Vol. 6, Issue 8, August 2018
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Your community. Your magazine.
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The Premier “Shop Local” Community Magazine Directly Mailed To 15,000 Homes In Carrollwood, Lake Magdalene & Avila
Brunchies of Tampa Renovated Look, Same Great Taste & Friendly Service By Carla Selby Located at 14366 Dale Mabry Hywy and open seven days a week from 7:00am to 2:00pm, the recently renovated Brunchies of Tampa has been serving up fresh and delicious breakfast, brunch and lunch items at competitive prices at the same Carrollwood location for over 14 years and it has remained a huge hit
amongst locals since their grand opening back in 2004. Local Francesca L. says, “Brunchies is one of our favorite restaurants in the area. Great family place, very warm and welcoming. The food is delicious and reasonably priced, and the staff is so friendly! We love coming here with our kids! Also, we’ve used their catering services twice See “Brunchies” on page 28.
Primrose School of Carrollwood Offers Much More than a Preschool By Deborah Bostock-Kelley When you are so positively impacted by your son’s preschool that you eventually change careers to be part of that educational process, there must be something magical about it. Sandy and Shi Deng were so impressed with the Balanced Learning® Approach business model
INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Thank you for your support and feedback................3 Solar Professionals of Florida................................6-7 TECH TALK with Bob the Computer Guy............10 SAT/ACT Improvement...................................14-15
Ehrlich Animal Hospital & Arthritis Therapy Center...22-23
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID TAMPA FL PERMIT 1185
Will Social Security Run Dry Soon?..................18-19
of Primrose School and the noticeable learning development of their son Kobe in 2009 that they did further research and opened their own franchise in Carrollwood in December 2015. This state-of-the-art private preschool accepts children as young as 6 weeks through kindergarten and See “Primrose” on page 26.
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Thank you for your support and feedback! August is traditionally the time for lazy days centered around swimming pools, ice cold drinks, backyard barbecues, baseball, trips to the beautiful Florida beaches and live music under the stars. A lot of parents are thinking about back-to-school sales while the kids are daydreaming about longer summers and Justin Bieber's engagement being fake news. For me, August is a month in which I spend most of my time indoors. As someone with severe allergies to… well… everything, I tend to get sicker during this time and I am also constantly eaten alive by mosquitoes. And it seems I am not the only one. Recently, I received an email from Hillsborough County News, reporting that Hillsborough County Mosquito Management Services had been monitoring mosquito activities, and determined that mosquito populations have reached levels that threaten the public health, and there has been many incidents of mosquitotransmitted diseases reported in the area. Similar findings and an excessive
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number of complaints about mosquitoes have been reported in other counties, including Pinellas and Pasco. If it wasn't for our friend Brandon, owner of Mosquito Hunters of Tampa Bay, I couldn't spend more than 5 minutes on my own backyard without being eaten alive by those annoying little creatures. If you are having a mosquito problem, or if you want to avoid having one, please call Brandon at 813-609-8440 today! I promise you will not regret it. I want to finish off by saying thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to every person that has reached out and provided some feedback on our brand new website; tbnewsandlifestyles.com. I've received several emails from our readers congratulating us, telling us how much they love our new look, and overall showing an incredible amount of support and understanding during this transition. I highly encourage everyone reading this editorial to email me directly at carla@nnlflorida.com, and
let me know what you think about the site and what kind of stories and content you'd like to see featured on there. Everything we do is for you, our readers… and through our print and online platforms we try really hard to support our community and its local businesses, as well as non-profit organizations and charities. So if there's anything specific you'd like to read about, or a special organization that's touching people's lives and could use some support, please let me know! We also want to feature YOU… yes, you! If you're a local artist, musician, performer, actor, or if you volunteer at any non-profit organization that you'd want to see feature in any of our 7 publications, we want to hear from you. So please feel free to reach out and let us share your story with the rest of the community. I wish all of your kids a happy Back-To-School time, and as always, thank you for your support and readership!
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Tampa Bay News & Lifestyles Directly mailed once a month to 15,000 households in zip codes 33618, 33624 & 33613 220 S. Safford Ave. Tarpon Springs, FL 34689 Phone: (813) 928-6124; Fax: (727) 942-2432 Advertising E-mail: info@nnlflorida.com Editorial E-mail: editorial@nnlflorida.com © 2018 Tampa Bay News & Lifestyles Publisher Matt Selby
Art Director Tony Sica
Editor/Creative Director Correspondents Carla Selby Advertising Sales Jim O’Reilly Mike Bird
Julie Kanehl Marcy Sanford Katie Thomas Kim Thomas Dara Tucker Deborah Bostock-Kelley Michelle Naktin
Nothing that appears in Carrollwood Tampa Bay News & Lifestyles may be reproduced, whether wholly or in part, without permission. Opinions expressed by Carrollwood Tampa Bay News & Lifestyles writers are their own and do not reflect the publisher’s opinion. The management of Carrollwood Tampa Bay News & Lifestyles is always happy to accept outside editorial submissions to the paper. Please call for outside editorial submission and advertisement deadlines. Carrollwood Tampa Bay News & Lifestyles will consider previously non-published outside editorial submissions if they are double spaced, typed and less than 500 words. Carrollwood Tampa Bay News & Lifestyles reserves the right to edit and/or reject all outside editorial submissions and makes no guarantees regarding publication dates. Carrollwood Tampa Bay News & Lifestyles will not return unsolicited editorial materials. Carrollwood Tampa Bay News & Lifestyles reserves the right to edit and/or reject any advertising. Carrollwood Tampa Bay News & Lifestyles is not responsible for errors in advertising beyond the actual cost of the advertising space itself, not for the validity of any claims made by its advertisers.
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Save Money, Save the Planet, Go Solar Today! Act now and capitalize on the 30% Federal Tax Credit! By Matt Selby
Florida is known as the “Sunshine State,” so why not take advantage of the fact you could power up your entire home with Solar Energy and highly reduce your carbon footprint, while improving your property value and cutting down those high energy costs? Solar is more affordable than ever before and people are starting to switch. The price of solar has fallen drastically over the last decade thanks to research into more efficient and cheaper ways to build solar panels. And since more people and big companies are investing in solar, (think Tesla, Amazon, Apple… just to name a few) the price comes down as the demand increases. An average family can save over $1,000 a year just by switching! And that’s not counting any extra energy their panels make that they can sell back to the power grid. A Stimulus Package that WILL NOT LAST For a short time, you can access and utilize federal tax credits that can save you up to 30 percent of solar installation costs. You can finance your very own solar system with a solar loan, line of credit, or cash. Solar Professionals of Florida also offers different financing options for your solar panels as well. These allow you to make an investment with $0 down and start making money right away!
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The downside to all of this is that it’s not going to last. The big utility companies dislike the money they’re losing to solar energy and companies like ours, and the government incentives will only last as long as their solar initiative. Traditional electric companies jack up your rates an average of 4% each year! Over time, you could end up paying double for the same amount of electric consumption by staying on their grid. By going solar, and offsetting the utility company’s electric cost, you lock in a discounted monthly payment until the system is paid off and then never have to pay another payment for the equipment again! That’s right, you will get to own your electric producing equipment instead of just paying the electric company for power they produce and charge you for your consumption.
Here’s what you need to know: If you buy the system outright without utilizing the low financing option, your Solar Energy Package will offset your electric cost to net $0 annually and you will have no payments! On average, the financed payments are less than the homeowner is paying for traditional electric in month number 1, so most homeowners finance and keep more of their liquid cash in the bank. The system still net $0’s out the traditional electric bill just like if you bought the system upfront as well. When financed, the system is $0 down and you don’t pay a dime until after installation. Not everyone qualifies unfortunately. A 660 minimum credit score is required. If you do not know your credit score we could do a soft check for you during our initial appointment.
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Why Choose Solar Professionals of Florida? Our team of professionals has over 3 decades of experience in the industry, and pride themselves of having accomplished two great things: 1. Our team provides an end-to-end, seamless solution to homeowners, which includes; financing, planning, and everything else needed to get you off the ground and producing your own solar energy. 2. Solar Professionals of Florida utilizes only the highest-grade solar equipment and panels, proudly made in the USA, coupled with best of breed, local installers to insure quality throughout each project. Our team of experts takes your project from initial solar evaluation, to design and permitting, to install and on to energy production. The panels Tampa Bay News & Lifestyles
go up and your energy costs go down! It’s that easy! A 30% Federal tax credit of the total cost of the system is awarded to the homeowner for going solar this year, but this incentive may not be around long! Other incentives are also available for qualifying circumstances that add attractiveness to an already winning concept. In addition to the tax credit, your home value can easily increase by $15,000 or more by going solar! Going Solar also helps our planet! This green, alternative energy utilizes the power of the sun to power your home. That’s it! How awesome is that? You’ll help save Tampa Bay News & Lifestyles
thousands of trees and save thousands of gallons of fuel over the course of your system life. Speaking of system life. Your panels are covered by a 25-year manufacturers warranty! With so many pros to going solar, it’s amazing we all haven’t made the switch already. Join the thousands of Florida homeowners who have made the switch to Solar! Call us today for your free solar energy assessment and when you switch to solar with us, we will pay you $500! Call 813-750-7770 or visit us online at myspf.org for more information. Proud partners of Solar Homes. Lic No: CV-c056667 EC No: EC-13006510 For Ad Info 813-928-6124 • tbnewsandlifestyles.com
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Tech Talk with Bob..THE CALL! Did you get “the call?” Did you get the call? If so, what did you do? Did your friends get the call? If so, what did they do? Maybe neither one of you got the call… yet. What will you or your friends do when you get the call? Well I am going to help you with this situation. This information can save you hundreds of dollars! Many criminals are working their way through the internet looking for people to scam. I personally have received “the call” several times myself. My dad received one last month. These scam artists will call you and identify themselves as representatives of a large company, like Microsoft, Apple, etc. The caller will tell you that a corruption was identified to be on your computer. They will then offer you a free scan of your computer to verify the corruption. Most people will be happy to agree to do this because it is FREE. For these criminals to run this free scan they must be in control of your computer. They ask you to log onto the internet with your computer, download a file and run it. The caller starts the scan. Now they have you.
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Once you download that file, you are in trouble. You will be able to observe the scan from your computer screen. The caller will chit chat with you about the scan and then move the conversation to more personal information like your name, address, phone number and email address. When the scan is finished the caller will confirm that you have the corruption and assure you they can fix it right now. Most people get worried when they hear there is a problem with their computer so they tell the caller to fix it. However, now the caller proceeds to ask for credit card information because
they were not hired by Microsoft, Apple, etc. They want your money. Many people will pay and think everything is fine. Other people will say no because they thought that this was a free offer to find and fix the corruption. If you refuse to pay, the caller may make threats like saying your computer is going to crash or you may not be able to connect to the internet. The file they ask you to download and run to scan your system may actually sabotage your computer. So if you refuse to pay, you may have introduced the caller’s corruption into your computer. $299.00 is the typical amount they ask you to pay, however the amount will vary. Here’s the catch: The scan to confirm the existence of the “so called corruption” was FREE, to fix the corruption will cost you. Here’s the BIGGER catch: you do not have the corruption they are trying to convince you you have. This whole call is a hoax. They want to scare you into thinking you have a corruption and offer you a way to diagnose it for
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FREE. And then get you to pay for the fix. Many people become victims of this scam. It has been around for a long time because it makes these criminals a lot of money. Now that you are aware of this scam, you will not become one of their victims. So, what do you do when you get this type of call? Hang up. As long as you hang up before downloading and running the scan file the caller instructs you to download. If you have already downloaded the scan file then you will want to immediately turn off your computer and contact an IT professional to look over your system to make sure it is safe to use. Have a tech question? Email it to TechTalkTBNL@BobTheComputerGuy.NE T. Questions will be selected by the popularity of a topic and answered in this column. If you have a more urgent need or have a unique situation you may schedule an appointment with one of my Professionally Certified Technicians by calling 727-534-4000. Until next time, stay safe on the internet!
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SAT AND ACT IMPROVEMENT: FALL SEMESTER IS HERE! By Dr. Wayne Adams
FALL EXAM DATES: SAT: October 6, November 3, December 1; ACT: September 8, October 27, December 8. Summer vacation went by too fast! Now that school has restarted (or is about to), everyone gets to refocus and get ready for the fall. For Seniors, it’s a combination of doing well academically, activities, and preparing the best college applications. From my last article, you know that more and more and more colleges are admitting up to half their classes or more with early admissions. Check out these dates and requirements on the college websites, or call the admissions office. If your
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SAT and/or ACT scores are not where you want, give me a call. For Juniors, it’s the middle-distance lap in high school balancing academics and activities with doing well on the PSAT in October and building a resume for college applications. If you are aiming high, for a “top 25 school”, know that the best way to really “stand out” is to build a distinctive strength, to become outstanding in some field that you enjoy. There is a myth around that colleges are looking for “well rounded” students. Top
colleges want “lopsided” students, those who have something outstanding (other than grades and SAT/ACT scores) and can change the world. They
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equate “well-rounded with mediocre! For Sophomores, it’s the next lap in a longer-distance run with academics, activities, and longer term planning for
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college applications. On occasion, schools will give an SAT or an ACT exam for “placement”, which means determining which academic level courses that student can take. If you are aiming high for colleges it is not too early to start preparing for the SAT and/or ACT exams. Last year, I had two students who were national merit finalists (top 1% on their exam scores in the country). Last article I wrote about some new approaches in my classes to help students score well in math. I can report that these have seen good results. So now we have a new approach to writing the SAT and ACT Essays. Think of it as “writing by the numbers”, which in this case means following a guide to analyze the assignment, quickly spot
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the key requirements and elements for the essay, “fill in the blank” for each paragraph needed – especially the first one which is the most important – and move through with the needed substantiation paragraphs followed by a great conclusion. Already, several of my students have tried this and raised their essay scores 20-30% from their prior exam essay scores. Plus they have a new way of thinking, structuring, and writing essays for their high school classes. Would love to talk with you further about your student. Just send me an e mail at wwa0811@mykolab.com or call me at 727-2530639.
Dr. Wayne Adams is one of the leading SAT and ACT tutors in the country. His students normally improve 200 – 350 points on the Writing, Reading, Writing and Essay, and Math, and 4 – 7 points on the ACT composite. They have been admitted to eight of the top ten universities in the country, eighteen of the top twenty-five, and many schools in Florida. These schools include Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Stanford, U Chicago, Duke, U Penn, Johns Hopkins, Cornell, Notre Dame, Emory, UC Berkley, UCLA, USC, UNC (Chapel Hill), University of Virginia, NYU, Northeastern (Boston), Boston College, Georgia Tech, Air Force and Merchant Marine Service Academies, Penn State,
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Purdue, Ohio State, LSU, Auburn, UF, U Miami, FSU, USF, UCF, Florida Atlantic, Florida Gulf Coast, FIU, New College of Florida, Stetson, and Julliard – Manhattan - New England - and Berkley Conservatories of Music. Many have received academic, athletic, or music scholarships. This year, he also tutored three juniors who scored at the national merit finalist/semi-finalist levels on the most recent PSAT. He is a former Dean of a Graduate School of Business and Full Professor, and began college teaching at the University of Maryland in 1968. He has degrees and advanced studies at Harvard, Yale, Vanderbilt, Columbia International, and Luther Rice.
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Will Social Security Run Dry Soon? By Tom Bostock Imagine a pleasant summer day. You are having a barbeque with some of your neighbors. Between bites of hotdogs, hamburgers and grandma’s secret-recipe potato salad, the conversation is lively and animated. Your neighbors are a cross section of the population: baby boomers, millennials, retirees and kids just out of college. After commiserating about the Lightning not making the finals and the Rays losing streak, conversation turns to more serious subjects. Someone says that they heard that Social Security is going to be bankrupt within a decade. Another one says that Medicare is in trouble too. One of the younger ones suggests that it isn’t fair they are paying into a broken system that won’t even be there when they retire. That can’t be true. It’s just an unsubstantiated rumor … or is it? According to ssa.gov: “The Social Security trust funds are financial accounts in the U.S. Treasury. There are two separate Social Security trust
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funds, the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) Trust Fund pays retirement and survivors benefits, and the Disability Insurance (DI) Trust Fund pays disability benefits. Social Security taxes and other income are deposited in these accounts, and Social Security benefits are paid from them. The only purposes for which these trust funds can be used are to pay benefits and program administrative costs. The Social Security trust funds hold money not needed in the current year to pay benefits and administrative costs and, by law, invest it in special Treasury bonds that are guaranteed by the U.S. Government. A market rate of interest is paid to the trust funds on the bonds they hold, and when those bonds reach maturity or are needed to pay benefits, the Treasury redeems them.” They started out with almost a 3 trillion-dollar trust fund. So, what happened? For the first time in multiple decades, Social Security is dipping into its trust funds, and will most likely
continue to do so for the next 16 years. The reason is that workers have been retiring at a relatively rapid pace, and we’re not getting enough replacement workers to allow the program to take in as much money as it needs to pay out. However, once those trust funds are depleted, Social Security will continue to have access to its primary income stream, which means that in a worst-case scenario, future benefits will have to be cut, not eliminated. How much of a reduction are we talking about? Based on the latest projections, come 2034, recipients might lose an outstanding 21% of their benefits if Congress doesn’t step in with a fix. And obviously, that’s a pretty harsh blow for those who depend on those benefits to provide the majority of their income. But if you’re years away from retirement, you can take steps to compensate for the potential benefits cut you might face, thereby ensuring that you don’t end up struggling financially.
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YOU NEED SAVINGS OF YOUR OWN In all honesty, seniors cannot live off their benefits alone. Even if benefits aren’t cut in the future, those payments will only replace about 40% of the typical worker’s pre-retirement income. Most seniors, however, need more like 80% of their former earnings to pay the bills in retirement. Therefore, if you’re still working, you should be taking savings matters into your own hands regardless of what happens to Social Security down the line. The sooner you start establishing your nest egg, the greater your chances of covering your expenses as a senior, regardless of what your benefits ultimately look like. If your employer offers a 401(k), that’s certainly a good place to start. At present, you can contribute up to $18,500 annually to a 401(k) if you’re under 50, or $24,500 if you’re 50 or older. This means that if you’re 50 years old and don’t have a dime at present, maxing out your 401(k) until age 67 will leave you with roughly
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$755,000 in retirement savings provided your investments generate an average annual 7% return during that time (which is more than doable with a stock-focused strategy). And that, combined with whatever Social Security ends up paying you, could make for a pretty decent retirement. Of course, not everyone has the ability to max out a 401(k), nor do all workers have access to one. But even if you’re only working with an IRA, whose current annual contribution limits are $5,500 for workers under 50 and $6,500 for those 50 and over, or a lower savings threshold due to personal circumstances, you can still amass a sizable sum if you save consistently for many years. In fact, contributing $400 a month over 17 years will leave you with $148,000, assuming that same 7% average annual return. Now, that’s not a ton of money, but it could be enough to help fill the gap where Social Security leaves off. In a recent impromptu interview in a local mall, several shoppers, a millennial, a businesswoman and a grandma offered their own views on Social Security: David S. is an intelligent, disillusioned millennial, a local college graduate with a degree in economics who lives at home with his parents and has two part-time jobs since he can’t find work in his field. He is saddled with massive college loan debt and didn’t mince words about Social Security. “It’s a joke! It’s whack! It’s broken! A bunch of greedy politicians who funded their own pet projects with other peoples’ money from an almost 3 trillion- dollar Social Security Trust Fund piggy bank that was supposed to be inviolate, with relative impunity. These are the same whiney politicians who complain that they can’t live on their measly $174k-plusperks salaries but won’t have to try to
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survive on social security like everybody else since they just vote themselves raises and ‘golden parachutes’! I won’t see the first dollar from social security!” Ms. Mary M. is a very successful business woman who had just stopped by the food court for a quick bite between appointments said, “You have to consider the logic of it,” she said, putting down her hamburger. “I understand that there used to be at least 4 people contributing to social security for each person receiving benefits from it. I recently read that that number is more like 2 people now and it wasn’t designed for the disabled originally either. People are healthier and live longer. Something has to give!” Mrs. Sylvia R. is a pleasant, matronly grandmother who was watching her granddaughters playing in the mall playground area. “What really ticks me off about social security is the politicians calling it an entitlement. My late husband paid into it for more than 40 years. He retired early at 62 and died only 3 years later from a massive heart attack. If he had invested our social security deductions in some safe stocks and bonds, I would be sitting pretty, now! He did have some insurance but don’t get me started on Social Security!” Wow! Apparently ‘them’s fightin words’. Three different generations with somewhat similarly disgruntled views.
Politicians Seem to be Procrastinating If lawmakers do nothing until 2034, they’ll have to boost payroll taxes to a total of 16.27%, split in even 8.135% parts between employees and employers. Alternatively, all benefits would need to be cut by 23%. Neither of those solutions is particularly attractive or feasible for current and future retirees, but some combination of them will be inevitable if Washington refuses to act before then. Not even a Miracle can Save Social Security Without Action Some people are inherently suspicious about the statistics that the Social Security Trustees use in their annual report. Yet the trustees themselves incorporate confidenceinterval testing to support their projections, and as time goes by, experts are getting more confident in their predictions. Specifically, the report says that
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there’s 95% confidence that the trust funds will be depleted between 2030 and 2043. Those are the same dates as predicted last year, but the confidence interval has narrowed over the past several years. As years go by, you can expect even greater confidence in a narrowing range of likely dates for final trust fund depletion. Demand action As the day of reckoning grows nearer, it’ll be increasingly incumbent on us to put pressure on Washington to address the Social Security issue head-on and find a reasonable solution sooner rather than later. It’s time to down that last bit of hamburger, scarf down one last cold one and grab a cell phone. Call your local representatives and senators and demand an accounting. If somebody has had their fingers in the cookie jar isn’t it about time that we found out while we still have a cookie jar?” Just a thought.
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Compassionate Care at Ehrlich Animal Hospital and Arthritis Therapy Center By Deborah Bostock-Kelley
Pets can’t usually tell us when they are hurting. Dental issues or arthritis may be the reason your fur baby isn’t bringing back the tossed ball, batting at a piece of string, running in the yard or even taking time to properly chew his food. His lack of interest may be the result of an issue that can be easily fixed. He simply doesn’t have the words to tell you that he is in pain. A visit to Dr. Farid Saleh and Ehrlich Animal Hospital and Arthritis Therapy Center can often bring a resolution to a pet’s lethargy. Alternating between cuddling a recovering cat and a client’s 11-week-old puppy, you need only look at how Dr. Saleh’s face lights up when talking about helping animals to know this veterinarian loves his craft. While growing up, his family was in human medicine, but Dr. Saleh always adored animals and decided to use his medical skills to provide for those without a voice. Open seven days a week, the practice has five full time veterinarians who provide compassionate care to dogs,
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cats, and exotic pets like rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, and reptiles. Services include puppy and kitten wellness examinations, senior wellness, digital xrays, ultrasound, surgical laser procedures, dentistry and oral surgery, hospitalization of sick pets, medical evaluations and work ups, orthopedic and soft tissue surgery, cancer treatments, boarding and grooming. Treatments for arthritis therapy include stem cell therapy/platelet rich plasma, laser therapy, medications and nutritional supplements. Dr. Saleh relayed a story about a dog with arthritis so severe he couldn’t lift his leg and instead would squat to urinate. After stem cell therapy, the dog was able to lift his leg again. “There are many success stories like that. The owners tell me that their dog is doing things they didn’t think he could do any more,” he said. “ Stem cell therapy is relatively new and we are doing more and more with it.” Beginning after Labor Day, the practice will be remodeled by converting a part of the boarding facility into additional
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hospital space. The new space will accommodate a water treadmill, a new dentistry suite and more hospital and treatment areas. They hope to be completed by Thanksgiving. “We will be expanding our current rehabilitation programs. In addition to our therapy lasers we will be adding a water treadmill. It will provide heated hydro therapy in addition to many medical exercises for pets. One of our nurses is getting certified in rehabilitation therapy. Water rehab is beneficial for Arthritis, muscle
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soreness, post operative recovery and promoting weight loss. Pets suffering from obesity can come for therapy so they can exercise and lose weight without harmful impact to their joints. A pet parent may realize and react when their dog or cat is suffering from arthritis or other ailments, but dental issues may go undetected for an extended period of time. Some owners are totally surprised when a dental exam reveals tooth extractions are needed. “It shocks them because their dog is “eating and
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acting normal”. The pet doesn’t cry and he doesn’t stop eating, but then you take care of his mouth and you see a total difference in their behavior,” he said. “If a pet has a swollen jaw or bleeds from his mouth, everyone can tell there is a problem. It’s the ones that are just wagging their tail, walking around and acting normal that are more difficult to assess. It’s not the owner’s fault – but they misinterpret what’s going on because pets do not show symptoms as easily as humans. We perform CORE (Comprehensive Oral Assessment and Radiographic Evaluation) procedures.” Not long after we do this procedure, the owner will tell us that his pet is completely different. He’s playing - he’s doing things he hasn’t done in many years. “I
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just thought he was old! I never knew he was in pain!” - is a common response. When a pet is dealing with pain, the signs may be very subtle. It is easy to detect when the pet is vocalizing or moaning, but that most likely only happens when they are in advanced pain. Some signs of pain in pets include panting, drooling, licking, inactivity, limping, lack of grooming, irritability and in worse cases biting. “Our goal, eventually is to have pet’s teeth evaluated and cleaned annually,” he said. “Starting at the age of 2, we want to clean pet’s teeth on a yearly basis. The benefit of a CORE procedure is that we can do a full oral examination, and x-ray the teeth while the pet is under anesthesia. There are so many things you see in an x-ray
that are under the gumline that you can’t see with the naked eye – like a tooth with a broken root that will cause pain. By just doing a cleaning and not xraying the teeth, significant issues can be missed. Dr. Saleh recommends a physical exam yearly for young pets. For Senior pets (7 years and older) he recommends a physical exam combined with blood work and X-rays twice a year. As pets get older they age much faster and the sooner we can identify an illness, the better it can be treated or even cured. Six months may not seem a long time in a human but in a senior dog or cat a lot of things can change in that time frame. “At our office we would like to manage or fix the health condition before the owner notices that there is one,” he
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said. We can accomplish this by regularly performing thorough physical exams.“This will improve the pet’s quality of life and enhance the owner and pet’s bond.” Ehrlich Animal Hospital and Arthritis Therapy Center is located at 8009 Gunn Highway Tampa, FL 33626. Hours are 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday; 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Saturday and 10:00 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Sunday. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 813-9200566 or email ehvet@ehrlichanimalhospital.com. You also can get more information from their webpage www.ehrlichanimalhospital.com or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ EhrlichAnimalHospital.
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cause of death by disease among children is cancer.
drugs have been developed for use in children with cancer since 1980, as compared to hundreds created for adults.
children per day are expected to be diagnosed with cancer.
of the billions of dollars spent annually on cancer research and treatments is directed towards childhood cancer.
of childhood cancer survivors will experience significant health issues by age 45 as a result of being treated with drugs designed specifically for adults.
T H AT ’ S W H Y YO U R S U P P O R T I S S O C R I T I C A L The National Pediatric Cancer Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding research to eliminate childhood cancer. Over the past 25 years, with your help, we’ve donated millions of dollars to research and our ground-breaking clinical trials are saving many children’s lives. • We’ve been given the highest ratings a nonprofit can receive, including a 4-star charity rating by Charity Navigator; a Gold Level rating by GuideStar and accreditation from the BBB Wise Giving Alliance. • 88% of every dollar supports our mission.
Learn more about our research & donate today at NationalPCF.org 5550 W. EXECUTIVE DRIVE, STE. 300 | TAMPA, FL 33609 | 813.269.0955 | TAX ID: 59-3097333
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“Primrose” Continued from page 1 offers Primrose Explorer’s program, an afterschool program for children up to age 12. Here, learning is much more than basic academics. “We understand the positive impact that a safe, nurturing, and academically-centered early childhood curriculum can have on children,” said Sandy. “We believe who children become is as important as what they know and we feel strongly that the foundation built early in life prepares children for future academic and personal success.” Primrose School of Carrollwood believe in first teaching children of all ages the value of giving back to the community through their Caring and Giving Program. They teach, model and practice ways to be compassionate and generous. Throughout the year, Primrose School of Carrollwood host charitable giving events so that their students can experience the joy of giving without expectation. Their events include their Og Bountiful Book Drive and hosting Book Fairs to raise funds for books to be donated to the USF’s Reach Out and Read
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program, raising money for the local Children’s Home Network and Primrose Children’s Foundation during their Spring Fling Fundraising Event, hosting Primrose Promise Days to collect items for New Mommy and Babies at the Alpha House of Tampa, and raffling student-decorated pumpkins during Fall Festival to raise funds for their Caring & Giving CanA-Thon to donate to the Carrollwood Community Food Pantry. “We love that we have a partnership with our parents and even our grandparents at our school,” said Sandy. Primrose School of Carrollwood hosts monthly Grandparents Events, where grandparents get a chance to come in and participate in fun and interactive activities with their grandchildren. Primrose School of Carrollwood offers a whole child approach. Whether providing fun, engaging learning techniques or delicious meals prepared by a personal chef who caters to healthy meals and special dietary needs, the school considers the child’s physical, mental, health, and emotional needs. At Primrose School of Carrollwood, the exclusive Balanced Learning curriculum combines
teacher-guided and child-initiated learning activities with a special emphasis on character development to build the right foundation for Active Minds, Healthy Bodies and Happy Hearts® in the child’s first five years. “We know that a child’s interests can lead to exploration, discovery and understanding of the world. That’s why our Balanced Learning approach integrates science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) throughout the day to make learning fun,” said Sandy. “Our curriculum is
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very scalable. We can advance or dial back based upon individual needs of each student. Teaching a skill when a child is ready allows for mastering the skill, rather than frustration.” When children join Primrose they get to explore the Primrose Journey. In the Primrose journey there are three programs: the Wonder Program (Infants through Preschool Pathways), the Venture Program (Preschool through Kindergarten), and the Explorers Program (after-school care for ages 5-12).
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Students at Primrose Schools are regularly evaluated and encouraged to apply the concepts they learn in new contexts. They use child-initiated play, where each day children engage in purposeful play to nurture their natural curiosity. Learning experiences are teacher-directed and they provide the students with background
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information and introduce them to key vocabulary and concepts that children are not likely to learn on their own. Along with the teacher-directed learning, they also provide teacherguided learning to help students extend their thinking through meaningful questioning and conversation.
Primroses Wonder Program nurtures Active Minds, Healthy Bodies, and Happy Hearts. Infants begin to explore and learn through all of their senses before they even crawl. Toddlers are always on the move and at Primrose they are exploring and learning through play at every turn they take. In the Early Preschool and Preschool Pathways classrooms teachers actively partner with parents to help their children learn important independent life skills. The Venture Program at Primrose nurtures curiosity, creativity, confidence, and compassion. Students are introduced to new information through multi-sensory experiences that encourage discovery through playful exploration, teacher-guided investigations, questioning, direct instruction and discussion. This helps children to mentally, physically, and emotional be ready to learn skills and helps them from becoming frustrated. Students are also introduced to a second language with their Mucho Mundo Spanish Program. Learning a second language supports children’s language development and helps them learn about other cultures. The
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Primrose Spanish program is integrated throughout the day and includes simple vocabulary, phrases, polite conversation and songs. Primrose’s Explorers program allows students to have a place to come relax, make friends, and continue to learn and have fun. They receive homework help, establish good habits, and have plenty of time to explore creative expressions, sports, technology, drama, music, games and their leadership skills through working on community projects. “Primrose School’s business model allows me as the franchise owner to be able to be on-site on a daily basis,” said Sandy. “I love that I can work alongside our Leadership Team members and teachers to partner with our parents and grow with our students and families.” The Primrose School of Carrollwood is located at 1770 W Bearss Ave., and is open Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. For more information, call (813) 398-8607, go to primrosecarrollwood.com, or on Facebook at facebook.com/PrimroseCarrollwood.
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“Brunchies” Continued from page 1 for our kid’s baptisms. Bill was a huge help, he made the whole process smooth and easy, and he delivered the food himself! Our guests raved over it. Our favorites are the eggs benny/Florentine benny, the delicious breakfast potatoes, and the sausage!” Brunchies regular Robert P. says, “This place offers one of the best brunches in this part of Tampa. If you're health conscious and are tired of turkey bacon you will love their duck bacon. It's a delicious, meaty, smoke filled alternative to the real thing! They offer free coffee while you wait, which is fantastic. They also have seasonal offerings, like pumpkin spice pancakes, which are a real treat. I come here often, and after you try it, so will you!” Owned and operated by Bill Kranich and his family, Brunchies of Tampa recently underwent a full renovation and remodel that included; brand new booths, new flooring, new light fixtures, new
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ceiling treatments and fresh new paint. So if you haven’t been to Brunchies in a while, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the new aesthetics. The already extensive menu has a couple of new items, and their “South of the Border” section which was featured back in April, is here to stay! Carlos S. a local food guide stopped by for the very first time, and his experience was so great he felt the need to rave about it on social media, “It was my first time at Brunchies, my wife has been here before...atmosphere was great. Our server Gaby made us feel very welcomed and was attentive at all times. Service was as expected. Topnotch...but have to say that the older gentleman that was hosting was my biggest experience…how polite, welcoming and super entertaining. Have to love a place where they understand the importance and consideration of employees is a priority. Last but not least the food was delicious for everyone of us my children, wife and I are very pleased.I really recommend it. You better be
hungry!” That welcoming host Carlos referred to is Arch Deal, a former Tampa TV newscaster and avid parachutist that will make you feel right at home. Brunchies’ great reputation precedes it, and after my first visit last week, I understood why…the place is amazing, and one of the best restaurants I have ever tried. I can honestly say that my experience far exceeded all my expectations and I look forward to going back and trying other mouth-watering dishes. The food I ordered was outstanding, the coffee was delicious and it kept coming, service was friendly and attentive without being intrusive, prices were affordable, portions were so large I needed a to-go box and the place was beautifully decorated and clean. What more could you ask for? Oh yes… another location! “We just opened a brand new location in Lutz,” says owner, Bill Kranich. Located at 24400 State Road 54. “My wife manages that location, and I go back and forth between the Carrollwood one and
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this brand new one. My son Michael and his wife also help manage both locations, and oversee all the restaurant’s activities.” Bill and his family and often be seen working back in the kitchen or out on the floor mingling with guests, ensuring they always receive the best service and most satisfying experience. Bill says, “I love meeting new people and catching up with our regulars. We have people that have been coming here for over a decade and they’ve become part of our family.” Kranich said his quality of food and expansive menu separates him from other breakfast and lunch restaurants in the area. He also has the ability to accommodate his guests’ gluten-free meal restrictions. “Pretty much anything on the menu we can modify to make it glutenfree,” said Kranich. “We also prepare gluten-free bread.” And when Kranich says “make,” he actually means make. Every tasty morsel is made by hand in the kitchen by the talented chefs who take pleasure in creating beautiful, delicious food. When asked if there were menu
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items that regulars would identify strictly as Brunchies’, Kranich said, “The Blueberry Crunch Cakes are our signature item.” This customer-favorite is a stack of homemade grilled granola pancakes topped with syrup and a dollop of whipped butter. Guests can even substitute organic wheat batter on any pancake order and indulge in pure maple syrup or order sugar-free syrup to meet dietary restrictions. If you want to indulge into something sweet and exotic, I suggest you try one of their newest additions and a personal favorite of Brunchies Manager and Kranich’s stepson Michael Klesyk; the “Guava Stuffed French Toast.” My husband was with me during our visit, so he ordered this masterpiece and it tasted better than we imagined. This deliciousness consists of guava cream cheese stuffed inside their homemade Challah French Toast and coated in crushed Corn Flakes, then is topped with fresh Tampa Bay News & Lifestyles
strawberries and silvered almonds. The guava filling was tasty and unique, something you don’t get to taste often,mat the portions were really big, so make sure you come hungry! As a self-proclaimed Brunch Queen and Sandwich Connoisseur, the brand new “Ultimate Brunch Sandwich” immediately caught my eye… the big, bold, red “New” sign right next to this item may have also helped. This sandwich was nothing short of pure brunch perfection, especially for the late riser or any day brunch lover like myself. This sandwich consisted of grilled, warm, toasty challah bread filled with perfectly spiced chorizo, fluffy eggs, pico and melted cheese and it was layered with chipotle mayo and fresh avocado slices. It was HEAVEN in my mouth. That is the only way I can describe this masterpiece. I could seriously eat this every single day! But with so many other magnificent choices, from omelets and breakfast bowls to
salads and soups and everything in between, you will want to mix it up and come often so you get to try a lot of these succulent fresh creations. Personally, I like to enjoy my brunch with a mimosa or two, luckily Brunchies offers champagne delight cocktails with your choice of freshly squeezed fruit juices. They also offer sangria, peach bellinis, bloody marys, beer and a nice selection of wines by the glass. So what else is in store for Brunchies of Tampa in the near future? “We’re looking into adding a few Mediterranean, Greek and Italian options. Always fresh, always delicious,” says Bill. “If you haven’t been here before, come try our food… some say is the best in town! Believe me, you won’t be disappointed. And if you haven’t been here in a while, stop by, I’d love to catch up and show you what we’ve done to the place.” Guests and regulars who enjoy Brunchies are encouraged to join
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their “Rewards Program,” which allows them to earn points for every dollar spent, and after 200 points, they become eligible for a $10 rewards certificate. They can also receive a complimentary entree on their birthday! I know where I will be spending my upcoming 33rd birthday celebration! Private Banquet Rooms for parties and special events are available, as well as on site catering. For more information or to join the Brunchies rewards program, please log on to www.BrunchiesTampa.com 14366 Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa, FL 33618 New location NOW OPEN in Lutz. 24400 State Road 54 Lutz, 33559 For more information call the Lutz Location at 813-909-1500 or the Carrollwood Location at 813-908-7023 AUGUST 2018
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