South Coast Prime Times - Jan./Feb. 2014 by Coastal Communications Corp.

S o u t h

C o a s t

10TH

Prime timeS Ja nuary/February 2014 • Volume 10 • Number 1

WINTER TAILS T I TA

PET STORIES TO WARM THE HEART NEW YEAR NEW FRIENDS PERFECT PIE CRUST SHOP LOCALLY PLUS: THINGS TO DO ACETAMINOPHEN: UNSAFE AT ANY DOSE?

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january/february 2014

contents 24

28 10 6

16 I n e very issue

P rime se ason

P rime living

G ood times

20 Donation of life

10 In tune with a legacy

24 Cure for cabin fever By Joyce Rowley

Writing life 14 Spend local, save local 16 By Mel Yoken

32 Taxing news from

the IRS

28 Secrets of pie crust

18 Pet tales

By Sherri Mahoney-Battles

30 Roomba rhumba

26 Antidotes for winter

From the publisher

34 Extra! Extra!

Local news and views

By Jay Pateakos

Acetaminophen: unsafe at any dose? By Elizabeth Morse Read

By Paul Letendre

The South Coast Prime Times welcomes letters to the editor on any subject. Please keep your letters brief and to the point. No name-calling or libelous attacks will be published, and we ask that all letters be signed. Writers who wish to remain anonymous will have their names withheld on request. Send your letters to The Editor, South Coast Prime Times, PO Box 3493, Fall River MA 02722 or send us an email at editor@coastalmags.com.

S ou th C oast P r ime T imes

î Ž

J a nuary /F ebruary 2014

By Brian J. Lowney

By Dan Logan

40 Joining the club

By Paul Kandarian

By Sean McCarthy

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From The Publisher January/February 2014 n Vol. 10 n No. 1 Published by

Coastal Communications Corp. Publisher and Editor-in-Chief

Welcome to the latest issue of “Prime Times,” the South

Ljiljana Vasiljevic

Coast’s only magazine devoted to Us, the generation now enjoying the fruits of a life well-lived. Whether you’re

Editor

Greg Jones

retired (or nearly so), or are continuing to work, “Prime Times” is written for you.

Contributors

Paul E. Kandarian, Paul Letendre, Dan Logan, Brian J. Lowney, Sherri Mahoney-Battles, Sean McCarthy, Jay Pateakos, Elizabeth Morse Read, Joyce Rowley, Mel B. Yoken

The safety of commonly used medicines is taken for granted by most of us. After all they couldn’t sell it if it was bad for you, or dangerous, right? It’s not as simple as that. Even a careful reading of the “fine print” doesn’t always reveal all you need to know, and in this issue Elizabeth Morse Read has done an excellent job of getting the

South Coast Prime Times is published bi-monthly.

sometimes frightening facts on acetaminophen, found in Tylenol and a very long list of over-the-counter and prescription drugs. Her report starts on page 6

and it is a ‘must-read’ story.

The music scene in New Bedford is a vibrant one, with local bands playing

from the Publisher. All information contained herein is

music of just about any genre imaginable. Whaling City Sound is a music

believed to be reliable. Coastal Communications Corp.

publishing company that has received national attention for the quality of its

does not assume any financial responsibility for typo-

recordings and the ‘A-list’ level of the musicians who are represented. Neil Weiss

graphical errors in advertisements, but will reprint that

is the man behind Whaling City Sound and Sean McCarthy is writer behind the

portion of an advertisement in which the typographical error occurs.

story, starting on page 10. There’s more, lots more, in our year-end issue. The secrets of a perfect pie crust,

Next issue

an in-depth interview with one of the South Coast’s leading authors and some

February 12, 2013

important news on changes to the tax code are just part of the package.

Circulation

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promotions and giveaways.

Subscriptions $14.95 per year

None of this would happen without the generous support of our advertisers,

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Our advertisers make this publication possible —please support them 4

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PRIME living

Acetaminophen:

unsafe at any dose?

Eliz abeth Morse Read

When acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, first came on the market, it was one of those cover-story medical marvels, like penicillin and the polio vaccine. It was a major breakthrough in non-prescription pain relief because it didn’t cause the stomach irritation so common with aspirin.

Tylenol also proved to be safer than aspirin for treating children with viral illnesses like chicken pox or flu, because taking aspirin can trigger Reye’s Syndrome, a potentially fatal illness. Like aspirin, acetaminophen is an effective analgesic (painreliever) and anti-pyretic (fever-reducer). But it does not treat inflammation or pain caused by inflammation (think: arthritis), which aspirin does treat very effectively. Aspirin, along with other NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like Advil and Motrin (ibuprofen) and Aleve (naproxen), is a potent non-prescription medicine that treats pain, fever and inflam-

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mation, with much less potential for harm than acetaminophen.

Slim safety margins But you would need to take 20 times the recommended daily dose of ibuprofen or at least six times the recommended daily dose of aspirin to reach toxic levels. When taken as directed, acetaminophen is very safe and effective, but there’s a very fine line between safe and toxic doses. It takes only 25 per cent more acetaminophen than the maximum daily dose of 4 grams (4,000 milligrams) over several days to be deadly, especially if there’s any alcohol involved. Even just bumping up to 5 grams (500

J a nuary /F ebruary 2014

mg) a day, the equivalent of just two extra tablets of Extra Strength Tylenol (500 mg each) could be the toxic tipping point. One FDA (Food and Drug Administration) study found that acute liver failure could occur at doses between 5,000 mg and 7,500 mg of acetaminophen a day for just a few days. Another report said that taking as little as 2,500 mg a day could be the toxic tipping point for alcoholics, anorexics and people taking certain medications. Yet, since the 1980s, acetaminophen has become the go-to ingredient in over 600 prescription and OTC (over-the-counter) pain-relief medicines sold in the US— even though it’s the most toxic chemical substance out there. It can kill within days if you take just a little too much, and the sliver of time between “you’ll live” and “you won’t” is hair-trigger thin. The leading cause of acute liver failure in the US is acetaminophen poisoning—not alcohol abuse or viral hepatitis—accounting for up to 30 per cent of all liver failures. Between 2001 and 2010, more than 1,500 people died of acetaminophen poisoning.

lettered warnings on the bottle caps of T ylenol products to market, acetaminophen was “rediscovered” (i.e., re-marketed) as safer than aspirin for children, pregnant women, and ulcer patients. According to an NIH (National Institute of Health) report, acetaminophen seems to work as a pain-reliever because it increases a person’s pain threshold by chemically stimulating the cannabinoid-receptors in our brain (yeah, same as marijuana). But

to growing concern about accidental acetaminophen poisonings, in 2011 the FDA mandated that prescription drugs like Vicodin could not contain more than 325 mg acetaminophen in a dose. It was not until this past October that McNeil finally added red-lettered warnings on the bottle caps of Tylenol products reading, “Contains acetaminophen. Always read the label.”

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Paracetemol, the British name for acetaminophen, was originally concocted from coal tar in the late 19th century and sold as a pain-reliever. Commercially, it was a non-event, and played second-fiddle to aspirin for decades. But in the 1950s, when Tylenol first came

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From coal tar to cannabinoids

acetaminophen—especially Tylenol products—has been dogged by public relations disasters, both medical and legal, since it was first introduced. In 1977, the FDA mandated that acetaminophen manufacturers must add “can cause severe liver damage” on product packaging, but it didn’t finally appear until 2009. Even though they’ve been sued nearly 100 times for inadequate warning labels resulting in injury or death, Tylenol manufacturer McNeil Consumer Healthcare (owned by Johnson & Johnson), the leader in acetaminophen sales in the US, has stiffly resisted changing their product packaging. By 1980, acetaminophen sales surpassed aspirin sales for the first time. But in 1982, seven people in the Chicago area died suddenly after taking Extra Strength Tylenol capsules that had been deliberately laced with potassium cyanide. It was an anonymous mass murder that remains unsolved, despite the $100,000 reward offered by Johnson & Johnson. The “Tylenol murders” did result in strict government reforms mandating tamperresistant packaging of all medicines, as well as passage of federal anti-tampering laws. Acetaminophen producers eventually overcame the disastrous marketing impact of the Chicago poisonings. Yet, in 2003, hundreds of bottles of APAP (a generic name for acetaminophen) were recalled because the bottles had been mislabeled as containing 325 mg tablets, when in fact each tablet contained 500 mg. So there’s also a lot of potential for error along the production line. In response

A GIFT OF HEALTH

It sends almost 80,000 Americans to an emergency room every year, resulting in 33,000 hospitalizations and at least 150 deaths; some studies estimate closer to 500 deaths. Acetaminophen poisoning results in more calls to US poison control centers than any other pharmacological substance. And it’s no longer just an American problem: according to a recent article in “The New York Times,” acetaminophen poisoning is fast becoming one of the most common poisonings worldwide. And it’s all preventable. In 2011, 6,500 people in the US underwent life-saving liver transplants, at an estimated cost of almost $600,000 per transplant, not counting the life-long medications and treatments needed for survival. If we can prevent acetaminophen poisoning, a major factor in liver transplants, whether through better parent/consumer education or better product labeling, we can reduce the number of transplants needed and shorten the waiting list for donor organs. There’s more than short-term risks involved with taking acetaminophen, a “New England Journal of Medicine” article noted that a daily dose of acetaminophen over a year, or 1,000 pills over a lifetime doubles the likelihood of kidney failure.

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Continued from previous page Non-Tylenol generic producers of acetaminophen are expected to follow suit. But it’s been a long time coming—and more needs to be done.

Is there a cure? Forget the syrup of ipecac or forced vomiting; there is no home remedy for acetaminophen poisoning. Hospitals have an antidote called N-acetylcysteine or Mucomyst, which can prevent liver failure if given within eight hours of an overdose. But given that it can sometimes take several days for liver failure symptoms to appear, most people may not even realize they’ve overdosed until it’s too late for the antidote to be effective. And then there’s allergic reactions to acetaminophen and toxic interactions with alcohol—they also require immediate medical attention. Anyone who experiences a skin reaction or rash, especially on the hands and arms, after taking acetaminophen, should get help immediately. It could be a rare but potentially fatal allergic reaction. Call 911. If the antidote is administered quickly,

there’s a very good chance of full recovery. But without rapid intervention, acetaminophen overdose/allergic reaction sets off a cascade of physiological events that can lead to organ failure, an emergency liver transplant and/or death.

A witch’s brew Most people don’t realize that many prescription and OTC medicines also contain acetaminophen, further increasing the chance of accidentally overdosing. For example, the prescription painkillers Percocet, Darvocet and Vicodin contain 325 mg of acetaminophen in each dose. Generic store-brand “pain-relievers,” multisymptom cold and flu medicines, sleeping aids, migraine remedies—even suppositories!—may contain acetaminophen. And it all adds up. Most OTC pain-relievers are effective within half an hour or so, but some people get stupid and want immediate results, so they’ll take more than the recommended dose (“Hey! If two pills work fast, maybe four—or six—will work even faster!”). This could explain why ‘extra-strength’

Hidden sources of acetaminophen

If you take any of the following OTC or prescription drugs while you’re also taking Tylenol, you could end up in the hospital. Always read every product’s label carefully to learn the amount of acetaminophen it contains. Watch for APAP, AC, Acetaminoph, Acetamin, Acetam, Paracetemol—these are just other names for acetaminophen. Generic and store-brand versions may have completely different names. Always read the labels of cold and flu “multi-symptom” products, whether tablet, capsule or liquid, OTC sleeping aid products, sinus relief products, migraine-relief products, and even suppositories—there’s acetaminophen lurking in many of them. This is not a complete list.

Actifed Alka-Seltzer Plus Anacin Benadryl Sinus Cepacol Comtrex Contac Sinus Coricidin Darvocet Dayquil Dimetapp 8

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Dristan Drixoral Excedrin Feverall Liquiprin Lorcet Midol Nyquil Pamprin Panadol Percocet 

J a nuary /F ebruary 2014

Robitussin Sominex Sudafed Tempra Theraflu Triaminic Tylenol Unisom Vanquish Vicks 44 Vicodin

acetaminophen products (500 mg) have steadily become more popular than regular-strength products (325 mg), making it even easier to inadvertently overdose. You can’t afford to mess around with acetaminophen. Read the labels on everything, add up the amount of acetaminophen contained in everything, and do not go past 4 g / 4,000 mg total daily intake! Combined levels of acetaminophen between 5,000-7,000mg on any given day is toxic, especially if you’ve also consumed alcohol within the past 24 hours. Acetaminophen is a very effective painreliever when used properly. Unfortunately, we don’t always act rationally and responsibly. Some people will toss down a few Tylenol before they go to a party, hoping to preempt a hangover. And then there are people who don’t even read the label to find out what the active ingredients are, or the risks, recommended doses, or warnings. It’s high-risk behavior to handle acetaminophen indiscriminately, especially when you’re dispensing it to a child.

A toxic cocktail If you wouldn’t drink and drive, you shouldn’t drink and take Tylenol, either. Products containing acetaminophen have a warning on the label that says if you consume “three drinks or more per day,” you shouldn’t take the product without a doctor’s advice. Think about it—taking a handful of Tylenol for your hangover could be fatal—and you don’t need to be a chronic, heavy drinker for there to be disastrous results. A Super Bowl beerfest, a family-reunion camping weekend or a frat-house keg party: binge drinking is even more dangerous when acetaminophen is involved. Taking just the recommended daily 4 grams of acetaminophen while there’s any alcohol in your bloodstream is a very, very bad move. Alcohol acts as a catalyst and turns acetaminophen into nasty chemicals that can shut down your liver—permanently. Together, they overwhelm the liver’s ability to remove toxins from the bloodstream, which could then lead to complete kidney failure. Symptoms of a dangerous acetaminophen/alcohol interaction may not show up for 12 hours or even more, but be alert to sudden fatigue, flu-like symptoms, yellowing of the eyes or skin, rashes, unusual bleeding or bruising: you need immediate medical attention.

Like drinking too much, eating too little what you’re doing. narrows the gap between safe and toxic Shockingly, one pediatric medical professional said that the typical printed label on doses of acetaminophen: don’t take it on medicines exceeds the an empty stomach. reading comprehenFasting regimens, ike drinking too sion level of many eating disorders American parents. In like anorexia, and much eating too an experiment at the excessive caffeine University of Cincinintake are all little narrows the nati, only 40 per cent added risk factors gap between safe of parents were able to when you take calculate the correct acetaminophen and toxic doses of dosage of infant/chilproducts. dren medicines, and a There is no acetaminophen third weren’t even able home remedy for to measure the dose acetaminophen correctly. poisoning. Call 911 or the National Poison Likewise, it’s critical that parents use only Control Center at 800-222-1222. the specific dispensing device (dropper, A special danger to children? oral syringe, measuring spoon) that comes When first introduced, acetaminophen with the liquid children’s acetaminophen. (especially Tylenol) was hailed as a “saferThey should never use household teathan-aspirin” pain-reliever for children. spoons or dispensing devices from other But accidental acetaminophen overdosing products. is an especially serious problem with infants and children, because the toxic dose Regulate acetaminophen? Paracetemol is the name used for is less than twice the recommended dose. acetaminophen in the UK and many And, as the correct dose is based on the other countries. Unlike in the US, United child’s age and weight, measuring out the Kingdom sales of OTC paracetemol are correct dose in the middle of the night can tightly restricted: you cannot buy more be problematic. than 32 of the OTC 500 mg tablets in a In 2011, liquid “Infant Tylenol”-type pharmacy, and no more than 16 of the products were taken off the market. Too OTC 500mg tablets in a non-pharmacy many pediatric cases of acetaminophen store like Walmart. Only a pharmacist can poisoning were the result of confusion dispense 100 of the 500 mg tablets. Also in between Infant Tylenol products and the UK, there are acetaminophen products Children’s Tylenol products. Ironically, the that contain antidote infant products ingredients. Meanwere much more if acetaminophen while, here in the USA, concentrated you can buy a jumbo (i.e., contained a medication is being economy-sized bottle higher dosage of of Extra Strength acetaminophen) given to a child tablets just about anythan the children’s like M&Ms or a products. It was you must be very sure where, six-pack of beer. far too easy to We’re already acaccidentally give you understand customed to finding the wrong dose of the wrong product what you re reading certain OTC medications behind our to the wrong child, and know what pharmacist’s counter, with disastrous so maybe we should results. you re doing consider adding acetGranted, many aminophen products. people don’t bother to read all the fine print on a medicine package, whether prescribed or Elizabeth Morse Read is an awardOTC. Those tiny-print labels may seem winning writer, editor and artist who grew up deliberately complex and confusing. But on the South Coast. After 20 years of working if acetaminophen medication is being in New York City and traveling the world, she given to a child, you must be very sure you came back home with her children and lives in understand what you’re reading and know Fairhaven.

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good times

Photo by David Arruda Jr / Whaling City Sound

In tune with a legacy As a businessman Neal Weiss has had success by using his head. But as the founder of the record label Whaling City Sound, he is experiencing the kind of success you get from following your heart. After 15 years Weiss’ bands are putting more ink in music magazines than his bank statement, but as his label continually garners national attention, Weiss’ reward comes from the praise and recognition that his artists continue to achieve. It’s been a battle, but Weiss can’t give up on the music. Whaling City Sound is Weiss’ dream project, something that fulfills a wish he’d had since he was a teenager listening to jazz records with his brother in their bedroom. With the financial support of his company, Fiber Optics Center in New Bedford, Weiss began the label in 1998. At the outset it was a vehicle to bring regional jazz artists to a wider audience. But no one could have guessed how large that audience would become, or the struggles Weiss would face to keep his dream alive.

Sean McC arthy

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H ard work “There have been peaks and valleys but Neal has always believed in his musicians,” says Ginny Shea, whose company, Mixed Media Productions, has handled publicity and distribution relations for Whaling City Sound since the beginning of the label. And Weiss was ambitious from the beginning of the label, putting out 16 CDs in the label’s first three years. But in 2001 Weiss got rocked. His once-thriving business, Fiber Optics Center, fell victim to a crash in the industry. As a result, Weiss was putting his entire check back into the business to help keep it afloat. People had to be let go from the company. “It was a very, very rough time,” Weiss recalls. “My budget for the label went from significant to minimal. People I respected were advising against staying with the label, from my friends to my

accountant. There’s been very strong advice all along that this is a bad idea. There’s been a lot of times when I wondered about it myself.” Eventually the fiber optics industry crept its way back to prosperity, but it was short-lived. Fiber Optics took another blow with the economic recession that began in 2007. The label was down to two or three CDs a year and Weiss wasn’t hearing much music that he wanted to release. But he would defy the skeptics again. Weiss claims it’s been 15 years of “baby steps.” But those steps are headed in one direction: making Whaling City Sound a business that is self-sufficient. His last couple of steps have been big ones.

New day at the office It’s a blue-sky afternoon in the fall of 2013 and Weiss is walking into his loft office in downtown New Bedford. But instead of his tempered business acumen, he’s got a smile and somewhat of a glow. He hands out a piece of paper, the week’s national jazz radio chart. The paper reveals that in only its fourth week on the charts Weiss’ latest release—Gerry Gibbs’ “Thrasher Dream Trio”—has reached number four. In addition, Weiss’ distribution company ordered additional pressings of the CD, a first for Whaling City Sound. But Weiss has even more reason to smile. The musicians joining Gibbs on the CD are modern jazz giants, two of the most respected in the jazz world; bassist Ron Carter and pianist Kenny Barron. “These two musicians are the most in-demand players of their instruments in the jazz world,” says David Reis, a jazz disc jockey on WUMD-FM, located at UMass-Dartmouth. “Going into this project they had to have been impressed with the music to agree to do it.” But Carter and Barron aren’t the only studs in Weiss’ stable. Another recent success story is guitarist John Stein, whose “Raisin’ the Roof” made it to number two on the national jazz radio charts, and finished the year of 2010 as the eighth most-played CD of the year.

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Big names, small label In 15 years some of jazz’s most prominent players have recorded for Weiss’ label. Included among them are three men who played with Miles Davis: the late guitarist Joe Beck; drummer Jimmy Cobb; and sax player Dave Liebman. Other notables on Weiss’ roster include bassist Mike Pope, and Ray Charles’ sax player of 20 years, David “Fathead” Newman. When conversing with Weiss about his label, the word that is used most often is “quality.” “I want quality in four areas: composition; performance; recording; and packaging,” he says. “At worstcase scenario my albums have to be an A. The best-case scenario is that they’re an A-plus.” And Weiss has a quality standard for the musicians on his label. “If their first album is good, the next one has to be great. Every good record raises the roof for themselves and other artists.” And that roof is higher than ever. “Neal prides himself on being top-notch,” says David Arruda, who does graphic design for Fiber Optics Center and has designed a majority of the CDs for Whaling City Sound. “When it represents him it’s high-end,” says Arruda. “Because of Neal’s quality standards, the final product is going to match up to any major label out there,” says pianist John Harrison, who has been a part of 10 albums for Weiss, including produc-

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Continued from previous page ing the very first CD, “Faces of Love,” by local vocalist Marcelle Gauvin.

Musical freedom But despite his high standards, Weiss almost exclusively gives the creative reins to his musicians, an uncommon approach that Reis refers to as “passion before profits.” “I’ve recorded for major labels and Neal gives you the freedom that they don’t,” Gibbs says. “He’s very respectful and cares about the musicians in a way that a lot of people don’t. He put me on this CD with Ron Carter and Kenny Barron, something I consider a once-in-a-lifetime experience.” And Weiss could paper his office walls with the positive reviews he’s received from the press. And though its’ early CD’s were jazz, the label eventually reached out to other genres such as classical, folk, electronic, and rock. For Weiss, the quality standard applies regardless of sound or style. “There has to be something that makes me feel like it has to have a much wider audience,” Weiss says. “It has to be something other than ‘your mother likes it.’” Weiss says that most of the people who send him their music with hopes of working with him are players who are fans of an artist who is already on the label, though he points out that many of his CDs are by artists who have recorded for him before. Stein is about to release his seventh CD for Whaling City Sound, and Gibbs’s “Thrasher Dream Trio” is his third with the company. According to Weiss, the money that he spends on releasing a CD varies from project

to project. He may spend a couple of thousand dollars on the low end, or the entire amount if he feels the recording is worthy. Another part of running a record label is the distasteful responsibility of turning artists down, something the 66-year old Weiss has to do about a dozen times a year.

Only the best “People have sent me CDs that were just outstanding,” Weiss says, “but they needed another day in the studio, they hadn’t quite got it done, it’s just not finished. Everything has to be going right that day in the studio, everybody has to be on top of their game. “The other thing that’s particularly dicey is that you’re taking someone who’s put their entire life into something that represents them at their best and I’m saying, ‘Not good enough.’ I’ve got to be careful what I say and how I say it. Half the artists get very angry with me when I’m turning them down.” And Weiss can find some humor in his less-than-lucrative project. “I tell people that I don’t chase women, I don’t drink, and I don’t gamble. I put out CDs instead.’” But he can’t do it alone. He’s surrounded by people he refers to as “The Team.” The main members of “The Team” are Shea and Arruda, who have been with Weiss from the start. But a vital new member of Weiss’ team is the distribution giant Naxos, a Nashville company that has already begun benefitting Weiss with their industry clout, boosting sales of the new Gibbs CD. “This is a big step up for Whaling City Sound,” Weiss says. “Naxos is the top distributor of classical music in the country with Sony as one of their clients. But they do some other genres too. Someone at that company thought we were good enough for them to take on our product.” And Weiss has no problem doing his own personal distribution. “When I travel on business trips to Europe, Asia, and across America, I travel with my CDs and give them to my Fiber Optics customers. It’s something different, something better than a keychain, and there are times when it makes an impact and people remember me for it.” “Neal is a jazz nut,” Gibbs says. “He’s driven four hours to New York City to see a two-hour show and driven four hours back the same night. He knows all the history of the music and he’s incredibly passionate about it.” “About 20 years ago, Neal told me that someday he was going to have his own record company,” Reis says. “He stuck to his passion and now he’s living his dream.” “Individually, these CDs are the works of the musicians,” Weiss says. “But together they’re part of a library that I’ve put together. That library is my legacy.” Sean McCarthy has been a freelance journalist for 25 years.

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PRIME living

Spend local,

save local

Paul Letendre

Here on the South Coast we have a strong tradition of Yankee frugality that can strain things during the Christmas season. Many of us have been weaned on the mantra, “save, save, save.” But during this time of year, we are urged to “spend, spend, spend.”

This “save or spend” dilemma can create a moral quagmire: we are either a spendthrift or a cheapskate. There seems no way out, but wait—let’s examine this. Contrary to popular belief, money doesn’t die when it leaves our hands. Yes, we’ve all said, “Well, I killed that $20.” But we really didn’t kill it; we just passed it along to someone else. Let’s say they save it: they put it in a piggy bank or under a mattress. For all practical purposes, this saved money is temporarily dead; it is no longer an incentive for transactions; it is as if it had never been minted. So, the saver is the one that really kills that 20 bucks.

Vital frivolity Yes, I know, this seems contrary to what we have learned. But what we normally call savings is really invested (unless it’s in the mattress or piggy bank). During Christmastime, the economy depends on us converting that money into consumer goods

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or services. The fiscal soundness of our way of life depends on us being somewhat frivolous during this giving season.

In an open economic society, as long as the money keeps trading hands, a natural balance occurs We live in a consumer-driven world economy. Money trading hands drives virtually all business. It starts with the farmer who creates food. Food is sold (converted into money) and is then recirculated when the farmer goes shopping. Shopkeepers buy their wares from factories who hire workers who buy food….

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In an open economic society, as long as the money keeps trading hands, a natural balance occurs. When the money stops moving around, things go awry. We say that there is less money around. We are partially right—less of it is around us. Money doesn’t disappear, though, it’s just not around us. “Trickle-down” is a misnomer. Money is to society as cream is to milk: it rises to the top. What comes down does not trickle and is not cream. Trickle-down economics was well intentioned; it even had some historical references to demonstrate its viability. The problem is that technology combined with some well-intentioned but poorly timed legislation has thrown off the balance. Technology has made life easier for many of us; it has also made us more easily replaced. It has become easier for someone in New Bedford to buy potatoes from a farmer in Idaho than from a farmer in Mattapoisett. It is easier to buy clothing made in the Far East than that made in a nearby factory. It is much more convenient for a consumer looking for three items to go to a big box store rather than three separate local shops. The consolidations that resulted from the combined technological revolution, the deregulation of big business and the accessibility of cheap labor left a relatively small

number of companies doing most of the world’s business. These companies gained efficiencies that seemed impossible a few years earlier and were able to offer products at unheard-of low prices. Jobs that once took hundreds of workers could now be done with two or three. Production and transportation that once took months now takes days. Big business wins, small business loses; consumers win, workers lose. But wait, workers and small business folks are the bulk of consumers, aren’t they? How can they both win and lose?

Mutual needs Our economy works best when there is a balance between labor and management. Neither can exist without the other, but given the opportunity, each continues to be eager to hold a proverbial gun to the other’s temple. Current advantage: management. What’s this got to do with Christmas shopping and Yankee frugality? Well, this is where that frugality bites us in the butt. Convenience and low prices have consequences. We’ve learned to save, save, save; and when we do spend, we look for the best deal Well, we are butt-bitten because in getting the best deal we send our money to places where it won’t come back. When we shop locally, more of that money recirculates locally. When we buy from China, it’s gone. So whose fault is it that there are fewer $20 bills circulating around? That proverbial gun that labor and management like to hold to the other’s temple; the real gun is held by the consumer. Neither business nor labor can exist without the consumer. As a group, consumers circulate all of those $20s. When we shop at the big box store, online, or eat at a chain restaurant, we send our money to faraway places. Twenty bucks spent at a locally owned shop will benefit our local economy; done thousands of times over it will have a large impact and more money will circulate closer to home. This Christmas, make a few purchases at local shops or buy a few items produced by locals: yes, this will help to re-balance the scales—it will make a difference.

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PAUL LETENDRE has spent most of his life working for broadline food service distributors in the U.S. and Canada. He also writes an industry blog, “Restaurant Stuff,” at www. la10duh.com and is a regular contributor for “Prime Times.”

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good times

The writing life Dawn Tripp is a major literary figure, and one of our best contemporary writers. Her current life is rich, accomplished and full. Her work is engaging, absorbing, exciting and brilliantly composed. “Moon Tide,” “The Season of Open Water,” and “Game of Secrets” are all exquisitely engrossing pieces of work, proving that Tripp, a local resident, is a storyteller par excellence. She possesses a special talent for dialogue, scenes and creating memorable characters. One truly applauds such outstanding literary performances.

Mel Yoken

If truth be told, I have been fascinated by Dawn Tripp’s literary work for several years now, and feel that she is destined to attract many more devotees and for literary stardom. With this in mind, I interviewed her in October 2013.

When did you first start writing? Do you recall when it exactly was?

I’ve written since I was a child, but I remember the moment that passion for writing became hitched to a more specific ambition: I was in 10th grade English class, and my teacher, Mr. Rossiter, was talking about a poem by T.S. Eliot. I don’t remember which poem it was. I don’t remember exactly what he said about it. But I will never forget the look on his face, how his eyes lit up as he spoke about that poem with such fire that I understood that reading that poem had changed him. I remember thinking to myself: I want to write something that makes someone feel that. DT

Did you always want to be a writer? Do you find writing difficult or does it come easily to you? my

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For me, writing is necessary. It’s how I make sense of the world.

What suggestions would you give budding writers?

Write. Trust your own voice, your own instincts. Learn your own process. Write. Learn what works for you and trust in that. Writing is a discipline. It takes persistence, hard work and drive. It is about working and reworking a passage, a page, or the arc of a story until it breathes. There is a learned ruthlessness that writing demands, when you can go back through a manuscript and pare out what you love— strip even those lines you most long to keep—it gives what remains a kind of luminous intensity. But the most important thing to remember is that a piece of work has to have fire for you, the writer, in order to have life on the page. Find that story that you are on fire to tell. Write. DT

What is your writing regimen? Do you follow it religiously?

Writing is an obsession for me, and I am driven to work, so “regimen” is a word that does not always apply because it implies the imposition of an external structure onto what is, essentially, an internally driven practice. That said, when I am in the world of a story, I go to my work DT

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every day; not because I always feel moved by some god-like rush of inspiration, but because I have learned that showing up is at least half of what this particular line of work demands. Sometimes I work at my desk, sometimes at the kitchen table, sometimes on the porch. Sometimes I go for a three-hour walk and take a pen and paper with me. When a story really burns in me, it doesn’t matter if I am at my desk, running with the dog, or driving to school to pick up my boys. It does not matter if I am out for dinner or in a conversation with a friend. It’s like a second skin layered over everything else. my

How much of your first draft makes it to the published novel?

It varies book to book. I often will discover key elements of a story as I am writing. In consequence, there are often pages and pages of writing and even entire characters that appear integral at first and that become unnecessary once the shape of the novel is clear. I encourage my editor to draw long lines through whole sections of my manuscripts if she does not feel they are integral to the driving arc of the story. If I agree with her assessment, into the trash they go. DT

Do you still write your first drafts longhand?

Yes. I write everything longhand first. Sometimes I write on slips of paper which I then transcribe into my notebooks, and from there to my laptop. I am particular about the notebooks that I use. They have narrow-ruled pages, and I buy them—10 at a time—from Michael Roger press in New Jersey. DT

Do you enjoy teaching workshops as much as writing?

I love teaching workshops. I particularly love working with high school students and young writers. I do not teach often, usually only two or three times per year, because of the amount of energy, preparation and follow-up that a good workshop requires. DT

How or where do you get your ideas and characters for your novels?

Again, it varies book to book. My novels often begin in fragments—of character, story, scene. When those pieces surface in me, I feel them, not with my mind, but in the body. They have a feverish intensity, a dreamlike immediacy—they feel alive. And when a story comes to me that way, I begin to write into it to see how it evolves. I toss that old rule, “write what you know,” and I write into what moves me. I’ll fill a notebook, sometimes two, and if that burn persists, if those bits of story are still zipping around, snapping me awake at 3:00 a.m., if the story has that kind of life, even if I can’t see with my daylight mind how it will all come together, if I continue to feel it burn that way, I know it’s a piece I am meant to write. DT

Do you enjoy writing essays as much as novels?

No. Unless it is a subject that really DT drives me, I rarely take on essays. A strong essay will take me about a month to conceptualize and write. I recently wrote one for the “Virginia Quarterly Review.” I was asked to write about the cost of being a writer, and that was a topic I wanted to explore. I loved writing that piece, because it felt like more than an essay. I felt like I was writing into the bone and soul of why I am driven to do the work I do. my

Of all your novels, do you have a personal favorite and why?

No. I do not have a personal favorite. DT Novels are like children. You love each for different reasons. my

Your books have been greatly praised by critics. Do you pay much

or any attention to these critical reviews? With every novel, there will be rave reviews and there will be mixed reviews. I believe it is a gift to get both praise and criticism, and to learn how to field and deflect them both. Whether someone loves what I’ve done or not, a reviewer’s assessment of a book I’ve written has very little to do with what drove me to write it in the first place. It has very little to do with what will continue to drive me to wake up tomorrow, and the day after, to go to my work, and pour myself into the page. Reviews will come. There will be a whole landscape of them, and at the end of the day, all that really matters is that there was a story you loved once, that burned in you enough that you took a few years of your life and wrote it down. DT

Have your books been translated? If so, can you make any judgment on the translations? my

Proust Questionnaire Favorite virtue? Integrity. Idea of happiness? Being at the beach or on the water with my boys. Dream lifestyle? Being at the beach with my boys and reading poetry in the sun. Idea of misery? Being lied to. Favorite motto? “Embrace life. It’s later than you think.” Socrates. Worst personality trait? Obsessiveness. Faults you tolerate? Most (apart from dishonesty and cruelty). Principal aspect of your character? My faith in the goodness of people. Talent that you would like to have? I’d like to learn to cook.

My novels have been translated into several languages, including Dutch, Hebrew, and German. My first novel was a bestseller in Germany and my work has done exceptionally well there. I have worked with the same translator for all three of my books in Germany, and there is always a depth and precision to the list of questions she sends me as she is working through a manuscript. She and I have discussed how she works to balance various types of meaning in her translations of my work—to be true to the actual words I’ve written and, at the same time, to evoke the sense and spirit of my work and the world of my stories for a German reader.

What would you like to be or become? A poet.

Favorite prose writers? Edna O’Brien, David Malouf, Anne Michaels, Ann Enright, Michael Ondaatje, Marguerite Duras, William Faulkner, Anne Carson and Virginia Woolf.

Any new works on the horizon?

I just finished my fourth novel, which is under contract with Random House. I have one more light revision to work through this fall, and then that book will be done. DT

What are your ultimate literary aspirations and goals?

To write. To continue to create strong work that I have faith in. To find that next story I am on fire to tell. That may sound simplistic. But that’s really all there is. DT

Mel B. Yoken is Chancellor Professor

Emeritus of French Language and Literature at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

Pet peeves? Cat scratching the furniture. Favorite occupation? Surfing. Favorite flower and bird? Iris and tree swallow. Favorite color? Blue. If not yourself, who would you like to be? A young poet just starting out. Where would you like to live? In the town where I live. What do you appreciate the most about your friends? Integrity.

Your favorite poets? Anne Carson, Mary Oliver, W.S. Merwin, Rainer Maria Rilke, Jack Gilbert, Seamus Heaney. Your favorite painters? There are many, no matter what my mood. Your favorite musicians? There are many, depending on my mood. Favorite fictional hero? Peter Pan. Favorite fictional heroine? Scout, in Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird.” What is your present state of mind? Calm

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good times

In praise of pets Pet columnist, local writer and dog judge Brian J. Lowney is the author of a new book entitled “Unconditional Love: Pet Tales to Warm the Heart.”

Doesn’t walk like a duck

In the book, Lowney writes about an amazing duck that lives in Portsmouth, RI. Lemon is certainly one lucky duck! When the tiny creature was hatched five years ago, everyone doubted that the little duckling would live more than a few days, but Lemon has beaten all the odds and matured to become a big happy duck who The 178-page book offers a selection of the author’s newspaper inspires and brings joy to everyone she greets. columns and other writings compiled during the past 20 years. “She was a beautiful shade of lemon when she was born,” says the Lowney currently pens a weekly column–Fur, Fins and Feathbird’s owner Laura Backman, a reading specialist in the Portsers–for two newspapers in South Coast mouth, RI public schools. and has contributed several pet-related The Crested Pekin Duck suffers from the collection contains neurological problems that prevent the articles to “The South Coast Insider” and other regional and national publifrom balancing, standing or inspirational stories about animal cations. walking normally. Most veterinarians “I wrote this book for anyone who have examined Lemon attribute special cats and dogs that who loves animals, especially those the duck’s condition to brain damage creatures that bring pure joy to their caused by the large crest. have transformed their owners’ lives,” Lowney said when anLemon was one of four ducklings nouncing the release of his first book at hatched during a classroom science owners lives the beginning of the holiday season, an project. Backman and her students especially meaningful time for people to bond with their animals. realized within a few days that while Lemon looked and quacked “Pets are now considered to be family members, and for many like a duck, the tiny bird couldn’t move around like her siblings. folks who live alone, a treasured companion and trusted friend.” “She kept falling over,” Backman remembers, adding that the He added that the collection contains inspirational stories about students took turns watching Lemon at recess time while the little special cats and dogs that have transformed their owners’ lives, duck played in the grass. The teacher says that the children worked breed profiles, practical veterinary advice presented in interviews together to make the duck thrive. with leading experts, and reflections on the writer’s many years By caring for Lemon, the students shared in her triumphs and spent enjoying the sport of purebred dogs. defeats, and learned about love and acceptance. Most important, “Whether you share your heart and hearth with a friendly feline, the children discovered that disabilities and differences don’t make a comical canine, a colorful tank of fish, or other creatures, this a person or animal less special or valued. book will entertain, educate, and inspire you with stories that il“Unconditional Love: Pet Tales to Warm the Heart” is available at lustrate how animals transform lives, and make the world a better Baker Books In Dartmouth, Partners Village Store in Westport and place,” he continued. the Charlton Memorial Hospital Gift Shop in Fall River.

’

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PRIME season

The donation

life

My uncle Richard Sylvia was one of those blood donors that you would see with his name engraved on a wall in a hospital. He spent about 50 years of his life donating dozens of gallons of blood, religiously giving a unit every other month. Sadly, despite that family tradition, it Pateakos wasn’t until my own child got sick and I spent a good deal of time at Children’s Hospital in Boston did I see the importance of giving blood. Since then, I have given blood every two months, for about nine years now, so I’m an example that it’s never too late to start.

Jay

A rare blood type Once I started this blood donation journey, I realized in the process that I had a rare blood type, Type AB +, which I share with about three per cent of the popula-

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tion. According to the American Red Cross, the plasma and platelet portion of an AB positive donor has the power to save anyone. To me, there’s no better thing. Do you know what blood type you are?

Southcoast Hospitals Group transfuses 1,300 pints of blood per month and collects less than half of what they need from donors

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Each January since 1970, the American Red Cross promotes January as National Blood Donor Month to educate everyone about the importance of being a blood donor and the huge impact those donations can have on patients who need blood. Here’s one staggering fact: Southcoast Hospitals Group, made up of New Bedford’s St. Luke’s Hospital, Fall River’s Charlton Memorial Hospital and Wareham’s Tobey Hospital transfuses a total of 1,300 pints of blood per month. The amount they collect from blood donations each month? Less than half of what they need. Jecoliah Ellis, Communications Program Manager for the American Red Cross’

Dedham-based Northeast Division, said during winter months, donations become even scarcer, one of the many reasons for the creation of the January Blood Bank month. Shelf life, at times, can also be tricky, with whole blood having a 42-day shelf life while platelets, used for cancer patients especially, expire every five days.

Every two seconds, someone is in need of blood “The need for blood is so constant. Every two seconds, someone is in need of blood,” said Ellis.

Local blood, local use The blood that is drawn in the area typically stays in the state, Ellis reported. With any American Red Cross Blood drive, that blood is sent to its Dedham location, tested and processed and once the blood is given the green light, is then distributed to any hospital that needs it. In the case of a major emergency out of state, American Red Cross will also make the blood available to those who need it as well, Ellis said, an act known as “Blood without Borders.”

One platelet donation can be worth from 12 to 18 whole blood donations “Accident victims, cancer patients, transplants all need a good deal of blood,” said Ellis. “A single car accident could require 100 units of blood.” To put that quote in perspective, each time we give blood, we provide one unit. Our body carries a total of 10 units (or pints) of blood at a time so when you give that one unit, you can understand why American Red Cross officials will ask you to have a seat, take a drink and have some cookies before going about the rest of your day. It’s simply a precaution and having blood drawn affects everyone differently. I’m lucky to be able to take off (or try to) right after giving blood but I’m usually met

Continued on next page

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Continued from previous page by a technician who kindly tells me to sit down and relax.

Platelet donation Ellis said the average person can donate blood every 56 days, which is about the time it takes for the blood you’ve given away to regenerate. Platelet donors can donate at any time, with the closest platelet donation center in Raynham. During a platelet donation, a small portion of your blood— about 1/4 pint at a time—is drawn from your arm and passed through a sophisticated cell-separating machine. The machine collects the platelets and safely returns the remaining blood components, along with some saline, back to you. Many patients who need platelets are undergoing chemotherapy or organ transplant and have weakened immune systems. A platelet dose from a single donor reduces the patient’s exposure to multiple donors and is therefore preferred by many physicians. One platelet donation can be worth from 12 to 18 whole blood donations, according to the American Red Cross website. “It’s pretty incredible the people that come in and give the gift of life,” said Ellis. “One donation, one unit, can save up to three lives.” But, as you can see, more donations are necessary. And trust me; you’re not as busy as you think you are. We have time to golf, or shop or play video games; you have time to do this. The process to give blood is a very simple, four-step process-—about a half an hour of your time, give or take. First you either set up an appointment or just show up at a local blood drive, and register. The technician will talk to you about your medical history, take a quick blood pressure measurement and do a hemoglobin test to test your iron levels; after that you will lie on a table and wait to give blood; the final step is after the blood donation, simply sitting down for 15 minutes to enjoy a water or apple juice, cookies or other snacks. “The donation itself takes just 5-10 minutes,” said Ellis. Yes, many people are afraid of needles, but in the scheme of things, it’s worth your two seconds of needle-fear to provide

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You never know what life you could be saving by donating; a friend, acquaintance or even a family member

much-needed blood for the area.

Free pound of coffee And if saving a few lives isn’t enough, there’s an extra incentive in January, now seven years running, where the Red Cross teams up with Dunkin’ Donuts to help attract even more donors. Anyone who gives blood during the month will get a coupon for a free pound of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee. “In those seven years, we’ve been able to save over a million lives,” said Ellis of the “Give a Pint, get a Pound” drive. “You never know what life you could be saving by donating, a friend, acquaintance or even a family member.” Southcoast Hospitals Donor Program Coordinator Catherine Algeria stressed that each and every pint donated is precious to the individual whose life has been saved, and that keeping a supply on hand is very important because it is the blood that has already been donated that saves the life of the patient. Southcoast Hospital patients who might use blood include: surgical and trauma patients; those with anemia; burn victims; shock; severe dehydration; cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy; and many

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others. “Southcoast Hospitals Blood Bank appreciates each and every one of our donors. Some donors give once a year and others come in faithfully every eight weeks,” Algeria said. “Every pint that is donated to the Southcoast Blood Bank is used within our Southcoast hospitals as well as the Cancer Centers in Fall River and Fairhaven. Therefore, our donors are helping to save lives right within their community, our family, friends, and neighbors. They are heroes to all of us.” Individuals looking to donate to Southcoast Hospital Blood banks can locate nearby mobile donation center by going to www. southcoast.org/bloodbank and clicking on Southcoast Health Van dates and locations link. The van goes throughout southeastern Massachusetts including Fall River, New Bedford, Rochester, Wareham and many other cities and towns near you. They can also donate at the Southcoast Blood Bank located at St. Luke’s Hospital, 101 Page Street, New Bedford, off the main lobby. Walk-ins are welcome Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Wednesdays 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. For more information or to make an appointment, call 508-961-5320 or visit www. southcoast.org/bloodbank/. Community Blood Drives: Southcoast hosts blood drives throughout the region on the Southcoast Blood Donor Van and at local businesses. To schedule a free blood drive, please call Catherine Alegria, Southcoast Blood Donor Coordinator, at 508-9930430 or by email at alegriac@southcoast. org. For the closest American Red Cross donation center or to make an appointment to donate, go to www. redcrossblood.org or calling 800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767). Jay Pateakos has been a freelance writer for more than 10 years including daily and weekly newspapers and monthly magazines. A native of New Bedford, he currently lives in Marion and has three children.

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Grandma got run over by a reindeer: an elder law Christmas story by Michelle D. Beneski, esq

ou know the classic song “Grandma got run over by a reindeer coming home from my house Christmas Eve.” How might this work out in real life? Grandma, badly injured, was taken to the hospital and declared legally incompetent. What happens next depends on grandma and grandpa’s estate planning. Option 1 It turns out that grandma doesn’t have a Health Care Proxy or a Durable Power of Attorney. Grandpa can’t access grandma’s retirement account to pay medical bills. He has to go to probate court to become her legal conservator. Without any of these things their house could be saddled with Medicaid / MassHealth liens. Since grandpa can’t pay grandma’s medical bills he decides to sue Santa. Grandma wins $21 million! After the attorney’s fee, grandma has $14 million. Unfortunately, grandma dies from the shock of winning so much money. If grandma had put her money in a tax shelter trust, her money would pass on quickly and without any probate. But grandma didn’t even have a Will. So, the $14 million had to go through probate to get to grandpa. Probate costs several thousand dollars and takes about a year. When grandpa dies the estate has to pay over $2 million more in estate taxes. OR Option 2 Grandma has a Massachusetts Health Care Proxy so grandpa can make her medical decisions. He gets her checked out of the hospital and home for Christmas. Grandpa doesn’t want to sue Santa but grandma’s medical bills are really high and he isn’t sure how to pay for care. Using grandma’s Durable Power of Attorney, he takes some money out of grandma’s retirement account to pay for her care, protect their assets and still get her care paid for by MassHealth. Surprenant & Beneski, P.C. helps them protect their home so that it won’t be lost to a Medicaid lien. Grandpa decides he doesn’t need to sue Santa. I am happy to say that grandma is alive, well and fully recovered. She and grandpa have an estate plan. Santa has not been sued. Please make sure that you and your family are protected as well. This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific questions you should consult a qualified attorney. Michelle D. Beneski is an Attorney at Surprenant & Beneski, P.C. For specific questions call her at 508-994-5200 or send an e-mail to mdb@nbelderlaw.com

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PRIME season

The cure for cabin fever! by Joyce Rowley

It’s that time of year again. Unless you like winter sports, barren gardens, and short days, the only thing good about a New England winter day is thinking about spring. It can’t come fast enough. But if you’re tired of being stuck inside with nothing to do but stare at the four walls (and think about repainting them when spring finally does get here), maybe it’s time to call the Senior Travel Club. Located in New Bedford, their aim is to provide entertainment and travel to seniors in the South Coast, says Jan Barrette, program coordinator. There are over 40 trips per year—a mix of both day trips and overnight stays—offered by the New Bedford Council on Aging program. Barrette retired once already from the job seven years ago. But they asked her to come

back just to run the travel club, so she came out of retirement.

Make new friends “It’s a wonderful program,” says Barrette. “People join who are single or who have lost a spouse. It’s a way for them to come into something new and make new friends. It does help form new bonds.”

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Worried that you’ll be on a trip that becomes a Bataan death march? Each trip is rated for activity on a scale of one to four. A “1” means not much walking, a distance of roughly one block, with no stairs. A “2” is low activity, or two to three blocks with one set of stairs; “3” is moderate walking a distance

It’s a way for them to come into something new and

make new friends. It does help form new bonds.

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of four to eight blocks and two sets of stairs. The highest is level “4”: more than six blocks with more than three flights of stairs. But no matter the event, it’s a full day of entertainment. There are lunches, shows, casinos (of course) and a few overnight trips. In the summer there are clambakes in York, Maine or down on the Cape. They’ve gone as far south as Biloxi, Mississippi and as far north as Montreal, Quebec, Canada. In fact, the Senior Travel Club started in 1967 with six buses on a tour to Canada. Lillian Donaghy put the tours together and then used the money left over to start the club. Donaghy will be 94 years old this February, and still visits the Hazelwood Senior Center where the Senior Travel Club is located.

upcoming trips January 10 - Mohegan Sun January 11 - ‘Wicked’ at PPAC February - Foxwoods Casino February 21 - RI Spring Flower and Garden Show “She was my mentor,” says Barrette. “I wouldn’t be doing this if it weren’t for her.”

A busy January The Senior Travel Club starts off the new year with a trip to Mohegan Sun Casino in Montville, CT on Friday, January 10. For just $20, you get a $10 food coupon and $15 in “big wheel” play. By my math, that’s a sweet deal! There are penny slot machines, as well as card tables and other slots. Of course there are also fun shops and restaurants. The bus leaves New Bedford at 7:30 a.m. and departs from the casino at 3 p.m. Also in January is a trip to see the musical comedy “Wicked” at the Providence Performing Arts Center on Saturday, January 11. “Wicked” tells the story of Elphaba, a young girl in Munchkinland pre-Dorothy. Ostracized by her schoolmates, she becomes wicked. When forced to share a room with the good witch Glinda, her life is forever changed. The show starts at 2:00 p.m., call ahead for when the bus leaves New Bedford. Tickets are $97, with a $25 deposit in advance. In February, you can try your luck at the other Connecticut casino—Foxwoods, named for the symbols on relics found at an ancient Mashantucket Pequot burial ground discovered about the time that the casino was being built in 1990. Famous for their bingo since 1982, Foxwoods also has card games and slots. For an Andrew Jackson, you get back a $10 food coupon and $5 in slot play. Loads of restaurants and shops to explore between

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games. Or take a shuttle to the Pequot museum but get back in time for the bus leaving at 3:00 p.m. The museum senior admission fee is separate.

A ntidote to winter Finally, just when winter deals us its worst snow and blows its coldest, a breath of spring! Take a trip to the 21st Annual Rhode Island Spring Flower and Garden Show, Friday, February 21, 2014. This year you’ll get an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour at the show. Find out how they create a waterfall in the middle of the Convention Center, how flowers are grown in February, and how they do it all in three short days! If you’ve never been, this is the place to be for a sneak preview of what will be your choices for the garden next summer and get to enjoy a classic car show while you’re at it. Just $39 covers the ride over and admission to the show. Bring your own lunch, gnosh at the Providence Place Mall or at one of the show’s food vendors. And the best part? Leave the driving to someone else and just enjoy the company on the ride home! For more information, call the Senior Travel Club at 508991-6171 or stop by 553 Brock Avenue, New Bedford, Tuesdays through Thursdays from 9:00 a.m to 3:00 p.m. Or visit them on the city webpage at www. newbedford-ma.gov and scroll through the city departments to the Council on Aging. Joyce Rowley is a freelance writer and regular contributor to “The South Coast Insider” and “South Coast Prime Times.”

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good times

Antidotes for winter’s woes Sean McC arthy

The holidays are nearly over, but the bitter winter weather is not. When you’re finished with your New Year’s festivities you’re faced with the fact that the next three months will be bringing a lot of short days and long nights, with snow and ice beneath your feet, wind stinging your face, bone-chilling temperatures, and probably a power outage or two.

You can sit and watch the weatherman anxiously, but there are better options, taking steps that should keep your spirits invigorated despite what’s going on outside. According to a group of specialists, winter could be more merriment than punishment. Pick up a book of crosswords instead of “TV Guide,” and spend some couch time on a treadmill. There are ways to keep your mind sharp and your body fit this winter, and while most of them don’t require much difficulty, the best approach is to do them with others.

Low-tech fixes And if you want to spend your winter pushing buttons in front of a video screen, remember that technology still can’t re-

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place a long walk or a festive dinner party, a house full of laughter or a hug. One way to make your winter more interesting is to try your hand at something new. Jennifer Marszalek is a psychotherapist at the South Coast Center for Healing in Dartmouth. She has a suggestion for those who are feeling adventurous: try a new cooking technique and audition your creation by hosting a potluck dinner with

Painting a single wall can actually be a big change for a room friends, family, and neighbors. And if you like your cooking experience you can continue by exploring homemade

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creations such as baked bread, desserts, muffins, pies, and pizzas. And if you really feel like expanding your boundaries try doing it from scratch.

Activity options But there are other opportunities to advance your scope of skills, such as learning a new language, and—if nobody’s home—try learning to play a new musical instrument. Everybody likes photographs, so Marszalek suggests taking the time to go through your photo trove and create a scrapbook of pictures to share with your family and pass along to younger generations. If you’re going to be indoors a lot, then you may want to make some decorative adjustments to your surroundings. A popular trend in the interior decoration world is

the “accent wall.” Take one wall in a room and paint it a single color which matches another element in the room. The wall color could match the rug or pillows on a couch, depending on your personal taste. “Painting a single wall can actually be a big change for a room,” says Monica Valdivia of M&M Painting in Fall River. “It’s a nice change without spending a lot of money, and if you like how it looks in one room you can try it in another.”

trolled environment: a local mall. DaysMerrill recommends taking a spouse or a friend and enjoy a casual browse from store to store, a type of exercise that keeps the mind occupied on something besides the actual exercise. You can certainly be active indoors. DaysMerrill recommends workout videos for the reason that, “having someone telling you to do something makes you a lot more likely to do it.”

Short and sweet Connecting with others in the wintertime And don’t underestimate the effects of is particularly important for the elderly. even a brief workout. “Something as simple Susan Mitchell is a clinical social worker as a 15-minute workout on the way home at the Center for Behavioral Medicine run from work can have multiple benefits,” by Saint Anne’s DaysHospital in Merrill Fall River. She says. “It’s on t be afraid to go to a works with Gegood for enior enter for the first the heart, riatric Psychiatric Treatment. it’ll help time hese centers are full you deal “Making timebased commitstress of people who would enjoy with ments and havand you’ll ing structure be a differtalking to someone ent person is a benefit when for people as you walk they get older,” through the door.” Mitchell says. “People can use something Dr. Laura Bomback runs Natural Health that will get them out the door if they Solutions in Fall River. Although she works know they have an appointment.” on a case-by-case basis, Dr. Bomback does Mitchell advises seniors to visit or volunteer at local Senior Centers, something she have some general recommendations for says is a great way to meet people. “Don’t what you should and shouldn’t be putting be afraid to go to a Senior Center for the in your body this winter. first time. These centers are full of people Foremostly, eliminate processed foods who would enjoy talking to someone.” such as white flour, white sugar and white Mitchell mentions opportunities such as rice. Limit your carbohydrates in favor calling Bristol Elders Services in Fall River of complex carbohydrates such as whole and Coastline Elderly in New Bedford. grain, sweet potatoes, and plenty of vegetables. Keep fruit intake low. Volunteer opportunities are also available “Good” fats such as butter, olive oil and at the United Way of Fall River and Greater avocados and fatty fish such as salmon are New Bedford. encouraged. The protein available in red Take a hike and white meat is a plus, along with other And walking can be wonderful. If the protein sources such as nuts. weather’s on the mild side and you want Vitamin C is available in red and green to beat cabin fever, take the opportunity peppers and oranges. And vitamin D is to get outdoors, stretch your legs and get available in fish oil or as a supplement some fresh air. from a health food store. “Take a long walk on the beach,” sugIf you can’t control what’s going on gests Paul Days-Merrill of Days’ Health & outside, you do have control of what’s Sports in Fairhaven. “Listen to the sounds going on inside. And if you’ve discovered of nature such as the birds, the wind and something over the season that you enjoy, the ocean. You can also walk through a there’s no reason why you shouldn’t do it standard neighborhood. The air is crisp year round. and the snow looks scenic. Dress warm and remember to have a wind-breaking Sean McCarthy has been a freelance jourmaterial on the outside.” nalist for 25 years. Or you can walk in a temperature-con-

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PRIME living

Pie secrets: it’s the crust For many people the aroma of fresh baking pies wafting through the house is truly one of the most pleasant childhood memories that they have of the holiday season. Brian J. Lowney

Whether it was a spicy pumpkin, a traditional pecan or a mouthwatering chocolate cream, a festive holiday meal wouldn’t be complete without a slice—or two—of pie. While many folks depend on bakeries for holiday desserts, culinary instructors and chefs agree that with practice, patience, and a lot of TLC, home bakers can create an appealing and delicious pie or tart. Carri Nepini, an adjunct instructor of baking and pastry arts at Bristol Community College and owner of Wicked Good Pastry, an online, small-batch baking company based in Taunton, bakes about 100 pies for Christmas for sale and personal use, and always serves family favorites such as pumpkin, apple, pecan and chocolate

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cream, prepared using a quality brand of chocolate such as Guittard. Nepini says that in addition to traditional pies and cakes, decorated cookie trays and handcrafted marshmallows are also popular at holiday gatherings but for many people, a special holiday dinner isn’t complete without a slice of pie. “Pies are comforting,” the baking instructor reveals, adding that she was taught to make the simple yet satisfying dessert by her Southern grandmother, who also made delicious peach and chocolate fried hand pies, a popular treat in the Deep South. During the holiday season, Nepini prepares tantalizing pear-almond and chocolate tarts, the latter delicately flavored with orange liqueur.

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Gloria Cabral, associate professor of baking and pastry arts at BCC, emphasizes that home bakers shouldn’t be afraid to bake a pie from scratch.

Gently with the crust “People are afraid to make pies because they are afraid of overworking the crust,” the chef reveals. “Treat your crust like a baby,” she tells her students. “Don’t overwork the crust, knead it gently and fold it over.” Cabral adds that it’s important to use cold shortening and ice-cold water, and once the crust is prepared, to refrigerate it for an hour before rolling it out on a lightly floured surface. To produce a crust that tastes like it was prepared in a high-end patisserie, the expert baker suggests replacing half the water in a pie dough recipe with vodka. “As the vodka evaporates, it will help with the leavening to achieve a flaky crust,” she reveals. When baking a pecan pie, Cabral recommends using whiskey in the crust. The

liquor adds flavor and complements the caramel and pecans. Another tip is to use quality cheddar to enliven the crust of an apple pie. “It’s nice to keep our traditions and also add something new to make your own traditions,” Cabral says. “Be creative!” Rehoboth resident Henry Sousa, the former owner of the Stoughton Diner, agrees with Cabral that the key to a good pie is the crust. “I’ve made quite a few in my life,” he chuckles, noting that when he was operating the diner, he often baked more than a thousand pies at Thanksgiving and several hundred at Christmas. He recalls that

apple, squash and blueberry were popular selections. “The secret is in the crust,” Sousa emphasizes, advising bakers to be careful to not over-mix the dough and to always keep the filling level with the pie shell. “Make sure the crust is nice and brown,” he adds, instructing home bakers to always follow the recipe and not overbake the crust to create a delicious pie that will win raves from appreciative holiday guests. BRIAN LOWNEY is an award-winning reporter and freelance writer. He lives in Swansea.

Carri Nipini offers the following holiday pie recipe with an optional novel twist:

Grandma’s Southern Pecan Pie Ingredients: ¾ cup light brown sugar ¾ cup white Karo syriup 1 tablespoon flour ½ teaspoon salt ¼ cup butter, melted and cooled 1 teaspoon vanilla 3 eggs, slightly beaten 1 ½ cup coarsely chopped pecans ½ cup mini chocolate chips (optional) Directions: Combine sugar, syrup, flour, salt, melted butter, vanilla and eggs. Mix well. Add chopped pecans and chocolate chips; mix until coated. Pour into a prepared pie shell. Bake 45 minutes at 350°. Cool on wire rack.

Flaky Pie Dough Makes 1 double-crust or 2 single-crust pies Ingredients: 2 sticks of butter, cubed and chilled 1 tablespoon sugar 2 ½ cups all purpose flour ½ – ¾ cup of ice cold water Directions: Combine flour and sugar. Sprinkle butter cubes over the flour/sugar mixture. Work with pastry blender until butter is the size of peas (it’s okay for them to be uneven). Drizzle 1/2 cup of water over the top. Using a spatula, gather the dough together. Add any additional water a tablespoon at a time. Knead the dough no more than 3–4 times. Divide in half. Wrap and chill for up to 20 minutes before rolling.

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PRIME living

The Roomba rhumba

Much of the consumer technology I write about is very far from perfect. The concepts are terrific. The execution, often maybe not so good. But, one sees improvement with each L ogan generation of popular products. Phones, home security and home automation systems, cable and wireless connections, fitness gadgets, GPS devices, laptops and tablets all keep getting better. Such is the state of affairs with the robot vacuum cleaner. Vacuum cleaning has always been a hands-on, labor-intensive affair; no elbow grease, no progress against the accumulating debris. It’s got to be done, and the more effort you put into it, the better the result. But it is such a grind. An effective vacuuming robot that could operate autonomously would be many people’s idea of a great tool. A company called iRobot (iRobot.com) set out to fulfill the dream. Founded in

Dan

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1990, Bedford, Massachusetts-based iRobot started out developing and producing robots for the military. In 2002 it introduced the Roomba, a vacuum cleaning robot for the home that not unsurprisingly garnered lots of attention and sparked plenty of controversy.

whimsy, and the Roomba fits right into your dream cycle. While one can pull together long columns of pros and cons for buying and using a robotic vacuum cleaner, it does appeal to some portion of the vacuum cleaner market—

Possibly the most satisfying aspect of the Roomba in a multitasking world is that you don’t have to be there to get some vacuuming accomplished There are at least a couple of ways of looking at vacuuming. Maybe you’re a seriousminded clean freak for whom the Roomba is an affront to your notion of world order. Or, you’re someone for whom housecleaning is a matter of fleeting inspiration and

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iRobot claims eight million home robots sold as of 2012. Realistically, the Roomba won’t replace a modern upright vacuum with a human pilot, but for those of us who really, really hate vacuuming it’s a guilt-free way to get

(most of) the job done. You program the Roomba to operate up to seven days a week. Then you go about your business, and the Roomba does its thing whether you’re home or not. Possibly the most satisfying aspect of the Roomba in a multitasking world is that you don’t have to be there to get some vacuuming accomplished. Currently, iRobot offers six models of vacuum cleaner robot ranging from $350 to $700. A pricey way to go. But looked at another way, calculated by the hours of vacuuming that get done with you nowhere to be found, the price of the Roomba begins to look much more reasonable. The base model Roomba 630 ($350) is a nine-pound disc a little under 14 inches in diameter, and less than four inches tall, so it can get underneath many pieces of furniture. Roombas work on hard floors and carpet, and can move between the two without getting hung up.

A Roomba has a collision-detecting sensor, but it bumps into things, and some people complain about marks on baseboards and such. It can knock small things over. A Roomba can find its way through wires, cables and rug tassels, but it’s better if it doesn’t have to. Enthusiasts recommend use cable clips to keep cords off the floor. Viewing a few Roomba-oriented videos on YouTube can help you anticipate how an autonomous house vacuuming might go awry. For example, for those of us with pets, the Roomba might be a great way to cope with rapidly accumulating layers of dog or cat hair. But what if your dog or cat has an, er, accident, and later that day the Roomba goes into operation? Roombas are not moppers. You have to mop up larger spills before using it, the way you would with a regular vac. When it finishes its work, the Roomba

Certainly, unleashing a Roomba on your household as you know it could be a recipe for trouble The Roomba 630 has Dirt Detect technology, an acoustic sensor that identifies areas with more dirt, and the Roomba spends more time cleaning those spots. Its Virtual Wall technology uses an infrared beam to keep Roomba from getting into areas you don’t want it to go. A spinning whip like a tiny weed whacker pulls in dirt from spots the Roomba can’t actually fit into. And Roombas use HEPA filters to control finer debris. The top-of-the-line Roomba 880 ($700), released in spring, 2013, features a redesigned intake that uses an “extractor” rather than brushes to pull junk into the dust bin. The extractors are supposed to be more effective and less prone to clogging, and the company claims the unit has five times more sucking power than its predecessor, the 790. Certainly, unleashing a Roomba on your household as you know it could be a recipe for trouble. You have to help your Roomba help you. Plan to make your place Roomba-friendly. Clearing your floors of obstacles is one of the first steps toward effective Roomba operation. There’s a pattern to the Roomba’s peregrinations, though it may seem pretty random. It starts by moving in a circle until it hits something and heads in a new direction to begin mapping the room and working the perimeter.

returns to its dock and recharges. Recharging usually takes 3-6 hours, but could take up to 16 hours if the machine got a major workout. A charged Roomba can run for more than two hours. Figure on about a half-hour of vacuuming time per room. Maintaining the Roomba can be more time-consuming than operating one, as their smallish dust bins can fill quickly and be something of a pain to empty. iRobot is gradually increasing the storage space for debris in the devices, but the bins require frequent emptying and cleaning. Some users note they gradually see less debris accumulating if they run the Roomba every day. Others cut the cleaning time by sucking the debris out of the Roomba’s bin with their other vacuum cleaner. Roombas are sold in many retail stores, but the company encourages purchasing through its web site. It always helps to have a sense of humor when housecleaning is involved. The Roomba is capable of delivering both laughs and minor tragedies. What more could you ask of a vacuum cleaner? Dan Logan is a freelance writer and photographer from Fairhaven, MA. He also teaches classes about Nikon cameras and software at the Learning Connection in Providence. E-mail him at dlogan@thegrid.net.

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PRIME season

Tax season 2014:

get ready for the ‘ouch!’ Sherri MahoneyBattles

Tax season 2014 is right around the corner, and a host of tax changes that become effective this year will be particularly painful for taxpayers in higher tax brackets.

A former 39.6 per cent bracket has been reinstated for taxpayers with higher taxable incomes. For 2013, the 39.6 per cent bracket starts at taxable income levels of $400,000 for single and $450,000 for married couples. This newly reinstated tax rate is now permanent until Congress changes it. Capital gains rates of 0 and 15 per cent are now permanent, but a new 20 per cent rate applies for taxpayers with higher taxable income. This 20 per cent rate applies to taxpayers with long-term capital gains that fall into the above-mentioned 39.6 per cent tax bracket. Beginning in 2013 medical expenses will

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need to exceed 10 per cent of the taxpayer’s adjusted gross income (previously 7.5 per cent) in order to be deductible. Taxpayers

Some taxpayers will be surprised to feel the impact of multiple hits coming from different areas

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over 65, however, will be able to deduct medical expenses that exceed 7.5 per cent of adjusted gross income for taxable years 2013-2016. An additional 2013 change to itemized deductions is a phase-out of itemized deductions for higher income taxpayers. The phase-out level is $250,000 for single and $300,000 for joint filers.

A new kind of tax Two new and potentially painful taxes will also rear their heads this year. The 3.8 per cent Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT) tax went into effect January 1, 2013. Taxpayers with incomes over $200,000 for individuals or $250,000 for married couples will be paying an additional 3.8 per cent tax on income from interest, dividends, annuities, royalties and rents. Capital gains on a primary home sale that exceed $250,000 for individuals or $500,000 for a married couple, meeting the income threshold, will face the 3.8 per cent tax realized on the excess gain. Although

this tax is aimed towards higher-income taxpayers, it can include anyone who has a big one-time shot of investment income or gain. Also, beginning in 2013 is an additional .9 per cent Medicare Tax assessed on individuals with wages or self-employment earnings that exceed $200,000. All of these changes are part of the American Taxpayers Relief Act of 2012 and the Affordable Care Act and are geared towards generating additional tax from higher income taxpayers. Some taxpayers will be surprised to find themselves in this situation and many will feel the impact of not just one hit but multiple hits coming from different areas. For example, taxpayers in the higher 39.6 per cent tax bracket will have additional federal income tax, a higher capital gains rate, lower itemized deductions, an additional 0.9 per cent Medicare Tax and an additional 3.8 per cent investment tax. Unfortunately, many of these people will also be paying tax on 85 per cent of their social security benefits as well. Just a few weeks ago I did a tax planner for a couple and these tax hikes added a whopping $18,000 to an already steep tax bill.

Get a tax professional Now more than ever, a proactive approach to tax planning and strategizing is necessary. Armed with the above information taxpayers have the ability and should strategically plan asset sales and expenses like medical payments so that they can take advantage of tax bracket changes and phase outs. Higher taxes for taxpayers with income in these ranges may be inevitable, but taxpayers who plan strategically can act accordingly and potentially reduce their tax liability. Sherri Mahoney-Battles, of Taxing Matters, is an Enrolled Agent, licensed by the IRS, who specializes in income tax preparation for small businesses and individuals. Contact www.taxingmatters.com or email Sherilyn@taxingmatters.com or call 508636-9829. Sherri M ahoney-Battles, of Taxing Matters specializes in income tax preparation for small businesses and individuals. As an Enrolled Agent, licensed by the IRS, Sherri has been representing clients for over twenty-five years in cases of audit, collections, and appeals and does extensive work with non-filers. Visit her website at www.taxingmatters.com email Sherilyn@taxingmatters.com or call her at 508-636-9829.

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J a nuary /F ebruary 2014

E xtra! E xtra!

In brief… Eliz abeth Morse Read

If you haven’t started your Christmas shopping by now, get going! But when you do, give your business first to the local grocers and craftsmen and merchants before you head for the malls or the internet. And check out what’s happening in your town or city to celebrate the new year!

Find out if there’s a winter farmer’s market in your area, and make sure you’ve lined up things to do with the kids over vacation week and snow days—check out the parks, libraries, and children’s museums near you!

Across the Region… For all the guys: do your last-minute shopping on “Men’s Shopping Night Out”

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December 20 in downtown New Bedford. More than 20 stores open. Refreshments! South Coast Rail is back on track! The state has authorized $12,000,000,000 to construct and complete South Coast Rail. An additional $10,000,000 will go to railroad reconstruction in Fall River and New Bedford. Gov. Patrick wants to ensure that his successor cannot undo the progress being made.

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If you’re 62 or older, check out the trips sponsored by the New Bedford Senior Travel Program: “Wicked” at the Providence Performing Arts Center January 11, and plan ahead for the trip to the Rhode Island Flower Show February 21. Call 508991-6171. In Portsmouth, the Aquidneck Growers’ indoor winter market will be open 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturdays until May at the old parish hall of St. Mary’s Church.

This year’s Souper Bowl Supper, held at the Seaport Inn in Fairhaven, raised almost $19,000 for the regional Neediest Family Fund. “My Brother’s Keeper” in Dartmouth is looking for volunteers and gently-used residential furniture for families in need. Free pick-up. Call 774-305-4577 or visit www. MyBrothersKeeper.org.

Very Special Holiday E vents… Listen to the St. Petersburg Men’s Ensemble in Concert on December 15 at Emmanuel Church in Newport. Visit www.EmannuelNewport.org or call 401847-0675. Enjoy “Christmas Around the World” on December 15 performed by the South Coast Community Chorale at the Good Shepherd Parish in Fall River. For a schedule of performances, go to www.sccchorale.com. If you’ve never heard a handbell choir, here’s your chance—head for the First Presbyterian Church in Newport on December 15. Free! Call 401-847-1749 or go to www. fpcnewport.org. Don’t miss the “Tidings of Peace” concert performed by the Southeastern Massachusetts Festival Chorus on December 15 at St. Andrew the Apostle Church in Taunton. For more info, call 508-821-9571 or visit www.smfconline.org. Enjoy the “Children’s Christmas Concert” with the Sippican School Concert Choir and the Tri-County Symphonic Band on December 15 at the Sippican School in Marion. For info, go to www.tricountysymphonicband.org.

the past year. For info, call Bob Hamilton at 401-683-3553. Find time to visit the 60th Annual “Festival of Lights” at LaSalette Shrine in Attleboro through January 5. For dates and times, call 508-222-5410 or visit www. lasalette-shrine.org. Watch the January 1 Polar Bear Plunge in Newport, benefitting A Wish Come True. For info, call 401-846-0028. Stroll through the Holiday Open House at Glen Manor House in Portsmouth on December 15. Free, local entertainment. Call 401-683-4177 or go to www. glenmanorhouse,com. Enjoy the New Bedford Preservation Society’s Holiday House Tour on December 15. For info, contact Catherine at www. nbps2000@yahoo.com or call 508-9976425. Visit and enjoy “Christmas at the Newport Mansions” through January 1. Call 401-847-1000 or go to www.newportmansions.org. Check out the Giant Gingerbread House at the Newport Marriott Hotel. Free with a canned-good donation. Call 401849-1000. Go for a Holiday Lantern Tour of Historic Newport on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays in December. Call 401-841-8770

for reservations. Take part in “A Victorian Christmas” at the Fall River Historical Society this holiday season. For dates and time, call 508679-1071 or go to www.fallriverhistorical. org or www.lizzieborden.org. Don’t miss the candlelit 102nd Annual Medieval Christmas Pageant on December 17 at St. George’s School Chapel in Middletown. Free. Visit www.stgeorges.edu or call 401-847-7565.

Food! Feasts! Festivals! Wareham’s “Summer of Celebration,” starting in June, will be a six-week event marking the 200th anniversary of the British invasion, as well as the town’s 275th birthday. The winners at the New Bedford Chowder Festival are: “best clam chowder” goes to Emeritus Senior Living of Dartmouth; “best kale soup” belongs to Cedars Assisted Living in Dartmouth; “best seafood chowder” Catali Mar Restaurant in New Bedford, and “best stuffed quahogs” goes to Brandon Woods of Dartmouth. Next year’s Bourne Scallop Fest will move from Buzzards Bay to the Cape Cod Fairgrounds in East Falmouth. It is already scheduled for September 19-20 and will be re-named the Scallop Festival.

Get ready for the 17th Annual Moby Dick Marathon January 4 to 6 at the Whaling Museum. For info, go to www.whalingmuseum.org or call 508-997-0046.

St. Anthony of Padua Church in New Bedford has become a stunning venue for music on the South Coast—there’s the Christmas Concert & Caroling on December 15. Go to www.saintanthonynewbedford.org or call 508-993-1691. Join the Swanhurst Chorus in the “Messiah and Carol Sing” on December 21 at Emmanuel Church in Newport, followed by a Wassail Bowl reception. Go to www. swanhurst.org or call 401-682-1630.

A sight to behold…

Take the plunge at the December 31st Bristol Polar Dive into the Sakonnet River, a fundraiser closing to all the 375 events of

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Continued from previous page

Family Fun! Don’t miss the multi-event “Old-Time Holiday Weekend” in Fairhaven through December 15. Call 508-979-4085 or visit www.fairhavenevents.blogspot.com.

Jason Vieaux, Spanish Soul with NBSO

Providence Mandolin Orchestra

Take the “Polar Express Train Ride” on the Newport Dinner Train weekends in December. For info, call 401-841-8700, 401-293-0800 or go to www.newportdinnertrain.com. There’s always something happenin’ at Tiverton Four Corners—don’t miss the Winter Arts and Artisan Fair December 15. For details call 401-624-2600 or visit www. tivertonfourcorners.com. Sharpen your ice skates and head for the Newport Skating Center at the Yachting Center. For info, call 401-846-3018 or visit www.skatenewport.com.

Listen to the Music…

Get close to the land this holiday season at Coggeshall Farm in Bristol. There’s the very special “Christmas in the Barnyard” on December 24. Go to www.coggeshallfarm.org or call 401-253-9062.

Enjoy Holiday Evenings at the Breakers December 28 and at The Elms and Marble House December 21. Live music, refreshments. Visit www.newportmansions.org or call 401-847-1000.

Ride in a heated car on the “Holiday Train Ride” December 26-31 on the Old Colony & Newport Railway. For info, go to www.ocnrr.com or call 401-846-4674.

Head for Common Fence Music in Portsmouth for Aine Minogue December 21, John Gorka January 11, A Gathering of Fiddlers and Fishermen January 25, Zili Misik February 8 and more. Call 401-683-5085 or visit www.commonfencemusic.org.

Ring in the New Year on December 31 at “City Celebrates!” festivities in downtown New Bedford. Free and family friendly. For info, go to www.ahanewbedford.org or contact dagny.ashley@newbedford-ma.gov or call 508-979-1745. Enjoy free family entertainment at AHA! Night in New Bedford. The January 9 theme is “Tempest in a Teapot,” and the February 13 theme is “Stark Raven Mad.” Go to www.ahanewbedford.org or call 508-996-8253. Take the kids on a (heated) train ride at Edaville in Carver for the “Christmas Festival of Lights” through January 1. For more info, go to www.edaville.com or call 508-866-8190.

South Coast Stars… For the fifth time in six years, the Dartmouth High School band won the USBands 2013 Division V national championship. For the 13th straight year, New Bed-

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ford is the richest seaport in the nation, bringing in more than $400,000,000 in value, nearly double that of Dutch Harbor, Alaska, the number one port in volume of catch. Brandon Workman, former pitcher for the Wareham Gatemen, pitched in the eighth inning of the Red Sox’s World Series-winning game six. Last summer, Gil Santos of Fairhaven, the radio voice of the New England Patriots, became the second non-player to be inducted into the Patriots’ Hall of Fame. Westport Rivers Vineyard and Winery brought home four gold medals and one “best buy” from the World Wine Championships! Happy 310th birthday to the Rochester Congregational Church! The “Church on

J a nuary /F ebruary 2014

Follow “Arts in the Village,” the classical concert series at Goff Memorial Hall in Rehoboth. There’s OperaHub January 11 and the Providence Mandolin Orchestra on February 22. For info, call 508-252-3031 or visit www.carpentermuseum.org. Don’t miss the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra playing “Family Holiday Pops” on December 21 and “The Spanish Soul” on February 8 at the Zeiterion in New Bedford. Go to www.nbsymphony.org or

the Green” has been in the same location since 1703. Volunteer firefighter Patrick Rimoshytus of Warren was the recipient of the Carnegie Medal from the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission for his rescue of a woman from a burning car last December. Bob Singleton of Warren won first place for his 1,426-pound pumpkin at the regional competition held at Frerich’s Farm. At the end of the five-day Back Eddy Bass Tournament in Westport, Ray Jarvis of Mattapoisett placed first for his 36-pound catch. Executive Travel magazine has named Little Compton as one of “America’s Best Small Towns.” Westport resident J. Michael Lennon’s book “Norman Mailer: A Double Life,” is a

Cheryl Wheeler

Girls, Guns & Glory

Atwater-Donnelly

www.zeiterion.org. The Sandywoods Center for the Arts in Tiverton will present Antje Duvekot December 21, Magnolia Fais-Do-Do! January 4, the Atwater-Donnelly Trio January 18 and Paddy Keenan February 1. Go to www.sandywoodsmusic.com or call 401241-7349. The Narrows Center for the Arts in Fall River has a fabulous line-up—there’s Girls, Guns & Glory December 27, New Riders of the Purple Sage December 28, Johnny Win900-page biography recently published by Simon & Schuster. Dartmouth Middle School Principal Darren Doane was chosen “Principal of the Year” by the Massachusetts Secondary School Administrators Association.

When the kiddies come to visit… During school vacation week, join in the fun at the Easton Children’s Museum. Go to www.childrensmuseumineaston. org or call 508-230-3789. You’re closer to Fall River? Then check out the Children’s Museum of Greater Fall River. Go to www. cmgfr.org or call 508-672-0033. The Ocean Explorium now offers Satur-

Aine Minogue

ters on January 4, Cheryl Wheeler January 11, Entrain January 18, the Winter Blues Festival January 25, Taj Mahal February 13, Aztec Two Step February 22. For complete details, visit www.narrowscenter.com or call 508-324-1926. “Concerts at the Point” in Westport will present the Hodgkinson-Lee Duo December 15, the Handel & Haydn Society January 12, and The Boston Trio on February 23. For details, visit www.concertsatthepoint.org or call 508-636-0698.

day afternoon programs in both Spanish and Portuguese. To learn more, call 508994-5400 or go to www.oceanexplorium. org. Check out the Giant Gingerbread House at the Newport Marriott Hotel. Free with a canned-good donation. Call 401-8491000. It’s holiday time at the Buttonwood Park Zoo, featuring the Holiday ZOObilee on December 15 & 22. Go to www.bpzoo.org or call 508-991-6178. Find out what’s happening at the Providence Children’s Museum. Go to www. childrenmuseum.org or call 401-273-5437. Or check out what’s happening at the Roger Williams Park Zoo—call 401-7853510 or visit www.rwpz.org.

Listen to “Holiday Pops!” with the Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra December 15 at Memorial Hall in Plymouth. For info, call 508-746-8008 or visit www.plymouthphil.org. Follow the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra! Call 401-248-7000 or go to www.riphil.org.

Bristol Community College’s CATCH Institute (Culinary Arts, Tourism, Casino Hospitality) is offering training programs in anticipation of new casino jobs in the South Coast. Go to www.bristol.mass.edu or call 508-678-2811. Taunton High School will offer JV lacrosse teams for boys and girls in the spring. Bristol Community College’s Communications Office won six top awards at a regional competition for community college communications. New Bedford’s Parker Elementary School, a chronically underperforming “Level 5” school, will be taken over by the state because of its inability to improve students’ academic performance.

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J a nuary /F ebruary 2014

Continued from previous page UMass Dartmouth will be receiving $55,000,000 in state funding for a new academic building.

Acushnet has applied to the state to become the South Coast’s newest “Green Community.” Right now, Lakeville and Easton are the only towns in the greater South Coast region to hold that designation.

Biz Buzz… Standard & Poor’s has upgraded Fall River’s bond rating by two points, from BBB to A-. Local cranberries and cranberry products may soon be sold in China, thanks to the Wareham-based Cranberry Marketing Committee.

Wareham Town Meeting approved a bylaw to purchase a water taxi/boat launch for boaters in Onset Bay, and an “outdoor classroom” next to the library. Artworks! and the New Bedford Art Museum are considering a merger. Stay tuned. Acushnet residents were so incensed by a sudden $300 increase in their sewer and water fees that they’ve started a petition to dissolve the town’s Board of Public Works.

The Black Whale restaurant is scheduled to open in April on Pier 3 off Route 18 in New Bedford. In addition to indoor seating, it will offer 3,000 square feet of tented outdoor patio seating. Gov. Patrick has signed a new gaming compact with the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe regarding the proposed casino in Taunton. It is now in the hands of the federal government.

Beginning next summer, Wareham will be an official stop on the Cape Flyer train from Boston to Cape Cod. A new platform will be built behind the old Getty station, and it will include a new GATRA bus stop. For info, go to www.capeflyer.com.

The ground has been broken for the $10,000,000 facility renovation of Fall River’s YMCA.

If you get a parking ticket in downtown New Bedford, head for Maria’s European Café for a free Portuguese egg tart!

New Bedford’s Business Park (the second-largest in the state) will be expanding into a 450-acre area, thanks to $2,000,000 in state funding. The expansion could create hundreds of high-tech jobs.

Compassionate Care Clinics is meeting with Fairhaven town officials to discuss opening a medical marijuana dispensary in the former Lottery building. Alas! Building 19, home of “Cool Stuff… Cheap!” has filed for bankruptcy.

A ground-breaking began for the new Marriott Hotel and function site at Rosebrook Place in Wareham.

The new owners of the Brayton Point Power Station in Somerset have announced plans to shutter the plant by June 2017. Brayton Point is the largest coal-fired plant in New England.

Saint Anne’s Hospital and Hawthorne Medical Associates have broken ground for the new urgent care center at Riverside Landing in New Bedford. lifetime channel

The Durfee Union Mills complex in Fall River now houses many local businesses,

zeiterion

Trinity Rep

William Shatner

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J a nuary /F ebruary 2014

including S&S Urban Acres, a solar-powered indoor hydroponic farm which grows lettuces and herbs for area restaurants and grocery stores. The Wareham Boys & Girls Club has found a new home in the former Hammond School.

All the world’s a stage The made-for-TV Lifetime movie “Lizzie Borden Took an Ax,” starring Christina Ricci, will debut on January 25. It’s all happenin’ at the Z in New Bedford! Don’t miss the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra playing “Family Holiday Pops” on December 21 and “The Spanish Soul” on February 8. There’s the Jammin Divas on January 9, and plan ahead for January 24, when William Shatner will beam down, plus Maria Rita on February 9, Catarina Avelar on February 20, and “Frederick Douglass” on February 28. Call 508-994-2900 or visit www.zeiterion.org. “Angel on My Shoulder” is playing at the Newport Playhouse through December 31, then again from February 20 to March 23. Go to www.newportplayhouse.com or call 401-848-7529. Get in the act! Enjoy free family fun and entertainment at AHA! Night in New Bedford. The January 9 theme is “Tempest in a Teapot,” and the February 13 theme is “Stark Raven Mad.” Go to www.ahanewbedford.org or call 508-996-8253. Head for the Providence Performing Arts Center to see the Festival Ballet’s performance of “The Nutcracker” December 20-22; “Wicked” December 26-January 12, Rock of Ages January 29, Theresa Caputo

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February 8, “Man of La Mancha” February 14-16. Call 401-421-2787 or go to www. ppacri.org. Don’t miss “The Little Dog Laughed” at Your Theatre in New Bedford January 1626. “Twelve Angry Men” starts in March. Call 508-993-0772 or visit www.yourtheatre.org. Check out what’s going on at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence: there’s the Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s rock opera “The Lost Christmas Eve” on December 18; Disney on Ice December 26-30; and Nuclear Cowboyz January 31 to February 1. Go to www.dunkindonutscenter.com or call 401-331-6700. “Doubt: A Parable” will be playing January 16 through 26 at Fall River’s Little Theatre. “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” starts in March. Go to www.littletheatre. net or call 508-676-1077. Take the family to “The Christmas Carol” through December 28 at Trinity Rep in Providence. “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” runs through December 22. “Intimate Apparel” plays January 30 to March 2, and “Oliver!” will be performed February 20 to March 30. Call 401-3514243 or visit www.trinityrep.com. Head for 2nd Story Theatre in Warren this holiday season! There’s “Saint Joan” through December 15. “The Lyons” plays January 10 to February 9, and “Seven Keys to Baldpate” will be performed January 24 to February 23. For details, call 401-2474200 or go to www.2ndstorytheatre.com.

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J a nuary /F ebruary 2014

PRIME living

Joining the club Okay, so I bit the bullet. I joined AARP. For the discounts, benefits and mostly the cheesy gift bag they promised. Which has yet to arrive. But that’s okay, it’s an orPaul K andarian ganization of old people, they’re forgetful. This wasn’t an easy decision, parting with 14 bucks which gets me, among other things, a monthly magazine (also yet to arrive, c’mon people), reduced prices on things like prescription drugs (I take none, but who knows what the future holds?), and savings on purchases from places like the Popcorn Factory (Are you kidding? You know how easily popcorn shards get jammed into dentures? Get real). I got the card the other day. I immediately felt older. I mean this is for old people, right? I’m not old! I just turned 60, which they say is the new 50, which is the new 40, right on down the line. So what’s that make 10 years old, the new in utero? That ageequivalent stuff has to stop somewhere. I went online to register. It asked to create a password. Now, if you’re like me, you probably have the same password for the roughly 4,500 other things you need a “secret” password for these days. It just makes it easier to remember, and you know, as we age, we forget things. Like what we’re talking about. What was I talking about? Gimme a minute, it’ll come back to me. Oh, AARP. So I go online to register and take a survey. Harmless enough, I love surveys. This one asks about health preferences, like managing my health (so far, so good, no management necessary), and long-term care. Whoa, long-term care? Wait, that conjures up images of smelly nursing homes and doddering old people in assisted living, I’m not there yet, I’m still in the stages of making fun of it. Next was finance, and “navigating the job market after 50.” Really? There IS one? Beyond being a greeter at WalMart? Who knew?

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There’s also home and family preferences, including making my home “comfortable, safe and efficient.” Well, I suppose if I picked up the piles of clothing and old pizza boxes my adult son leaves laying around that could reduce the tripping hazard. But then he wouldn’t be able to laugh at me when I stumble over that old KFC box on the floor he’s left there since August, and I don’t want to deprive him of yuks. Just in case he has to take care of me in my real old age. Okay, checking out benefits. One of which is driver safety courses. What, they think because I’m of a certain age, I’m a bad driver? They want to be helpful, they’ll have courses on how to deal with kids with their pants down around their buttcracks crossing the street in front of you going slower than the Obamacare website. Damn kids.

I just turned 60, which they say is the new 50, which is the new 40, right on down the line. I see they also have health webinars. Interesting. But what the hell is a “webinar?” Something to do with spiders? I hate spiders. Let’s move on. They also talk about financial security. On the same page they offer a credit card. Make up your mind, for heaven’s sake, you can’t have it both ways. Hey, look, they even have motorcycle insurance. For old people? I have this image of an old man in baseball cap scrunched way down behind the handlebars unable to see over them. My guess is that insurance is pretty steep. Look, a free doughnut with coffee purchase at Dunkin’. Seriously. As if our arteries weren’t clogged enough. I remember

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taking my dad to his favorite Dunkin’ for his free doughnut and him being greeted by cheery people who knew him because he went there every day. I loved my dad dearly, but at that moment, seeing my future, I wanted to drown myself in my large cream-no-sugar. Just sayin’. Ah, discounts at casinos. Nice. Make it easier to pump your pension check into a whirring, colorful machine one quarter at a time. Okay, found the discounts page, the money shot for old shoppers. Flowers. I see tons of discounts for flowers. Can you buy ahead for your own funeral? Man, scads of discounts on cruises. Which is good, but I hate cruises. Been on two, hated them both, these huge, floating metallic cities jammed with food and fat people, floating around the ocean in search of a place to dock for the day so thousands of you can stream into shops and pretend you’re getting to know the country you’re in, before returning to the ship to dip your face into the chocolate fountain and then trying to sleep in a closet-sized stateroom while bobbing up and down like the stock market you have your retirement funds in. Thanks, I’ll pass. It goes on and on and on. Discounts for this, packages for that, and throughout the online pages, older people, ridiculously good looking and smiling, clearly enjoying their lives as AARP members, laughing, loving and living, with photos of smiling, happy grandparents surrounded by smiling, happy grandchildren wondering what they’re going to get left in the will. A word to my future grandchildren: Nothing. You can stop smiling now. I know it will all work out and I’ll be thrilled by joining AARP. As soon as my cheesy gift bag finally gets here. C’mon, AARP, I’m not getting any younger here. Paul Kandarian is a lifelong area resident and has been a professional writer since 1982, as columnist, contributor in national magazines, websites and other publications.

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P 508-455-7710 ✦ F 888-530-4167 econnors@dfcmortgage.com

n n n n n

Flat Screen TV with Satellite Wi-fi Recliner Separate reading area Located on bus line Multilingual staff: Portuguese & Spanish

To schedule tours please call 508-998-1188

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Plus, 20% of

Dine, Swipe & Donate!

every check will be donated to Boston Childrens Hospital!

Use your Mechanics Cooperative Bank Debit Card 5 times at any participating UNOs and redeem for 2 free Deep Dish, 1 Topping Pizzas! On us!*

* Customer must acquire five (5) total punches. One (1) punch for every purchase with a minimum of $15.00. Punch will only be given if purchase is made using a Mechanics Cooperative Bank Debit Card. Customers required to visit any Mechanics Cooperative Bank location to receive coupon for two (2) free, one topping deep dish pizzas. Limit one coupon per debit card. Offer valid through January 31, 2014.

New Bedford Medical Associates Locations in Dartmouth, New Bedford and Wareham Cardiology / Internal Medicine Bruce M. Brown, M.D., F.A.C.C. (508) 291-3351

Mark R. Desnoyers, M.D., F.A.C.C. Gregory D. Russell, M.D., F.A.C.C. David R. Stebbins, M.D., F.A.C.C. Alan J. Weinshel, M.D., F.A.C.C. Megan Raposa, N.P. Vicki Saint-Paine, N.P. (508) 992-9167 Irena Gesheva, M.D. (508) 985-5040

Neurology

John G. Stamoulis, M.D., F.A.H.A (508) 985-5046

Pulmonary / Sleep Medicine / Critical Care / Internal Medicine

Stanley Kaplan, M.D. Christos Kapogiannis, M.D. Curtis J. Mello, M.D., M.P.H., F.C.C.P Megan Raposa, N.P. Anne Shih, P.A. A. Aris Skaliotis, P.A. (508) 999-5666

Anne Marie Treadup, M.D. Elizabeth Quann-Babineau, N.P. Joyce Vitale, N.P. (508) 998-0003

Rheumatology

Thomas J. McCormack, D.O. Paul Blauner, P.A. (508) 291-2409

Walk-In Providers

Gastroenterology

Christopher Cheney, M.D., Ph.D (508) 961-1500

Suzelle Luc, M.D. (508) 985-5042

Christiana Akanegbu, NP Alice Comerford, NP Linda Fitzpatrick, NP Alice Haynes, NP Vicki Saint-Paine, NP Elizabeth Quann-Babineau, NP (508) 985-5014

Working Together to Keep Our Community Healthy !

www.newbedfordmedical.com

Walk-In Center

No Appointment Necessary! (508) 985-5014 368 Faunce Corner Rd, Dartmouth, MA Monday – Friday: 8am-7pm Saturdays : 8am-2pm FLU SHOTS AVAILABLE

MON-FRI 7AM LAB SERVICES

SPECIALTY SERVICES • Bone Density Testing • Cat Scan Services • Comprehensive Pulmonary Exercise Testing • Coumadin Clinic • Echocardiology • EMG’s / EEG’s • Infusion Therapy (Osteoporosis & Arthritic Conditions) • Laboratory Services • Nuclear Stress Testing • Occupational Medicine • Pulmonary Function Testing • Sleep Disorders Center • Transcranial Dopplers • Ultrasound • Walk-In Center • X-Ray

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Keeping your family healthy

Tobey

Charlton

St. Luke’s

Tiverton

Your doctor. Right here. Southcoast Physicians Group is home to the area’s best doctors. When you choose a Southcoast Physician, you have access to one of the region’s largest and most comprehensive health care networks. And one of the most trusted. Our doctors care for you right in your community — at more than 30 sites from Rhode Island to Cape Cod.

800-497-1727

www.southcoast.org/doctors

Clifton

HEALTHCARE CAMPUS

WILBUR AVENUE, SOMERSET, MASSACHUSETTS

Need Short Term Rehab?

Tell your Healthcare Provider you PREFER Clifton… And, Call Clifton…508-675-7589 for priority placement.

4 Physical & Occupational Therapy 4 Speech & Language Pathology 4 Aquatic Therapy 4 Stroke Rehab 4 Cardiac Conditions / Surgeries 4 Post-Surgical Care 4 Knee, Hip & Joint Replacements

CLIFTON REHABILITATIVE NURSING CENTER 508-675-7589

4 Pain Management & Wound Care 4 Admissions 7 days a week 4 Medicare & Medicaid Certified 4 Contracted with leading insurers 4 Transitional Care 4 Ostomy Care, IV Therapy 4 State of the art rehab equipment

CLIFTON ASSISTED LIVING COMMUNITY 508-324-0200

Compassion Dignity Comfort CLIFTON OUTPATIENT REHABILITATION CLINIC 508-675-0328

 Transitional Care  Short-Term Rehab  Assisted Living

CLIFTON HOSPICE SERVICES (A community hospice agency) 508-675-7583

 Outpatient Rehab  Long-Term Care  Hospice Care