks, kidney disease and blindness.

Almost half of adult AfricanAmericans have some form of CVD, and 40% have high blood pressure. According to the American Heart Association, only half of the 78,000,000 Americans with high blood pressure are controlling it properly, leaving them at high risk of strokes, blindness, heart attacks,

kidney failure and a whole lot of unnecessary misery. Get your blood pressure measured regularly, and if your doctor prescribes HBP medication, take it religiously – don’t stop taking it just because you don’t “feel sick.” Getting your blood pressure under control is the most important step you can take to becoming heart-healthy.

And when you get your blood pressure checked, be proactive and ask your doctor if you should be taking a 325 mg aspirin every day. Take responsibility for your heart health by making better eating choices, maintaining a healthy weight, staying active, not smoking (including second-hand smoke), and finding ways

to reduce stress in your life.

Eat your way to heart-healthy

The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) Diet is a flexible and balanced diet that reduces blood pressure, improves blood cholesterol levels and decreases your risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

It doesn’t require any special foods or going to meetings or buying expensive gadgets. By making slow, incremental changes to your current diet, you can eliminate foods that are unhealthy, gradually lose weight, and start feeling a lot better every day.

The DASH Diet emphasizes fruits, vegetables and whole grains; avoids saturated/trans fats, salt and sugars; and introduces more healthy protein foods and unprocessed (fresh/raw) foods rich in potassium, calcium, magnesium and fiber. (For more info on healthier food choices, go to www. choosemyplate.gov.)

Don’t pass the salt

and/or of African-American descent, you need to pass on excess salt. Most of the excess sodium we ingest every day comes from processed foods (i.e., anything in a can, box, bag, jar or bottle), so cook your own food from fresh ingredients, and don’t eat/drink junk. If you use canned vegetables or beans, rinse them first to wash off the added salt. Always buy “no added salt” and low-sodium processed products. Just read the labels.

You can also eat more potassium-rich foods (e.g., bananas, coconut water, potatoes, dark leafy greens, oily fish, mushrooms and white beans) to counter-balance the excess sodium and thereby help lower your blood pressure. But don’t waste your money on potassium supplements – eat the real thing.

Hear your arteries hardening?

You also need to decrease the amount of trans or saturated fats in your diet – foods high in bad LDL cholesterol, like butter/lard, crispy chicken skins, shrimp, or juicy bacon cheeseburgers. Stay away from deep-fried anything, whole-milk dairy products, or anything that’s “rich-and-creamy.”

Limit the amount of meat protein you eat – choose lean white meat or fish over beef; choose beans, eggs or plant proteins like tofu and peanut butter over meat products. Eat more cholesterol-lowering foods like oatmeal, whole-grain breads and brown rice. Small changes in your diet can greatly reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

To make it easier on yourself, focus on what you should eat, rather on what you should not eat, and make the changes gradually – add an extra serving of fruit and vegetables, switch from bagged popcorn to make-yourown, choose home-broiled chicken over KFC.

Have you ever eaten something – say, take-out food or a whole bag of salt-and-vinegar chips – and your heart starts thumping wildly a few minutes later? That’s because the sudden overdose of salt (sodium) has raised your blood pressure. Read the nutrition label on everything you buy – if the sodium content is over 20% DV (daily value), it’s a dangerously-high-sodium product – find a lowersodium alternative (5% is considered low-sodium). What you eat is what you will become.

Sodium (aka salt) is an essential ingredient in our body’s blood chemistry. Without it, we would die; but ingesting too much of it can make you very sick. A pinch of salt here and there won’t kill you, but all the piledon salt in processed foods will, over time. A daily intake of 2,300 mg of sodium is more than enough for the average healthy/active American adult, The Battle of the Bulge and 1500-1800 mg is recommended Too many people make New Year’s for just about everyone else. resolutions to lose weight and “get If you already have high blood fit,” and then they go about it in ways pressure, diabetes or kidney disease, that are faddishly ineffective and Maureen you need to strictly limit your dailyTenn and downright silly. The goal of weight Pam Cohen smile in intake of salt/sodium. Likewise, if you their shiny shop are overweight, over 50 years old Continued ON NEXT PAGE

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The South Coast Insider / February 2015

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Continued FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

loss should not be to fit into your high school prom gown or to develop chick-magnet abs. If you eat healthy, live healthy and think sanely, you will not be overweight. You cannot “spot-remove” an unsightly sag, bulge or flabby body part by going to a gym or by subsisting on grapefruit and granola bars.

Being overweight is much more life-threatening because of what it does to your internal body, especially your cardiovascular system. If you think your outer body is in bad shape, then it’s a major clue that your inner body is in even worse shape. If there’s unsightly flab on the outside of you, then there’s unhealthy flab on the inside, too.

Stop worrying about whether that cheesecake will go straight to your thighs – it’s going to go straight to your heart and your brain and everywhere else inside you – and the collective damage will build up inside you over time. Muffin-tops, “middle-age spread,” moobies, love-handles and beer bellies are simply outward manifestations of what’s been going on in your heart and arteries ever since you fell off the healthy/sane-living wagon, folks.

Watch your waistline!

Despite all the historical “weightloss” hoopla, some studies are now

indicating that the ratio of your waist-to-hip measurement is a much better predictor of your cardiovascular health than is your weight or BMI (body mass index). In other words, your waistline circumference should never be larger than your hips, whether you’re male or female (and pregnancy doesn’t count), tall or short, young or old. The risk of developing obesity-related illnesses like high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease has been linked to waist-sizes over 40 inches in men, 35

Whether it’s final exams or a credit crunch or a jerk-of-a-boss, getting stressed-out triggers a “fight-orflight” biochemical response that elevates your blood pressure. Tension headaches, palpitations, dry-mouth, jitters – unmanaged stress floods our blood stream with chemicals like adrenaline (epinephrine), cortisol and norepinephrine. But if you get caught in an endless gerbil-loop of daily stress, you’re headed for anxiety, depression, cardiovascular disease, weight gain and poor sleep.

Sensory overload will stress you out, too– so tune out the “noise” in your life.

Turn off all the electronics, refuse to be pulled away by interruptions, and don’t try to accomplish twenty things at once. inches in women. If you’re big-boned with a relatively-trim waistline, then you’re probably in a lot better cardiovascular shape than the beer-bellied mope who lifts weights at the gym.

Who ya gonna call?

Stress-busters!

If you’re really serious about taking care of your heart and health, you need to dial back on the unnecessary stress in your life. You can’t totally eliminate stress, but you can learn how to handle it more wisely.

Sensory overload will stress you out, too – so tune out the “noise” in your life. Turn off all the electronics, refuse to be pulled away by interruptions, and don’t try to accomplish twenty things at once. Set more realistic goals – “Type A” workaholic behavior and non-stop multi-tasking will make you a prime candidate for cardiovascular disease.

Get your life in order and learn to prioritize and delegate. Concentrate on one-task-at-a-time instead of always feeling overwhelmed by

someone else’s distractions and tantrums.

Incorporate personal “down time” away from the madding crowd every day, whether it’s by meditating, walking the dog, taking a nap, reading a book, going for a swim or cuddling up with a significant other.

Find simple ways to counter those stress hormones in your bloodstream by kick-starting your body’s production of natural endorphins, the so-called “happy hormones.” If you engage in regular exercise, you’ll recognize this “happy hormone” biochemical response as a “runner’s high.” Most important, give your cardiovascular system a much-needed break every day – get a good night’s sleep.

If you have a sense of humor, you tend to feel less stressed-out – smiling and laughing triggers the release of your body’s endorphins, like serotonin and dopamine. Certain aromas, like vanilla or lavender, can make you feel more relaxed. Physical contact releases “I-feel-good” endorphins – hugging your kids, petting your cat, or shaking someone’s hand instantly relaxes you. And more good news: nibbling on dark chocolate is a scientifically-proven powerful antidote for stress.

February is National Heart Month.

What are you going to do about it now?

A cautionary tale of arteriosclerosis

I have advanced arteriosclerosis (aka “hardening of the arteries”), a nasty whack-a-mole of a cardiovascular disease that I didn’t realize I had until I suddenly went blind in my right eye a few years ago (neo-vascular glaucoma). If I’d known back in the day what I know now, it might not have happened to me, or at least maybe not happened so soon.

Yeah, yeah, I was told I had unusually high blood pressure when I only 18 years old. Yeah, my mother died of arteriosclerosis twelve years later, after five years on dialysis. Yeah, I had gestational diabetes every time I got pregnant, and was told I needed to watch my cholesterol levels. Yeah, I smoked and partied and was always on the chubby side. Yeah, I was on a perpetual career

22

February 2015 / The South Coast Insider

fast-track, didn’t like fruits-and-veggies and was always too busy to go to the doctor for myself. And, oh yeah, I was totally bewildered when I had to have an emergency cardiac catheterization when my youngest child was only two years old.

Somehow, I had never connected all those flashing red dots along the way—they had all just seemed so random and unrelated. It wasn’t until my eye doctor said I needed an immediate ultrasound on my carotid arteries that I finally “saw the light” (through one eye) – my right carotid was 90+% blocked, and I’d had a “mini-stroke” (aka a transient ischemic attack or TIA). I had arteriosclerosis – big time.

So, yeah, I may have been dealt a bad genetic hand, but, like a lot of people, I obviously did not

play my health-and-lifestyle cards very well, either.

Pay attention to all those flashing red dots. Duh.

Stages of arteriosclerosis

your health

Healing hearts near home

By SEAN McCARTHY

You’re having heart problems. It’s serious. And the thought of traveling to Boston back and forth could send your pulse even higher.

B

ut when Southcoast Health opens the doors to the Harold and Virginia Lash Heart and Vascular Center at Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River this fall, many South Coast residents will have a lot less to worry about.

Southcoast Health could do your heart good.

Literally.

“This is cutting edge, excellent care for the South Coast,” says Dr. Adam Saltzman, Southcoast Health Medical Director of the Structural Heart Disease Program and Cardiac Catheterization Lab. “I’m very excited. This is a great thing for the community.

Southcoast Hospitals is making a huge investment in how it cares for its patients. More, now than ever before, people can stay local for care.”

The majority of patients will be from the South Coast, making it easier for families and friends to visit them.

The unique feature of the Lash Center is the hybrid operating room, a surgical theatre equipped with advanced medical imaging devices that enables minimally-invasive surgery while bringing together doctors of different disciplines in the same space. This operating room of the future allows Southcoast Health to combine in one space several procedures currently performed as individual operations.

“The beauty of this new hybrid OR is that as cardiovascular procedures are moving towards less invasive techniques, it allows a combination of a truly state-of-the-art cardiac catheterization lab with complex imaging techniques and a state-of-the-art operating room,” says Dr. Margaret Ferrell, Physician in Chief of Southcoast Health’s Cardiovascular Care Center.

This new operating room will be used exclusively for inpatients and is designed for a range of

cardiovascular procedure applications, including Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) technology. TAVR is a highly-specialized valve replacement surgery that eliminates the need for open-heart surgery and gives new hope and relief from pain to high-risk patients with heart valve disease. Charlton Memorial Hospital is the only community hospital offering this procedure in Massachusetts.

The Lash Center will cost approximately $9.5 million to complete. It will have multiple floors and spans 6,700 square feet. It is being funded by the Harold and Virginia Lash Trust, The Auxiliary of

Charlton Memorial Hospital and the Oliver S. and Jennie R. Donaldson Charitable Trust.

It is this type of investment in its patients that has helped Southcoast Health to be recognized

by Healthgrades as one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Cardiac Care, Cardiac Surgery and Pulmonary Care. The Joint Commission also recently named the organization a 2013 Top Performer on Key Quality Measures for its performances in heart attack and heart failure—the only healthcare system on the South Coast, Cape Cod and Islands, and Plymouth to earn this recognition.

Dr. Adam Saltzman

The South Coast Insider / February 2015

23

BOOK PICKS

BY LAURA LATOUR / Partners Village Store

Love is in the air... or is that snow? Either way, February is a great month to cozy up with a good book and live vicariously through its characters until the weather clears. Here are a few new and notable books that may put you in the mood for love this Valentine season.

Gooseberry Island

by Steven Manchester Published by Story Plant paperback, $13.95

The Remedy for Love

by Bill Roorbach Published by Algonquin Books hardcover, $24.95

Us

by David Nicholls Published by Harper hardcover, $26.99

Author Steven Manchester grew up in Westport, Massachusetts and names his latest novel after one of the town’s most notable geographic landmarks.

A veteran of the first Afghan War, Manchester uses his own experiences to write about a young soldier going off to war.

David McClain falls in love with Lindsey Wood on the night of his going-away party—not the best timing for either of them. The two do their best to stay in close contact during the war, but war changes a person. When David comes home, very little has the same meaning that it had before—including the romance that had sustained him. Is love truly unconquerable, or will it prove to be just another battlefield casualty?

This is a surprisingly sweet novel, with an informative message about PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.) Manchester handles this hot-button topic with a light touch, interweaving its devastating effects into both of the main characters lives.

Gooseberry Island is a romantic tear-jerker that will leave the reader questioning our nation’s treatment of our returning veterans as well as renewing our faith in the power of love.

Not your typical love story, The Remedy for Love is set in a snowed-in cabin in Maine and is as much a wilderness survival tale as it is a burgeoning romance between two very flawed characters.

Eric is a pro-bono lawyer who feels “a moral tug” when he meets a seemingly homeless woman named Danielle. Eric feels responsible for her, so he buys her groceries and carries them to her cabin in the woods. When a snowstorm begins to shut down the roads and blanket the town in white, Eric returns to the cabin and, in no time, the two are locked inside as the snow piles higher. As the temperature outside drops, a spark ignites between the two inside.

Both characters in The Remedy for Love are deeply flawed, and the reader is drawn into the snarl of their tangled emotional lives. Roorbach does as amazing job teasing out the thread of mystery that surrounds the enigmatic Danielle. But she is not the only one with secrets, as Eric soon realizes that he has been keeping secrets from himself about his own failed marriage. A page-turner with snappy dialog, this love story will warm your heart and ignite your imagination.

Douglas Petersen may be mild-mannered, but behind his reserve lies a sense of humor that, against all odds, seduces the beautiful Connie into marriage. Now, almost three decades after their relationship first blossomed in London, they live in the suburbs with their moody seventeen-year-old son, Albie. Then Connie tells Douglas that she thinks she wants a divorce.

The timing couldn’t be worse. Hoping to encourage her son’s artistic interests, Connie has planned a month-long tour of European capitals, a chance to experience the world’s greatest works of art as a family, and she can’t bring herself to cancel.

Douglas is privately convinced that this landmark trip will rekindle the romance in the marriage, and might even help him to bond with Albie. Will this summer be his last as a husband, or the moment when he turns his marriage, and maybe even his whole life, around?

Says the Washington Post, “Nicholls is a delightfully funny writer… and this over-planned vacation makes ripe material for comedy… Us evolves into a poignant consideration of how a marriage ages, how parents mess up and what survives despite all those challenges.”

24

February 2015 / The South Coast Insider

Can you spend one morning or evening a week helping adult students learn to speak English or to improve basic reading, writing, or math skills?

For more information call Dr. Michael Gauthier, Volunteer Facilitator

(508)997-4511 x2419 The Rosie Project

by Graeme Simsion Simon & Schuster, $15.99

Eleanor & Park

by Rainbow Rowell St. Martin’s Griffin, $18.99

The Rosie Project is a delightful and surprisingly funny twist on the boy-meets-girl genre. Meet Don Tillman, a brilliant yet socially inept (and possibly Asperger’s inflicted) professor of genetics. Don has decided it’s time he found a wife. In the orderly, evidence-based manner with which Don approaches all things, he creates “The Wife Project” in order to find his perfect partner: a sixteen-page survey designed to filter out the drinkers, the smokers, and the late arrivers.

Rosie Jarman fails Don’s test spectacularly, and Don easily disqualifies her as a candidate for matrimony. However, Don is intrigued by Rosie’s own quest to identify her biological father. When an unlikely relationship develops as they collaborate on “The Father Project,” Don is forced to confront the uncomfortable feelings that Rosie sparks and the realization that, despite your best scientific efforts, you don’t find love – it finds you.

“Filled with humor and plenty of heart, The Rosie Project is a delightful reminder that all of us, no matter how we’re wired, just want to fit in” (Chicago Tribune).

Published as a teen novel, Eleanor & Park appeals to anyone, of any age, who remembers the heartbreak of their first love. Set in 1986, a time when professing your true love meant making a painstaking and well thought-out mixed tape (both A and B-sides), this novel is one of the best misfitmeets-misfit love stories of all time.

Eleanor is a large-boned, red-headed new-girlin-school and Park, a half-Korean, quiet outsider who expresses his passion in music and comic books. Eleanor lives in poverty, in a threatening environment, made more so by her alcoholic stepfather. Park feels like an outsider both at school and at home where he is the geeky bookworm in a family full of athletes. But, both are brave enough to defy their families expectations and fall in love.

After a rocky start, the two bond over a shared love of comics and alternative music and soon spark a romance filled with witty exchanges, and shared empathy over their dysfunctional families. Do not let the cute cover and “for teen” genre deter you from experiencing this sharp, brave and ultimately heart-wrenching story—just like real first love.

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25

COVER STORY

Exterior 3D model shot of the Swansea Beach Pavilion.

Swansea Beach Re vitaliz ation Projec t

BY Jay Pateakos

How a town is bringing its waterfront back to life

Driving down Ocean Grove Avenue along the Swansea town beach area is like stepping into a “Twilight Zone” episode.

W

hat was once a vibrant beach now has little sand. A once-proud amusement park sees little to promote to out-of-towners.

The old Bluff’s building, once a bustle of activity that included a dance hall, bowling alley, and a senior center, is long condemned, and could collapse at any moment.

The town has debated the future of arguably its most prized, yet buried asset for many, many years. Is the location even fixable? With finances struggling, do residents even want to fund anything at the site? Can anyone, besides maybe the few that lived through the beach’s heyday, envision a future for the waterfront site?

26

February 2015 / The South Coast Insider

Faced with these questions, the town has trudged forward, never giving up on bringing back what was a waterfront dream for many.

Last year, in the first step towards what could be a bright future for the Swansea Town Beach and the adjacent neighborhood, Fairhaven-based Stephen Kelleher Architects, Inc. was charged with doing a master plan of the existing town beach property.

Finally, a concrete plan was in place and some of the parts were moving ahead. Kelleher’s group compiled a team to put together a plan for the site that included the necessary demolition of the existing building, the design of a new facility that officials hope will bring back the splendor of

yesteryear, and the rejuvenation of a beach that residents last saw more than a decade ago.

The plan for the beach re-nourishment, according to Kelleher, is to dredge the channel at the Cole River to replace the sand that Mount Hope Bay has unceremoniously taken from the Swansea beach. Permitting and plans are underway with CLE Engineering of Marion as the lead for that portion of Kellehers team.

For the new building plans, they will include not only a new, railroad-style building but also new boardwalks and a shade shelter with a raised parking lot for up to 175 cars that will improve the sight-lines for the stunning sunsets and vistas not viewable from the

current sunken lots.

There will also be a new playground built on the site with a slide down to the beach and new landscaping throughout the 9-acre site that will be provided by Landscape Architects, Dodson and Flinker. The new building, with a classic train station motif that brings the area back to the days of the late 1800’s and early 1900’s when the site was once a stop along the East Providence to Fall River rail, will include a 300-seat, 6,000-square-foot pavilion with a stage that could be used for special events and weddings with great views down the length of Mount Hope Bay. A new concession stand is also planned with inside and outside seating, as well as new bathroom facilities,

the plan through the final construction, including buildings and boardwalks. Kelleher said they are hoping to have the entire project done by June 1st, 2016 if all goes according to plan.

“This basically gets this beach back to the days of the 1920s and 1930s before the Hurricane of 1938 wiped it out,” said Kelleher, who knows a thing or two about revitalizing beaches with his company’s work on bringing Horseneck Beach back from the brink of forty years of decay in 2008, a $5 million dollar project that included new bathhouses, a central facility, new boardwalks, and shade shelters.

“We want to make the Swansea Town Beach one of the premier beaches of the South Coast.”

Chris Sampson, a member of the

“We want to make the Swansea Town Beach one of the premier beaches of the South Coast.” lifeguard stations, outdoor showers and foot rinses, and more.

Kelleher said the dredging aims to replenish a half a mile of beach, something that was approved at the most recent Swansea Special Town Meeting to the tune of $1.15 million – $820,000 for the dredging and the rest for project permitting and design work, is a long time coming.

Next up (likely at the 2015 Fall Town Meeting, though there’s some hope that it can be ready for the Spring Town Meeting) is the question of the $4.8 million in funding that will take

Swansea’s Waterfront Revitalization Committee said as part of the Coastal Zone Management two year plan, the beach will not only get renourished, but a jetty or groyne will also be studied for the beach that may allow the newly-dredged sand to be stabilized on the beach and to stay where it is instead of journeying out to sea like it’s done for more than a decade.

“Let’s get the dredging going, apply for the permits needed and give the people back the beach again. Right

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Rendering of Swansea Beach pier.

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February 2015 / The South Coast Insider

Continued FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

now the beach goes out about five feet but this will bring it out about 50 feet,” said Sampson. That would provide a half a mile of useable beach.

“This will bring back new attention to the beach and create economic development by helping to create activity down there for all four seasons.”

Board of Selectmen Chairman Kenneth Furtado, who also chairs the Waterfront Revitalization Committee, said he hopes to see some funding assistance from both the state and federal government for all the work that will be done on and around the public beach.

He said his hope is that a portion of the initial approval of $1.15 million will see some funding come from the federal and state governments. When the town last dredged to replenish the beach back in 1999, the town saw the feds contribute 50 percent and the state 25 percent of the final price tag.

Furtado said he’s heard that federal funds may be available but the state’s assistance is murkier. The second part of the project, which totals $4.8 million, includes $1.6 million for demolition of the existing building and new elevation of the parking lot up about 2

“We need to promote our assets, bring more people to town and give them a better experience when they do come here.” feet along with new boardwalks. The remaining $2.7 million is for the construction of the buildings, open shade area and children’s playground, landscaping, and other amenities.

It was not clear yet what kind of assistance the town could get for that phase.

Furtado said the Waterfront Revitalization Committee has been meeting for more than two years now, and have conducted dozens of hours of research into other seaside communities like Swansea, noting what these communities have and what worked there and what didn’t.

“The research only made us realize more what a gem we have here,” said Furtado, “that long stretches of beach like we have don’t occur in Southeastern Massachusetts and to not take action here would be a crime.”

Furtado said the problem, mostly

Interior 3D model of the Swansea Beach Pavilion.

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EldersFirst, Fall River because that part of town has been on life support for so many years now, is that many residents don’t consider the town to be a beachfront community at all, something that needs to change, along with the perceptions of people traveling through Swansea, who don’t think of Swansea when it comes to beautiful waterfronts or beaches.

“We need to promote our assets, bring more people to town and give them a better experience when they do come here,” said Furtado. “This is something that’s 15 years overdue and there’s very little beach left. Let’s face it – to be a beachfront community, you have to have a beach.”

Furtado said once the beach is renourished and the buildings are constructed, Swansea will have stateof-the-art facilities and offerings to attract residents in and around Swansea to rediscover what was once a destination for many.

“We don’t offer that much in terms of recreation in this town and I am looking forward to offering much more going forward,” said Furtado. “With what we have planned – the buildings and outdoor pavilion – there’s no limit to what we can do there.”

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29

BUSINESS BUZZ

Bring technology to your town hall

by Ross Perry

Have you purchased goods and services on the Internet? Have you paid for these items online? If you are like most people, the answer is “Yes, for several years this has been an easy and convenient solution.”

It’s time this convenience is extended to items “purchased” from city and town halls i.e. permits and licenses.

Many permits and licenses only require the completion of an application and payment of a fee.

Why require a trip (many permits require two or more trips) to the city/town hall to accomplish these tasks, when they could be completed at home, at your convenience via the Internet? Digitizing the permit (e-Permit) process has a number of benefits: n Submit applications permits and licenses without visiting city/town hall.

Request or reschedule an inspection online.

n

Faster turnaround and more efficient permit processing.

n

Attach and view plans, notes, and pictures directly from the electronic file.

n

Easy retrieval of application history and generation of reports.

n

Integration with GIS maps.

n

Automatically generate renewal applications

n

30

February 2015 / The South Coast Insider

Along with the more obvious benefits of more efficient municipal operations, there is an environmental benefit resulting from the use of e-Permitting systems:

Less paper used means fewer trees to be cut, and less paper to be filed or thrown away.

n

Electronic access to municipal departments means fewer vehicle trips. After deploying an e-Permit system, Connecticut’s Capital Region Council of Governments estimates a reduction of 111,000 miles driven and 98,000 kg of CO2 per year.

n

There are numerous advantages to online permitting. The license/ permitting issuing department may not be open when you arrive due to staff lunch breaks, reduced operational and or summer hours, and temporary closings due to staff call-outs (Fire Dept calls, Inspections etc.) However, the Internet is conveniently always available to complete online permitting requests. Online permitting is a “winwin” for both parties; staff is more productive due to fewer phone calls and walk-in interruptions and residents can obtain their permits 24-7 in the convenience of their homes. There are commercial

solutions that can streamline the entire permitting process. Studies have shown a typical building permit using the traditional ‘manual’ process can take ten days from application to issuance.

Common permits

Title V Inspection and Perc tests Gas, Electric, and Plumbing n Home additions and renovations n Occupancy n Wood stove and fireplace n Smoke and Carbon Dioxide inspections n Shellfish n Burning n Dump stickers n Beach stickers n n

Common licenses Dog Alcohol (including renewals) n Food service and restaurants n Class I, II, III used car dealer n n

The same permit handled electronically can be processed in two days. The issuing department still has full control and review of the electronically submitted application.

E-Permitting enables all departments and officials involved in the permitting process to review comments from other departments. The applicant can check and follow their process online, thus eliminating another trip or phone call to the permitting department.

These e-Permitting solutions are not inexpensive.

A reasonable solution with the appropriate software modules could cost a medium sized town $50,000 plus annual licensing and maintenance cost.

However, investment in new technology can save money over the long term. SRPEDD can help lower these cost through group purchases by obtaining lower prices than a municipality may obtain on their own. We have successfully applied for grants to fund some or all of the startup cost for e-Permitting solutions. Some vendors offer their products on a fee basis instead of outright purchase. Each permit/ license processed via their system is charged a small fee paid by the applicant. Either way, communities have shown significant improvements in efficiency and customer service to justify the purchase price. Residents, contractors, and business owners appreciate the ease and convenience of obtaining their permit/license via e-Permitting and have easily accepted the added processing fee.

Avoiding just one trip to city/town hall usually saves them more time and money than the cost of the processing fee.

The tightening of municipal budgets is forcing governments to find better long-term solutions.

Departments will not be able to continually add staff as the number of residents and permits increase. They will have to find ways to do more with their current staff level. E-Permitting implementations can help improve operating efficiency and make it possible for government operations to be more sustainable.

Ask the Building, Health, and Fire Department in your community to join other communities and bring technology to their department. E-Permitting applications also exist for dog licenses, beach permits, burning permits, temporary tent and other frequently issued permits/licenses issued by the Selectmen, Town Clerk, and Recreation Department. It will benefit the applicants, taxpayers, and municipal employees.

SRPEDD is actively involved in supporting municipal efficiencies. For more information visit www.srpedd.org/municipal-partnerships-e-gov on e-Permitting.

Ross Perry is Director of Municipal Management at SRPEDD

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www.marinemuseumfr.org The South Coast Insider / February 2015

31

BUSINESS BUZZ

by Elizabeth Morse Read

Culture in the forecast

By Joyce Rowley

The winter weather may be unpredictable on the South Coast, but the recent award of nearly $200,000 in local cultural council grants from Swansea to Wareham guarantees that there’s a year of arts, entertainment, and excitement in the forecast.

Expect Kool Days “world beats” dur- grants from the National Endowment one of 10 cultural grant programs run

by MCC. Grants are based on populafor the Arts,” said Charlotte Cutter, ing April vacation by the City of New tion and property values. a program officer for MCC’s Local Bedford Community Services and Typically grants are small, on the Cultural Council program. MCC also a hot new Shakespeare on Vacation order of a few hundred dollars, but runs the Massachusetts Cultural in Wareham as the Buzzards Play communities such as New Bedford Facilities Fund in partnership with Productions, Inc. actors perform “A Midsummers Night Dream” in their second season next July.

Those are just two of hundreds of cultural activities on the South Coast that are made possible with assistance from the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC), a state agency supporting the arts, sciences, and humanities, to improve the quality of life in Massachusetts and its communities. It pursues its mission through grants, services, and advocacy for nonprofit cultural organizations, schools, communities, MassDevelopment. and Fall River are able to garner more This year, MCC has awarded a total and artists. of the grant funds and can grant of $2 million to 321 local cultural “MCC’s total budget for this fiscal larger amounts.

LaSalette Shrine will be celebrating its 61st year putting on its “Festival of Lights”, councils representing all 351 municBut although the City of New year is $13.5 million, which includes illuminating most of the South Coast with its massive 450,000 Christmas lights. ipalities through Cutter’s program, Bedford was awarded $70,145, it a $12 million state appropriation and

Typically grants are small, on the order of a few hundred dollars, but communities such as New Bedford and Fall River are able to garner more of the grant funds and can grant larger amounts.

32

February 2015 / The South Coast Insider

also had an overwhelming $170,000 in requests, said Jill Horton-Simms, chair of the New Bedford Cultural Council. Grants ranged from $45 to $2,800. “It was highly competitive, even with our strict guidelines. There were so many good applications, if we had more funds, we would have done even more.”

The long list of 70 recipients runs the gauntlet from digging up history at Brooklawn Park with an archaeological presentation on the Daniel Ricketson Shanty, a contemporary of Henry David Thoreau; the Teens Reach Beyond program at ArtWorks!/ New Bedford Art Museum, and New Bedford Open Studios day at local art studios.

“Our approach is that it must benefit the City of New Bedford first,” said Horton-Simms. She said that they also stress collaboration between groups such as the schools,

the museums, the theaters and individuals.

Horton-Simms says that the process starts with a community survey. “How can we best serve the community if we don’t have their input?” she asks.

In August each year, hardcopies of the Community Input Survey are made available at local libraries and city hall. It is also sent by email to all current and past grantees as well as organizations interested in participating. The council announces the survey on their Facebook page with a link to surveymonkey, an online survey website. The results of the survey are compiled to help with the fall applications for grants.

While New Bedford grants are less than $3,000, the Fall River Cultural Council focuses its $63,976 award on supporting the arts with 32 grants of up to $5,000. Two recipients, the Narrows Center for the Arts, Inc. and the Children’s Museum of Greater Fall River received the top amount.

Three others that received grants in excess of $4,000 were the Spindle City Ballet, Inc., for its production of Alice in Wonderland, the Boys & Girls Club of Fall River for their art program, and the Bristol Community College Foundation for its production of Robin Hood.

The third Gateway City’s cultural council in Wareham was able to combine past years’ unexpended funds and interest with their 2015 award into an $8,537 kitty. That made it possible to grant 14 projects up to $900.

Like several other communities, Wareham Cultural Council grants the local schools funding to have the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra’s school program “Learning In Concert.” But they also funded the Massachusetts Audubon South Coast Sanctuaries’ World Turtle Day and the newlyformed Wareham Minutemen and Militia, Inc. “The Minutemen and Militia, Inc. started last year during Wareham’s 275th anniversary,” said Ellen Ugi, chair of Wareham Cultural Council. “They’re continuing the

encampments and re-enactments that they did last year in Wareham statewide.”

Ugi noted that the uniforms and equipment needed to participate in re-enactments is expensive. Funding will help to offset those costs.

“We get input from the townspeople on what they think is important,” Ugi said. “Projects must benefit the culture of Wareham first.

It’s a plus if Wareham people are involved and if the activity is located in Wareham.”

“We look at what will have the biggest impact in the community and regionally, as well,” said Matthew Paquin, chair of the Somerset Local Cultural Council who uses the $5,808 to fund 15 grants. “We try to cover every part of the community. We serve the kindergarten through twelfth grade, but we look at the senior needs, too.”

That explains funding “The Marble Collection,” a popular literary high school level publication and the Somerset Historical Society’s “Beatlemania 1967 -1970” production; field trips for the cub scouts, girl scouts and brownies to museums, and Somerset Library’s “Sublime Sunflowers: pastel paint like the Masters” program.

So when you are at the Onset Jazz Festival, the New Bedford Folk Festival, or the Narrows Festival of the Arts this year, remember to thank the volunteers on your local cultural council for keeping South Coast a vibrant place to live.

Learn more about the MCC’s programs at www.mass-culture.org and follow the Programs link on that page to the Local Cultural Council to find out what your community is funding.

Or get involved and join a council.

New Bedford Cultural Council is looking for a secretary and treasurer, said Horton-Simms. Meetings are monthly at City Hall, with more activity after August when the community input is collected and the grant applications come in.

Home & Garden • Health & Wellness Food Notes • Buy Local

The South Coast Insider / February 2015

33

DATELINE: SOUTH COAST

News, views and trends... from Mount Hope Bay to Buzzards Bay

We’re counting the days until winter ends, but there’s still a lot to do and see during February, our shortest month. See what the groundhog predicts at the beginning of the month—then there’s Valentine’s Day and Mardi Gras! And make sure to have activities planned for school vacation week!

across the region

Good news, bad news. Massachusetts’ income tax rate is going down, but local property taxes are not. Electricity costs are shooting up, but the price of fuel oil and gasoline keeps falling…

The Standard-Times 2014 South Coast Man and Woman of the Year is former Gov. Deval Patrick and Pia Durkin, Superintendent of the New Bedford schools.

Woohoo! Head for the weeklong 27th Annual Newport Winter Festival February 13-22! 150 events, food, family fun and festivities. Learn more at www.newportwinterfestival.com or call 401-253-0246.

Get ready for Spring! Visit the 2015 Rhode Island Spring Flower and Garden Show February 19-22 at the Rhode Island Convention Center. For details, visit www.flowershow.com or call 401-253-0246.

If you’re 50 or older, check out the trips sponsored by the New Bedford Senior Travel Program – there’s a day trip to Foxwoods February 9, and the trip to Washington DC May 15-19. For details, call 508991-6171. The Fairhaven Senior Center will host a 7-day trip to Savannah, Jekyl Island, and Beaufort April 19-25. Call 508-979-4029. The Acushnet Senior Center will head for the Turning Stone Resort & Casino March 24-26. Call 508-998-0280.

“My Brother’s Keeper” of Easton and Dartmouth is looking for volunteers and gently-used residential furniture for families in need. Free pick-up. Call 774305-4577 or visit www.MyBrothersKeeper.org.

34

February 2015 / The South Coast Insider

acushnet

dartmouth

attleboro

All the volunteers on the Dartmouth 350th Committee were chosen as The Standard-Times 2014 Dartmouth Men and Women of the Year.

The Standard-Times 2014 Acushnet Men and Women of the Year are all the dedicated volunteers who worked so hard over the years to move the Russell Memorial Library to its new (and much larger) location at the former Marie Howard Middle School.

There’s always something to see or do at the Capron Park Zoo. Call 774-203-1840 or go to www. capronparkzoo.com.

bristol

When the kids (K-4) are on school vacations (February 16-20 and April 20-24), send them to Camp Sequoia at Blithewold! And mark your calendars – “Daffodil Days” start April 1. Go to www. blithewold.org or call 401-253-2707.

Experience pre-Industrial life at the Coggeshall Farm Museum, rated the “Best Living-History” farm in Rhode Island by Yankee Magazine. To learn more, visit www.coggeshallfarm.org or call 401-253-9062.

If you’re a boat lover, don’t miss the Herreshoff Marine Museum, home to the America’s Cup Hall of Fame. Learn more at www.herreshoff.org.

carver

The Carver Winter Farmers’ Market will be open on the first Sunday of the month at The Frosty Dog. More info, call 508-944-3194.

Dartmouth High School’s football coach Rick White was chosen as the New England Patriots’ High School Coach of the Year, after he led the DHS football team to Division 3 victory at Gillette Stadium, their first state championship in 30 years.

The long-shuttered building on the corner of Bridge and Elm Streets in Padanaram has been sold.

UMass Dartmouth has been named one of the 50 most affordable public colleges in the country for out-of-state students, according to the website www.AffordableColleges.com. Also, UMD’s new 5-year capital plan includes the expansion of several on-campus facilities.

easton

Check out the Children’s Museum in Easton when the kids are home from school! For info, call 508230-3789 or visit www.childrensmuseumineaston. org.

fairhaven

Blue Wave Capital is moving ahead with plans to build a 1-megawatt solar array project on Mill Road, starting in April.

Amy Hartley-Matteson and Allen Days were chosen as The Standard-Times 2014 Fairhaven Man and Woman of the Year.

The new two-year associate degree program in nautical sciences has begun at the Northeast Maritime Institute. The NMI is now the newest degree-granting college in Massachusetts, and the first private maritime college in the US.

It’s cold, it’s crisp, it’s beautiful out there!

Experience evening owl prowls and winter birding walks. Bring a friend, bundle up and join Audubon this February!

For more information visit www.asri.org Photo by Ed Hughes.

The Buzzards Bay Coalition and the state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation completed the Nasketucket Bay Land Conservation Project, which will permanently preserve 410 adjoining acres in Fairhaven and Mattapoisett.

Ernie Tomascik won a $1 million Mass. Lottery prize at the Dolphins/Patriots game at Gillette Stadium.

Meet your friends on Saturdays at the Oxford Book Haven and Café at the Church of the Good Shepherd in North Fairhaven. Fresh soups and desserts, used books on sale, board games, WiFi. To learn more, visit www.goodshepherdfairhaven. com or call 508-992-2281.

fall river

Embattled mayor Will Flanagan was soundly defeated by Bristol County District Attorney Sam Sutter in Fall River’s first-ever recall election.

Fall River received a $265,000 state grant to help fund the overhaul of basketball courts in all the city’s public parks.

Uh oh… Amazon suddenly put the brakes on building the proposed distribution center in the SouthCoast Life Sciences and Technology Park straddling Fall River and Freetown. Hopefully, talks will resume before March.

The state will also pay up to $1 million to renovate Father Travassos Park in the Flint neighborhood and to create a pedestrian/bicycle path along the Quequechan River.

Check out the ship models at the Fall River Marine Museum in Battleship Cove. For more info, call 508-674-3533 or visit www.marinemuseumfr. org.

The Narrows Center for the Arts has a fabulous line-up – there’s Ed Kowalczyk February 5, Red Molly February 7, Doctor John & the Nite Trippers February 24, Royal Southern Brotherhood March 5, Jorma Kaukkonen March 12 – and much, much more! For a complete schedule, visit www.narrowscenter.com or call 508-324-1926.

Fall River’s Little Theatre will present “Oleanna” through February 1, “The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940” March 19-22. For details, visit www.littletheatre.net or call 508-675-1852.

Check out what’s going on at the Children’s Museum of Greater Fall River. For more info, go to www.cmgfr.org or call 508-672-0033.

freetown

Bob and Judy Gregory were named The StandardTimes 2014 Freetown Man and Woman of the Year.

lakeville

Don Bissonnette and Janet Tracey are The Standard-Times 2014 Lakeville Man and Woman of the Year.

marion

It’ll be an uphill battle for CVS to build anything in Marion, no matter how many times they adjust their proposal. Stay tuned…

Bill and Tinker Saltonstall were chosen as The Standard-Times 2014 Marion Man and Woman of the Year.

Kate Raffile, a special education teacher at the Sippican School, will spend six months in New Zealand, thanks to a Fulbright Program award.

The skating rink at Tabor Academy will be open on to the public on selected dates through February.

mattapoisett

Manuel Rosenfield and the late Ruth Bates were named The Standard-Times 2014 Mattapoisett Man and Woman of the Year.

The Buzzards Bay Coalition and the state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation completed the Nasketucket Bay Land Conservation Project, which will permanently preserve 410 adjoining acres in Fairhaven and Mattapoisett.

The Winter Farmers Market will be held on the second Saturday of each month at the Old Rochester Regional Junior High gymnasium.

new bedford

After 25 years on the air, WBSM radio talk-show host Pete Braley was abruptly fired just weeks before Christmas. Stay tuned…

Continued on NEXT page

The South Coast Insider / February 2015

35

St. Anne’s keeps a community warm

FALL RIVER – It can be easy to forget how cold the winter can get when you’re bundled up or at home under the covers. But four women from the St. Anne’s Credit Union corporate offices haven’t forgotten—they’re doing something about it. Walk past the South Main Street offices and you’ll find hats, scarves, gloves, mittens, and blankets hanging on the fence, with notes saying, “I am not lost! If you need this to stay warm, then please take it, it is yours! Be warm and do something to help someone else today if you can.” That’s all—if you’re cold, you now have a chance to get warm. The women responsible, Elaine Desmarais, Judy Mazza, Kelly Baldwin, and Kayleigh Holt, want to expand the program to try to meet demand. “We want to go into the parks, under the overpasses,” Baldwin said.

The group is not soliciting donations, but they are accepted. If you have no spare clothing, you can make out a check to St. Anne’s Credit Union and mail it to St Anne’s Credit union, Attn: Kelly Baldwin, 829 S. Main St., Fall River MA 02724.

Wop 11 on March 28 – and much more! Go to www.zeiterion.org or call 508-999-6276.

Continued from previous page

James Russell and Corinn Williams were chosen as The Standard-Times 2014 New Bedford Man and Woman of the Year.

The state will invest about 1 million dollars in upgrades at the State Pier for the installation of refrigeration units, which would allow for increased traffic in perishable imported foods starting in the summer.

City officials unveiled plans for a major overhaul of the very scary “Octopus” intersection that links the Fairhaven Bridge traffic, Rts. 6 & 18 in the downtown area.

The $3.5 million, 2,000-feet expansion of the Veterans Administration Community-Based Outpatient Clinic in downtown New Bedford has finally opened. The VA Clinic serves the city’s 3,000 veterans, as well as other South Coast veterans between Providence and Cape Cod.

It’s all happenin’ at the Z! Head for the Zeiterion for the Pink Floyd Experience February 19, “In the Heat of the Night” February 28, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes March 6, Kathy Griffin March 11, St. Patrick’s Day Celtic Sojourn March 13, Doo

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February 2015 / The South Coast Insider

And don’t miss the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra’s performances at the Zeiterion of “Romantic Spells” February 14 or “Mesmerizing Masterpieces” April 11. Go to www.zeiterion. org, www.nbsymphony.org, or call 508-999-6276.

Head for the Buttonwood Park Zoo when the kids are home from school! There’s something for all ages – try “Toddler Tales” every Thursday morning, free with admission. Stories, snacks and activities. For details, call 508-991-6178 or visit www.bpzoo.org.

Enjoy FREE family fun and entertainment at AHA! Night. The February 12 theme is “Tall Tales.” The March 12 theme is “Hand to Hand.” The April 9 theme is “Sustainable South Coast.” Go to www. ahanewbedford.org or call 508-996-8253.

If you’re a fan of Americana and roots music, check out the monthly Salon Concerts at the Wamsutta Club. Dale Robin Goodman & Alex Smith will perform on February 7, and Hilary Hawke & Dubl Handi on March 7. For details, go to www.wamsuttaconcerts.com.

Turn off the TV and go see a play! New Bedford’s Your Theatre will perform “The Story of My Life” February 6-8, “Other Desert Cities” March 19-22, 26-29, and “The Obraz” April 9-12. For more info, go to www.yourtheatre.org or call 508-993-0772.

newport

Woohoo! Head for the week-long 27th Annual Newport Winter Festival February 13-22! 150 events, food, family fun and festivities. Learn more at www.newportwinterfestival.com or call 401-253-0246.

Attend “A Gilded Age Tea” (costumes optional) at the Hotel Viking on February 7, a benefit for the Newport Public Library. For reservations, call 401-848-4824.

Get a behind-the-scenes look at the Newport Mansions Servant Life Tour now through February 12. For complete details, visit www.newportmansions.org.

Stroll through the Illuminated Gardens of Ballard Park in Newport February 20-22. For more info, visit www.ballardpark.org.

Listen to classical guitarist Diego Campagna on February 7 at the Redwood Library. For reservations, call 401-847-0292 x 112.

Sharpen your skates and head for the Newport Skating Center. For info, call 401-846-3018 or go to www.skatenewport.com.

Enjoy a performance of “Lie, Cheat, and Genuflect” February 19 - March 15 at the Newport Playhouse. Go to www.newportplayhouse.com or call 401-848-7529.

plymouth

The indoors winter farmers market at Plymouth Plantation will be open on the second Thursday of each month. For more info, visit www.plymouthfarmersmarket.org.

portsmouth

Head for Common Fence Music for some downhome entertainment. There’s Patty Larkin February 7, Lori McKenna February 28, Foghorn Stringband March 21. Plan ahead for Common Fence Music’s “Roots Caboose,” starting April 18! Call 401-6835085 or visit www.commonfencemusic.org.

providence

Listen to the Rhode Island Philharmonic’s performance of Mozart’s “Elivira Madigan” February 21 at The VETS. Call 401-248-7000 or visit www. ri-philharmonic.org.

Don’t miss “Up Close on Hope,” performed by Festival Ballet Providence at the FBP Black Box Theatre February 6-7, 13-14. For more info, call 401353-1129 or visit www.festivalballetprovidence.org.

Take the family to Winter Wonder Days through February 28 at the Roger Williams Park Zoo – halfprice admission! For details, go to www.rwpzoo.org or call 401-785-3510.

Head for the Providence Performing Arts Center for The Indigo Girls with the Rhode Island Philharmonic February 13, “I Love Lucy! Live on Stage” February 24 through March 1, Diana Krall March 4, Blue Man Group March 6-8, Jay Leno Live! March 21 – and much more! Call 401-4212787 or go to www.ppacri.org.

Rhode Island College hosts a full schedule of performing arts events – there’s The Muir String Quartet February 2 and April 6, Tango Buenos Aires February 17. For a complete schedule, visit www.ric. edu/pfa or call 401-456-8144.

Treat your family to a performance at Trinity Rep! “Middletown” will be performed through February 22, “The Glass Menagerie” February 26 - March 29, and “A Flea in Her Ear” March 26 - April 26. Call 401-351-4243 or visit www.trinityrep.com.

rehoboth

The Baeverstam/Finehouse Duo will perform on March 21, and the Zefira Trio on April 25 in the

BCC GrimshawGudewicz Gallery The Bristol Community College Grimshaw-Gudewicz Gallery will exhibit the work of Adria Arch, Nancy Hayes, and Allison Paschke through February 20. Arch, based in Boston, works with doodles, “a way into our common humanity.” Hayes, from Dartmouth, has frequently worked with ceramics but has now shifted to painting. Paschke, a Providence artist, explores the pervasive inclusiveness of patterns.

For more information visit www.bristolcc. edu/gallery or contact Kathleen Hancock at 508-678-2811 ext. 2439 or email kathleen.hancock@bristolcc.edu

Continued on page 39

The South Coast Insider / February 2015

37

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February 2015 / The South Coast Insider

Continued from page 37

“Arts in the Village” series at Goff Memorial Hall.

Join the Sunday Night Jammers for free monthly dances. Call 508-252-3031 or visit www.carpentermuseum.org.

rochester Pam and Oren Robinson are The Standard-Times 2014 Rochester Man and Woman of the Year.

taunton Morton Hospital is building a new state-of-the-art emergency room that will open in the summer.

TACT (Taunton Area Community Table), a non-profit “meal center” in the former St. John’s parish hall, offers dinners nightly, as well as “family café nights” once a week.

tiverton The Sandywoods Center for the Arts will present the Magnolia Cajun Band on February 7, as well as The Jammin’ Divas on March 6. For a complete schedule, go to www.sandywoodsmusic.com or call 401-241-7349.

— 20 Years Experience —

wareham Rayford Kruger and Helen Bradbury are The Standard-Times 2014 Wareham Man and Woman of the Year.

warren Head for 2nd Story Theatre! “Collected Stories” will play through February 8, and “Seminar” will be performed through February 22. Plan ahead for “4000 Miles” February 27 – March 29, and “The Ladies Man” March 13 – April 12. For details, call 401-247-4200 or go to www.2ndstorytheatre.com.

westport Warren Messier and Lucy Tabit were chosen as The Standard-Times 2014 Westport Man and Woman of the Year.

Concerts at the Point will present The Boston Trio on March 21. For more info, call 508-636-0698 or visit www.concertsatthepoint.org.

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February 2015 / The South Coast Insider

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Cardiology Division

Expert care for matters of the heart.

Prima CARE’S Cardiology Division provides today’s most advanced methods of diagnosis, prevention and treatment. Our team approach means you receive the full support of nationally-accredited experts in heart disease, both in the hospital and office. Board-certified, Fellowship-trained... close to home.

From cardiac testing to comprehensive cardiovascular treatment, you can rely on the Prima CARE team.

CARDIOLOGY SERVICES Coronary Artery Disease & Heart Attack Heart Failure Structural Heart Disease, Septal Defects Valvular Heart Disease Risk Factor Modifications Abnormal Heartbeats CARDIAC TESTING Echocardiology Cardiac CT Angiography Nuclear Cardiac Imaging Stress Testing & Stress Echo Heart Rhythm Monitoring CARDIAC PROCEDURES Cardiac Catherization Catheter-Based Intervention – Angioplasty & Stents

by your side 289 Pleasant Street Fall River, MA Cardiology Division Suite 301

508-679-9955

Cardiac Testing Suite 302

Transcatheter Valve Replacement (TAVR)

508-674-5111

Pacemakers & Implantable Defibrillators

www.prima-care.com

Standing:

Maria Rumsey, MD Stephen Zuehlke, MD Zia Kidwai, MD Osman Faheem, MD Randy Averback, MD Sitting:

Ravi Chander, MD Bassem Nasser, MD