The South Coast Insider - January 2017

January 2017 Vol. 21 / No. 1

coastalmags.com

DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY Give back Be kind Family fun Digital assistants 2016 in review

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January 2017 / The South Coast Insider

THINGS TO DO

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Winter fun for the fam

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FROM THE PUBLISHER December 2017 / Vol. 21 / No. 1

Published by

Coastal Communications Corp.

Publisher and Editor-in-Chief

Pat yourselves on the back – we made it to 2017! With the holidays behind us, it’s the perfect opportunity to slow things down, take a look around, and see where the future may take us.

Ljiljana Vasiljevic

Editor

Sebastian Clarkin

Online Editor

First and foremost, if you have ever said that the spirit of Christmas should last throughout the year, now is the time to start acting on it! There are a multitude of causes that you can support to make the world a better place.

Paul Letendre

Contributors

Greg Jones, Paul Kandarian, Dan Logan, Tom Lopes, Sherri Mahoney-Battles, Sean McCarthy, Jay Pateakos, Elizabeth Morse Read, Steve Smith, Michael J. Vieira 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 ©2017 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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For a collection of causes large and small, local and global, you’ll want to read Mike Vieira’s article on page 9.

Winter gets a bad rap. Yes, the days are shorter, but that doesn’t mean that there are fewer things to do!

Greg Jones sets to dispel that pernicious winter myth on page 14. From food shopping to music and arts, the South Coast is as alive as ever.

Speaking of shopping, do you have any gift cards burning holes in your wallet? If so, then you might want to consider investing in a digital assistant for your home. Relatively inexpensive, these products respond to your voice and can play music, turn on the lights, and do countless other things that keep your life in order.

To learn more about this cutting-edge technology, turn to Dan Logan’s article on page 22.

No matter what gifts you gave over the holidays, you certainly expected a “thank you.” That’s just good manners. But if it feels like some common kindnesses have been taken for granted recently, then you’ll certainly want to read Liz Read’s article on page 26. More than anything else, it may be the key to a successful new year.

There’s much more in store in the issue and for all of us this coming year! Stay healthy, be happy and prosper.

Best wishes for 2017 to all!

Coastal Communications Corp.

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January 2017 / The South Coast Insider

Ljiljana Vasiljevic Publisher and Editor-in-Chief

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COVER STORY

There’s no holiday

from need

By Michael J. Vieira

“I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year.”

N

ow that the holidays are pretty much over, many people not only put away their decorations and their gifts, but also their good cheer and generosity.

That’s too bad, because the need is not only still there, but also is often greater as the cold winds and snowstorms of winter continue.

You won’t hear the bells ringing near the Salvation Color art come New Bedford’s Army kettles, but you can stilland donate.

Into this area, waterfront thanks to the Seaport Art Walk.

Fall River and New Bedford both have active centers

6

January 2017 / The South Coast Insider

– Ebenezer Scrooge, A Christmas Carol and both provide food pantries and community meals as well as ongoing support to the homeless and needy.

Although the donation boxes are still located in some areas, there are “Family Stores” in Swansea, Warren, and New Bedford. You can bring clothing, furniture, and other items to the stores, but they also ensure that goods are needed and in good shape.

Oftentimes, the donation boxes of charitable organizations become places where people leave

their junk. That does nobody any good.

The Salvation Army is located 290 Bedford St. in Fall River and at 1145 Acushnet Avenue in New Bedford. Go to salvationarmyusa.org for ways to help and get help.

Cash for causes

Some people like to link their donations to their beliefs – and to withhold them for the same reasons.

For example, the Salvation Army is also an evan-

gelical church which, like other religious groups, takes a less-than-cosmopolitan stance on gay rights.

According to the Salvation Army website, however, “Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet the human needs in His name without discrimination.” That’s good enough for me, but follow your conscience.

After the election, Business Insider and others reported an increase in donations to dedicated to opposing President-elect Donald Trump. The American Civil Liberties Union alone announced more than $7.2 million in donations in the days after the election.

Planned Parenthood, the Trevor Project, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the International Refugee Assistance Project, and others also reported huge increases in donations and volunteer applications.

Environmental organizations, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and New York Cares, an organization that serves English language learners and those preparing for citizenship tests also saw an increase in donations and volunteers.

Whether you agree with the results of the election or not, turning your joy or frustration into financial or physical activism is a good thing. Want to make (or to keep) America great? Be an involved citizen.

Charities or cash for CEOs

Every year around the holidays since 2005, according to fact-checking webstie Snopes.com, an email has circulated “attempting to steer potential donors away from inefficient charities.” The problem is that much of the information apparently is false.

According to the email, it said to skip donating to the American Red Cross, March of Dimes, United Way, UNICEF, and Goodwill because of excessive CEO salaries and benefits. It suggested readers give to the Salvation Army, American Legion, VFW, Disabled War Veterans. Military Order of Purple Hearts, Vietnam Vets Association, Make a Wish, St. Jude Hospital, Ronald McDonald Houses, and the Lions Club.

Charity Navigator, “the largest expert charity evaluator in America” according to their website, pointed out that everyone on the list above are actually okay – but noted that the veterans’ groups as a whole didn’t receive high marks for how they use their funds or the fund’s “efficiency.” (Although the VFW was 84% efficient and the Disabled Vets 77%.)

“While reports of excessive nonprofit salaries frequently make the front page, our data tells a very different story,” said Charity Navigator, President & CEO, Michael Thatcher on their website.

Continued ON NEXT PAGE

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“Analysis into the compensation practices at over 4,500 charities reveals that the vast majority of CEOs receive very reasonable salaries.”

But don’t think the CEOs are volunteers. Again, according to Charity Navigator, after looking at more than 4,500 charities, the average CEO compensation “is very reasonable” with a median of $123,362 – not bad work if you can get it. They also pointed out that the bigger the budget, the bigger the salary and that location impacts salaries.

Bob Williamson, owner of the Symphony Music Shop “10 top-notch charities” or the “10 consistently low-Dartmouth in North

rated charities.”

A quick search for this area resulted in South Coastal Counties Legal Services and the United Way of Greater Fall River, with a score of more than 80% and a three-star rating out of four. Not bad.

Give locally and directly

Watch for announcements from church groups, Scouts, schools, libraries, and other community -based organizations. Your donation to these folks usually goes directly to the needy with nothing

Do your homework before you donate.

Go to charitynavigator.org to check out the “10 top-notch charities” or the “10 consistently low-rated charities.

Going back to the list that has been featured in so many emails, the president of the American Red Cross in 2010 exceeded one million dollars – but dropped to $561,000 in 2011. That said, both Charity Navigator and Forbes rated the organization’s efficiency at 92%. Salaries at the large charities listed above average around $500,000 – even the veterans’ groups CEOs made between $200,000 and $300,000.

What’s the point? Do your homework before you donate. Go to charitynavigator.org to check out the

taken out for salaries, facilities, and the like.

When those emails and mailings show up or those college kids call from your alma mater, why not send them a donation? I’m partial to Bridgewater State and know the funds go to scholarships, internships, and other opportunities. Bristol Community College, UMass, and even your high school provides an opportunity to give back.

Did you know that B.M.C. Durfee High School of Fall River has one of the oldest scholarship programs in the country? Add your name to the Bordens,

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Don’t get scammed Consumer Reports and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) stressed that whether by email or phone, it’s sometimes a challenge to determine if solicitations are legitimate. The FTC provided the following warning signs: The “charity” can’t provide details about how donations are used.

n

n The caller can’t provide proof (like a Federal tax ID number) that it’s a qualified charity and that your donation is tax-deductible.

You’re pushed to donate immediately.

n

You’re asked to wire a donation.

n

You’re thanked for a pledge you never made to convince you that you already agreed to donate.

n

n Beware that emails can sometimes look legitimate.

Check the address to see if it’s really from the organization.

Sometimes bad grammar and typos can also be an indication.

8

January 2017 / The South Coast Insider

Braytons, and others who’ve supported the school.

Other South Coast high schools have similar programs. Check them out and help improve opportunities for area students to go to college.

Food drives are another great way to help those in need. Just don’t use it as an opportunity to give expired food or things that you won’t eat. Poor people won’t eat it either.

The Prince Henry Society of Fall River usually does a food drive around Christmas, but this year is planning April 8 as the tentative date for the collection. In addition, some of the members also made donations to area food banks and kitchens at their Holiday Party.

The USPS Letter Carrier’s “Stamp Out Hunger” campaign is on May 13, 2017. Even if you rarely use a stamp anymore, put out some food that day.

Watch for information about Scouting for Food and for collections at churches, schools, and other locations. People are always hungry.

Finally, clean out your closets. Did you get some new stuff for Christmas or another holiday? Donate clothing to the St. Vincent de Paul Society (look for donation boxes or stores in the South Coast), Marie’s Place, 1791 South Main Street in Fall River, and other collection boxes and stores like Savers.

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South Coast connections

Many organizations are doing good work, but need funds to continue. Consider supporting some with SouthCoast connections.

The African Teacher Foundation which was started by former Durfee teacher, Fall River administrator, and education professor Bill Molloy, to train teachers in Africa. Donate and get more information at africanteacherfoundation.org Another international group with local roots is the Haitian Health Foundation, started by Dr. Jeremiah J. Lowney, a Connecticut orthodontist whose family is well known in Fall River. His son, Dr. Mark X. Lowney, is the owner of Highland Ob/Gyn in the city.

For more information or to donate, visit haitianhealthfoundation.org.

And, finally, donations to any Citizens Scholarship Foundation chapter, Dollars for Scholars, or to Scholarshipamerica.org would honor the memory of Dr. Irving A. Fradkin, who passed in November of 2016. He was a tireless advocate for education and the person responsible for making Fall River the “Scholarship City.”

Until his death at 95, he never stopped giving.

Dr. Fradkin may not have been a Christian, but he honored Christmas (and Chanukah) every day in his heart. If we do the same, then it can truly be a happy New Year.

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THINGS TO DO

Winter fam fun W

by Dan Logan

hat to do with the family this winter? As a parent, it never hurts to have a few local outings in one’s quiver, excursions that can be undertaken with little planning or fanfare.

It always helps if such outings have something that interests the whole family. For some parents, an excursion might turn out to be an unexpectedly pleasant exposure to one of the regional fixtures that we heard so much about as kids that we were bored before we got there – so we never went. The old if-it’s-this-close-to-us-it-must-be-boring syndrome.

Here are some entertaining winter excursions families might want to try out.

Oxford Book Haven & Cafe A good place for a family of book lovers on the prowl for used books is the Oxford Book Haven &

10

January 2017 / The South Coast Insider

Cafe. Open on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the basement of the Church of the Good Shepherd at 357 Main St. in North Fairhaven, the Oxford Book Haven is a good place to enjoy a snack and look over the books.

There’s a lot of books in all categories, including children’s books, most of them selling for 50 cents.

There’s a cafe offering coffee, soft drinks, homemade bread, and baked goods.

For the electronically oriented, several computers were installed recently, and there’s free Wi-Fi for those with their own devices.

Children’s Aquarium Aquariums make ideal go-to spots for entertaining both children and adults. Getting up close and personal with all kinds of marine creatures is hard to resist, no matter how old one is.

The two-year-old Children’s Aquarium and

Exploration Center of Greater Fall River, located at 16 Granite St. in Fall River, offers just such opportunities.

The museum highlights marine life from Mount Hope Bay and the Taunton River but also includes a collection of sea life from all over the world.

There’s an 18-foot touch tank with such local sea life as sea urchins, starfish, and hermit and spider crabs. There are also tanks of South American sea creatures such as Moray Eels, Stingrays, lung fish, and porcupine puffers.

The Children’s Aquarium is open Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

Field trips are run on Fridays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Call 774-357-5330 or visit aquariumgfr.com for admission prices and more information.

Sunday strolls Providing some low-key winter physical activity

for the whole family, the Buzzards Bay Coalition and Southcoast Health have teamed up to lead free one-hour guided walks at a different location each month.

Myles Standish will be the site for the January 8 stroll (10 to 11 a.m.) around East Head Pond at Myles Standish State Forest, 194 Cranberry Road, in Carver.

The February 5 stroll is scheduled for Washburn Park on Washburn Lane in Marion from 10-11a.m.

Participants on the stroll should be able to walk for about an hour on uneven terrain, says Michaella Sheridan, community engagement coordinator for the Buzzards Bay Coalition, but the routes aren’t taxing.

Designed to encourage an active lifestyle and a bit of exploration of the outdoors, the strolls are led by a Southcoast Health medical professional and a Coalition outdoor educator.

The Southcoast Wellness Van will be parked at the property for participants to take advantage of free health screenings.

For more information call 508-999-6363, e-mail bayadventures@savebuzzardsbay.org or visit the website at savebuzzardsbay.org and click the “events” link.

Paleoclimatology Paleoclimatology, the study of long-term changes in climate, may not be the topic to rivet the attention of a 7-year old, but older kids might be interested learning how scientists study climate change by studying glaciers.

In Taber Academy’s Science@Work Lecture series, Michael Retelle, Professor of Geology at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, will offer some observations about his work in the field of paleoclimatology.

Retelle’s current research for the National Science Foundation’s Research Experience for Undergraduates program involves studying lake sediment cores in Svalbard, Norway. The work will enable scientists to better understand alpine glacier history from the spread of glaciers during the “Little Ice Age” which occurred from the 1300’s to 1800’s, to their retreat, which started around 1900 and has noticeably accelerated in recent decades.

The free lecture is scheduled for Thursday, January 12, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Tabor’s Lyndon South Auditorium in the Stroud Academic Center at 232 Front Street in Marion. For more information contact Jay Cassista at jcassista@taboracademy.org.

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Museum of Greater Fall River, the digs are an impressive multi-story granite building in the heart of the city.

With ten themed rooms, the Children’s Museum enables young children to learn about their world in a playful environment with lots of hands-on opportunities. On a broader scale, the museum also attempts to create a mix of children, parents, and other creative members of the community to encourage learning and strengthen social bonds.

The building that houses the museum has a traditional interior with many thick-walled rooms, and this has been turned to the child’s advantage, notes Jo-Anne Sbrega, the museum’s executive director. A “one room, one theme” approach removes many of the distractions inherent in an open design – like the aforementioned barely-controlled chaos.

When elementary school classes visit the Children’s Museum in Fall River, small groups of the children are moved from themed room to themed room every 15 minutes, enabling them to focus briefly on each theme.

Other visitors can pick and choose. There’s a Dino Room, with a climbing wall and a fiberglass cave created by a Bristol Community College professor.

In Violet’s Music Room, children can try out various instruments, put on a show, and video their efforts.

Tony Bologna entertains at the Children’s Museum of Greater Fall River.

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January 2017 / The South Coast Insider

There’s a World of Water Room, Transportation Room, Lego Room, Education Station Room, and an All About Colors Room.

The museum’s themes change over time and new exhibits are introduced. The new and popular Likeable Recyclables Room offers hands-on lessons in recycling and repurposing by having kids create craft projects using the collection of unusual materials on hand – materials known in the education world as “beautiful junk,” Sbrega says.

In a nod to the tech world, there’s a new virtual gaming area on the second floor where kids get to enhance their gross motor skills playing virtual games, with the game changing every four minutes. Not surprisingly, this room, along with Violet’s Music Room and the Dino Room, are the most popular exhibits in the museum.

Children’s Aquarium and Exploration Center A fundraiser just getting underof Greater Fall River way will raise money intended to create a spaceship environment in the 24-foot dome on the second floor of the big building, which was built in 1889 and resembles a castle.

The theme’s design will blend the building’s history and architecture with the space theme, tying together the past, present, and future. “You can have the bells and the whistles of today and still create an opportunity to learn about the past,” Sbrega says.

Another room in the planning stage, the “Pediatric Room,” will feature a life-sized operating room with a skeleton with removable organs.

The museum, which is located at 441 North Main St., is open Wednesday-Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday noon to 4 p.m.

The admission fees are $8 per person for anyone older than one year.

To boost after-school traffic on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, the museum created the “3 at 3” special, when admission is $3 per person.

If anyone wants to get there earlier than 3 p.m. on a Friday, admission is $5 on the first Friday of every month. The last Sunday of the month is half-price Sunday.

The museum can also be rented for private parties.

During President’s Day week, when many children are on winter vacation, the museum will be open an extra day, Tuesday, February 21.

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www.jjjewelry.com The South Coast Insider / January 2017

13

COVER STORY

Whaling City

by Greg Jones

With the warmth of summer now just a memory, it’s just way too easy to slip into a wintery doldrum and hide until the hummingbirds return. Pull the covers over your head and snuggle in for a long winter’s nap.

Well, we’re here to tell you that there are things to do, events to attend, people to see, and fun to be had, even if you need to pull out that winter coat and check the back of the closet shelf to find your gloves.

The Winter Farmers’ Market is held on the first and third Saturday of the month. The good people who bring it to you take all the usual plastic debit/credit cards and SNAP.

Fill your pantry

Many melodies

Remember those shopping trips to the various farmers’ markets last summer? The farmers are still working to feed us all, and the New Bedford Winter Farmers’ Market is a year-round event.

Head to the Bristol Building Hallway in downtown New Bedford at 750 Purchase Street, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, January 7, and go back for more fresh groceries on Saturday, January 21.

Treat yourself and your family to winter vegetables, baked goods, locally raised chicken (and their beautiful, tasty, free-range eggs), grass-fed beef, country sausages, canned goods, and jams and jellies you won’t find anywhere else.

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January 2017 / The South Coast Insider

Music? Of course, and after the sensory overload of Christmas carols throughout the holidays just past, you might be in the mood for a different genre.

Along the South Coast that’s easily taken care of.

The Zeiterion, of course, can always be counted on to deliver world-class entertainment, and January is no exception. Located at 682 Purchase Street in New Bedford, the “Z” was built in 1923 in a Georgian Revival style at a cost of $800,000 (average net annual income for 1923, just to put things in perspective, was $3,200.) Lovingly restored, the Zeiterion is truly one of New Bedford’s architectural gems.

Thursday, January 12 at 8 p.m. will clear the

Christmas carol fog from anyone’s brain as Get The Led Out performs their two-hour tribute to rock supergroup Led Zeppelin. Fans of the band are in for a treat because Get The Led Out specializes in live performances of music the original band rarely, if ever, played in concert.

Head back to the “Z” Saturday, January 21 at 7:30 for a concert by the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra. It’s their “An American in Russia” concert, featuring “Short Ride in a Fast Machine,” by John Adams, “Piano Concerto No. 4” by Sergei Rachmaninoff, and “Symphony No. 4” by Pyotr Tchaikovsky.

Arrive at 6:30 for the pre-concert talk in the Penler Space by conductor and music director finalist Yaniv Dinur. After the performance, concertgoers are invited to a reception at the Penler Space to meet Mr. Dinur.

The Stage Door Live venue at the Z is an intimate, personal space on the Z’s stage where the audience shares the stage with the performer. It’s perfect for artists such as Carrie Rodrigues, a singer-songwriter from Austin, Texas. Her concert starts at 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, January 26.

Tickets for all performances at the Zeiterion are available online at zeiterion.org.

Also of note is the New Bedford Symphony Or-

Other kids’ programs have reasonable fees, with scholarships also available for New Bedford families.

Classes and workshops for adults with classes in oil and watercolour painting and ceramics are on offer, with studio access as needed, outside of instructors’ hours.

Teens are well cared for at NBAM, with courses in digital photography, PhotoShop, internships with working artists, and a variety of programs to develop personal, social, and artistic skills.

Many of the programs offered at NBAM are grantsubsidized, with scholarships available for residents of Greater New Bedford. For more information on these or any of the NBAM programs call Deb Smook at 508-961-3072.

Cheers!

New Bedford Art Museum

chestra’s South Coast Chamber Music Series, which will feature performances Saturday, January 14 and Sunday, January 15. The Saturday performance will be at St. Gabriel’s Church at 124 Front Street in Marion, and Sunday will be at St. Peter’s Church at 351 Elm Street in South Dartmouth. Both performances begin at 4 p.m. Tickets are $20 at the door.

Express yourself

The New Bedford Art Museum/ARTWORKS! is much more than art hanging on the wall. Located in downtown New Bedford at 608 Pleasant Street, the NBAM offers classes for artist of all skill levels and ages. That’s the ARTWORKS! part of their name.

NBAM is open Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. (9 p.m. on Thursdays and AHA nights). The last Sunday of the month has free admission for all, and there is always free admission for active duty military personnel and their families.

One of the coolest things that NBAM does as part of their art education/outreach program is the Learning Studio: Early Literacy Through the Arts program.

This free program is for children from the youngest infant to age three, with their caregivers.

The program is on Fridays from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and takes place at the Renaissance School Family Engagement Center. The school is located at 286 South 2nd Street in New Bedford.

The learning studio’s purpose, according to the center, is to provide “a productive learning time for parents/grandparents and their children from birth to three to create together.”

The South Coast is blessed with a sufficiently unique habitat and microclimate that the wines produced by vineyards of the area have their own appellation, known in this country as an American Viticulture Area (AVA). The Southeastern New England AVA goes from just south of Boston to New London, Connecticut. A key element in the name’s unique characteristics is the proximity of the ocean and its moderating influence on the local climate’s temperature extremes. The entire Southeastern New England AVA is in a 15-mile wide band bordering the sea, with just 39 vineyards contained in the area.

Fourteen of those are part of the Coastal Wine Trail, and they provide a cheery, year-round welcome with tasting sessions for the oenophile. One of the things that the various wineries have in common is a relative abundance of pleasant walking trails, surrounded by grapevines.

The fourteen wineries that make up the Coastal Wine Trail have issued a “passport” that you can pick up at your first visit to one of the vineyards. Get your passport stamped as you sample the wines on offer, and at the end of the year, you will be eligible for a prize. There’s no word yet as to what that might be for 2017, but the grand prize for 2016 was a sevenday cruise in Bermuda.

Not bad for visiting a dozen or so local vineyards and tasting their products.

Go to coastalwinetrail.com to get the list of wineries, and pay them a visit. Most of them are open every day of the week, all year, but may have somewhat reduced hours for the dark months of mid-winter.

There’s no excuse to sit around and bemoan the absence of summer. The South Coast has activities, entertainment, and vineyards – visit at least one every month and that will get you through the year quite nicely.

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796 Main Road • Westport, MA (508) 636-3348 The South Coast Insider / January 2017

15

BUSINESS BUZZ

Sak’s Consignments

What A Find!

Consignment Furniture

Sights

on consignment

By SEAN McCARTHY

Second Helpings

16

January 2017 / The South Coast Insider

There are myriad lures for someone to walk through the doors of a local consignment store.

For some it’s a treasure hunt, the thrill of the chase. For some it’s the opportunity for fashion and furnishings. For some it’s pure economics.

Consignment stores offer a unique shopping experience that will likely erase any misconceptions or stereotypes a first-time visitor may have. Each store is an individual experience offering a range of different items – rare antiques to pieces that still maintain their original price tags, baby clothes, and high-end outfittings of entire rooms.

But ultimately for most visitors, it’s about the bargain.

“Don’t underestimate a consignment store,” says Linda Johannessen, who owns What A Find! Consignment Furniture in Fairhaven with her husband Leif. “We don’t sell garbage or anything cheap. We only take in pieces that are in excellent condition.

“It’s about quality items at fair prices.”

Consignment stores function as agents selling items for their clients. If an item or items are decided to be worthy of sale, the store will showcase them for an agreed number of days for an agreed price. If the item is eventually sold, the money taken in will be divided between the store and the person who brought the item in, also known as a “consigner.”

An item that isn’t sold in the agreed-upon time will often get donated to a local charity.

Mary Tabor, owner of Second Helpings in Bristol,

Everything old is new again

“A majority of my clients have become my friends,” says Ilaine Bednarik, owner of Sak’s Consignments in Swansea. “Many of my clients visit the store on a regular basis whether they’re looking for a specific item or if they’re just browsing with nothing in mind.”

Brad Souza of Fairhaven has been on both sides of the consignment experience – he has bought and sold items through What A Find!

“I’ve made thousands and I’ve spent thousands,” he says. “I have consignment items in every room of my house. When I want to find something unique I usually do.”

“Consignment is a win-win situation for the buyer and the store,” says Suzanne Pelletier of Dartmouth, a fan of consignment shopping. “When I walk in I’m like a kid in a candy store.”

Another facet of the consignment shopping experience is that most items are one-of-a-kind. You can wait for the price to come down on the item, but once it’s been bought, it is gone.

Conversely, most consignment stores get new items on a near-daily basis.

“There’s always something new, but you’ve got to get it while you can,” Johannessen says.

And consignment stores vary in size and what they offer. While larger stores may hold thousands of items, smaller stores such as Seconds Count in Fairhaven offer a different ambiance. Their shelves offer an ever-evolving potpourri of items ranging from maternity clothes to toys to books to jewelry and more.

“People are often surprised by the variety of items we have,” Kantner says. “We also like the idea that we’re recycling a lot of items rather than throwing them away. It’s shopping that makes good sense.”

Sak’s Consignment offers “name brands for nearly half the price,” Bednarik says. A plurality of the store is geared towards women, including women’s shoes, jewelry, and designer handbags.

“With my first visit to a consignment store, I couldn’t believe that everything in it had had another life,” Pelletier says. “They were just waiting for new homes so that they could shine again.”

She smiles. “If you’ve never been to a consignment store don’t stereotype them – prepare to be surprised.”

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

says that they get a majority of their items from people who are “decluttering” their homes.

“A majority of people bringing items to us are moving or downsizing or they’re cleaning a house after a loved one dies,” Tabor says. “We like to offer people unique pieces but our most popular items are kitchenware.”

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17

COVER STORY

Moments in time

By Sherri Mahoney-Battles

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January 2016 / The South Coast Insider

On a shelf in my kitchen sits a ceramic clock with wings that my daughter, Casey, made for me when she was seven or eight.

When I look at it, I can’t help but peer back into the past. Indeed, almost everyone I talk to complains about how time seems to fly by.

Too many things to do; not enough hours in the day. We exist in a world where cell phones and computers allow instantaneous contact and immediate gratification, yet people seem to have less time than ever. In a world where we have mastered control of so many things, our ability to gain control over the passage of time remains elusive.

As a career, I am a professional at assigning a value to

things. The birth of a child carries with it a dependent exemption and child tax credit. The purchase of a home signifies the deduction of mortgage interest and real estate taxes. A lost job brings with it the taxability of unemployment compensation. Sell a stock, and I can tell you the value of your gain or loss. Ask me the value of time, though, and I remain stymied.

Life is lived in moments of time. How many moments do we have? How do we decide to live those moments? Who do we share them with? Just last week a young friend of

my daughter’s died a tragic death. I know that he wasn’t thinking when he woke up that morning that he only had a few moments left. The delivery of a diagnosis of a terminal illness takes only a few minutes and then the moments begin to tick away.

Life is both conceived and taken in moments of time, and memories are made in those passing moments of time.

Who among us, but the very young, hasn’t experienced the flying by of time? As children we anxiously await each next birthday eager to enter the next year. My grandson slips his feet into my husband’s boots excitedly talking about the day when he will be as big

seems to be a point in rushing a timeline or pushing towards an awaited event. For it seems that even the moments in between occasions hold treasures of their own and are too valuable to let slip away.

The passage of time has taught me the value of the moments, and every day brings small pleasures worth savoring. The moments in our lives every day with the people, the children, the pets are fleeting, priceless in their value, and irreplaceable. I remember now the anguished nights at the kitchen table spent doing homework – frustrated parents and irritable children – yet I yearn for them.

I miss the crazy chaos of

The passage of time has taught me the value of the moments, and every day brings small pleasures worth savoring. as Papa, daddy, and his older cousins. We happily mark the stages of his growth, and all the while a voice in my head silently whispers, “slow it down.” For it was just yesterday that my own daughters, now grown, dreamt of their own adulthoods. Where have the years gone?

I worry about this seemed evaporation of time trying to grab onto the moments as they slip away. The older I get the more valuable a commodity time seems to become, and I know that I am not alone in this observation. Time and the moments she holds sweep by swiftly, and I know they are not assets or numbers that I can enter on a balance sheet or tax return. There no longer

holidays, bedtimes, and family vacations.

Many years ago I admired a friend’s beautiful flower gardens and bemoaned my own lack of time to garden. Her response has stayed with me all these years. “Someday,” she said, “you too will have beautiful gardens, and you will miss these years with your young children.”

As I type, my grandson naps down the hall on his monster truck pillow with his bear, and I’ve promised him that he can play in Mimi’s garden when he wakes. He’ll dig in my beds with his tractors and mini-excavators, and I’ll remember those wise words as I tend my gardens and savor the moments.

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The South Coast Insider / January 2017

19

BUSINESS BUZZ

Sweet sixteen?

By Steve Smith

The twenty-first century has celebrated its sweet sixteen – a coming-of-age and a time to look back on how the South Coast has grown in a rapidly-changing world.

S

o do we deserve a celebration? If you ask me, I’d suggest eating cake while we still can. The past year was by-and-large good, but our future is cloudy.

Out with the old

In 2016, several statistical indicators moved in a positive direction for the region. Unemployment rates on the South Coast fell considerably from a year ago, dropping below 5% for September, with both Fall River and New Bedford flirting with 6%.

New Bedford retained its ranking as the number one fishing port in the U.S. Meanwhile, regional house values increased by 9%, as measured by median sales price (which is good for the economy and sellers, though not so much for buyers). One worry

20

January 2017 / The South Coast Insider

was the decline in cranberry production, possibly attributable to weather.

A couple of highly visible and well-publicized developments were highlights for 2016. Along Route 24 at the Freetown/Fall River boundary, an enormous Amazon fulfillment center was erected at breakneck speed and will employ hundreds. This facility was made possible by the construction of the exit 8B ramps in 2010-11, funded by the 2009 Obama stimulus legislation. Sometimes we just need to be opportunistic and patient.

The New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal began to fulfill its promise to build up an offshore wind power industry. Three offshore wind companies (Deepwater Wind, Dong Energy, and OffshoreMW) agreed to use the terminal as a staging area for their

projects. The companies will be erecting turbines offshore and servicing them from the New Bedford facility.

This development, coupled with the Commonwealth enacting comprehensive energy diversity legislation in August, bodes well for our future in renewable energy. The region’s legislators are to be congratulated for providing the leadership on Beacon Hill necessary to pass this legislation.

Some long-term transportation projects reached fruition this year, and not a moment too soon. The perennial construction work on the Braga Bridge was declared complete in 2016. More significantly, the reconfiguration of the ramp system under the bridge in Fall River is nearing an end. If your memory needs to be refreshed, MassDOT demolished the rusting and decrepit “spaghetti ramp” system and is replacing it with a much more user-friendly surface loop road network.

In Dartmouth, the traffic nightmare at the Faunce Corner Road/I-195 interchange is ending with the construction of a new parallel overpass completed this year.

In with the new

The saga of South Coast Rail continues unresolved as we enter 2017. Rather than forging ahead, state officials were spooked by large cost estimate increases and started re-assessing a previously discarded alternative through Middleborough.

This option may save dollars, but increases travel time, lowers ridership, and bypasses Taunton center.

When the state completes its analysis, the South Coast may be faced with the classic choice of half a loaf or none at all.

The specter of casino gambling still hangs over the region, still more myth than reality. 2016 saw the situation become more muddled, leaving both opponents and proponents confused.

Most significantly, the “First Light” resort casino proposed by the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe in Taunton broke ground with much ceremony and was soon afterwards unceremoniously halted by a federal court. At issue is the legitimacy of the process that the tribe used to take the land in trust.

This process is not likely to get easier for the Wampanoags with the incoming Trump administration, which is expected to be less friendly to Native American casino proposals.

Meanwhile, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission deferred on awarding a state license to southeastern Massachusetts due to concerns about regional oversaturation if the Taunton casino proceeds. Brockton has the only proposal left standing before the Commission. The previously approved Plainridge Park Casino in Plainville completed its first full year of operation as a slot parlor, chugging along but falling short of revenue expectations.

In the November election, Rhode Island voters approved construction of a small casino in Tiverton, further clouding the regional picture.

The elephant in the room throughout 2016 was the presidential nomination process and election.

Southcoast Massachusetts was reliably blue, but not by as much as expected. All the communities that bordered saltwater (Somerset to Wareham, with the exception of Swansea) voted for Clinton. Most of the inland towns went for Trump. What does this mean for our political future?

Will the election have any direct impact on the South Coast? Hard to say, but promises of a “yuge” infrastructure program could make a difference in major projects like South Coast Rail.

On the flip side, an administration wedded to the fossil fuel industry is not likely to favor a region that is staking its future on renewable energy. That may not make much of a difference, however, given that state policy and market forces seem to be making a renewable energy future inevitable.

Overall, we had a good year. Here’s to hoping we Fall River Historical Society keep that momentum into 2017!

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21

BUSINESS BUZZ

Digital assistant

BY DAN LOGAN

Having an actual, living personal assistant would be handy.

Someone to make your calls, go for groceries and take-out, pick up after you. Do pretty much whatever you want so long as you continue writing the weekly paycheck.

A

ye, there’s the rub.

So most of us have to haul back on the financial reins a bit. Look for personal assistance on a budget.

Cut-rate convenience.

The tech world has always been working to provide this kind of bargain-basement nirvana, a personal digital assistant that can shoulder some of the task burden.

Way back in the late 90s I had my first personal digital assistant, or “PDA” to use an old buzzword for the category that has yet to be improved upon.

22

January 2017 / The South Coast Insider

The PDA category got crushed when cell phones began performing the same tasks.

But even smartphones are less convenient than they might be, what with having to dig the device out of a pocket and swipe and tap and all. Better to just be able to talk, anytime, anywhere, to accomplish a task.

All the Next Big Things of years past – smart phones, the Internet, cloud storage, artificial intelligence, WiFi, voice recognition, Bluetooth – are aimed in the direction of making them work together more effectively.

The current holy grail is a platform that connects the individual to the rest of the world via voice commands. From a company’s point of view, the goal is to have lots of people using its convenient platform, which eventually translates into revenue for their (and their business partners’) products and services.

You and I can name plenty of cool technologies for accomplishing tasks that don’t seem to relate to one

another. But tech companies are thinking about how to integrate all your tasks digitally.

For example, housecleaning doesn’t seem to relate to driving an automobile, but what if you could manage your household chores while you’re in a boring commute? Obviously, this opens new alleyways into the dark side of new technology (“I’m sorry, officer, I was vacuuming under my aquarium and didn’t realize how fast I was going”), but that doesn’t stop the technology from advancing.

What’s out there

The currently popular incarnations of the PDA work mainly via voice commands, though cell phone commands do come into play. The big dogs are Amazon’s Echo, Google’s Home, and Apple’s Siri. These platforms, combinations of speaker hardware and complex networking software, are aimed at convenient use around the home, but the developers eventually want them to work wherever you are.

The devices are something like HAL in 2001: A

Space Odyssey. Possibly just as annoying, if much less homicidal. They work in several overlapping categories: personal assistant, entertainment facilitator, smart home controller. The device is waiting to do your bidding, 24/7.

So are they gimmicks, or useful tools? Do all the things they do add up to a useful device?

Around the house you can toss out random questions – get sports scores, weather reports, and information about all kinds of goofy stuff. Ask it to find and play a movie in one room and music in another.

You can hold a conversation with Echo and Siri, after a fashion. The kind of inane chat you have with yourself as you do housework.

Many of us would like a digital assistant with a bit of inspired sass, but that’s still a work in progress.

The current models are programmed to provide some jokey responses, such as follow-ups to famous lines from movies, but it’s not exactly a battle of wits.

Says one of my friends, “If you say ‘Alexa, tea. Earl Grey. Hot,’ it will give a funny answer. Well, funny to a Trekkie.”

The software and apps are free, and any dedicated hardware is reasonably priced. Amazon, Google, and Apple and their partners want to smooth the path to online buying opportunities (Amazon Prime, iTunes, or Domino’s pizza deliveries, for example). They’re not selling the razor, they’re selling the blades.

Amazon Echo $180

The current leader in the field is Amazon’s Echo, which was introduced in late 2014. The Echo is a smart Bluetooth speaker using the Alexa platform to connect users to the world via voice commands.

You don’t need a smartphone to use it, which is a big step toward greater convenience.

Developers can create their own apps to take advantage of Alexa. For example, Domino’s, which aggressively pursues new means by which to sell its pizzas, offers a free app (called a “skill”) that enables not only pizza ordering but pizza tracking capabilities. Amazon claims more than 3000 such skills are available, and “tens of thousands of developers” are out there creating new skills that are ready to snap to attention when you ask for something, preferably a revenue-generating something.

You don’t need Amazon Prime to use Echo, but it does give you access to Amazon’s music service (and all the other perks like special deals, free two-day shipping on certain products, and a movie library).

The convenience alone is worth the $99 a year fee for Prime (and often it’s discounted).

Amazon already has a large and growing number of third party apps for Alexa. For instance, you can connect your Spotify account for access to a huge music collection.

Carolyn Longworth in Acushnet bought her Echo

to read audio books. “My mom could no longer see the buttons on a CD player for her audio books and I thought she could listen to my Audible books on Echo. She didn’t like the bass so she didn’t really use it. We had fun using it with Spotify and having it play old songs and poetry,” she says.

Longworth added the Echo Dot when her clock radio and iPad combination conked out. “I don’t even have to open my eyes and look at the clock when I wake up in the middle of the night to see what time it is, just mumble, ‘Alexa, what time is it?’”

Echo can also handle instructions. If Longworth is using her Echo to read audio books to her at bedtime, she tells Echo to stop reading after an hour so that if she falls asleep the device won’t keep reading for much longer.

Complementing the Echo is the second generation Echo Dot ($50), a smaller device inexpensive enough to have in many rooms around

“I don’t even have to open my eyes and look at the clock when I wake up in the middle of the night to see what time it is, just mumble, ‘Alexa, what time is it?’” the home. The sound quality isn’t as good as the Echo, says Longworth, but it’s good enough if you’re listening to news and not music.

Powered speakers can be connected to the Dot via Bluetooth for better sound.

Echo also has a reputation for being pretty good at following the thread of a conversation. “I like how it keeps improving,” Longworth says. “For a while, it had a hard time understanding a family member, but as time went on the Echo’s skill at that improved dramatically. When you ask a question and it doesn’t get what you’re saying, you can note that in the app so they can improve. For example, when I first got it Alexa wouldn’t recognize the word ‘Acushnet.’ Now it does and can even pronounce it correctly.”

Wired magazine liked Echo for its ability to control other smart devices around the home. Alexa can be tied into video streaming devices such as Amazon’s Fire TV 4K ($90), which can take advantage of Amazon Prime Video.

Google Home $99

Search powerhouse Google seems to have all the basics for creating a solid competitor to the Amazon Echo. Its Google Home was released only in November. It’s another smart speaker operated by voice commands, but advance reviews suggest it has its own strengths and is already considered a serious challenge to the Echo.

A recent article in Wired magazine favored Google Home over Echo for its “smarter” assistant (the Google Assistant platform), sound quality, language translation accuracy, and looks. But, it currently has fewer third-party relationships, though that’s very likely to change, considering Google’s brand power.

The device has been likened to an air freshener, but buyers can choose from different color bases, and it’s more stylish than the Echo’s black cylinder.

As new as it is, Google Home still needs to be beefed up. For example, you can tell Google to add items to your shopping list, which is more than the Echo can do, but Home’s to-do list still needs work.

Home will work with your TV, but, for the moment, only for showing YouTube videos.

Like Echo, Google Home learns about you over time, so that it can respond more effectively. It ties into Google Home, Google Keep, and Chromecast, as well as with a growing list of third-party providers.

Siri (Included with iOS devices)

“Hey, Siri” is probably the most widely known wake word in the world of PDAs, but Apple’s PDA lags behind Echo and Home in terms of capabilities and sophistication. Apple doesn’t seem to be killing itself to catch up and many Apple users appear to be content using Echo.

Activating Siri requires either pressing a button on an iOS device (iPad or iPhone) or teaching it to recognize your voice when you say “Hey, Siri.” Siri can answer simple questions, play music, set alarms and timers, or open individual apps, but generally you’ll need to pick up your phone soon after asking your question. I consulted my three nephews, Wayne, Nick, and Nate Pinard of Fairhaven, all hardcore iPhone users. None make regular use of Siri. Wayne let me try Siri on his phone. I asked for some information and Siri popped up some pages in Wikipedia for me to peruse.

Carolyn Longworth has also tried Siri via her iPad. “You actually have to pick up the device, or at least have it on. When I got my first iPad I played around with it, but Alexa is easier and has many more features,” she said.

There are rumors that Apple is making a competitor to the Echo and Home, but if you’re looking to stick your toe into the world of voice-activated computing, Siri’s the place to start.

The South Coast Insider / January 2017

23

BUSINESS BUZZ

Pure intentions

By Jay Pateakos

How much do we really know about the germs that cause our families to suffer from illnesses every year?

W

here exactly do these germs come from? Just about everywhere we go, but a lot come from high traffic areas like schools, bathrooms, and doorknobs – places that, by definition, we spend a lot of time around.

We do our best to disinfect them, spraying them with unknown, store-bought chemicals and wiping multiple areas with the same rag, but how well are we disinfecting those surfaces?

Not well, according to Jacob Hart, Vice President of the Westport-based StatoVex Inc., a new company formed in 2016 to tackle protecting “The surfaces where we live, work, and play.”

Clean, cleaner, cleanest

Hart said that StatoVex is a “surface control solutions” company that applies the most cost-effective and efficient antimicrobial technology. Long-lasting, fast-acting, and safe for humans and animals, StatoVex’s innovative and cost-effective solutions protect your health and control the spread of pathogens. They have the ability to “effectively control viruses, bacteria, fungi, and odors utilizing a proven, EPA-registered disinfectant and sanitizer, with residual elimination of specific organisms,” Hart said.

“This is individual surface control development using less-toxic chemicals. We use botanical, plant-derived products,” said Hart. He has a background in disaster restoration, indoor air quality and environmental cleaning. “We saw a niche and put together a business model that focused on helping small businesses and our community stay as clean as possible.”

“Our market is anywhere:

24

Janaury January 2017 2016 / The South Coast Insider

home, businesses, schools – where there are high traffic areas. We disinfect and control pathogens on any surface,” said Hart.

“We did a Montessori school. Like any school, the kids are passing pathogens back and forth and bacteria and germs are spreading, and then the teachers are at risk due to inhalation of the pathogens. We’re trying to help attrition rates.”

Hart said StatoVex is also going after hospitals because pathogens like “superbugs” are impacting hospitals, causing healthcare costs to continue to rise.

“Washing your hands isn’t the only answer anymore,” added Hart.

Antiseptic shock and awe

He noted StatoVex utilizes the latest electrostatic technology to ensure total microscopic coverage. Compared to similar uncharged spray nozzles or conventional hydraulic-atomizing nozzles (like you’d see on a power washer), electrostatic antimicrobial mists adhere to surfaces, proving more effective than conventional sprays and wiping, and providing a greater coverage of active ingredients.

Hart said their state-of-the-art “backpack system,” which includes a tank, handheld applicator, hose, and battery, has revolutionized the disinfecting process, and is ideal to help safeguard facilities from infectious microbodies.

The disinfectant solution can be applied on every touchable surface,

Hart said, replacing the labor-intensive method of hand-wiping surfaces. Instead, it disinfects an entire room in seconds, at up to 100,000 square feet an hour, killing 99.999% of dangerous pathogens. The process features a no-wipe application process that is cordless, touchless, mobile. It is compatible with all water-soluble liquid agents, including disinfectants, sanitizers, deodorizers, and cleaners. It helps to eliminate waste, reduce labor, and cut chemical use.

During the application process, Hart said a technician applies a three-step system to all surfaces using a super-energized electrostatic misting platform, dispersing particles to surround all surfaces, providing total microscopic coverage.

The system ensures the disinfection applications are “fast, long-lasting, and effective.”

Each application takes around two or three minutes to work and is good for about a month’s time.

“It’s highly efficient and gets maximum impact,” said Hart.

Infection control

Hart said the challenge is how to disinfect working and living areas properly. In most cases, people are doing it the wrong way.

“People grab a bottle of ammonia and a rag and you wipe down entire areas, but what you are doing with that rag is basically spreading those germs around.

You also certainly can’t clean everywhere, and that’s a problem these businesses face: how to slow down the spread of infection.”

“A daycare center is perfect for this. We are working on educating business in

“We are working on educating business in this emerging technology.”

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this emerging technology. We are one of only four or five companies doing this in the entire country and we’re the only ones in this area. We’re truly out in front of this.”

Hart discussed what attrition really means for businesses. When a teacher gets sick, substitutes have to get brought in at an additional cost. A sick employee means not only missing that person’s work, but also risking losing more workers to that same employee’s illness. Applying the StatoVex solution to these areas will help eliminate these sicknesses and cut down on costs.

Hart said with their subscription model, they come to a place of business one to two times a month, depending on how high their traffic areas are. They can even train employees on how to use the application themselves. He said each new job begins with a sit-down at the business, where he and the business owners discuss the products he uses, how they are applied, and what they disinfect, among other topics.

“I’ll do an assessment for you as well as pathogen control training,” Hart said.

Hart said that whenever people find out what he does for a living, the questions pour out pretty rapidly. Few people know about his industry, but they’re willing to learn. That’s good for everybody.

“Whenever I go to a networking meeting and I introduce my products, it becomes quite the hot topic. When I tell people it’s a botanical, plant-based product, it helps take the edge off of whether our products are safe, and it gives us an advantage,” said Hart. “We are the wave of the future. It’s coming and we’re glad to be at the forefront of it.”

For more information on StatoVex, visit them online at statovex.com.

The South Coast Insider / January 2017

25

COVER STORY

Why good manners matter

By Elizabeth Morse Read

C

Okay, you can all come out now. The stunningly vulgar, vindictive, and verbally violent political campaign of 2016 is finally over. It’s time for us to pick up the pieces, find our moorings, and clean up our acts. We’re supposed to be the grown-ups in the room, remember?

hildren learn how to behave by imitating adults. But if our children are constantly exposed to the in-your-face bully-tactics recently displayed by political leaders and their surrogates, it’ll be very hard for them to become thoughtful and functional adults.

Good manners matter. It’s how we all learn to play well with others.

Back in the Day

As a Baby Boomer from New Bedford, I was indoctrinated with the Ten Commandments, the Baltimore Catechism, the Sermon on the Mount, and a lot of inexplicable Irish superstitions about umbrellas, patent-leather shoes, hair perms, and whistling women.

If things didn’t go your way, you were taught to suffer it in silence and give it up for the souls in

26

January 2017 / The South Coast Insider

Purgatory. If you made an honest mistake, you were given the benefit of the doubt, and told to clean up your mess and to not do it again. But if you threw a hissy-fit or blamed others for your misdeeds and misfortunes, there were consequences, swift and sure.

People who wrote crude messages on bathroom walls, made fun of people with disabilities, taunted the losing team, or burned the political signs on someone’s lawn were considered low-life ignoramuses and cowards. Back then, if any of us indulged in that kind of antisocial behavior, our mothers left bald spots on our heads and the nuns whacked our knuckles into the middle of next week. “Shame on you!” were the last words you heard.

We were raised, rich or poor, with a keen sense of right and wrong, of having compassion for those less fortunate, fair play, and of accepting responsibility for our own successes and failures.

Fast forward to the 21st century – when did it suddenly become socially acceptable to anonymously indulge in road-rage, Twitter trolling, revenge-porn, vandalism, and cyber-bullying? When did being polite, respectful, and well-mannered suddenly become “politically-correct” liberal elitism, and the target of scorn? Who would want to raise their kids without teaching them good manners?

Make Americans great again “R-E-S-P-E-C-T!” – Aretha Franklin As a culture, Americans have always been admired

for their optimism, open-mindedness, work ethic, and willingness to fight for the underdog. (We’re also known for being loud, nosy, culturally naïve, impulsive and a tad self-centered. Nobody’s perfect.)

But somehow over the past few years, we reached a tipping point down the slippery slope of blaming anyone who doesn’t look/talk/pray/think like us for all our misfortunes and frustrations.

Demagogues (on both sides) promised salvation and revenge, galvanized our bad-mannered impulses, and pitted us against neighbors both here and abroad.

This is mob rule and vigilantism, not civilized discourse and governance. This is the kind of reactionary, knee-jerk mass-hysteria that resulted in the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Salem witch trials, the KKK, the Japanese internments, the McCarthy Era, and the Holocaust.

We need to listen more, read more, think more, and speak less. We need to educate ourselves and our children about opposing viewpoints and different beliefs.

newspapers throughout 2016. Instead of logical, factual debate, we got 24/7 reality TV. Instead of two political parties vying to find common ground with the common man, we got scorched-earth propaganda, National Enquirer conspiracy theories, doomsday headlines, and a lot of nasty, hurtful language. We all deserve better than that.

E Pluribus Unum “Never hate your enemies.

It affects your judgment.”

– Mario Puzo No two people, political parties, or nations will ever agree on everything, but it used to be that we at least listened to the other person’s point of view, tried to find a compromise, and agreed to disagree.

Just because someone disagrees with you doesn’t mean that they’re delusional or “the enemy,” and that you should sue them in court, shame them in public, or threaten bodily harm. These are not behaviors or attitudes we want our children to learn.

And yet, this is exactly what saturated our TV/ radio waves, the internet, social media, and our

Let’s make a deal “Diplomacy is the art of telling people to go to hell in such a way that they ask for directions.”

– Winston Churchill In order to survive as a species, human beings were blessed with brains that allow us to speak, reason, and persuade each other, rather than fight to the death with fangs, claws, and lethal weapons.

Conflicts, whether of opinion, lifestyle, or ideology, can always be resolved by patient persuasion and mutual respect.

When two toddlers argue over a toy, we teach them about sharing and taking turns. When children are aggressive or cruel, they’re banished to the corner or quiet room for “time out,” not so much to be shamed or punished, but to be physically separated until they’ve cooled off and can play well with others again.

We may be civilized enough to have tamed our physically aggressive impulses, but we all still struggle to control our tongues, the deadliest weapon of all. Having good manners means not being verbally aggressive – name-calling, threatening, taunting, screaming, mocking. We do our children no favors by letting them see adults (including parents and politicians) snarling and sneering at each other.

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Namaste, Salaam, Shalom, and May the Force be With You

E

tiquette is all those ingrained behaviors and social niceties practiced in public, depending on where you live.

For instance, table etiquette – Americans switch the knife and fork between both bands when they eat – Europeans don’t. Some people are strictly vegetarian, others don’t mix meat or milk.

In some cultures, it’s okay to slurp or burp at the table. In others, only the right hand can be used for eating, and in others still they use chopsticks, scoop food from a communal dish with bread, or eat pizza with a knife and fork.

There is also body language to consider. For instance, when westerners offer their hand to shake, they’re symbolically showing that they carry no weapon, threat, or grudge. Around the world, people nod, smile, bow, kiss, curtsy, genuflect, rub noses, salute, or fist-bump when greeting someone. In some countries, jerking your head upwards means “no,” but in others, we shake our head side-to-side. We communicate with shrugs, hand/finger-gestures, eye contact and facial expressions – but what gets communicated in Bangkok, Beirut, or Beijing doesn’t necessarily translate well in Bangor or Biloxi.

But just because someone’s customs, opinions, and beliefs aren’t like yours doesn’t mean that they’re wrong or bad – they’re just different, and equally as valid as your own customs, opinions and beliefs.

28

January 2017 / The South Coast Insider

ists, cartoonists, and satirists became the enemy when they pointed out the Emperor’s new clothes.

Vive la difference!

Je Suis Charlie

“To become a true global citizen, one must abandon all notions of ‘otherness’ and instead embrace ‘togetherness.’”

“A poet’s work is to name the unnamable, to point at frauds, to take sides, start arguments, shape the world and stop it from falling asleep.”

– Suzy Kassem Nobody is a perfect 10. Being rich, powerful, beautiful, famous, or charismatic does not make you a more worthy person than the bag-lady on the bus or an illiterate farmer in Bangladesh. Being rich, powerful, beautiful, famous, or charismatic also does not make you any kinder or wiser than the checkout cashier at 7-11 or the guy who mows your lawn. We must teach our children to be polite and respectful of everyone they encounter, and to be thankful for small blessings. Good manners matter.

Thou shalt not bear false witness “‘What is truth?’ said jesting Pilate, and would not stay for an answer.”

– Sir Francis Bacon We try to teach our children to tell the truth, warn them not to tell fibs or be “the boy who cried wolf,” not to be a tattle-tale or a gossip. We also tell them to be mindful of other people’s feelings and to not point out flaws in front of others (apologies to Auntie Mildred’s big hairy mole on her nose.)

But what have our children been exposed to for the past few years? Character assassination, media-spin, anti-intellectual graffiti, chanting mobs, and dumbed-down “post-truths.” Scholars, journal-

– Salman Rushdie, The Satanic Verses During this last election cycle, we heard a lot about protecting the Second Amendment, but very little about protecting the First Amendment – freedom of the press, speech, assembly, petition, and religious beliefs. Traditional investigative journalism – newspapers, television – got drowned out by the roar of social media and partisan websites, where un-truths moved at the speed of light (many people now get their “news” from Facebook and Twitter, not CNN, US News, or the local newspaper.)

It’s hard to reach a rational conclusion about anything if all you hear is coming from a one-sided echo chamber. Especially when anyone who disagrees with you is demonized as being the lame-stream luegenpresse (“lying press”) and threatened with imprisonment, fatwas, or death.

Under banana republic totalitarian regimes, journalists, writers, civil-rights activists, and even cartoonists have risked their lives to get their version of truth to the outside world. The cast of Hamilton and SNL are equally protected under the First Amendment as the reporters of The New York Times, Fox News, or Breitbart. Censorship or curtailment of watchdog groups, artists, the free press, and insinuations of “changing libel laws” are existential threats to our First Amendment rights.

We must teach our children to respect and protect those who speak truthfully, who fight for fairness

“Miz Good-Manners” says: n Make sure your brain is in gear before operating your mouth.

Your life is not a dress rehearsal.

n

Just because someone disagrees with you does not mean that they’re in denial. n

n Never engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent.

You don’t have to be happy to be cheerful.

n

n If your life-view can be summed up on a bumper-sticker or a hat, you need to get out more.

If you’ve got nothing to say, don’t say it.

n

Never confuse education with intelligence, wealth with wisdom, or popularity with respectability.

n

n Don’t shoot the piano player just because you don’t like the song.

and justice, and who practice good manners and goodwill to all.

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“Speak only if it improves upon the silence.”

– Mahatma Gandhi Once children learn how to have a conversation, grown-ups try to teach them good speaking manners like not interrupting, lowering their voices, and how to greet and respond to other people. We’re teaching them to restrain their verbal impulses and to think out the consequences before they speak.

If we let what’s in our head just shoot out our mouth or get posted on Twitter at 3 in the morning, we’re opening up a Pandora’s Box of unintended consequences. Sometimes no response is the best response.

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“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.”

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Nobody is always right all the time. Everybody makes mistakes, misses the point, or takes the wrong turn. But instead of blaming the referee and being a sore loser, accept your defeat, learn from your mistakes, and try, try again. Be faithful to your core values – but never be afraid to change your mind.

Apologizing and taking responsibility for your words and actions is really good manners. Don’t hide behind excuses, don’t blame the traffic, don’t shoot the whistle-blower, or nurse a grudge against anyone who’s disagreed with you.

If you’ve got a chip on your shoulder about the unfairness of life, knock it off. Indeed, you are unique and special, but the universe does not owe you anything once you’re born. The stars, the Fates, the “man,” and your landlord are really not all out to get you. You are no more entitled to special perks than the next guy in line. You’re lucky to be here, so make the best of it while you can.

Good manners matter. Critical thinking matters.

Respect for others matters. You can help make 2017 a kinder year than 2016 was.

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The South Coast Insider / January 2017

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COVER STORY

Southcoast Behavioral Health, a 120-bed in-patient psychiatric treatment center, has opened a new unit for adolescents in need of mental health services.

Silent sickness

BY Jay Pateakos

Back in the day, there wasn’t anything called “behavioral health” or “mental health.” If there was, you didn’t talk about it.

Parents just told their children to suck it up, no matter what it was, and move on. Sadly, I carried that “suck it up” mentality into my own children’s upbringing, and that’s no longer even close to being acceptable.

Today, mental health is something spoken of on the national news. We are on the lookout for signs and symptoms.

By the numbers

According to statistics from the National Alliance for Mental Illness, the numbers of people in this country living with mental illness is staggering. One in five adults suffers from mental illness and one in 25 (about ten million of us) lives with a serious mental illness. As many as 43.8 million adults experience mental illness in any given year. These illnesses are non-discriminatory – 9.3 percent of whites live with mental illness, 18.6 percent of black adults, 16.3 percent of Hispanics, and a whopping 28.3 percent for American Indians.

The adolescent statistics are just as alarming. The

30

January 2017 / The South Coast Insider

statistic that stood out to me the most was that one half of all chronic mental illnesses start by the age of fourteen. Fourteen! A full three-quarters start by the age of 24.

One in five children from the ages of thirteen to eighteen either have or will have a serious mental illness. Eleven percent will face mood disorders, ten percent will have behavior or conduct disorders, and a further eight percent will face anxiety disorders.

The stats go on and on. Warning signs for children and teens include continued sadness or being withdrawn for more than a two-week timeframe, overwhelming fear for no reason, severe mood swings, drastic changes in behavior, and much more.

Most of that list includes just being a normal teenager, but the key is to see beyond that. Be more aware of what the young people around you are going through. Listen and learn.

Sue Klebold was the mother of Dylan Klebold, one of the two Columbine shooters. In her book, A Mother’s Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy she discusses how she and her husband

were good parents, involved and caring. That didn’t stop them from being torn apart in the press, which kept the public from realizing a deeper horror: how their son could keep his secret, demented inner life from them.

With increased awareness of mental health issues, there is hope that the next Dylan Klebold can receive the vital help he needs before it’s too late.

Front lines

Brittany M. Lynch, MSW, LICSW, Lead Behavioral Health Navigator, and Medical Social Worker for the Fall River-based Saint Anne’s Hospital, said in her work with patients, she’s finding that there’s less of a stigma and a better awareness of behavioral health issues than ever before.

“There is an increase in the number of persons presenting to the Emergency Department in crisis,” Lynch said. “Whether it’s clinical depression, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress, or issues related to drugs or alcohol, clinicians have learned more about these conditions and how to have a compassionate, whole-person approach to caring for these patients.”

This is an important approach – the antithesis of “sucking it up.” Suicide has become the third leading cause of death in youth, and 90 percent of those who die by suicide have underlying mental illnesses. The old ways clearly don’t work.

So how is mental health approached in the medical field, or more specifically, in the ER where these cases are seen daily?

“When patients with behavioral health issues come to the Emergency Department, we use a procedure known as SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment), in addition to standard behavioral health assessments, to determine the plan of care,” said Lynch.

“This enables us to provide the best care for the patient at that time and try to refer to the most appropriate mental health or behavioral health providers. Unfortunately, even as more patients present these issues, there are not sufficient community resources, especially as outpatients, to fully care for them, so there is an increase in the number of patients requiring inpatient treatment.”

Mens sana

With an eye toward addressing what is seen as a chronic lack of mental health services for adolescents in the South Coast, Southcoast Behavioral Health recently opened a 24-bed psychiatric unit and plans to open an outpatient treatment center for adolescents aged 13 to 17 once they get approval from the State’s Department of Public Health.

The new unit will be located within the 120-bed psychiatric hospital operating out of 581 Faunce Corner Road in North Dartmouth.

In the unveiling of the new unit on December 9, Southcoast Behavioral Health CEO Kevin Burchill said hundreds of adolescents across the state end up in acute care hospitals that lack the space and specialized staff to treat them. He noted that St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford alone averages more than a child visiting the ER in need of mental health services every day.

The new unit will have a number of behavioral health and substance abuse clinicians as well as child and adolescent psychiatrists. Those patients discharged from inpatient will be able to receive services through the outpatient center.

In a subsequent interview, Burchill said 75 percent of Southcoast Behavioral Health’s business comes from ER patients. There are two reasons for this. First is the uptick in substance abuse. But less-known is the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, which prevents group health plans and insurers from treating mental health benefits as different from medical or surgical benefits. If you’re insured, you should be able to get the help you need.

Burchill said that there was a time not long ago when people – some with violent and aggressive tendencies – had to wait three to five days for a bed.

They would keep returning to the ER, which could not accommodate them. Burchill said the idea of expanding the psychiatric beds in the South Coast started three or four years ago, when the state’s 900-bed system yielded only thirty beds for South Coast patients.

“They wanted to find a better way to increase access,” said Burchill. People put their heads together and it yielded a Southcoast Behavioral Health/ Southcoast Health partnership, creating the 120 bed system we have today.

Of the 120 beds, 72 are for adults, 24 for geriatric patients, and 24 for adolescents. “There was such a demand for geriatric and adolescent beds.” Said Burchill. “The closest geriatric one we had was in Pembroke and the closest adolescent one in South Attleboro.”

“With places like Wareham, New Bedford, and Fall River making up 75 percent of the patients, it takes a big commitment when it comes to inpatient psychiatric needs. Stabilization is a concern – to hop in a car and drive an hour is not a good thing.”

With average stays of eight to ten days for adolescents, Burchill said the new outpatient treatment center will allow for group therapy and psychiatric care in four-hour increments, five to seven days per week, to allow these adolescents a dedicated program that will allow them to remain in their homes while still keeping up with their needed care.

Patients are referred from inpatient settings, family practitioners, school systems, or family care agencies. “In a community at risk,” Burchill said, “there is a need for more intensive outpatient services – an engaged group therapy that may better meet the patient’s needs as an inpatient diversion or discharge option.”

As you can see, Behavioral Health has come far in the last few decades, but there is still more to be done. Just one misdiagnosis could turn deadly.

It’s time we all paid better attention to the people around us, many whom may be in need of help.

Ask more questions. Pay better attention, but don’t preach and don’t ever say “suck it up.”

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31

DATELINE: SOUTH COAST

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

by Elizabeth Morse Read

Happy New Year! Bundle up and explore the South Coast!

Acushnet

Dartmouth

Take a stroll through the Acushnet Sawmills public park and herring weir! Canoe/kayak launch, fishing, trails. For info, visit savebuzzardsbay.org.

The Dartmouth High School Marching Band and Color Guard took first place in the national competition held at the Meadowlands in New Jersey.

Attleboro Plan ahead! The Attleboro Community Theatre will be performing “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” on February 24-26, March 3-5, 10-12! For details, call 508-2268100 or visit attleborocommunitytheatre.com.

Head for the year-round farmers market at Attleboro Farms on Sundays 10-1. For info, call 508-695-7200.

Find out what’s happening at the Capron Park Zoo. Call 774-203-1840 or go to capronparkzoo.com.

The town of Dartmouth is exploring the possibility of later school day starts for high school students.

The South Coast Chamber Music Series will perform “Harp Heaven” on January 14 at St. Peter’s Church in South Dartmouth. For more info, call 508-999-6276 or go to nbsymphony.org.

Take a New Year’s Day stroll through Paskamansett Woods, a nature reserve operated by the Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust. For more info, visit dnrt.org. Or go on nature walks at the Lloyd Center for the Environment! For details, call 508-990-0505 or visit lloydcenter.org.

Take the kids to Mass Audubon’s Oak Knoll Wildlife Sanctuary and Nature Center! For more info, call 508-2233060 or visit massaudubon.org.

Mark your calendar for the monthly Paskamansett Concert Series at the Dartmouth Grange Hall. For a schedule, call 401-241-3793, or visit paskamansettconcertseries.weebly. com.

Bristol

Easton

Find out who’s playing at the Stone Church Coffeehouse at the First Congregational Church in Bristol! For info or tickets, call 401-253-4813 or 401-253-7288.

Check out the Children’s Museum in Easton! For info, call 508-230-3789 or visit childrens museumineaston.org.

Check out the 18th-century Home and Hearth Workshops at the Coggeshall Farm Museum! For details, visit coggeshallfarm.org or call 401-253-9062.

Visit the mansion and gardens at Blithewold! For info, call 401-253-2707 or go to blithewold.org.

Carver Explore Thomas the Tank Engine Land at Edaville Railroad! For more info, visit edaville.com or call 508-8668190.

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January 2017 / The South Coast Insider

Head for the year-round farmers market at Simpson Spring on Saturdays 10 to 2. For info, call 508-238-4472. Or go to the farmers market at Oakes Ames Memorial Hall on Saturdays 10 to 2 through May 20. For info, call 508-2300631.

Fairhaven Start the New Year with a polar plunge at Fort Phoenix on January 1! For details, go to fairhaventours.com or call 508-979-4085.

Browse through the Oxford Book Café on Saturdays 9 to 1 at the Church of the Good Shepherd. Coffee and homemade snacks, used books on sale, WiFi. To learn more, call 508-995-1219 or visit goodshepherdfairhaven.com.

If you’re interested in the history of Japan-America ties, visit the Whitfield-Manjiro Friendship House, where it all began. Go to wmfriendshiphouse.org or call 508-995-1219 for details.

Fall River Find out what’s playing at the Little Theatre! “Love, Loss and What I Wore” will be performed January 19-29. For info, call 508-675-1852 or visit littletheatre.net.

Take the family on a guided nature cruise/seal watch down the Taunton River into Mount Hope Bay! Tours leave from Borden Light Marina through April. For more info, call 401-324-6060 or visit savebay.org.

Get outside and enjoy the weather! Explore nature trails or historic landmarks, join a walking group – learn more at walkfallriver.org or call 508-324-2405.

The Narrows Center for the Arts has a fabulous line-up – there’s Albert Lee January 1, Funky White Honkies January 6, the 4th Annual Winter Blues Festival January 13-14, Matthew Stubbs January 28, Paula Cole February 11 – and more! For a complete schedule, visit narrowscenter.com or call 508-324-1926.

Visit Battleship Cove, home of USS Massachusetts! For more info, call 508-678-1100 or go to battleshipcove.org.

Open weekends January 1-March 31, 9:00am-4:00pm Friday - Sunday. The museum is closed on Christmas and New Year’s Day. Sharpen your skates (or rent them) and head for the Driscoll Skating Rink! For more info, go to fmcicesports.com or call 508-679-3274.

Find out what’s happening in greater Fall Riverby visiting the online events calendars at welovefallriver.com or at ahafallriver.com or call 508-294-5344.

THIS SMALL

BUSINESS

THANKS

YOU HAPPY NEW YEAR!

BET TER CARE

Check out the Children’s Aquarium and Exploration Center of Greater Fall River! Learn more at aquariumgfr.com or call 508-801-4743. And find out what’s going on at the Children’s Museum of Greater Fall River. Reduced admission on the first Friday each month. For info, go to cmgfr.org or call 508-672-0033.

Mattapoisett Head for the winter farmers market at Old Rochester Regional on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month. Runs from 10 to 1 through May 13. For info, call 508-498-9900.

Marion

Explore the trails, wildlife and scenery of the Mattapoisett River Reserve – leashed dogs welcome. Hike, fish, bird-watch, cross-country ski. For more info, go to savebuzzardsbay.org.

The South Coast Chamber Music Series will perform “Harp Heaven” on January 14 at St. Gabriel’s Church in Marion and on January 15. For more info, call 508-9996276 or go to nbsymphony.org.

Middleboro

Plan ahead for the Tri-County Symphonic Band’s performance of Mozart, Mancini and Mussorgsky on February 12! For details, go to tricountysymphonicband.org.

The Marion Council on Aging has launched a weekly “Memory Café” for those suffering memory disorders and their caregivers. Held every Wednesday at the Marion Music Hall, the café offers lunch, activities, and music in a relaxed, supportive environment. The program is free (donations appreciated) and open to non-Marion residents. For more info, call the Marion COA at 508-748-3570.

STARTS HERE REHAB & SKILLED CARE

508.998.7807 • TheOaksMa.com

Learn rug-hooking or quilting at the Soule Homestead!

For details, call 508-947-6744 or go to soulehomestead.org.

Middletown Get in touch with nature at the Norman Bird Sanctuary! For details, call 401-846-2577 or go to normanbirdsanctuary.org.

Continued ON NEXT PAGE

The South Coast Insider / January 2017

33

Continued FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

The Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) of Citizens For Citizens Inc. is looking for retired seniors who can offer their skills, talents, and experience to help out public and nonprofit organizations in the Fall River and Taunton areas.

To learn more, call Judy Charest at 508-679-0041.

The Southcoast Visiting Nurses Association (VNA) needs Portuguese-speaking volunteers for its Hospice and Palliative Care programs. For more info, contact Mary Harrington at 508-973-3219 or at harringtonma@southcoast.org.

The AARP Foundation’s Tax Aide program is looking for volunteers of all ages to provide free tax assistance and preparation for low-to-moderate-income taxpayers. Training is provided, need Spanish and Portuguese speakers. Call 1-888-6872277 or go to aarp.org/taxaide.

The Samaritans of Bristol County needs crisis hotline volunteers. Training is provided. For more info, call 508-679-9777 or 508-673-3777.

Junior Achievement of Southern Massachusetts needs volunteers to teach workforce readiness, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship to students in Bristol County and southern Plymouth County. Training and materials are provided. For more info, contact Elaine Meredith at Elaine.Meredith@ja.org or 508-997-6536 ext. 12.

New Bedford

Newport

A timely exhibit – “Global Voices for Social Justice/ Art as Activism” will be on display at the New Bedford Art Museum/Artworks! through January 8. For more info, visit newbedfordart.org or call 508-961-3072.

Take the family on a guided nature cruise/seal watch in Newport Harbor! Tours leave from Bowen’s Ferry Landing through April. For more info, call 401-324-6060 or visit savebay.org.

A “must-see” exhibit – “Inner Light: The World of William Bradford” is at the Whaling Museum through May 2017. For more info, call 508-997-0046 or visit whalingmusuem.org.

Get out the ice skates and head for the outdoor Newport Skating Center! For more info, visit skatenewport.com or call 401-846-3018.

Don’t miss the special events and exhibits at the RotchJones-Duff House! For more info, call 508-997-1401 or go to rjdmuseum.org.

Enjoy a dinner-theatre night out at the Newport Playhouse! Plan ahead for “Romantic Comedy” February 16 through March 26. For more information, call 401-848-7529 or go to newportplayhouse.com.

Enjoy FREE family fun and entertainment on AHA! Nights. Plan ahead for “Hometown Heroes and Sheroes” on February 9! For details, go to ahanewbedford.org or call 508-996-8253.

If you’re 50 or older, check out the trips sponsored by the New Bedford Senior Travel Program. Make your reservations now to see “The Lion King” on March 16 at the Providence Performing Arts Center! For details, call 508-991-6171.

Curtain time! YourTheatre will perform “Never the Sinner” January 12-15, 19-22. For details, call 508-993-0772 or go to yourtheatre.org.

Take a winter stroll through the Allen G. Haskell Public Gardens! For details, call 508-636-4693 or go to thetrustees.org.

It’s all happening at the Z! Don’t miss Get the Led Out January 12, Carrie Rodriguez January 26, Elvis Lives February 3, “The Last of the Red Hot Lovers” February 10!

For details, call 508-994-2900 or go to zeiterion.org.

Enjoy the 2016-2017 season of the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra at the Zeiterion. “An American in Russia” will be performed on January 21. Plan ahead for “Strings Attached” on February 18. For details, call 508-9996276 or go to nbsymphony.org.

Relive American military history at Fort Taber-Fort Rodman! For info, call 508-994-3938 or visit forttaber.org.

Find out what’s happening at the Buttonwood Park Zoo! For info, call 508-991-6178 or visit bpzoo.org.

“My Brother’s Keeper” of Easton and Dartmouth is looking for volunteers and gentlyused residential furniture and non-perishable food for families in need. Free pick-up. Call 774-3054577 or visit MyBrothersKeeper.org.

Visit the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park! For more info, go to nps.gov/nebe. And while you’re there, visit the Whaling Museum! For more info, visit whalingmuseum.org or call 508-997-0046.

Charlton Memorial Hospital is looking for energetic volunteers from the greater Fall River area. To learn more, call 508-973-7038 or go to southcoast.org/volunteer.

If you’re a fan of Americana and roots music, check out “Music in the Gallery” at the Wamsutta Club. For tickets or info, go to brownpapertickets.com or wamsuttaconcerts. com.

The Whaling Museum is looking for volunteer guides (especially bilingual) able to take a tenweek training course next summer. For details, call 508-7176849 or email rrocha@whalingmuseum. org.

Head for the winter farmers market at the Bristol Building on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month. Runs 10 to 1 through May 20. For info, call 979-1500.

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January 2017 / The South Coast Insider

To plan your schedule in the New Bedford area, check out downtownnb.org, destinationnewbedford.org, and ahanewbedford.org.

Plymouth Find out who’s on stage at the Spire Center for the Performing Arts of Greater Plymouth! There’s Billington Sam January 7, The Cape Cod Jazz Quartet January 14, Molly Venter & Goodnight Moonshine February 11 – and more!

For tickets and info, call 508-746-4488 or visit spirecenter. org.

Head for the winter farmers market at Plimouth Plantation on the second Thursday of the month. Runs 2:30 to 6:30 through May 11.

Portsmouth Get back to your musical roots at Common Fence Music! For more info, call 401-683-5085 or visit commonfencemusic.org.

Providence The Wilbury Group will perform “Betrayal” January 12 through February 4. For info and tickets, call 401-400-7100 or visit thewilburygroup.org.

Find out what’s on stage with the Performing Arts Series at Rhode Island College! For info and tickets, call 401-4568144 or visit ric.edu/pfa.

Shop for that special gift at the “Artists for the Bay Art Sale” at the Save the Bay Center through January 31. For more info, call 401-272-3540 or visit savebay.org/art.

Don’t miss the special exhibit of rarely-seen Impressionist works at the Rhode Island School of Design Museum through June 11. For more info, call 401-454-6500 or go to risdmuseum.org.

Find out what’s on stage at the Providence Performing Arts Center! Don’t miss “Salute to Vienna” on January 1 at the VETS, John Cleese & the Holy Grail January 14, Vocalosity January 25, “The Curious Case of the Dog in the Night-Time” February 7-12 – and more! For details, call 401421-2787 or go to ppacri.org.

Enjoy the new season of the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra at the VETS – don’t miss the performance of Schubert’s “Unfinished” on January 21. For details, call 401-248-7000 or go to riphil.org.

We do rehab right.

Tell your healthcare provider you want Catholic Memorial Home.

Don’t miss Trinity Rep’s performance of “The Mountaintop” January 12 through February 12. For info, call 401-351-4242 or go to trinityrep.com.

Choose Right!

Check out the schedule at the Dunkin Donuts Center!

There’s Twenty One Pilots January 17, Miranda Lambert February 2 – and lots of hockey games! For more info, call 401-331-6700 or visit dunkindonutscenter.com.

Short-Term Rehab • Stroke Rehab Pulmonary Rehab • Post Surgical Care Ostomy Care, IV Therapy State-Of-The-Art Equipment Physical & Occupational Therapy Knee, Hip & Joint Rehabilitation Pain Management & Wound Care Speech Pathology

Explore the Children’s Museum in Providence! Go to childrenmuseum.org or call 401-273-5437. Then take the kids to the Roger Williams Park Zoo! For more info, go to rwpzoo.org or call 401-785-3510.

To find out what’s happening in the greater Providence area, visit providenceri.com, artsnowri.com, or newportwaterfrontevents.com.

Stop by for a tour

508.679.0011

Rehoboth Plan ahead to hear the Sarasa Ensemble on February 4 at Goff Memorial Hall, part of the “Arts in the Village” series.

For details, visit carpentermuseum.org.

Swansea

catholicmemorialhome.org Admissions 7 days a week Most insurances accepted

Catholic Memorial Home, Fall River • Member of the Diocesan Health Facilities

Head for the year-round farmers market at Stony Creek Farm on Sundays from 10 to 2. For info, call 401-465-4832.

Tiverton Head for the Sandywoods Center for the Arts! For a complete schedule, go to sandywoodsmusic.com or call 401-241-7349.

Wareham To plan your activities in the Wareham area, go to warehamvillage.org. or onsetbay.org.

Warren Check out what’s playing at 2nd Story Theatre! Call 401247-4200 or go to 2ndstorytheatre.com.

Westport

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Plan ahead to hear The Claremont Trio perform on February 26 at Concerts at The Point. For details, call 508636-0698 or visit concertsatthepoint.org.

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Head for the Westport Winter Market at the Town Hall Annex on Saturdays 9-1. For info, call 508-636-1103.

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Explore 18th- and 19th-century life at the Handy House.

For more info, visit wpthistory.org or call 508-636-6011.

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www.15pointroad.com The South Coast Insider / January 2017

35

ACROSS THE REGION Quality and Service since 1921 • Auto Glass • Glass for Frames • Insulated Units • Glass Table Tops • Screens & Sashes Repaired • Plastic / Lexan • Mirrors: Polished, Beveled,Framed • Specialty Glass for Cabinet Doors • Custom Stationary Storm and Screen Frames • Frameless Shower Door Glass & Hardware

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Where old and new friends have met since 1933

Ka-Ching! The casino is coming to Tiverton! State and local voters approved the Twin Rivers proposal to move its gambling license from Newport to a new $75 million facility in Tiverton, right over the Fall River line. It will have 1,000 slot machines, 30 table games, a hotel, restaurants, an entertainment venue, and will employ 450 people.

Tiverton stands to gain $4 million in fees and tax revenues when the casino opens in mid-2018.

Thanks to a $2.5 million MassWorks Infrastructure Program grant, Union Street in downtown New Bedford will get a complete overhaul down to the waterfront, starting in the spring.

Hazelwood Park in the city’s South End is getting a gradual make-over, starting with 30 fruit trees planted along the entry road. Plans are underway to restore the historic bowling green and the Congdon-Lucas House, and to add more shade trees and picnic tables.

New Bedford has been chosen as “Top Fishing Destination of the Year” by the Luxury Travel Guide, which is distributed to over half a million travel and hospitality professionals and affluent people around the world.

Longtime philanthropist and education advocate Dr. Irving Fradkin of Fall River has died at age 95. He founded Scholarship America in 1958, which now oversees 500 chapters of “Dollars for Scholars” nationwide. Scholarship America has given out $3.5 billion to more than two million students.

Massachusetts voters approved the referendum to legalize recreational use of marijuana.

The Fall River Diocese has received a $1 million matching gift from the Carney Family Foundation to create scholarships and increase enrollment in the diocese’s Catholic schools.

If you’re 50 or older, check out the trips sponsored by the New Bedford Senior Travel Program.

508.673.2982 36

January 2017 / The South Coast Insider

AAA members in Massachusetts can now conduct most of their Registry of Motor Vehicles business at the AAA branch office in Fairhaven, thanks to a partnership between the RMV and AAA, with the goal of opening an RMV service center in every AAA office in the state. The Fairhaven AAA office is open 9 to 5 Monday-Friday and also 9 to 1 on Saturdays.

Southcoast Health and the Buzzards Bay Coalition have joined together to create Discover Buzzards Bay, an initiative to promote active outdoor recreation. A series of guided monthly outdoor walks, called “Sunday Strolls,” and an online portal with information about more than 100 public places to walk, cycle, fish, and paddle can be found at savebuzzardsbay.org/discover.

My Brother’s Keeper of Dartmouth and Easton is looking for volunteers and gently-used residential furniture for families in need. Free pick up. Call 774-305-4577 or visit mybrotherskeeper.org.

Pet Food Aid, a nonprofit organization, collects pet food donations and distributes them to food banks throughout Bristol County. Volunteers and donations gratefully accepted.

For more info, visit petfoodaid.org or call 774-204-5227.

Fill your baskets with local produce, cheeses, jellies, wines, pies, and greenery. To find a farm, vineyard, or winter farmers market near you, visit semaponline.org, pickyourown. org, farmfresh.org, or localharvest.org.

Open: Mon.-Wed. 11:30am-1am Thu.-Sat. 11:30am-2am Sunday: Private parties

34 Franklin Street Fall River, MA

GraphicDesignDegreeHub.com has listed New Bedford in the top 20 “most creative small towns (population under 100,000) in America.” Complex.com, another arts-centered website, listed New Bedford as one of the “10 Cities That Creatives Should Move to That Aren’t NYC or LA.”

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (DOT) has assumed full oversight of the South Coast Rail project, taking it out of the control of the problem-plagued MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority). Stay tuned…

Jason Rua was named Chair of the Board of Trustees of Southcoast Health System and Southcoast Hospitals Group for a term of three years; taking over for the outgoing Chair, Dr. Jean McCormack.

Don’t miss the 21st Annual Moby Dick Marathon January 6-8 at the Whaling Museum in New Bedford! For more info, call 508-997-0046 or go to whalingmuseum.org.

“Your Natural Path to Better Health”

Hundreds to Gather at the New Bedford Whaling Museum for Moby-Dick Marathon

It is time for the yearly migration to the New Bedford Whaling Museum. January 6–8 will mark the21st annual Moby-Dick Marathon at the Museum. The event summons readers and enthusiasts around the globe - from the world’s most obsessive literary aficionados, to local school children and everyone in between.

Participants will travel back in time to accompany narrator Ishmael on the epic whaling journey and hunt for the elusive white whale.

Since 1995, the Museum has marked the anniversary of author Herman Melville’s 1841 departure from the Port of New Bedford and Fairhaven aboard the whaleship Acushnet, with this mid-winter tradition. Melville would later pen Moby-Dick, publishing the famous American novel in 1851. The 25-hour Moby-Dick readathon, fueled by caffeine, warm local chowder, theatrical performances, and a fondness for the author’s artistry, features inspiring options including a children’s marathon, as well as a reading of the abridged Portuguese adaptation of the novel.

Activities begin on Friday, January 6 at 5:30 p.m. with a ticketed event including the opening of the Melville Society Exhibit, a dinner well-suited for hungry sailors, and an engaging lecture and discussion on Melville and Religion. Friday tickets are $40 for Whaling Museum members, $50 for non-members. To purchase tickets visit www.whalingmuseum.org, or call 508-997-0046.

Make your reservations now to see “The Lion King” on March 16 at the Providence Performing Arts Center! For details, call 508-991-6171.

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508.678.1233 293 Linden Street Fall River, MA www.drbomback.com The South Coast Insider / January 2017

37

ON MY MIND

Frank Knowles/Little River Reserve in Dartmouth

Walk a mile in your own shoes

By Paul Kandarian

I pulled into a gas station the other day with a wonky tire, and paid a dollar to use the air hose. I went inside, thirsty, and paid double that for a bottle of water. Lighters were on sale for a buck or so. Nearby I saw a sign for a landscaping place that sells dirt by the truckload.

Air. Earth. Fire. Water. Basic elements, all for sale. As few as a couple decades ago, who’d have thunk it?

Know what’s not for sale? Walking. Pretty much, anyway. Granted, you can join a gym or pony up thousands of dollars to do it at home on a stair-stepping machine or a treadmill. But walking, one of the most basic and best forms of exercise, is free. As it should be.

Where to walk? Well, you can do that anywhere, in the country or on city streets and it’s all good. But

38

January 2017 / The South Coast Insider

if you’re going to invest time in walking, check out some of these places where you get terrific scenery along with your exercise: Harbor Walk in New Bedford is the nearest and one of the most beautiful places in the area to stretch the legs, giving you a chance to walk across the city’s sprawling hurricane barrier – said to be the longest in the world – and look out on where Buzzards Bay at East Beach meets historic Fort Tabor, and beyond to Fairhaven’s Fort Phoenix, West Island and places like Butler Flats Lighthouse. The elevated

walking trail goes about three-quarters of a mile and is lit up at night. It’s also one of the best places to see what makes New Bedford New Bedford, as fishing vessels and other watercraft amble in and out of the bay.

Fall River is pretty hilly and any place you walk will work you out, but some options include the Maplewood Park Route in the south end, bordering Stafford Road, a walk that extends to Brayton Avenue and offering some moderate inclines for a mile-long workout. For a lot more, check out the Healthy City Fall River brochure at gfrpartners.com Over in Mattapoisett, there’s the Nasketucket Bay State Reservation, a beautiful park with 209 acres of wooded trails, open fields, and rocky shoreline to explore, including the Shaw Farm Trail, created by the Buzzards Bay Coalition, which stretches about a mile past farms and links the reservation with popular bike paths through Fairhaven and Mattapoisett.

There is also the Mattapoisett River Reserve,

212 acres that’s home to places like The Bogs and Tripps Mill, a gateway to more than four miles of public trails through forest, freshwater swamp, and retired cranberry bogs.

Weweantic River Reserve in Wareham, home of Horseshoe Mill, has woodland walking trails and beautiful river views, a 34-acre Buzzards Bay Coalition holding that offers places to hike as well as paddle (winter kayaking is incredibly enjoyable) and fish, and is located just minutes from busy shopping centers, providing a quiet escape.

Demarest Lloyd State Park, over on Barney’s Joy Road in Dartmouth, with an 1,800-foot saltwater beach (sand walking really works the calves), is backed by rambling hills of beach grass and a broad marsh that lines the Slocum River.

There is also the Little River Reserve in Dartmouth, nestled between the Slocums River and Little River, where one of the most popular features is a suspended boardwalk 15 feet above a red maple swamp, a 200-foot long beauty where you can watch for birds and other wildlife.

Dighton Rock State Park in Berkley is about 85 acres and a terrific place to hoof it. Plus there’s a lovely bit of history here: the rock itself is covered with petroglyphs, carved designs of ancient and uncertain origin, now housed in a small museum.

Check it out and then walk around trying to figure out who wrote on it.

Ellisville Harbor State Park in Plymouth is a beautiful coastal property, including an 18th-century farmstead, beachfront, salt marsh, rolling meadows, and red pine forest, where you can beachcomb, birdwatch, and just enjoy being out in the elements.

Horseneck Beach State Reservation in Westport is

New Bedford Harbor Walk

a crown jewel in the state park system, spread across nearly 600 acres of barrier beach and salt marsh, with a two-mile stretch of sand that really works the legs. After winter storms, it’s a blast to check out the frothy sea water that often freezes in giant, natural sculptures on the beach.

And there’s more to come: the South Coast Bikeway, when fully completed, will be a 50-mile

continuous system of bike and walking paths connecting Rhode Island to Cape Cod, encompassing towns like Swansea, Somerset, Fall River, New Bedford, Marion, and Wareham. Several segments already exist. More info can be found at southcoastbikeway.com Walking is one of the best forms of exercise, so get it while it’s still free.

Public access to Nasketucket Bay and the Nasketucket Reservation in Mattapoisett would be increased.

Photo/Buzzards Bay Coalition

The South Coast Insider / January 2017

39

Brandon Woods

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