South Coast Prime Times - May/June 2013 by Coastal Communications Corp.

9th

M ay/June 2013 â&#x20AC;˘ Volume 9 â&#x20AC;˘ Number 3

RetiRement

How to plan it, do it, pay for it, enjoy it

barter better baby boomer blues spring cleaning guide

the new world of libraries what to see and do

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May/june 2013

contents 32

12 16 24

I n e very Issue

P rIme se ason

P rIme lIvIng

g ood tImes

5 From the publisher 32 Extra! Extra! Local

12 Celebrate New Bed-

news and views By Elizabeth Morse Read

Sweep into spring By Elizabeth Morse Read

30 Baby Boomer blues By Paul Letendre

Gym-dandy gadgets By Dan Logan

16 When to retire?

By Sherri Mahoney-Battles

18 Plan your nest egg By Jay Pateakos

24 Offer a helping hand

By Elizabeth Morse Read

ford’s national park By Michael J. DeCicco

22 Checking out

Dartmouth libraries By Cara Connelly

28 Pass the buck to

Dr. Fradkin By Michael J. Viera

32 Birdwatchers’ season 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.

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By Brian J. Lowney

40 Glazed eyes

By Paul Kandarian

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FroM The Publisher May/June 2013 n Vol. 9 n No. 3 PublIshed by

Coastal Communications Corp. PublIsher and edItor-In-ChIef

Welcome to the latest edition of “Prime Times,” the South Coast’s only magazine written for “our” generation. As we rack up the birthdays our horizons broaden. Experience and practice have, hopefully, made us better at life, and for those who are about to retire or have already retired, it’s time to reap the rewards.

Ljiljana Vasiljevic edItor

Greg Jones ContrIbutors

Cara Connelly, Michael DeCicco, Greg Jones, Paul Kandarian, Paul Letendre, Dan Logan, Brian J. Lowney, Sherri Mahoney-Battles, Jay Pateakos, Elizabeth Morse Read, and Michael J. Viera.

South Coast Prime Times is published bi-monthly. Copyright ©2013 Coastal Communications Corp. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, by any means, without written permission from the Publisher. All information contained herein is believed to be reliable. Coastal Communications Corp. does not assume any financial responsibility for typographical errors in advertisements, but will reprint that

The best time to retire? Sooner might be better than later, but you need to chart the financial territory. Sherri MahoneyBattles shares a family story and offers some good advice on page 19. Staying physically fit is vital, and it’s not quite as easy to do as it was when we were a few years younger. Naturally, there’s an app for that, many apps, as it turns out, along with new gadgets and gear. Dan Logan has the information you need starting on page 6. Spring cleaning is more than just doing the windows. While you’re at it, give the medicine cabinet a thorough inventory, and to help you map out the strategy for a comprehensive spring cleaning, Elizabeth Morse Read has a plan for you on page 10.

portion of an advertisement in which the typographical

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There’s no shortage of activities this summer. All along the South Coast are fairs, concerts, new restaurants (and new menus in the “old” restaurants), museums and parks. The South Coast’s best and most

June 19, 2013

thorough activity guide begins on page 32.

error occurs.

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m aIlIng address South Coast Prime Times P.O. Box 3493

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PriMe living

KeeP sCore with hi-tech fit-tech

dan l ogan

While I’m not overly driven by numbers, quantifying certain efforts does ratchet up my interest and motivation. For example, my wildlife photography skills made a great leap forward when I discovered eBird and its ability to track my observations and rank me against other birders by county or state—but that’s another story.

Like many people who are fascinated by electronic gadgets, I’m hoping to tie my diet and exercise goals to electronic gear that will spur me to a more consistent exercise program. So when I find a new gadget I ask myself whether this thing is going to work for me, or whether ultimately it will

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prove too gimmicky to sustain my interest. How can these electronic fitness gadgets help you? Well, your basic mechanical pedometer logs your mileage. And you can write your daily effort into a notebook for later analysis. But maybe that paperwork isn’t a huge motivator for you.

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set your PaCe onlIne Electronic pedometers can be connected to a computer or to the Internet, so your results are structured into a neat format that helps you check your progress. Beyond that, you might give your electronic pedometer permission to pass the data on to a database, so you can see how your efforts stack up against other people trying to achieve similar goals. And in all that information you may find clues or suggestions or motivation for improving your own performance. For some of us the competitive aspect of Internet-based training can be a much better motivator than the stark output of a mechanical pedometer. Calorie counters can work the same way. Recording your calorie intake on paper

is a real drag. Using a computer to track and add up the calories and give you other feedback on your eating habits can eliminate a lot of busy work and encourage some people to tinker a little here, a little there to eat smarter. But, there’s plenty of room for more sophisticated equipment. The Internet, the development of ever smaller and lighter equipment, and some creative ideas for using these technologies have sparked the growth of a new market. “Mobile health technology” is one of the names being given to the developing market of electronic tools that go beyond pedometers and calory counters to help us shed tonnage and get in shape.

For better or worse, the accumulating data from any of these pieces of electronic equipment could be made available to others–coaches, doctors, employers, equipment vendors, insurance companies, public health agencies–that could help the user operate more effectively. One writer for the web site TechHive suggested that companies or organizations could use the data for exercise challenge events among employees, or for insurance companies to offer lower insurance rates to users who achieve certain fitness goals.

smart forKs and smart WatChes

Runners and bike riders have already been the beneficiaries of mobile fitness technology. For example, a company called MapMyFitness offers MapMyRide and MapMyRun for cyclists and runners, which not only logs workouts and route mapping

Dozens of companies are marketing fitness and health hardware and software, though the mobile health technology niche is still in its infancy and many of the products being touted as breakthroughs are still not fully baked. Developing attractive hardware, writing appealing software apps for the user, and improving communications among devices are the main challenges manufacturers face.

but offers thousands of routes worldwide and an online community. Participants can find old friends and develop new friendships in addition to managing their workouts. The site, which started up in 2006, claims more than 12 million members, many of whom use the site from their mobile phones. MapMyFitness isn’t the only social media site oriented toward fitness. Among many others are Skimble, MyFitnessPal, Endomondo and Livestrong, where you can find the site community’s support for your efforts. Most of these sites have both free and for-fee components. Mobile fitness technology goes beyond fitness workouts and diet control. Using a more inclusive definition of health and fitness, companies are developing monitors where, for example, elderly people can be monitored thoroughly and full-time from anywhere. And we’re seeing devices that will help someone improve her posture or control his stress levels–helping people to make lifestyle changes that open the way to better overall fitness.

“Fit tech” is evolving in many ways beyond simply concentrating one’s competitive juices. The human wrist has long proven to be a convenient stash point for an information device. Sports watches are already popular, but a capable and necessarily stylish general purpose smartwatch would indeed be another great way for people to entertain and inform themselves and connect with others. In fact, the year of the smartwatch may have arrived, as Apple Computer’s contribution is rumored to be nearing release. On the other hand, the smartwatch may still be a device whose time has not yet arrived. Plenty of companies have already jumped onto that bandwagon, but so far none have captured the imagination the way the iPhone or iPad did. The Pebble Smart Watch is one of the models vying for wider acceptance. The Pebble, which has advanced to the Suitable For-Bleeding-Edge Techies stage, links up via Bluetooth with an Android phone or iPhone. The user downloads apps to the

Put your daIly run on the maP

Pebble that broaden its capabilities so that one can play music, read messages, and find out who’s calling, not to mention employ health and fitness apps. Entrepreneurs are looking for new angles on old health and fitness themes. A gadget shown at the Consumer Electronics Show in January has riveted my attention. The Hapifork is a smart fork that learns your eating habits, i.e., how fast you normally fork your food into your grille, and issues warnings in the form of vibrations if you move into high-speed shovel mode. Is this a dream machine or what? Obviously the Hapifork could be used to push a dark side agenda, speed-eating competitions being one example, but used properly it might train me to slow down and enjoy my tofu. The Hapifork is still vaporware as I write this, but my hope springs eternal.High-tech health and fitness tools showing promise Packaging entire lines of products that work smoothly together would be a big step toward wider acceptance. A company

called Withings is developing just such an extensive line of fitness–oriented devices, including an Activity Tracker, a blood pressure monitor, a baby monitor, and various wireless scales including the Smart Body Analyzer. The analyzer can track weight, body composition and heart rate, offer coaching tips, and monitor indoor air quality. Despite the technical advances being made, we still seem closer to the pedometer and calorie counter stage of mobile fitness tech. For us end users there’s plenty of room for improvement in the products being sold out there. On the other hand, there may already be a device that will meets your particular needs well enough to drive your health and fitness efforts. The sooner the better, right? 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 living

a Clean sWeeP for summer elIz abeth morse read

“Spring cleaning” is misnamed. Sure, there are certain cleaning projects we embark on every year to clear out the mustiness of winter–vacuuming behind the couch, washing the curtains, wiping down the cabinets–but what we’re really doing is getting our house and property ready for the summer months. And if you keep that in mind, your “spring cleaning” will be much more focused and productive.

medICIne CabInet Chaos Let’s start with the lowly bathroom medicine cabinet: I’ll bet you never cleaned that out before! It’s cluttered with winter medicines like cold and cough remedies, half-empty vials of antibiotics for your winter sinusitis and almost-empty tubes of Chapstick. In addition, there may be expired medicines, whether prescribed (Rx) or over-the-counter (OTC); duplicates that

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are taking up space or improperly sealed bottles and tubes whose contents have either evaporated or dried up. Call your pharmacist or your town’s Board of Health for instructions on how best to dispose of these Rx or OTC winter leftovers. Do not flush them down the toilet or throw them in the trash where children or pets could find them. Your medicine cabinet should be a well-

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stocked and child-proof first-aid station that serves your family year-round [see sidebar], adjusted for the seasons. It should not be a dumping ground for cosmetics, grooming products (shaving cream, curling iron) or shower supplies. Put those in plastic bins in the under-the-sink cabinet or towel closet, along with soaps, shampoos and cleaning supplies. Also keep a plastic dishwashing tub to hold a heating pad, an ice bag or freezer packs, a bag of sterile cotton balls, and some Epsom salts. You can use the tub if you ever need to soak your feet. Once you’ve cleaned out the winter items and restocked the year-round essential items in your medicine cabinet, here are some of the summer medications you need on hand: waterproof sunscreen; aloe vera gel; insect repellant; poison ivy lotion; anaesthetic sunburn spray; motion-sickness remedy; sunscreen; lip balm and zinc oxide. When summer is over, you can clean these items out and stock up for the winter.

Medicine cabinet essentials

Steward. The New Health Care.

If there are children in the home, you will need the liquid/flavored, “no ouch” versions of everything, too. If you have an infant in the home, keep the baby’s medical supplies near the changing table, but out of the crib’s reach. And all medicines in your home should be in child-proof bottles.

Peroxide Sterile saline solution Witch hazel Alcohol swabs Tweezers Scissors Nail clippers Oral thermometer Antibiotic salve Sterile gauze pads Band-aids Q-Tips Waterproof tape Ace bandage roll Sore throat lozenges Antiseptic spray Muscle ache cream Pain reliever/fever reducer Antacid Anti-diarrheal Anti-itch cream/spray Antihistamine

Knee or Hip Pain? Get relief at Saint Anne’s Hospital, recognized for the second consecutive year by Blue Cross Blue Shield as a Blue Distinction Center for Knee and Hip Replacement. Our surgeons can now treat patients more precisely and less invasively with innovative robotic-arm guided partial knee resurfacing or total hip replacement known as MAKOplasty. At Saint Anne’s, we are proud to be the first health care organization to bring this state-ofthe-art treatment to Massachusetts. This is the New Health Care.

To learn more visit our interactive, online webinar at www.steward.org/makoplasty or call 1-855-Go2-MAKO to schedule a consultation with our MAKO certified orthopedic surgeons.

Inc.

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Make your own sachets Buy dried herbs in bulk to “mix and match” or use just one ingredient. You can also add a few drops of natural oil onto dried herbs. Put a few tablespoons total in tea bag papers (find them at health food stores), or in 6-inch squares of cotton tied off with ribbon or elastic band, or in a knotted knee-high stocking. Avoid direct contact between sachet bags and light-colored fabrics.

Cinnamon sticks Rosemary leaves Eucalyptus leaves or oil Whole cloves Peppercorns Lavender Bay leaves Dried mint leaves or oil Thyme Lemongrass Cedar shavings, balls or oil

the bIg seasonal sWaP The next project should be retiring all the winter items in your storage spaces and exchanging them for the summer items. Whether it’s in your garage, your shed, your closets or your basement, you’ve got a lot of seasonal “outdoor” stuff, large items such as lawnmowers, air conditioners, Christmas decorations, snow shovels and gardening tools. But they all shouldn’t “live” in the same spot year-round, so get them organized, repaired, replaced or given away. Get rid of the cracked plastic sleds, the kinked-up garden hose and the deflated soccer balls. Fix the weedwhacker and get the chainsaw tuned up. Clean the air conditioner’s filter, power-wash the lawn furniture, and scrub out the BBQ

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grill. Call your town’s recycling center or CleanIng out the Wardrobe Board of Health and find out how to best The final spring cleaning target is seasonget rid of the paint cans, tires, pesticides, al clothing and bedding. Your down parka, car batteries and hopelessly-broken power holiday tablecloths and guest towels, wooltools. en sweaters, heavy drapes and blankets Purging your storage spaces will be timedon’t belong in your closets and drawers consuming and annoying, especially the year-round. But before you put away your first time you do it, but look at the bright winter belongings, make sure that they’ve side: if you get rid of some stuff, you’ll have been washed, dry-cleaned or freshened more room. You’ll save on energy bills if in the dryer. Insects, especially moths, your air-conditioner works more effilove food and drink stains. If you suspect ciently. You’ll save money by that something has reducing future replacement been attacked the more ruthless already costs for poorly-maintained by insects and may be items. You’ll save yourself a harboring eggs, put you are about lot of aggravation if you start the item in a freezer rePaIrIng or the summer season with overnight or tumblea well-maintained lawngettIng rId of stuff dry on high to kill mower. You’ll be making the them before you pack In your storage planet a safer place by getting them away. rid of toxic materials. And before you pack sPaCes, the more If you no longer need an anything away for tIme you’ll save item that’s still in good the season, put aside condition, you can donate those items you’ll next season it to a 501(c)3 charity for a never use or wear tax write-off, you can make again and give it to some cash by selling it, or you can give it Goodwill or post it on Freecycle. If you’ve away on www.freecycle.org. And best of got worn-out blankets, sheets or towels, all, the more ruthless you are about repairthere’s an animal shelter near you that ing, replacing or getting rid of stuff in your would love to have them. storage spaces, the more time you’ll save If you don’t have a cedar closet or chest, next season. No matter whether you’re pack items in a sealed plastic bag (the kind switching from summer to winter or vice blankets are sold in work beautifully) or versa, never put away anything that’s zippered garment bag along with a natural broken, dirty, in need of maintemainte insect repellant sachet [see sidebar]. Dried nance or that you’ll never use again. lemon or orange peel scattered between layers will keep everything smelling fresh. food fIght! Don’t use mothballs: not only are they Next, attack your ‘fridge/freezer, obnoxiously stinky, but they’re poisonous. kitchen cabinets and pantry. You’re Make your own all-natural sachets and not likely to need packets of cocoa or put them in all your drawers, closets, oatmeal in July, so start a basket for foods luggage, coat pockets, even in your pantry you can donate to a local food pantry: if it’s cabinets, to repel insects. Scrunch them evsealed and unexpired, someone else can ery now and then (if accessible) to release use it. Read the expiration date on every more of the aroma. Oonce they become can and box in your pantry–those leftover odorless, they need to be replaced. Store raisins from the Christmas fruitcake you everything in a dark, dry place (like your made? Toss ‘em. The unlabeled, freezerattic) and then air out those sheer summer burned mystery meats in the freezer? Toss curtains, linen clothing, beach towels and ‘em. The half-empty squeeze mustard from summer-weight suits and dresses in the last summer or the almost-empty Chinese sunshine. condiment jars in your refrigerator door? So, if you follow these guidelines, you’re Toss ‘em. The rarely-used spices and herbs really ready to enjoy the summer months! in your cabinets that you bought before Thanksgiving? Toss ‘em. Make room for ingredients you’ll need for lighter summer cooking–rubs, vinegars, marinades–and for cooking items you’ll need for outdoor eating–aluminum foil, paper products, ice buckets, corn prickers and picnic supplies.

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elIzabeth morse read is an awardwinning writer, editor and artist who grew up on the South Coast. After 20 years of working in New York City and traveling the world, she came back home with her children and lives in Fairhaven.

it’s genIus HORNER MILLWORK adds more custom millwork choices with the introduction of Home Genius. Their tradition of craftsmanship extends back three generations to a small village outside of Bari, Italy where quality Italian workmanship is passed down from generation to generation. With the hearts of craftsmen, Nick Sollecito and Rob Sollecito began Home Genius, Inc. in 1998 with a vision to offer its customers the highest level of service, and a complete solution to the many technologies available to the homeowner.

Their 40 years of combined experience in owning and operating successful manufacturing, retail and service businesses along with countless hours of training and certifications allows them to design, build and install systems that are easy to understand and perform beyond your expectations. The partnership of Horner Millwork and Home Genius provides the flexibility to create living spaces that work with your lifestlyle. Whole House Audio, Home Theatre and Home Automation add modern convenience to elegant custom cabinetry and built-ins. For 65 years, Horner Millwork has provided builders and homeowners with quality products and a knowlegeable sales staff. Adding home electronics and custom cabinetry to their existing product line of Windows, Doors, Cabinets, Stairs, Mouldings, Hardwood Flooring and Custom Millwork—well, it’s genius.

PriMe living photo by Greg Jones

WhalIng natIonal ParK launChes

boatload of new projects

The Whaling National Historical Park has plans for the 2013 tourist season that will make for an exciting year in downtown New Bedford. The biggest downthe city docks. tonwood Park and Fort Taber. From Memotown event in 2013 is Nersesian said the Park Service is working rial Day to June 30, it operates weekends the expected opening closely with the city to expand its services only; starting July 1, it runs every day. mIChael J. of the new Route 18 as the new Route 18 expands people’s This summer, Nersesian said, the city will deCICCo late this year that will access to both historic downtown and the commemorate the 150th anniversary of better connect downworking waterfront. the Civil War’s famed all-black regiment town historic district “We are meeting with the city Harbor with a new mural depicting where many of visitors to the waterfront that set New Development Commission and downtown the regiment’s soldiers were recruited, in a Bedford’s place in history. building behind The Park Service is planning the New Bedford shuttle servICe WIll looP around events that will take place right Custom House. on the waterfront once the new doWntoWn every mInutes WIth runs The mural, created route has completed construccollaboratively by to uttonWood arK and ort aber the UMass College tion. “This will be a whole new of Visual and Perexperience for visitors and a forming Arts, the organizations to finalize what the opportuwhole new world of opportunity,” Park New Bedford Historical Society, Artworks nities will be,” Nersesian said. Superintendent Jennifer T. Nersesian said. and the Park Service, will mark the exact The best news for tourists is that the Frank Barrows, the park’s chief of interspot where the station stood with panels shuttle service that started last August will pretation and education, said the possibilishowing the recruiting in Custom House begin its first full season this year, running ties include conducting demonstrations Square, the soldiers’ training, their major from Memorial Day to September. This of traditional whaling-era crafts, such as battle at Fort Wagner, South Carolina and new service loops around downtown every barrel-making and blacksmithing, right on soldiers returning home. 20 minutes and has additional runs to But-

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20 P

photo by Greg Jones

natIonal ParK WeeK Is aPrIl 20-28 Nersesian added the park always has new Also, the center houses a new kid’s kiosk designation in 1996, covers 13 city blocks. and changing exhibits within the William with a touch screen powered by two Web It was started by a group of local citizens Street center itself, including films shown Ranger programs that provides instant who wanted to save the value of what was regularly in the center’s theater. access to information on whales, the whalhere, Nersesian said. “Even if you think you’ve seen it all,” Baring industry and whaling history. It hosts “What we have here came out of a grassrows said, “there’s always something new school trips and programs and a “Youth roots movement to work in partnership to see and experience.” Ambassador Program” that allows teens with all the institutions and organizations The park will continue its monthly Friday in downtown New Bedford,” Nersesian to create music and videos on Park Service night “Dock-U-Mentaries” said. film series, which feature The Park Service owns only the he arK WhICh reCeIved Its documentaries on the fishWilliam Street visitors center natIonal ParK desIgnatIon In ing industry. The schedule building, but it works in collaborathrough August includes, tion with a variety of partners that Covers CIty bloCKs on May 17, “E Alter Mar” include the New Bedford Historical (“In Another Sea”), which Society, which owns the aboveexplores the lives of Sicilian referenced Johnson house, the Port themes. A video put together by teens in fishermen, and “After the Storm” (on Aug. Society, which owns the Seamen’s Bethel the program “New American Dream” was 16), which examines the 2004 sinking and the Mariners Home, and the City of featured on First Lady Michelle Obama’s of the fishing vessel Northern Edge in the New Bedford, whose Wharfinger Building web site. It earned an award of excellence northeast Atlantic and the question of on the waterfront the Park Service uses from the American Recreation Collaborawhether the country’s fish conservation efduring the summer. tive for History National Park forts and fishermen’s safety can co-exist. Barrows said a new publication this year, The Park, which received its national park

1996,

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“Behind the Mansions,” will describe to tourists a unique historic New Bedford neighborhood that stood behind the Rotch-JonesDuff House, on the east side of County Street. The people who lived there included Nathan and Polly Johnson, who boarded anti-slave orator and former slave Frederick Douglass when he first came to New Bedford, and Lewis Temple, the African-American inventor of the “Temple Toggle” iron harpoon that revolutionized the whaling industry by fastening tighter into a whale’s side than earlier designs. Also, famed eccentric millionaire Heddy Green lived there as a young girl. Also, the Park Service is issuing two new Civil War trading cards that will honor New Bedford’s contribution to the war. They will picture the Stone Fleet, the whaling ships that were weighted down and sunk in Charlotte, South Carolina harbor to block the Confederate fleet, and James Henry Gooding, an African-American Civil War correspondent for the “New Bedford Mercury” newspaper. Already these cards picture two other New Bedford heroes: 54th Regiment hero William Carney, the country’s first Medal of Honor winner, and William Powell, a black man who was one of the first surgeons assigned to the Union army hospital in Washington, D.C. For more informations visit New Bedford Whaling NHP office at 33 William Street, call 508-996-4095 or visit www.nps.gov.

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mIChael J. deCICCo, a life-long New Bedford resident, has worked for over 20 years as a freelance writer and news correspondent for magazines and newspapers in Southeastern Massachusetts. He lives with his wife Cynthia in New Bedford, MA

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PriMe living

The golden years The UPS driver was in my office the other day, and he’s got lightness to his step that resonates with the big smile on his face. He’s counting down the days to his retirement in just a few weeks. At the end of last year I met with our local postman who was preparing for his retirement the first of the year. When we met a few weeks ago he looked like a new man. There was a lift at the corner of his eyes that wasn’t there a few months ago. Ah, those golden years that we all dream of when we hang up the tools of our trade and our days become our own. My father was a telephone company worker who took a golden parachute offer and retired at the early age of 50. I remember my mother’s fear like it was yesterday. He’s going to get old and fat, he’ll never get out of bed, and we’ll have no money. My mother was a woman that feared change, and she was a New Englander, always waiting for the sky to fall. My father offered comfort in the promise that he would work here and there just to stay busy, but he never did. His days were too full of all of the things he had always wanted to do, but never had time for. He built the log cabin of his dreams, bought a boat, rebuilt an old Model T, and he and my mother traveled, biked and hiked their way all over New England and parts of the world.

sherrI mahoneybattles

There was never an empty day, but there was a conflict. My mother was a postal worker who started her career later in life after raising three children. She wasn’t ready to retire and so there were restrictions on their freedom. She worked long hours, often working 60 hours per week, six days a week, and when she did get two days off they were usually not together. My daughters remember my mother as always being tired. She was an active woman who loved to bike, hike, ski, knit and sew, but a demanding job often left her too tired to do many of the things she enjoyed. Like many New Englanders, my parents were frugal. They saved their money and paid off their mortgage. They both had great pensions, and my father counted down the years waiting for my mother to retire. Finally, at the age of 63 she set a retirement date, and we all celebrated her upcoming retirement. Then, the sky did fall. Less than a year after her retirement my mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Operations, chemotherapy, and doctor’s visits filled their days, and dreams of traveling were put away on a shelf to be dusted off when the promised remission came. Remission, though, was brief and when the second

I’ve learned over the years that numbers, unlike people, can’t lie

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round of chemotherapy failed my mother died just a month after her 65th birthday. She never did get to enjoy her retirement. Just the other day I met with new clients. The husband, with a sparkle in his eye, told me that he would be retiring in just a month. He shared his financial plans with me. His pension and social security could easily provide for a comfortable retirement. They have no mortgage or debt, and their home is small, but comfortable and easy to maintain. They have spent the last few years upgrading systems that will provide years of future use and comfort. The wife, though, is holding onto her job. I can see the fear in her eyes. As a tax accountant I analyze the numbers and do the math, and I often help clients write the financial map that will lead to a successful retirement. When a client is ready to start talking about retirement we calculate what their monthly income will be from sources such as interest, dividends, pensions and social security. A review of monthly expenses reveals how much needs to come in to cover expenses. These steps are the tools of my trade, and I’ve learned over the years that numbers, unlike people, can’t lie; but sometimes when the fear still gets in the way I share the story about my mother. 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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PriMe living

planning for retIrement

Jay PateaKos

I’ll be the first to say I have saved nothing yet for retirement. Granted, I am still nearly 25 years away from retirement age, but the truth is I should have started putting money aside long ago. And I’ll regret not doing so. I’ve got the term insurance in place and I have a monthly college fund for my kids that’s doing well, but as for my future, nada.

According to “Money” magazine, we should start saving for retirement in our 20s, putting aside 10-15 percent of our income: at least $3,000 of tax-deferred retirement income each year. For those who can’t do that much, do something and do it now, experts say. With the future of Social Security and other benefits in doubt, financial planners say you should be prepared to have a nest egg of between $300,000-$400,000 to get by when you punch the clock for the last time. “Fortune” magazine expects that you’ll need 70 percent of your pre-retirement yearly salary to live off of, and that’s with a paid-off mortgage and good health. Who has that much saved up? Yikes.

underfunded maJorIty But in a new AARP retirement survey, more than half of Americans are worried that they will not have enough money to retire. In 1995, that number was only 27 percent, which shows the impact the economy and a poor job climate has had on people. Fifty-four percent of those surveyed said they haven’t even figured out how much money they will need to save for retirement. I’ll go out on a limb and say that number is likely much higher than that. “People do not save enough for their futures, whether it is due to economic conditions or that retirement seems to be a faraway possibility. Unfortunately it is much closer than we realize. In addition to that, people are not pro-active about putting their money to work for them,” said

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Kathleen Rhodes, vice president and IRA coordinator at BayCoast Bank. “I often have calls from customers who are within a five-year window of retiring who would like to stop by. When I meet with them I ask that they bring their statements so I can see what they have saved and what they are doing with the funds. When they arrive, they bring a stack of unopened statements. People need to be aware of how their investments are doing. Open the statements, see if what they are invested in is working for them; if not make changes.” Rhodes said as far as how much people should be putting away, she said to save as much as you can, and diversify the investments.

ment, Matthew Schondek, president and CEO of Fall River Municipal Credit Union, said people should begin saving for decades before they ever think they will need it. “Whether it’s in a work 401(k) or a Roth IRA, any amount you can put away as early as you can will help you in the end,” Schondek said. But interest rates are at an all–time low, and Schondek said people have to be cognizant that they will likely need to save more than ever to have it last through retirement.

rIsK and dIversIty “Think about how much ‘risk’ you can live with. You may not want too much risk, but don’t be overly conservative either. Don’t ‘put all your eggs in one basket’,” Rhodes said. “You should have ‘safe’ money that is easily accessible, but you need investments that will help guard against inflation. Remember: people are living longer.” According to a Gallup poll, the average age of retirement in the US is now 67. In the 1990s it was 60 and in 2003 it was 63. Chances are that age will be 70 before the decade’s end. Life expectancy for men is around age 76 and women, 81, each having a full five–year increase over the last decade and a half. When it comes to preparing for retire-

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K athleen rhodes, vICe PresIdent and Ira CoordInator, bay Coast banK

lIve long and ProsPer “With interest rates so low, people that put $100,000 aside will soon be eating into the principal instead of just working off the interest,” said Schondek.

that begin to accrue dividends instead of just having a death benefit. But what about insurance when you retire? Like when people neglect saving for retirement, do they prepare better for retirement by way of insurance? Nope. “One of the mistakes individuals make is letting some insurance policies expire before fully evaluating their needs in retirement. Another mistake is reducing coverage because a person is no longer in the workforce,” said Jason Rua, president of Rua-Dumont-Audet Insurance of Fall River

We can’t rely on other programs anymore. We have to rely on our own nest egg. mattheW g. sChondeK, Ceo and PresIdent of fall rIver munICIPal CredIt unIon “There are changes coming to Social Security, and people can no longer rely on that income to help them all that much,” Schondek said. Many people are working much later in life and even with those that thought they had enough saved away for retirement are starting to realize they don’t, and have taken on a part-time job to ease any financial burdens they now have in retirement. “With the IRS making changes to Social Security and CPI, we all need to look at our own benefits; while some of these may be there in some form, how much of it is anyone’s guess,” said Schondek. “We can’t rely on other programs anymore. We have to rely on our own nest egg.” Schondek encouraged anyone to seek out a financial advisor to help aid in planning for their retirement future. He said to forego any advisors that try to sell you something right away. “They need to find out what your goals are first; how you want to live in retirement, how they can help you and what is the plan is to get there,” said Schondek. “It needs to be about you, not them.” When it comes to insurance, I have a term life insurance policy to take care of my children in case something happens to me. Other people have whole life policies

and Taunton. “Insurance is unique to every individual based on a variety of factors: age, health, income, assets and the effects these policies will have on their spouse/ families.” As for the type of insurance policies people need in retirement, Rua said that all depends on what they are trying to protect. “The foundation of insurance is rooted in providing protection from the unexpected events we all face in life. For example, in the simplest terms we purchase auto and home insurance to protect our personal property. We purchase life, disability and long-term care insurance to protect ourselves from loss of life, loss of income,

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• homestead Protection • Wills and trusts • Medicaid Planning • Medicaid applications

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Continued from previous page and the potential for a sustained long term healthcare situation,” said Rua. “When reaching the age of 65 and qualifying for Medicare also creates options that must be looked at, for example, does this person need a Medicare supplement?”

death. This permanent policy can typically be at a much lower amount since many of the outstanding debts are being paid down or paid in full,” Lapointe said. “If a person waits too long, or fails to convert the term policy, they may find themselves uninsured when the term policy expires. a nnual revIeW They may also find they cannot find an afMost people entering retirement believe fordable permanent policy, or are no longer they can reduce or eliminate some of their eligible for a permanent policy due to some insurance coverages, Rua noted. But withmedical condition.” out fully evaluating how each policy works A common insurance misconception is and what benefits the policy provides, he that people don’t need any life insurance said he would recommend not making after their working career, Lapointe notes. changes to your insurance programs until “Some amount of permanent coverage is you sit down with someone licensed in the always necessary to cover final expenses industry. and to provide liquidity (cash) “Annual policy reviews to the estate to pay taxes, proare always recommended bate legal fees, etc. Determinto my clients and that ing the proper amount is easy is the best advice I can with the help of an insurance give anyone,” Rua said. professional,” he said. “Mar“Our lives are constantly ried couples might consider changing, and each a ‘survivorship’ policy which change can affect our combines both individuals on financial situation and a single policy, and pays the needs.” estate only after both are deRua noted that while ceased. This is typically more it may sound odd, from advantageous for couples with the day we are born to larger assets.” the day we are no longer In one final “tip” for retirees, on this planet we have bIll l aPoInte, Lapointe said they should some type of insurance PresIdent of l aPoInte seriously consider insuring the coverage. “The question InsuranCe risk of outliving their savings. is what type of insur“Fewer people are now covered ance do we need as we go by pension plans that are guaranteed for through these life stages and how does it life. If a person is retiring without this type protect us and our loved ones,” Rua said. of plan, they can transfer the risk of outliv“Insurance can be purchased at any age if ing their savings to an insurance company you meet these two simple facts: the ability using a single-premium immediate annuto qualify for that specific insurance prodity. This is a ‘plain vanilla’ (some would uct and the money to pay for it.” say ‘old fashioned’) way of guaranteeing a Bill Lapointe, president of Lapointe Insurlifetime income,” Lapointe said. “The inance of Fall River, Westport and Attledividual identifies how much savings they boro Falls said one of the most common wish to invest, and the insurance company mistakes he sees in people edging toward guarantees a set monthly payment to the retirement is neglecting their current term individual for as long as they live. The risk life insurance policy. He said many people of “living too long” or making a bad investnow carry term life insurance during their ment is all on the insurance company from working years to provide enough coverage that point forward.” to pay off outstanding debts (mortgage, loans, etc) and provide a benefit to their Pick up the July/August edition of Prime Times survivors. Term life insurance is perfect for for the final part of this two-part article. that purpose. However term life insurance has an expiration date. Jay PateaKos has been a freelance writer for “As a person nears retirement they should more than 10 years including daily and weekly begin converting term life insurance to a newspapers and monthly magazines. A native permanent plan, with no expiration date: of New Bedford, he currently lives in Marion it needs to stay in force until the person’s and has three children.

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Seen at the Health Expo Prime Times was in attendance at the annual Health Expo presented at White’s Restaurant by WSAR Radio and Southcoast Hospitals Group on April 9th. More than 30 vendors drew hundreds of attendees for free cholesterol and blood pressure tests, free samples and nutrition evaluation.

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good TiMes

dartmouth lIbrarIes are

more than books

Cara Connelly

I can remember when my older boys learned to write their names, one of the first things we did was head to our local library so they could sign their very own library card. A proud moment for us all: let the borrowing begin! The face and function of libraries have changed over the last few years but still provide valuable services to those that visit. Technology has a huge impact on local libraries and communities are evolving to meet the changing needs and demands of the patrons they serve.

The Town of Dartmouth has two libraries, the North Dartmouth library and the Southworth library, the larger of the two. The Southworth library just completed a big project by rearranging the upper level of the building and becoming more technologically friendly. The tech-friendly makeover included moving stacks of books to better accommodate access to existing electrical outlets. Six new tables were installed with built-in electrical outlets and USB ports that pop up from the middle of the table facing both directions. Each table has four power outlets and four USB

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outlets providing easy access for patrons. This enables patrons to bring and plug in equipment such as laptops, tablets and mobile devices and get on the Internet with the libraryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s free Wi-Fi. The tables are located along the magazine and newspaper shelves and are also on the main floor near the computers for patrons to use in the adult and young adult areas. There are comfortable armchairs and couches scattered throughout the upper level that have created a quiet zone at the back of the building where magazines and newspapers are housed. The space also

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boasts a few couches and more of the new power tables and is a good place to read, relax or work on a project away from the activity of the circulation desk According to Lynne Antunes, director of library services for the Town of Dartmouth, one of the biggest changes that have occurred over the past few years is the elimination of a separate reference collection. Instead, online resources are used to handle most reference questions. The space that was used for the reference collection is now used for young adult space. A graphic novel collection has been added

as well as some bean bags for comfortable reading spots. Antunes says that improving the young adult space will be the next big project for 2013. Libraries are finding that there is a growing demand for public space. Southworth library has an auditorium which can seat 100, a small lower-level meeting room, and

smartphone or other device. The libraries can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Pinterest. The library still offers traditional early literacy programs for children. Southworth offers a weekly preschool story program for children age three and up, however, the focus has shifted to infants and toddlers. With so many three- and four-year-olds in nursery school and daycare programs, there seems to be less demand for the library story time. The library purchased an Early Literacy Station in 2011. It is a child-

available on microfilm dating back to the 1960s. Several research links are available on the library’s web site, including:

fInd a grave Search graves in cemeteries across the country, divided into famous and nonfamous. genealogy A wide range of family and local histories, vital records, military records and much more. footnote A repository of original historical documents combined with social networking.

a very small upper-level quiet room. All these spaces are available for use by the public for meetings and programs and are free to nonprofit organizations and community groups.

get your PassPort at the lIbrary One fairly new service at Southworth library is their passport application acceptance. The library requests that people call to make an appointment (508-999-0726, Ext. 377) and appointments are available from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Public libraries are able to offer evening and weekend hours that other passport agencies do not. A growing number of libraries across the country are now offering this service.

Once you have a Dartmouth Library card, you can use online resources from home The library webpage (www.dartmouthpubliclibraries.org) now serves as an online branch of the public library. Once you have a Dartmouth Library card, you can use online resources from home. The Southworth webpage also includes a section on apps which allow patrons to access the e-catalog and online resources from their

vItal reCords Locate vital records such as birth certificates, death records and marriage licenses.

friendly computer with a touch screen, a colorful mouse, and headsets which can be used by two children together or a parent and child. The computer is preloaded with learning activities and games for children from age two to 10 and is a popular feature in the Children’s Room at Southworth Library. For adults, the library offers free classes and/or assistance on computer basics and e-readers and a monthly book discussion group. The Friends of Dartmouth libraries have also planned a winter film series and schedule special programs for adults. Teens can be difficult to attract to the library. To help get them there and stay hooked, Southworth hosts gaming programs, cultural programs, and book discussions for young adults. The summer reading programs are now open to all ages with a Read-to-Me Club for the littlest patrons, regular children’s Summer Reading Club, and Teen and Adult Summer Reading Clubs. Another way to attract patrons is the movie programs for all age groups which are sponsored by the Friends of Dartmouth Libraries. Another area of interest for a large number of area patrons is local history and the study of genealogy. The library has town reports dating back to the 1890s as well as a local weekly newspaper, “The Chronicle,”

Additionally, Massachusetts residents can sign up online for a Boston Public Library ecard and instantly access their databases including HeritageQuest Online. HeritageQuest Online contains ProQuest’s Genealogy and Local History Online, a collection of over 25,000 family and local histories, and genealogical-data content from HeritageQuest, such as a complete set of U.S. Federal Census Records, 1790-1930. How much do we use the two Dartmouth libraries? A lot, as it turns out. Annually, there are approximately 20,500 registered borrowers, of whom nearly 19,000 are Dartmouth residents. Door counts: 726 per day; 4,357 per week; 17,428 per month; 209,136 per year. There are approximately 130,000 items in the collection, with a rough value of $2.6 million. There are nearly 2,400 Internet users during a typical week. The meeting room is used over 200 times annually, all proving the need for local libraries is still strong, ever evolving and changing with the face of technology. Cara Connelly PImental, a freelance writer who recently completed her first children’s book, has published in several New England magazines, the “Standard Times” and whatitcosts.com. She lives in Dartmouth with her three sons, Keegan, Colin and Cole.

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PriMe living

The helping hand

can be your own Before WWII, families lived in multi-generational households, people helped out their neighbors, and communities large and small took ownership of everyone’s contributions, achievements and challenges. Fast forward to the second half of the 20th century–the centrifugal force of social change created a generation of elIz abeth morse read latchkey children, families were scattered across the country, and the people next door were transient strangers you rarely spoke to. Divorce, drop-out rates and petty crime skyrocketed and social cohesion dissipatted. The federal and state governments responded by creating a labyrinth of social safety net programs to address everything from elder neglect to poor nutrition, gang violence and under-employment. People became dependent on such programs and drifted away from the old-fashioned family/neighborhood links. And when those government programs become more impersonal and inefficient (or the funding dried up), real people fell through the cracks.

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A time exchange is an economic system that uses time, not money, as its currency.

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And the 21st century digital age has only isolated us even more: we rarely use the post office or shop “downtown.” We pay bills online and buy almost everything on Craigslist or Amazon. We’ve become accustomed to transacting with robot voices and numerical prompts for everything from the Social Security Administration to the local pharmacy. We text or instant-message instead of picking up the phone or inviting someone over for coffee. Face-to-face interaction has been replaced

by Facebook and e-cards. But there are global grassroots organizations dedicated to rebuilding those person-to-person relation-

Face-to-face interaction has been replaced by Facebook and e-cards ships, and there’s a growing movement here on the South Coast called the Southeastern Massachusetts Time Exchange (SEMTEX) (www. exchangetime.org) that hopes to do just that. The Southeastern Massachusetts Time Exchange is a non-profit grassroots organization funded by grants obtained by the UMass/Dartmouth Office of Sustainability and the University Chancellor’s Public Service Fund. A grant from the Corporation for National Service funds the two Americorps VISTA coordinators who will manage the SEMTEX for three years. Other local organizations involved in the collaboration are United Neighbors of Fall River, the Community Economic Development Center of Southeastern Massachusetts, and the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD).

What Is a tIme exChange? Also known as time banks or LETS (Local Exchange Trading System), time exchanges are locally-coordinated organizations which facilitate the non-monetary “exchange” of tasks/skills for needs within a group, as opposed to a one-on-one bartered swap or cash payment for services. A time exchange is an economic system that uses time, not money, as its currency. It values all people, not just those with money, credit or property, and strives to encourage social interaction and inclusion, trust, self-respect and community regeneration, especially during times of economic challenge. The concept of time exchanges was first promoted by Edgar Cahn,

for more InformatIon In addition to visiting www.exchangetime.org, you can learn more about the Southeastern Massachusetts Time Exchange by contacting coordinators Bob Bailey and Chris Demers at 774-955-0551 or exchangetimesemass@gmail.com. Rhode Island residents can explore time exchange opportunities at www.newhopetimeexchange.org Boston-area residents can check out www.timetradecircle.org. TimebanksUSA in Washington DC is a hub for all time exchange programs throughout the United States. If you’re interested in starting your own time exchange, visit www.timebanks.org.

Another hub is Ourworld, based in Portland, Maine, go to www.hourworld.org.

a lawyer in Washington, DC, in the 1980s and there are now close to 400 time time-exchanges throughout the US, and it has spread to almost 40 other countries on six continents. Cahn wanted to bring back the selfreliance that previous generations were capable of, no matter what their income; raising children, caring for the elderly and the disabled, and banding together to solve problems within their neighborhoods, instead of depending on the public sector or government to do it for us. The basic premise is that everyone has a talent, skill or capacity that someone else in a local time exchange might need: the real wealth of any community is its people. A teenager can babysit for an hour; a retired plumber can fix a leaky faucet; a shut-in can make phone calls for a local organization. Volunteering for tasks like this earns a person a “time credit” which can then be traded for another member’s skill or task. It’s

Everyone has a talent, skill or capacity that someone else in a local time exchange might need not like one-on-one bartering. In the time exchange set-up, member “A” can earn a time credit by helping out member “B,” and then “redeem” that time credit by being helped out by member “C.” Because no money is involved and also because one hour equals one hour regardless of the work done, a time credit is not taxable. Members don’t have to “redeem” the credits they earn on themselves: they can donate them to neighborhood organizations, a community “pool,” or to other members. For instance, let’s say a member family’s house was badly damaged in a fire, and they desperately need help with everything from clean-up to roof repair to

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Continued from previous page

According to the time exchange model, ‘work’ is whatever

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it takes to raise healthy children, build strong families,

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strengthen neighborhoods,

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make democracy work, advance social

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Had any good meals out lately? If you’ve got some local favorites, whether they’re a breakfast joint, the perfect lunch or dinner, we’d like to hear about it. Opinions welcome, here’s your chance to be heard. If you happen to own one of these restaurants, we’d like to hear from you as well. Whether you’re the chef, the owner, or both, tell us who you are and why our readers should know about you. No national chains please, this is all about local food and the people who make it. Contact us at editor@coastalmags.com

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legal advice. A contractor, a paralegal and able-bodied volunteers in the local time exchange could help them out at no “time credit” cost to the family. It’s the age-old impulse to help out your neighbor during times of tragedy, hardship and disaster.

hoW to JoIn the tIme exChange Anyone can join the Southeastern Massachusetts Time Exchange by completing the online application at www.exchangetime.org. Applicants are interviewed by the local coordinators, who keep track of each member’s time credit status. The coordinators also manage the online listings of the needs and offers, connecting the people involved. Membership is not limited to individuals. Organizations can offer free admission or tickets to special events in exchange for clerical tasks or outdoor clean-up. The Massachusetts Audubon Society was one of the first local non-profit organizations to join. By becoming a member of SEMTEX, organizations can save money, increase awareness of its goals and programs, and attract new members.

It taKes a vIllage… Many of the people who fall through the cracks of a money-based economy are those on the outskirts: the elderly, the poor, immigrants, the disabled, the unemployed, people who oftentimes don’t feel that there’s anything they can contribute to a greater good, and who feel that, instead, they are a “drain” on the community. But being a good neighbor in simple ways within a time exchange helps rebuild a sense of belonging to a community, and creates self esteem for people who never considered themselves a “contributor” before. They’re no longer part of the “prob-

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lem,” because they can help their neighbors and become part of the “solution.” Piano lessons, language practice, math tutoring, pet-sitting; these are all undervalued (or unpaid) skills and capabilities in a money-based world. But just think of how much people pay for services like that! Sure, there are online sites like www.taskrabbit.com where you can pay someone to pick up your dry-cleaning or sites like www.angieslist.com where you can find a carpenter or dentist. But many people can’t afford to pay for what they need, and don’t realize that someone else would value their special skills and knowledge. Being able to make alterations to a dress, repair a vacuum or bake a birthday cake are “commodities” in a time exchange network that can be traded for leaf-raking or a ride to the doctor or help with tax preparation. One of the core principles of the time exchange model is about “assets”: everyone has skills that are valued. The real wealth of any community is its people. Another one of the core values is to redefine “work.” In a currency-based economy, work is what you do to earn money, whether your job is meaningful or not, and some people are paid a lot more for their labors than others who work just as hard. But, according to time exchange model, “work” is whatever it takes to raise healthy children, build strong families, strengthen neighborhoods, make democracy work, advance social justice and make the planet sustainable.” A tall order, to be sure, but definitely doable at the grassroots level. The powers that be in Washington and our state capitols are not where we’ll find a solution to whatever we need done.

Medicare eases nursing home rehabilitation rules by mIChelle d. benesKI

any patients leave the hospital and go to a nursing home for short-term rehabilitation. Medicare pays for the first 20 days of rehabilitation. Medicare pays 80 percent of the bill for up to another 80 days. The patient’s supplemental insurance usually picks up this remaining 20 percent. Patients are often surprised after 30 days or so to find out that Medicare is going to stop paying way before the 100 days are up. Why? A lot of the time it is because the patient has stopped progressing in therapy. Once Medicare stops paying the patient must pay for his care privately, with long-term care insurance or by applying for Medicaid. Last fall an agreement was reached with the federal government whereby Medicare agreed to pay for care even after a patient plateaus if the rehabilitation is necessary to “maintain the patient’s current condition or prevent or slow further deterioration,” regardless of whether the patient’s condition is expected to improve. This is a huge change and will positively impact many patients with chronic diseases. These patients will be able to continue to receive Medicare up to the full 100 days if the therapy will help them maintain function or slow the progression of their disease. This should really help patient’s physical health and hopefully allow more patients to return home. Financially this should really benefit patients and families because the patient will have a longer period of time before having to privately pay for care. This new policy is in effect now even though Medicare has not issued new regulations. Many nursing homes may not be aware of the change so families may need an elder law attorney to advocate on the patients behalf. Please call Surprenant & Beneski if we can help.This information is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. mIChelle d. benesKI is an Attorney at Surprenant & Beneski, P.C. For specific questions call her at 508-994-5200 or send e-mail to mdb@nbelderlaw.com

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good TiMes

Time to pass the buck for dr. fradKIn

mIChael J. vIera

President Harry Truman may have made the phrase, “The buck stops here,” well-known nationally, but locally, it was Dr. Irving Fradkin’s founding of Dollars for Scholars that made Fall River the “Scholarship City.”

And although neither of them was known to pass the buck, there comes a time when everybody has to cash out. For Truman, it was turning over the Oval Office to Dwight D. Eisenhower. For Dr. Fradkin, it’s retiring from active participation in scholarship activities. That’s okay. Like Ecclesiastes 3 says, “There is a time for everything.” At 92 years young, Dr. Fradkin, will be honored for his 55 years of scholarship activity at a Retirement Celebration planned for Sunday, April 28, at 1:00 p.m. at the Venus de Milo Restaurant in Swansea. He and his wife Charlotte, 89, have birthdays near this date, so that’s another reason to celebrate. The main speaker will be Judge Joseph Macy, who was a scholarship recipient.

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Like most people in Fall River, I have a connection to Dr. Fradkin. In the interest of full-disclosure, I wrote the book on him–literally. Twenty years ago, in 1993, the good doctor turned over piles of scrapbooks and cassette tapes to me, and we sat and talked for hours…and hours. In the end, Branden Publishing printed cases of green-covered books called “Dollars for Scholars: The Autobiography of Dr. Irving Fradkin, Founder, Citizens Scholarship Foundation of America, Inc.” Neither of us got rich, but it was–and is–a great story.

dollars for sCholars Dr. Irving Fradkin, a young optometrist originally from Chelsea, Massachusetts,

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dr. IrvIng fradKIn

runs for School Committee in Fall River, a working class city in 1958. He loses, but

an oPtometrIst WIth a vIsIon

makes good on his promise to help young people go to college. He asks everybody for a dollar, and lots of people, including Eleanor Roosevelt, give him a buck. Fast forward and his idea goes from local program to Citizens Scholarship Foundation of America, and then to what today is “Scholarship America,” an organization that has expanded to what their website says is, “the nation’s largest non-profit, private-sector scholarship and educational support organization.” If you gave a dollar to Dr. Fradkin in 1958, what has that become? Again, according to www.scholarshipamerica.org, the various programs have distributed “more than $2.9 billion to 1.9 million students across the country.” But that doesn’t tell the stories of the young peoples’ lives that have been changed. And Dr. Fradkin will gladly share them with you. Here are some of his favorites: Pauline Sardinha attended nursing school with the help of a scholarship. When Dr. Fradkin suffered a heart attack in 1988, Mrs. Sardinha was instrumental in nursing him back to health. “If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be here today,” Dr. Fradkin said.

budget.”

dr. fradKIn’s belIefs are

Not bad for a guy who’s often been called, “an optometrist with a vision.”

a foCus on the

future What’s impressive is that he’s stayed focused on the dream. Dr. Fradkin’s beliefs are simple and consistent: Education changes lives. People need a hand up, not a hand out. He talks about young people as our “most precious assets” and still considers the United States to be the greatest country in the world. When the national headquarters of Dollars for Scholars moved to the Midwest, Dr. Fradkin supported them, but his heart remained in Fall River. He juggled his national role with his local focus. He started the “American Dream” essay contest for middle school students. He kept active in the local chapters. Honestly, I felt Dr. Fradkin never got the credit he deserved from the national organization, and I thought we both got burned by the corporate decisions. That, combined with the normal changing tides of work and life somewhat separated us. But I never lost respect for the man and his vision. The introduction of our book quotes President John F. Kennedy, so it was fitting that the first floor speech of U.S. Representative Joseph Kennedy III honored Dr. Fradkin. “At 92 years old, Dr. Fradkin continues to fight for the city he loves and the students he has made his life’s work,” Joe said, “Tonight, I congratulate him and his wife, Charlotte, on a recognition deeply deserved.” On April 28, I’ll congratulate him myself. I hope you will too. For information or tickets, please contact Captain Daryl Gonyon, 508-672-4822.

sImPle and

ConsIstent:

eduCatIon

Changes lIves

Sharron Machamer, Fall River Educator, began her journey to several advanced degrees with the help of a $250 scholarship in 1973. “I had my eye on a Smith Corona, model 2200, electric typewriter,” she said. “I don’t know what I would have done without it.” Attorney Arthur Frank said the $250 scholarship he received after graduating from Durfee High School in 1975 made it possible for him to attend Brown University. “It may not seem like much now, but that $250 was something my school teacher parents didn’t have to take out of their

mIChael vIeIra, Ph.d. is the associate vice president for academic affairs at Bristol Community College. Mike has written for several newspapers and magazines and is a regular contributor to “The South Coast Insider” and “South Coast Prime Times.”

Special Events May FAMILY GYM SWIM & ROCK WALL Fall River ∙ 5/4 DINNER & A MOVIE Wareham ∙ 5/10 FLICK & FLOAT Fall River ∙ 5/10 11TH ANNUAL 5K ROAD RACE Wareham ∙ 5/18 PASKAMANSETT BIRD CLUB Dartmouth ∙ 5/19 FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT Wareham ∙ 5/19

June

ELECTRONIC RECYCLE DAY Wareham ∙ 6/1 SUMMER SPLASH POOL PARTY Fall River ∙ 6/1 DINNER & A MOVIE Wareham ∙ 6/7 DODGEBALL TOURNAMENT Wareham ∙ 6/9 CAMP OPEN HOUSE Mattapoisett ∙ 6/8 Wareham ∙ 6/8 Dartmouth ∙ 6/15 & 6/18 FLICK & FLOAT Fall River ∙ 6/21 FAMILY DAY Wareham ∙ 6/23 Contact the branch for information and event times. For a listing of more events visit ymcasouthcoast.org.

DARTMOUTH 508.993.3361 FALL RIVER 508.675.7841 GLEASON FAMILY 508.295.9622 MATTAPOISETT 508.758.4203 NEW BEDFORD 508.997.0734

YMCA SOUTHCOAST ymcasouthcoast.org

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PriMe season

baby boomer blues Paul letendre

We’ve retired; the corporate monkey is off our backs. We’ve planned and dreamed about this period of our lives. We envisioned this as a time when the toughest decision of each day would be whether to go sailing, play golf, go for a motorcycle ride or take a long walk.

But fulfilled plans are the domain of corporate bean counters; fulfilled dreams are something quite different. Like those corporate planners, many of us wore rosecolored glasses when we peered into our crystal balls. If we eyed an investment with a 20 percent probability of success, we’d proclaim it a winner. If one of our decisions looked like a sure loser, we’d ignore it. We’ve driven the roads that got us to where we are and are ultimately accountable for the successes and failures of our lives. We own that. We have ourselves in this place and time, our family, our health, our bankbooks, our possessions, and perhaps most importantly—our minds. This is our retirement inventory— the product of those journeys. The dream planning stage is over and now we awaken to the post-modern real-world retirement. Like those corporate planners, we didn’t have the 20/20 foresight that

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one really needs to safely arrive at future destinations, so we’re not exactly where we thought we might be. But it’s a good enough place. It will do. It will have to do. You see, we had envisioned it as an end, in truth, it’s a beginning. PCSD (Post Corporate Stress Disorder) is the name of an affliction that occurs when we leave our corporate positions for retirement. This is not a real disease—not yet, anyway. In fact, I made it up. Perhaps the drug companies will thank me for thinking of it—they are always looking for new markets for their pills. PCSD is a combination of identity crisis and schedule deprivation. One of the good and bad things about being part of a large company is that they have their pecking orders. You know where you stand. If a company has three floor sweepers and you are a floor sweeper, you and everyone else knows if you are the #1, #2 or #3 sweeper.

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Newly retired, our past careers have become about as relevant as the Little League games we played in so many years ago. Gone are the job descriptions, the titles, and the interconnection of who we are and of what we do. We may no longer tell people, “I’m Joe or Alice; I’m the #2 sweeper at XYZ Company.” That raison d’etre, it’s gone. For so long, we let those job descriptions really define us. Now when folks ask us what we do, we sheepishly tell them, “I’m retired.” But really, we fear that they might be thinking (or that we are thinking), “yeah, you’re over the hill, used-up, a has-been.” In the retirement world, the pecking order is also gone. In truth, we are all ordinary humans with no pecking order imprinted on us. Now, for some reason, that finally becomes so very apparent. And those crazy schedules in our work lives: some of us worked two jobs or would put 70 hours or more in every week. Then, we would fantasize about a space when we would have a few spare hours to do nothing, just be able to hang out doing nothing. That space finally came and got old faster than we did. Oh, how we now miss the “I’m too busy” excuses. Those schedules, as much as we despised them, they made us feel important,

needed: they lent orderliness to our lives. In them was plan and purpose. Deadlines were dreaded but lent stress, drama, then relief. Time always seemed to be a scarce commodity. Now, suddenly, we seem to have too much. We adjust. Shakespeare famously wrote: “All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts....” So we’ve experienced one exit, and search for the next entrance—the next beginning. We have different needs and values than we did 30 years earlier. The planet is a different place than it was then.

The dream planning stage is over and now we awaken to the postmodern real-world retirement Yes, it can seem frightening. We’re now liberated, unrestricted, might be as free as we’ve been since pre-school days. But, just maybe, our biggest fear in retirement is becoming irrelevant. And that fear is itself our greatest challenge. Fear always leads to anger and what is more despicable than an angry old person stuck in a vicious cycle of fear, anger and years. And yes, this can be exhilarating. Screw the checkbook, it’s never enough anyway (what’s the point of having a $300,000 Bentley if your neighbor has a $2.5 million Bugatti?). This is our opportunity to do something worthwhile, something that the bean counters can’t measure. There’s no reason to be irrelevant; there is plenty more to do. And yes, there are plenty of things that only we can do. No, those things might not have to do with sailing, golfing or cycling. The hectic schedules are gone and we’re still here and still fretting about it: ordinary humans with no pecking order imprinted on us—Post Corporate Stress Disorder. Maybe a pill wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

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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 regular contributor for “Prime Times.” S ou th C oaSt P r ime t imeS

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good TiMes

WatChIng the bIrd WatChers

brIan J. loWney

On weekend mornings when most folks are wrapped snugly under the covers, a group of intrepid bird watchers sets off to locate a rare species or witness a convocation of eagles or the seasonal return of a flock of beautiful geese as they fly north for the summer.

For 50 years, members of the Paskamansett Bird Club, based in Dartmouth, have enjoyed the camaraderie of fellow birders who have a deep respect and fascination for the winged creatures that these folks often refer to as “nature’s crown jewels.” According to Lauren Miller-Donnelly, the club’s president, the organization was started by a group of hobbyists who lived primarily in Westport and Dartmouth to share the pure enjoyment of bird watching as well as their knowledge of ornithology. “We’re lucky that we live where we live,” Miller-Donnelly begins, noting that New England’s four seasons provide countless opportunities for birders to enjoy such impressive sights as a spring migration or a flock of winter ducks landing on an icy pond. “It’s a great place to see four seasons of birds,” she continues. “We know the seasons and we know the sites where the birds are.” Miller-Donnelly, a property manager for the Audubon Society, says the club currently has about 150 members of all ages who all share an interest in birds and protecting their habitats. She adds that members enjoy bird walks at various times during the day, including some early evening walks, and visit some of

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the region’s most beautiful areas. Field trips include woodpecker walks, shorebird walks, and slow-paced treks to observe bird behavior and identify different species–an ideal way for a newcomer to learn more about the interesting hobby and to meet fellow enthusiasts. Every month, except in the summer, the Paskamansett Bird Club holds an educational program that often includes a talk about an exotic locale that supports a rich indigenous bird population, such as the Galapagos Islands, Chile and Easter Island. “A lot of our members are photographers and people who travel a lot,” Miller-Donnelly tells. “We choose amazing speakers. When they put up a picture of an amazing bird, people go ‘Ah.’” During each monthly session, members also discuss birds they have seen. “That’s a fun part of the meeting,” the ornithologist tells. While Miller-Donnelly, who holds a master’s degree in conservation biology, is a professional ornithologist, she says that most club members are amateur birders who simply enjoy the hobby. Some members simply observe and record sightings at their backyard feeders, while others jump in the car when a sighting has been

reported to and drive long distances to observe and photograph the rare bird. Miller-Donnelly shares her own experience as a birdwatcher to inspire others who either want to pursue a career in conservation biology or enjoy bird watching as a hobby. She has observed more than 100 different species throughout North America, Central America, Australia and New Zealand. “It’s really awesome,” she notes, telling about her interesting avocation that led to a rewarding career. “A lot of the species found in Australia are also found in South Africa.” Another fascinating experience, she says, was observing kiwis, flightless birds endemic to New Zealand that are about the size of a domestic chicken. On Sunday, May 19 at 2:00 p.m., the organization will sponsor a visit by Jim Wood of The Raptor Project at the South Dartmouth YMCA, 276 Gulf Road, South Dartmouth. This entertaining family program will feature a golden eagle and other raptors. For more information about the Paskamansett Bird Club, visit the Web site: http://www.massbird.org/pbc/.

trinity repertory repertory

brIan loWney is an award-winning reporter and freelance writer. He lives in Swansea.

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May Means Spring Migration… Join Audubon for Birding Galore! May 2013 Highlights from the Audubon Society of RI

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Dust off your binoculars! The best birding of the year is here. Whether it’s a quiet morning walk or a weekend breakfast program, let Audubon to be your expert guide to the best birding destinations in the state. Unless noted, registration is required for all programs. NEW! Register online at www.asri.org. A complete listing of activities and programs are detailed in the Audubon Nature Tours and Programs, a free guide to conEd Hughes, ASRI necting with the natural world. Available by calling 401-949-5454 or online at www.asri.org.

May 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, 2013 Wednesday Morning Bird Walks Audubon Maxwell Mays Wildlife Refuge Coventry, RI 8:00 a.m.—10:00 a.m. May is the peak month for spring migration, with different species moving through each week. Join Audubon at the Maxwell Mays Wildlife Refuge in Coventry and get in on the best birding of the year! Explore Audubon’s newest refuge and be part of the discoveries as we document the arrival of spring migrants. Wear sturdy shoes, bring binoculars, and bug repellant. Meet in the parking lot. Maxwell Mays Wildlife Refuge, 2082 Victory Highway, Coventry, RI; Program Fee: Free for Members, $5/non-member; Ages: Adult. Course. Register online at www.asri.org.

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e xtra! e xtra!

In brIef… Days are getting longer, the daffodils and temperatures are up, and after a long, maddening winter, life is moving outdoors again; get your gardens started and get rid of those last, dirty snow banks before they melt into breeding areas for summer mosquitoes. elIz abeth morse read

There’s new hope (and a new pope!) that better times are coming. Don’t forget that there’s a school vacation week in April and that summer vacation starts in June. So plan ahead, drive carefully and take advantage of all the natural beauty, cultural events and unique experiences throughout the South Coast. And, while you make your summer plans, think about hosting a Fresh Air Fund child

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from New York City. Contact Judy Dubois at 508-995-5317 for details.

strange, but true A self-proclaimed “voodoo priestess,” complete with skull, machete, chanting and spitting, greeted Middleboro police who’d come to serve a warrant for her son and husband. She was arrested and put into protective custody.

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A virus attacked the Barrington Police Department computers almost 3,000 times over a single weekend. What the devil is going on with South Coast school roofs??? They were ripped off a few schools in Fall River and Raynham during the January windstorm, and then a migrating flock of turkey vultures created $10,000 worth of damage to a school roof in Taunton. (Sounds like a Stephen King plot…)

Do you know a scary story about ghosts or haunted houses in the greater Wareham area? Contact Rock Village Publishing at www.rockvillage@verizon.net.

fun for the Whole famIly Lafayette Park in Fall River’s Flint neighborhood is the site of a huge Disney-like carnival through 4/20. There’s something for everyone at the South Coast YMCAs! There’s “Healthy Kids Day” on April 26 in Dartmouth (508-9933361) and on April 27 in Fall River (508675-7841); and the “Y Be Healthy Expo” in New Bedford (508-997-0734). Visit www. ymcasouthcoast.org or call the YMCA nearest you. Enjoy an evening of free family fun and entertainment at New Bedford’s AHA! Night. The May 9 theme is “City View,” and the June 13 theme is “Portraits of a Port.” Go to www.ahanewbedford.org or call 508-996-8253 x 205. The Great International Spring Beer Festival happens on April 20 at the RI Convention Center. For info, visit www. beerfestamerica.com or call 401-351-2632.

The “Taste of Southcoast” Festival will take place on May 19 on Pier 3 in New Bedford’s historic waterfront. Call 508-990-2777 or go to www.www.downtownnb.org. What kid wouldn’t like to crawl into a fire truck or a bulldozer? They can at Marion’s “Kid’s Equipment Day” May 11. Call the Recreation Department at 774217-8355 – ask about summer programs, too. If you’re looking for family fun during school vacation week, head for Attleboro’s BattlegroundZ, which offers an arcade, laser tag, paintball and more! The facility offers plenty of seating, free WiFi, a snack bar and party room. Call 508-399-7700 or visit www.TheBGZ.com. Send the kids to April Vacation Camp April 15-19 at Blithewold in Bristol. Single day and half-day enrollment also available. For details, visit www.blithewold.org or call 401-253-2707.

south Coast stars New Bedford’s Mayor Jon Mitchell is one of 30 mayors from across the country featured in a Public Service Announcement in favor of common-sense gun laws.

Don’t miss the Egyptian Exhibit at the Rhode Island School of Design Museum in Providence. Visit www.risdmuseum.org or call 401-4546500 (mummies!!). Check out the new indoor play area called “The Kid’s Klub” at the Dartmouth Mall. Visit www.shopdartmouthmall.com for details.

Durfee High School grad (’62) Ernest Moniz has been nominated by President Obama to be the next Secretary of Energy. Hurdler Ally Saccone, a senior at Old Rochester Regional High School, was ranked 20th in the nation at the New Balance Indoor Track Championship in New York City. Sixteen-year-old amputee Alexis Morel, a junior at Greater New Bedford VocationalTechnical High School, re-qualified for

the school’s cheerleading squad, only six months after losing a leg to cancer. Portsmouth High School graduate Ryan Westmoreland, who was drafted by the Red Sox four years ago, has resigned from professional baseball due to serious health issues. Tiverton resident Joseph R. Medeiros finally received the 700 pages of military records detailing his actions in the Korean War that earned him the Silver Star and Purple Heart–60 years ago! Lakeville resident Mark Jarvis, a bus driver for the Freetown School District, has received local, national and now international recognition for his rescue of a child who had crawled under a school bus. Barrington Middle School student Wolfgang Personeus has been selected as a “future star” by USA Gymnastics Magazine. The 12-year old ranks 16th in the country in his age group. Twelve-year old Nicholas Claudio of Mattapoisett, who suffers from a rare form of cancer, was the first recipient of the Cam Neely Award for Courage, which honors individuals who are battling cancer. State Senator Marc Pacheco of Taunton was the keynote speaker at conferences in Austria and Belgium, highlighting sustainable energy initiatives in Massachusetts. The Westport Violin Shop has loaned 25 brand-new (pint-sized) violins to the students of the Alice A. Macomber School at no cost. Norman Kowalski of Portsmouth, a program manager at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, has won the Armed Forces’ 2013 Copernicus Award for his extraordinary contributions.

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Continued from previous page The Wareham Hurricane Sandy Coalition has been collecting gift cards to donate to the Guyon Rescue in Staten Island NY to help in the rebuilding effort. Anyone who’d like to donate a gift card can call 508-295-4356 or mail it to the Onset Bay Association, POB 709, Onset MA 02558.

woman just before her wake at a Bridgewater funeral home. (How low can you go??)

Sixth-grader Matthew Carvalho of Mattapoisett is president of the student council, plays in the band and on the soccer team, and is a member of the after-school stock market club. He’ll be attending the Junior National Young Leaders Conference in Washington DC in June.

A would-be burglar bolted when he was greeted by a Portsmouth homeowner’s English Bull Mastiff.

A veteran Somerset police officer has been charged with allegedly creating a scam to collect expired prescription drugs from elderly citizens.

A not-too-bright burglar was arrested after the Freetown police followed his footprints in the snow.

the great outdoors Tiverton’s Stafford Pond reservoir will be the site of 16 fishing tournaments from April to October.

UMass Dartmouth history major Daniel Keith is working as a White House intern this semester. “Track & Field News” listed Barrington High School’s Charlie Ionata as the topranked thrower in the country, with a record 77 ft., 6 in. throw of a 25 lb. weight.

Along with Middletown, Portsmouth has banned feeding wild animals (especially coyotes) or leaving pet food outside; bird feeders are allowed as long as they are elevated. Follow the “Nature Tracks” at the Audubon Environmental Education Center in Bristol on the first Saturday of every month. Visit www.asri.org or call 401-9495454 x 3041.

Durfee High School student Kevin Chenet’s T-shirt design won first place in a SkillsUSA contest. It will be printed on 2,000 T-shirts handed out at the statewide competition in April.

hall of shame Thieves vandalized and desecrated the altar of St. John the Baptist Church in Westport. The two miscreants were captured and the stolen religious items, although damaged, were recovered. Two mopes–one from New Bedford, the other from Somerset–were arrested after a series of car break-ins throughout the South Coast. They were tracked down by police because a GPS unit they’d stolen in Warren was still in their car. A necklace and ring worth $5,000 were removed from the body of a 94-year old

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Along with Middletown, Portsmouth has banned feeding wild animals (especially coyotes) or leaving pet food outside; bird feeders are allowed as long as they are elevated. Get out of the house and head for the Lloyd Center for the Environment in Dartmouth. Visit www.lloydcenter.org or call 508-990-0505.

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Spend some free time at the Soule Homestead Education Center in Middleboro. Learn more at www.soulehomestead.org or call 508-9476744. The old Rocky Point Park in Providence may soon become a state park.

bIz buzz New Bedford lost the federal SAFER grant, which pays for 70 of the city’s 238 firefighters. Taunton’s Morton Hospital will be closing its under-utilized in-patient pediatric unit. The air traffic control tower at New Bedford Airport has been closed and its employees laid off, due to “sequestration” budget cuts. This will affect the flying public, but also Bridgewater State Univ.’s flight training program, CapeAir, and the MA and RI Air National Guard. East Bay residents are petitioning the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) to approve an interstate bus link with the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority (SRTA), as well as to restore bus service to Tiverton and Little Compton. Stay tuned… The Southcoast Centers for Cancer Care in Fall River and Fairhaven have been named one of the Top 100 Oncology Programs by Becker’s Hospital Review. UMass Dartmouth’s College of Visual and Performing Arts has been ranked 45th out of 200 schools for animation and video game design by Animation Career Review. A.D. Makepeace has reopened Make-

peace Farm at the former R.F. Morse/Concord Nursery on the Wareham/Rochester line. A retail shopping center will house a greenhouse and gardening accessories.

Marriott at Rosebrook Place in Wareham, which is owned by A.D. Makepeace Company. The hotel will include a 300-seat function facility and is scheduled to open in the summer of 2014.

The Dartmouth YMCA hopes to raise enough money to add a $100K fitness center by September. Stop & Shop customers in Dartmouth will soon be able to order their groceries online at www.peapod.com and have them ready and waiting for them when they arrive home from work. The Catwalk Bar & Grille in New Bedford has been transformed into an Irish pub named Slainte (a Gaelic drinking toast “to your health”).

“Buffalo Wild Wings” will open a restaurant at the Dartmouth Mall this fall. For those who’ve yearned for the seafood formerly offered at Macray’s clam shack in Westport–rejoice! Macray’s Seafood II on Stafford Road In Tiverton will be open Fridays- Sundays. Greenleaf Compassion Center on West Main Road in Portsmouth will be one of three businesses licensed by the state of Rhode Island to sell medical marijuana. Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians is the new provider of medical services at the Emergency Department of St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford. SRTA (Southeastern Regional Transit Authority) will offer night service on certain routes, starting in June.

Berry Good Frozen Yogurt will open in Dartmouth across from Bishop Stang High School in May. Owners plan on opening a second shop in Fairhaven and a third in South Dartmouth in the coming months. Brady-Sullivan, an NH-based property development firm that specializes in turning old mills into residential units, won the bid ($2.6 million) for the old American Tourister mill in Warren. LaFrance Hospitality of Westport plans to open a 90-room Towne Place Suites by

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Neo Energy LLC, a foodwaste-to-energy facility, will be a new tenant at the South Coast Life Sciences and Technology Park in Fall River. A PA developer wants to build a 500-unit off-campus housing complex for UMass Dartmouth students.

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Middleboro’s Vertex FD switched from manufacturing storage tanks to wind turbine towers.

go green! The Bristol Farmers Market is now open at Mount Hope Farm barn on Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.. They will be presenting “Chefs at the Market,” demonstrations and tastings every month, showcasing local chefs who source their

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Continued from previous page food locally. To learn more, visit www. mounthopefarm.org The Sandywoods Center for the Arts in Tiverton will be hosting an indoor farmers market every Thursday evening through May 16. Go to info@sandywoodsfarm.org.

Community Development has announced an Emergency Repair Grant Program for income-qualifying homeowners. For details, call 508-979-1500. UMass Dartmouth will receive a $20.5 million grant from the UMass System toward the construction of the Massachusetts Accelerator for Biomanufacturing in Fall River and renovations on campus. YMCA Southeastern Massachusetts has received a $43,000 grant from the Avon Breast Health Outreach Program to promote early detection of breast cancer.

A new CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program in Warren has been started by New Urban Farmers, which farms leased land behind Hugh Cole School. Visit www.newurbanfarmers.com. Island Commons, home of the Portsmouth winter farmer’s market, may soon become the hub of a 70-acre “sustainability center,” which would include a community garden, one- to three-acre garden plots, commercial-grade community kitchen, and more. For details, call 401-848-0099. Indoor Organic Farm of Attleboro is growing produce on the 10,000 sq. foot third floor of an old factory building. Their seedlings will be sold to farmers markets, commercial gardens, health food stores and its outdoor sales area starting in May. Call 508-455-0532 or visit www.attleborogrows.com.

K a-ChIng!

New Bedford’s Office of Housing and

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Westport residents are eligible for a lowinterest betterment loan to replace a failed septic system. Call the Board of Health at 508-636-1015. A $40,000 state Gateway City grant will help create a career academy at Taunton’s alternative high school. Fall River was awarded almost $300,000 in two state Gateway City grants, which will go toward intensive English language programs and a career academy at the alternative high school. Tiverton has accepted a donated vessel to use as an offshore firefighting apparatus and pump-out boat. Acushnet Town Meeting approved a $6.4 million proposal for a library addition at the Marie Howard Community Center. The town’s share of the cost will be under $3 million.

ConstruCtIon uPdates

The Southeastern Regional Transit Authority (SRTA) donated a new van for New Bedford’s veterans.

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gang activity amongst at-risk youth.

Bank of America donated $15,000 to the United Way of Greater New Bedford to support food pantries.

The Rochester Police Department received a $5,000 grant to purchase an emergency equipment trailer from the Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association.

For the seventh consecutive year, Fall River has received a $414 million “Shannon Award,” a state grant program which promotes intervention and prevention of

Fairhaven will build a public fishing pier off Causeway Road between West Island and Sconticut Neck. Mattapoisett will build a solar power site on the former dump. It will save the town $50,000 each year.

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Construction of the Rt. 195 overpass bridge in Fairhaven will be completed in just six weeks, thanks to the state’s Accelerated Bridge Program, which utilizes prefabricated sections (think giant Legos). A $22 million contract to reconfigure Dartmouth’s Faunce Corner Road has gone out to bid. The park-and-ride lot off Wilbur Ave. in Somerset will be expanded to 85 parking spaces, and will sport bicycle racks, sidewalks and a bus turn-about. Work will begin in late 2014. The long-awaited RiverWalk in Warren, an unbroken strip of publicly-accessible land stretching from the American Tourister plant to the town beach, is much closer to reality. Property owners such as the Wharf Tavern are opening their waterfront land to public traffic, and the town has applied for a $100,000 state grant for construction. Plans to replace the bridges over the Cole River in Swansea are in the works. The project will be completed in phases, to minimize traffic disruption, and will be completed by early 2015. Plans to transform New Bedford’s Acushnet Avenue into an International Marketplace is on hold because MassWorks funding dried up, much to the dismay of merchants, residents and city leaders.

on the road agaIn… If you’re in Fall River, call the nearest senior center about the Fisher Bus Company day trips: Wright’s Chicken Farm and the Don Who? Show on April 19; Benjamin’s Restaurant and Blithewold Gardens on May 14; the Lobster Roll Cruise and Christmas Tree Shop on June 12. And don’t miss the “Musical Journey through the Years” at the Liberal Club on May 10, with a luncheon catered by Riccardi’s. If you’re over 50, check out the trips sponsored by the New Bedford Senior Travel Program: Meriden Daffodil Festival April 27; Texas Tenors at Foxwoods May 16, and The Drifters at the Danversport Yacht Club June 12. Don’t miss the five-day trip to Ottawa and The Thousand Islands May 20-24. Call 508-991-6171.

all the World’s a stage

Head for the Newport Playhouse and Cabaret Restaurant’s performance of “Spreading It Around” through May 25. Go to www.newportplayhouse.com or call 401-848-7529 .

Enjoy folk, roots and world music at Common Fence Music in Portsmouth. Enjoy Susan Werner May 18, and more! Call 401-683-5085 or go to www.commonfencemusic.org.

lIsten to the musIC…

sChool neWs

The New Bedford Folk Festival July 6 and 7 will change its main stage venue to the Zeiterion. A wine and beer tent will be set up in Wing’s Court. For info, visit www. newbedfordfolkfestival.com.

Bridgewater State University’s flight training program may relocate and expand under the updated master plan for the New Bedford Regional Airport. BSU may also begin offering an aircraft repair program at the airport. These plans are on hold due to the “sequestration” budget cuts. Maybe Congress will address the problem after they get back from their two-week spring break. Stay tuned...

Listen to the Resurrection Symphony May 4 with the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra! For info, go to www.riphil.org or call 401-248-7070. The award-winning chamber ensemble Musicians of the Old Post Road will perform “Sturm und Drang” on May 5 at the United Congregational Church in Little

The Little Theatre of Fall River will perform “Titanic: The Musical” May 9-12. Call 508-675-1852 or visit www. littletheatre.net.

Compton. For details, call 401-781-8393.

Fairhaven High School’s foreign language offerings have expanded significantly now that they offer Rosetta Stone programs, allowing students to learn 20 different languages at their own pace.

Check out who’s happening at the Sandywoods Center for the Arts in Tiverton. There’s Craig Bickhardt April 19, The Ocean State Rollers May 3, Fellswater May 10, Lou Leeman & Cheap Sneakers May 31, Cormac McCarthy June 1–and more! Go to www.sandywoodsmusic.com or call 401-241-7349.

Bishop Stang High School in Dartmouth has opened its new $6 million academic resource center. Portsmouth Abbey has purchased the last parcel of the former Briggs farm for $1.5 million.

Catch “House” May 16 to June 30 at Trinity Rep in Providence. Call 401-351-4242 or go to www.trinityrep.com. New Bedford’s Zeiterion presents “Fiddler on the Roof” April 20, American Bandstand Live! April 26, “Rose” with Olympia Dukakis April 27 and Loretta Laroche May18. Go to www.zeiterion.org or call 508-997-5664. Enjoy a performance of “The Rose Tattoo” April 26-May 26 at the Second Story Theatre in Warren. For details, call 401247-4200 or go to www.2ndstorytheatre. com. New Bedford’s Your Theatre will present “The Hallelujah Girls” May 9-19. Call 508993-0772 or go to www.yourtheatre.org.

Bristol Community College in Fall River will be offering a degree program for veterinarian assistant in the fall. A non-credit certificate program in animal husbandry technician will be offered this summer. For more info, visit www.bristol.mass.edu or call 508-678-2811 x 3984 or x2718.

red molly at the narroWs

The Narrows Center for the Arts in Fall River has a great line-up: there’s The Vespers April 20; Debo Band April 27; Carl Palmer’s ELP Legacy May 5; Red Molly May 31; Ottmar Liebert June 11, and more! For complete details, visit www.narrowscentercom, www.ncfta.org or call 508324-1926.

New Bedford High School received a $40,000 state grant to develop an autonomous engineering academy, which will open in the fall. Despite some local resistance, The City on a Hill Charter School in New Bedford received state approval and will open its doors next year.

For up-to-date listings, things to do or to add your own event, go to www.coastalmags.com and select Event Calendar.

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good TiMes

That faraway look in your eyes Funny thing about getting older (if there are funny things) but really, facing aging funny isn’t a bad tack to take. But one thing is the older we get, Paul the fewer people we like. K andarIan Or at least tolerate. And you can tell when you’re not being tolerated if the person you’re talking to looks over your shoulder, glassyeyed, planning an escape. I’m in community theater, and was in a wonderful production of “Woman in Mind” at Your Theatre in New Bedford this winter, with a truly talented cast that included a guy about my age, a really terrific actor. And a self-admitted anti-social type. He said he’s always been that way, not shy at all about admitting it, and recognizing the contrast there. I mean, you’re an actor, you get up on stage in front of many ticketpaying people, and emote, put yourself out there, opening a figurative vein and bleeding for other people’s entertainment. And we love it, we really do, but it would seem the last place on Earth–in front of a large group of people, seeking their approval–for an anti-social type. “I know, it seems kind of weird,” my friend laughed, in a perfectly sociable way and not looking over my shoulder glassyeyed. “But it’s just the way it is.” Another friend of mine about my age puts it more bluntly, saying, “The older I get, the more people I hate, especially stupid people. I just hate stupid people, like when you say something as a fact and they go ‘Really?’ No, I just made it up.” Well, okay, I get it and while I don’t hate that many people (why waste all that energy, after all, when it’s just easier to ignore them?), I do find myself less tolerant, of yeah, stupid people but more so, boring people. Boring is my fear. I hate boring. I like to

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think that, personally, I’m not a boring person, but that’s for others to decide. And whatever they decide, I don’t care, to be honest. Just for the record, I’m never bored. I’ll go for hours in the car not listening to the radio, preferring to just think. Or talk to myself. Which is another topic altogether, and one I’m pretty sure I’m not alone on. It’s just easier to get away with it these days with a Bluetooth stuck in your ear. I think it’s just a matter of not caring what people think of you as we age. Hell, we’ve

I just find, as I get older, a dwindling tolerance for people I don’t like lived this long without the benefit of other people’s approval, so why start now? The thing is, I like people, I truly like people, because it’s been a big part of what I do for a living, which is write stories about people. You can’t very well do that, and not very well at all or for very long, if you start out hating them. So no, it’s not that I don’t like people, in general. I just find, as I get older, a dwindling tolerance for people I don’t like. It’s a sense I think we all have, instinctively knowing who we will put up with and who we won’t. At a younger age, we put up with a lot more of the former group, preferring

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to go along to get along. But as we get older, the latter group seems to get bigger, the former all that much smaller. That’s fine. I mean, in the face of more years behind us than ahead of us, why waste time on people who don’t bring you some level of satisfaction and interest? Does that sound selfish? Yeah, I guess it does, but I can live with it. I turn 60 this year, which I’d prefer not doing but will accept, considering the alternative. I look at my dad, who’s 85, as one of those curmudgeonly types, a man with a true heart of gold who just seems angry at the world. And in all honesty, I can’t blame him, he’s not well, has had a lot of problems lately, all of which plays into his negativity. But I can also look at him, and while drawing from all the positive life lessons he’s imparted to me in my 60 years and there are plenty, see what not to do as I get older, what not to dwell on, what not to waste anger on, what not to regret. That’s another key to getting older, having no regrets. There are a ton of expressions circulating in social media about that, the gist of which is it’s better to have tried things in life than regret not doing so. Well, that’s my life, in a nutshell, trying things, many things, theater, travelling, cooking, playing hockey, talking to myself, whatever it takes in a vastly interesting world, to avoid the boring stuff and focus on what I can get out of it to make me a more fulfilled human being. I’m not a grumpy old man. Yet. So don’t be afraid to approach me. But if you see me looking over your shoulder, glassy-eyed, step it up a little, please, I’m not getting any younger. 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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Shower Out Loud Bring music to your shower like never before with the new Moxie™ showerhead + wireless speaker. Pair music, news and more to the magnetic wireless speaker with any device that’s enabled with Bluetooth® technology. Then pop the speaker into the showerhead and get ready to shower out loud. Check out Moxie at your nearest KOHLER® Showroom. The Bluetooth® word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Kohler Co. is under license. Other trademarks and trade names are those of their respective owners.

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LOCKING TODAY’S RATE FOR FUTURE NEEDS WE HAVE MONEY TO LEND - YOU DECIDE HOW TO SPEND IT! GREAT RATES - FAST TURNAROUND - EXCELLENT SERVICE MORTGAGES HOME EQUITY LOANS HOME EQUITY LINES OF CREDIT Main Ofﬁce 333 Milliken Blvd. Fall River, MA 02721 Fax: 508-235-2496

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Swansea Ofﬁce 755 GAR Highway (Rte. 6) Swansea, MA 02777 Fax: 774-888-0005

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Southcoast brings you top-notch heart care.

Outstanding Our passion. Your heart.

And that’s not us talking, it’s Healthgrades® — the nation’s leading independent health care ratings organization. In fact, Southcoast was once again named a recipient of Healthgrades America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Cardiac Care™. If you have heart problems, it’s good to know that the best quality care — anywhere — is just minutes away, at Southcoast Hospitals. That’s pretty outstanding! Because it’s our passion. And your heart.

Clifton

HEALTHCARE CAMPUS

WILBUR AVENUE, SOMERSET, MASSACHUSETTS

You Have A Choice in Your Care…Ask for Clifton

CLIFTON REHABILITATIVE NURSING CENTER 508-675-7589

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

Need Short Term Rehab? For preferred booking status, call our admissions coordinator at 508-675-7589. Clifton is a fourth generation local family organization that, since 1954, has been providing the highest quality of healthcare services to your community, which is also our community.

Proud to be Celebrating Over 50 Years of Dedication to Excellence.