The South Coast Insider - January 2016

January 2016 Vol. 20 / No. 1

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Tides of change

Buzzing about the Sawmill Building a better resolution

Tea time Souper food Gains and losses

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contents

JANUARY 2016

In every issue

FOOD NOTES

4

22 Souper food!

by Elizabeth Morse Read

From the Publisher

32 Dateline: South Coast

By Elizabeth Morse Read

COVER STORY

6 The Sawmill

By DAN LOGAN

8 Tea time

By Sean McCarthy

YOUR HEALTH

BUSINESS BUZZ

26 Gains and losses

By SHERRI MAHONEY-BATTLES

28 Bridgewater State celebrates!

By Michael J. Vieira

ON MY MIND

38 My miracle

By PAUL E. KANDARIAN

10 Nutrition condition

By JAY PATEAKOS

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12 Prescription breathing

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14 Fitness, specifically

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18 Building a better resolution

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January 2016 / The South Coast Insider

16 The new “Y”

By GREG JONES

ON THE COVER The month’s scenic cover photo was taken from the Lloyd Center’s Lloyd Woods in Dartmouth. Learn more about events at the Lloyd Center and the beautiful grounds at www.lloydcenter.org. Photo by JoAnn Bernier Cornell.

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The South Coast Insider / January 2016

3

FROM THE PUBLISHER

20

January 2016 / Vol. 20 / No. 1

Published by

Coastal Communications Corp.

Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Ljiljana Vasiljevic

Editor

Sebastian Clarkin

A lot can change in twenty years. In 1996, making a phone call while in the car was a luxury. Email was just starting to gain traction. You could bring your steak knife collection with you on an airplane.

Online Editor Paul Letendre

Contributors

Dan Brulé, Greg Jones, Paul E. Kandarian, Dan Logan, Tom Lopes, Sherri Mahoney-Battles, Sean McCarthy, Jay Pateakos, Elizabeth Morse Read, Michael J. Vieira The South Coast Insider is published monthly for visitors and residents of the South Coast area. The Insider is distributed free of charge from Mount Hope Bay to Buzzards Bay. All contents copyright ©2016 Coastal Communications Corp.

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

Deadline

20 days prior to publication.

Circulation

30,000

Twenty years ago, there was no South Coast—only “Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island,” which is decidedly less poetic. Over the past two decades, we’ve worked to help identify and develop all the different aspects of the region that give it its character.

Month after month, from Buzzard’s Bay to Mount Hope Bay, we’ve taken you to the finest eateries, included you in the latest business dealings, kept you on the cutting edge of healthcare, expanded your reading list, introduced you to hidden corners and subcultures, danced and sang along to every kind of music, and found countless different ways to enjoy the natural beauty that surrounds us.

We have no intention of stopping anytime soon. Just like you, we constantly marvel at the growth and development of our home. Something new is happening every day, and we want everyone to be a part of it.

It’s been the joy of my life to publish this magazine. Thank you so much for reading it for all this time.

Here’s to another twenty years of The South Coast Insider, and another twenty years of making the most out of the South Coast!

Subscriptions

$39 per year

Address

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Phone

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January 2016 / The South Coast Insider

Ljiljana Vasiljevic Publisher and Editor-in-Chief

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COVER STORY

by Dan Logan Dan Logan

More riverside cities nationwide are creating pleasant pedestrian paths along their riverbanks to go along with the cleanup of the rivers themselves.

Residents and visitors respond enthusiastically to the improvements. Boston’s Harborwalk, for example, not only serves as a recreational route for residents and tourists, but also people walking to work. Restaurants and cafes front the route or lie within a block or two, and a building boom on the Boston waterfront keeps increasing the appeal.

Ultimately, the finished Harborwalk will be more than 46 miles long.

A collection of private organizations and government agencies are aiming to take a similar approach along the shoreline the eight-and-ahalf-mile-long Acushnet River, which flows from its source at Long Pond in Lakeville, through New Bedford, Acushnet, and Fairhaven.

Short as it is, the Acushnet River is the largest river flowing into Buzzards Bay. Its story is fraught with historic significance going well back into indigenous times.

Down by the river

In the last century, the river has suffered mightily from industrialization. Toxic, cancer-causing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) used in electrical

6

January 2016 / The South Coast Insider

device manufacturing were dumped into the river for 40 years, until PCB production was banned by Congress in 1979. The government declared the area a Superfund site and for years has been working to reduce the PCB concentrations in the river.

Recently, a sign of better times to come was heralded by the grand opening of The Sawmill, the name for the long-awaited Acushnet Sawmill park.

On a misty and windy November 6, some 200 people gathered to walk the paths through the 19-acre property, after being tantalized for several years by the work going on behind the chain link fence at the site of the old Acushnet Sawmill.

Growing the Sawmill

Spearheaded by the Buzzards Bay Coalition, the project was strongly supported by New Bedford, Acushnet, and Freetown. The project was largely funded by the New Bedford Harbor Trustee Council from funds distributed as a result of the PCB cleanup settlement; the trustee council includes representatives from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the

Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

“We want it to be the crown of the city’s river walk,” said Sara da Silva Quintal, the Buzzards Bay Coalition restoration ecologist who managed the onsite work after the property was purchased in 2008 from the Hawes family, which had owned the sawmill for 150 years, as well as being one of the state’s largest landowners.

The Coalition designed the site for walking, fishing, birdwatching, kayaking, and canoeing, and picnicking, as well as to improve water quality in the river. Paths were groomed and bridges built.

A red maple forest at the south end of the property was replanted. Old slabs of rock and concrete that had once lined the river were used to create seating in a small amphitheater; riverbanks were planted with trees that would help reduce water pollution.

New Bedford’s Department of Public Infrastructure tore out vegetation and old asphalt. Students from the Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School and Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School

supported the construction efforts.

Creating The Sawmill was a challenge to its designers, and over the period of its construction it provided some good examples of nature’s indifference to human schemes. Two major storms in a quick succession sent a lot of water downriver and revealed some weaknesses in the routing of the river. “The water wanted to go a little further west than the model predicted,” Quintal said, so adjustments were made to the course of the river behind the learning center.

Reconfiguring the narrow stretch of river with a new fishway appears to be working as intended; herring moving upriver have increased from an estimated 350 fish to 10,000 over the last few years, said John Bullard, the former New Bedford mayor who is now the NOAA’s Northeast Regional Administrator.

The lumber yard’s original headquarters building was moved across the river to become the Hawes Family Learning Center at 32 Mill Rd. in Acushnet, said Rob Hancock, the Buzzards Bay Coalition’s vice president for community engagement.

At the learning center, a program called “Saturdays at The Sawmill,” offering such hands-on classes as Winter Wildlife Shelter Building and Bird Feeder Tree Ornaments and Winter Bird Walk, is designed to encourage people to make good use of the site.

The class schedule can be found online at savebuzzardsbay.org/acushnetsawmill. Classes typically start at 10 a.m. There’s a small parking area across the street from The Sawmill entrance.

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Paths to the future

There’s a long way to go before a continuous public path borders the shoreline of the Acushnet River, but supporters envision a route along both sides of the river, perhaps extending as far as the LaPalme Farm in Acushnet.

The opening of the Sawmill follows that of the Harbor Walk atop the hurricane barrier on the New Bedford side of the Acushnet River, which was completed in late summer. It will take years to connect the two, but the public these days seems more generally aware of the entertainment value of these waterside walkways.

A completed path would include an astonishing variety of scenery, with easy access to downtown New Bedford, close-ups of the fishing industry and old industrial infrastructure along the inner harbor, and birds and wildlife viewing opportunities in the wetlands north of I-195.

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January 2016 / The South Coast Insider

Dina Quinlan, owner of Hangman Coffee Hut in Marion

Tea time

By SEAN McCARTHY

The world of tea is a cornucopia for the curious. From supermarkets to health food stores to coffee shops, there are vast and varied opportunities for those willing to explore.

Today’s tea selection offers ample options that go beyond just taste or a caffeine kick. There is a wide selection that includes health and medicinal roles. It is a beverage whose experience is unique from any other.

“Tea is no longer your grandmother’s Lipton,” says Dina Quinlan, owner of the Hangman Coffee Hut in Marion. “People who drink tea differ from those who drink coffee. They’re not in a rush – it’s not a drive-thru beverage. They’re looking to relax and sit back. They might enjoy it with a book or newspaper. Tea invokes more of the senses than other beverages. You can hold a warm cup in your hands and enjoy the aroma. You can see the steam rise. You can see it and feel it. It’s not a paper cup to go.”

And if you take time drinking tea you can also take your time selecting the next one you want in your cup. Depending upon the store or shop you choose, you can get anywhere from half a dozen to more than a hundred different kinds of tea.

“It’s easy to be overwhelmed by all the different kinds of tea,” Quinlan says. “There’s a lot more to offer besides the more popular mainstream

brands. It’s quite possible that you can find something that you find incredibly delicious.”

And you can almost certainly find something with health benefits. For example, Hawthorne tea supports heart health, Cayanne promotes circulation, and Ginko improves the blood flow to the brain and may assist with memory. There are teas that also assist with the common cold and getting sleep.

“Tea is a drink for health-conscious people,” Quinlan says. “Oftentimes people who drink tea will combine it with healthy milks such as Almond, Soy, Rice, and Coconut.”

“Tea can be healthy and nourishing,” says Michelle Daniel, an employee at Down To Earth, a health food store in New Bedford. “Many times it will provide vitamins and minerals and it can be relaxing or stimulating. You can usually find a tea that will achieve a certain result or be able to help a part of the body where you require it. Tea could have a positive effect on your digestive system or your nervous system. It can also cleanse the liver, help with an upset stomach, or help your respiratory system, to name only a few areas.

“Tea is an opportunity to contact nature by using the nutrients of the Earth,” Daniel says. “Tea is a vehicle for the herbs it consists of as well as being a good source of fluids.”

Happiness in a cup

The average cup of tea will have the tea bag sitting for three-to-five minutes. Some tea drinkers employ the process of “steeping,” in which the cup is covered, preventing the steam and oils from escaping and infusing the drink with more of the flavor and nutrients.

“Combining the herb and the water pulls the properties out of the herbs,” Daniel says. “Just the hot water alone promotes cleansing of the digestive tract.”

Eric Goggin owns The Green Bean in downtown New Bedford with his sister Andrea. They have been in business for 13 years. Goggin says that 25 per cent of the beverages he sells are tea.

“There’s not a lot of maintenance with a cup of tea,” he says. “Most people drink it straight, or perhaps with some honey. It’s often an afternoon beverage for people who don’t want as much caffeine as a cup of coffee.”

Goggin says that male and female customers purchase tea equally, but that most of them are 30 years old or more.

“People drink tea for different reasons,” Goggin says. “They enjoy the flavor of the drink or they find coffee to be too acidic. And many people drink it for health reasons.”

Some area establishments offer the tea drinker unique concoctions hard to find anywhere else.

The Hangman Coffee Hut has three cups of tea that have their own spin and are geared towards improving the drinker’s health.

Rooibos Bergamot is a naturally caffeine-free drink that includes a root imported from South Africa and has a very light taste. It contains antioxidants which play a role in helping the body to fight off illness.

Hangman also offers an in-house Chai tea, in which the shop grinds their own spices that they purchase regionally. The spices include nutmeg, cloves, and cardamom. It is drunk mostly for health purposes and is also full of antioxidants.

Another Hangman tea that provides a significant amount of antioxidants is Green Matcha. The drink is strongly constituted of a ground green powder that gives it an “Earthy” taste. Popular in Asia, it is also drunk for relaxation and anxiety reduction.

While the Green Bean offers the traditional flavors of black and green tea, it also provides rare options such as Lemon Jasmine, Jerba Mate, and Sense of Peace teas.

By the numbers

The Tea Association of America released a fact sheet in 2014 on the health benefits of tea.

They saw that people who regularly consume three or more cups of Black Tea a day have a reduced risk of heart attack, heart disease, and stroke. It also lowers the drinkers’ level of “bad” cholesterol. Health benefits have also been noticed in those who drink even one cup a day.

People who drank two cups of green tea day reduced their risk of death from cardiovascular disease by twenty-three percent.

The study also says that tea may also improve brain health, prevent memory decline and possibly reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. It may help with weight management, elevating a drinker’s metabolic rate and reduce the risk of Osteoporosis by increasing bone density.

Through the ages Next to water, tea is the most widely-consumed beverage in the world, and is found in 80 per cent of all American households. 158 million Americans drink tea for a total of 3.6 billion gallons a year.

Eighty-four per cent of tea drunk in America is black tea and half of all Americans drink tea every day.

Hot tea has increased in popularity by seventeen percent over the last five years.

America invented both the tea bag and iced tea in 1904 Most teas come from China, India, Sri Lanka, and Japan. To achieve the highest quality tea, the beverage’s water is preferred to be filtered or bottled.

While the exact facts regarding the discovery of tea are unclear, there is the myth that it had its discovery in 2737 BC when the Chinese Emperor Shan Nang accidentally had a tea leaf fall into his cup of hot water. 2000 years later, Buddhist priests traveled north and introduced the tea to Japan, also bringing the seeds which would allow them to cultivate the leaves for themselves. Tea became significantly popular in Japan, quickly becoming part of their culture in the form of the Japanese Tea Ceremony.

Tea would reach Europe in the 1600s when China was trading with the Portuguese and the Dutch, but it eventually became most popular in Russia and England.

In the mid-1600s tea was introduced to America by the Dutch, and was met with widespread popularity.

Today there are more than 150 brands of tea in America.

“Be adventurous with your tea,” Quinlan suggests. “If you find that you’re drinking a tea you don’t really enjoy, you can move onto another or simply return to the ones that you know.”

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BY Jay Pateakos

hen it comes to Fall River-based Health Naturally, located at 1190 Stafford Road, it’s all about nutrition and knowing what to eat and not eat. Their mission is to guide their clients to the state of health they are willing to work toward through the use of non-invasive therapies, nutrition, and a balanced holistic lifestyle. They assist clients with identifying both the damaging and the healing forces in their daily lives and direct the client to maximize the body’s inherent self-healing capacity.

“We focus on metabolic testing, blood work, hair, and saliva testing as we put together a profile to provide a person with optimal health – eliminating deficiencies and decreasing excess,” said Dr. Carl J. Ferreira, owner of HealthNaturally. “Food, nutrition, exercise… there’s a whole plethora of things important for your health, weight, and emotional stability.

When it comes to the infamous New Year’s Resolution to lose weight, Dr. Ferreira said most resolutions fail for two reasons: first, simply wanting to lose weight isn’t sufficient to warrant a change in food choices, and second, the failure to understand that we should eat to live and not live to eat.

“Food is not the reason we gain weight, but rather our choice of food” Ferreira said. “And there is no amount of exercise that can offset mistakes with the fork.”

Ferreira recalls a past Frito-Lay ad promising that “no one can eat just one” and said these companies pack on the salt, sugar, and other bad ingredients to make these items addicting. He said at his gym, he worked out for 45 minutes on a rotating tread wall, making every part of his body ache, sweating profusely. When he looked

Dr. Carl J. Ferreira

up at the amount of calories he burned, it read 350.

“That’s the same number of calories as in one Snickers bar,” he noted. “And you can eat that in under a minute.”

The lesson, in this story, is assuring that people strike a balance between exercising and eating right. He said he marvels at the people he sees at the gym every day, faithfully going about their workout, never losing much of any weight.

“It all starts with food and what type of food you eat – you need to eat the right ones, calorie-deficient and nutrient-dense,” said Ferreira. “It’s an educational process. A lot of people come to me and they are very educated, but they are all over the place, trying to be a quarterback for the whole team; they pull in one thing at a time instead of creating an all-encompassing plan.”

So what should you eat? “Eat local, find local farms, and don’t believe the lie that you can’t eat organic foods because of their cost. Buying organic makes you avoid the

middle aisles of the store where you now save money,” Ferreira said. “We’re being fed bad food right now, partly our fault and partly these companies’ fault, but it’s like a car. It runs fine on regular, but once you put diesel in it, it will run ok for a while, but eventually it will break down. It’s the same thing with us and food. You need to make the right food choices in order to be healthy.”

Bite by bite

At Natural Health Solutions, located on Linden Street in Fall River, they help people lose weight through proper nutrition and eating correctly. By choosing real whole foods over processed food products, they will feel better, look better, and lose the cravings, said owner Dr. Laura Bomback. Cravings, she noted, are from a malnourished body wanting nutrition.

“Diets don’t work. We believe that proper food choices over the course of one’s lifetime are the only way to control weight.

Your diet should be what you eat every day, so as we say, ‘Begin as you wish to continue,’” said Bomback. “Don’t start a trendy diet to lose weight, only to go off it and gain the weight back. We are here to guide people through their health journey, because that is what it is… a journey throughout their lives. “ Bomback said in her practice, there can be resistance to weight loss no matter how good you eat. Some people, no matter what they do, can’t seem to shed the excess pounds. She said they find that these people usually have some kind of “barrier”

to their body’s ability to heal and balance itself so they look for these barriers in their analysis. These barriers include:

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Food Sensitivities: Not necessarily allergies, but having one can trigger your immune system generating an inflammatory response, which can lead to weight gain.

Immune Challenges: Our bodies can harbor bacteria, viruses, fungi and/or parasites. These can trigger the immune response, which again can generate an inflammatory response and weight gain.

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Heavy Metals and Toxic Chemicals: Mercury, aluminum, lead, chlorine, and formaldehyde are some of the most common toxic poisons in our bodies. These are stored in the fat cells so they are not floating around in the blood. Your body will hold onto the fat as protection and will not let it go until properly detoxified.

Scars: Wounds, incisions, tattoos, and piercings can disrupt the energy flow of the body’s meridians. Since the nervous system is what controls our organs and our metabolism, this can be a barrier worth looking into.

“We can help people with these problems if that is what their health issue is.

We need enzymes for digestion to help break down our foods and get the most nutrition from them. We need to eliminate waste from our intestines,” Bomback said.

“Lastly, a sluggish liver will fail to remove toxic waste. A toxic body doesn’t perform well, doesn’t feel well and doesn’t lose weight. To lose weight, cleanse, and detoxify, it is Dr. Laura paramount to support the Bomback avenues of elimination.

We can assist this process with a 21-day purification program that will help you lose weight and provide you with excellent whole food nutrition as well.”

So the next time you go to the gym, don’t just think about the exercise you will partake in but the food you will eat throughout the day. They go hand in hand. Know what you are eating, where it came from, and how it will impact you.

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The South Coast Insider / January 2016

11

YOUR HEALTH

ecently I had the pleasure of spending a day with Richard Brown, MD. He is an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University, and practices a body-mind-breath approach to health and healing.

How can you not love him?

Dr. Brown and his wife Dr. Patricia Gerbarg (also a psychiatrist) have co-authored a book called The Healing Power of the Breath. They have been taking breathwork to veterans and military families, to disaster victims, doing wonderful in the areas of PTSD and TBI. I found Richard to be a very bright, clear, and conservative teacher. His introduction to conscious breathing and breathwork was easy, basic, gentle, and not scary at all!

Baby breaths I love that in addition to preaching the benefits of conscious breathing, yoga, chi kung, martial arts, and meditation, he also practices these things in his own life for his own personal well-being.

He teaches a very simple and safe breathing method that triggers the body’s natural healing mechanisms and resets the nervous system. He combines breathing with movement, breathing with sound, breathing with visualization/imagery.

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January 2016 / The South Coast Insider

He teaches people to use breathwork to deal with stress, to manage emotions, to lower blood pressure, to “treat” fear, pain, anxiety, depression, and much more.

His uses as a core breathing exercise called the “Coherent Breath,” which is basically a slow gentle breathing rhythm at a steady rate of about five breaths per minute.

He teaches the 4-4-6-2 exercise: inhale four, hold four, exhale six, hold two. He also teaches the “Ujjayi Breath,” and the “Ha Breath” together with simple tai chi movements.

He incorporates the “Open Focus” method and a simple Chi Kung series called the “Four Golden Wheels.”

He teaches a simple integrated practice, involving movement, breathing, and meditation.

The movement is to awaken and raise energy, breathing to circulate and distribute energy, and meditation to gather and store energy.

Dr. Brown uses the metaphor of washing clothes.

Movement is the prewash, breathing is wash and rinse, while meditation is the dry and fold. I love it!

He uses a holistic body, mind, and spirit approach. He cites many medical and scientific studies that support the healing effects of breathwork.

Richard talks a lot about energy – Prana, Chi, Ki – about awakening it, circulating it, and storing

it. And he encourages people to “move” energy through their hands, and to move it up and down in the body between the base of the spine and the top of the head.

He advocates 20 minutes of breathing practice every day, and he continuously reiterates the importance of a daily practice.

Steady life Dr. Brown encourages people to accept and allow, and to relax into whatever feelings, sensations, thoughts, images, or emotions that come up. That is so important in Breathwork! And he wisely considers these symptoms to be natural signs of healing and stress release.

I am so happy to see more and more mainstream medical doctors moving toward integrative medicine, using alternative remedies, and prescribing things like breathwork.

The world has come a long way since the early 1970’s, when most medical doctors denounced and disparaged those of us who chose breathwork and other holistic modalities over the mainstream drug and surgery approach!

I celebrate you Dr. Brown! And I thank you for the work that you do!

Dr. Brown’s website is www.haveahealthymind. com

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Alice Canito and Scott Fastino welcome the community to the New Year.

YOUR HEALTH

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January 2016 / The South Coast Insider

fitness, specifically

by Greg Jones eneral Fitness, located on the second and third floors of the Durfee Union Mill Place at 425 Pleasant Street in Fall River, is different from your average gym.

“We are here to help our members meet their goals, whatever they may be,” said general manager Scott Fastino. Scott has been with General Fitness for sixteen years. “This year we are celebrating the 30th anniversary of General Fitness,” he said. “We’ve been in business since 1985.”

Scott is the right man for the job. Physical fitness “has been a passion throughout my life,” he said.

“The majority of clubs are only interested in signing you up,” he said. “Once you get in, they would just as soon you never came back. We want people to keep coming. Fitness is a lifetime commitment.”

The clientele of General Fitness reflects that philosophy. From thirteen-year-olds to eighty-yearolds, General Fitness has programs and coaches to fit everyone’s needs.

G

the fairer flex The ratio of men to women members is roughly 3:2, a fairly high percentage in what is often seen as a male-dominated activity. Women are welcome at General Fitness, and that welcome extends beyond a handshake at the door.

“The ladies have to be comfortable with the

facilities. We have a separate section for the ladies, with a sauna, tanning beds, free weights, exercise machines, and a separate exercise studio” said Scott. The ladies’ section is 15,000 square feet, located on the third floor of the building.

Women are welcome to use the entire facility of course. Couples work out together, and “we like to see families exercise together,” said Scott. General Fitness has special family rates, and it should be noted that the rates at General Fitness are all-inclusive. You’re not going to sign up only to discover that the Zumba class or the yoga training has an extra cost.

Full workout “We have approximately 35 employees here,” said Scott. “Our instructors tend to stick around. I support them with anything they need.”

General Fitness places a very high priority on cleanliness and maintaining the facility. There are employees whose only job is to keep everything clean and all the equipment in perfect working order. In a facility that is open every day of the week, maintenance and cleaning is a daily responsibility.

Convenience is a priority as well. Parking is not a problem, and General Fitness opens its doors at 5 AM Monday through Friday, closing at 9:30 PM. Weekends are 7 AM to 7 PM.

As an additional service to their clients, General Fitness has a daycare center. “Kid’s Watch” is for children age two through twelve, with daycare attendants there at all times. All attendants are CPR certified and there’s plenty for the kids to do. Video games, basketball, movies, and a multitude of activities will keep the kids occupied and happy while the parents work out.

Weekday Kid’s Watch hours are 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM and 3 PM to 7:30 PM. Saturdays are 8 AM to noon.

pumped up With a full regimen of classes and group workouts, there is something for everyone at General Fitness. From exercise bikes and spinning sessions to free weights to the latest in exercise plans and high-tech gear, it’s at General Fitness.

“We have 43 bikes,” said Scott, “so everyone who wants to take a spin class can get on a bike.”

The three exercise studios have instructor-led workouts such as Step Aerobics, Tabata, various levels of cardio and strength workouts and HIIT training. That’s High Intensity Interval Training, which, led by an instructor, takes the class through a series of cardio and strength exercises with short rest periods. That keeps your heart rate up and builds overall strength.

Yoga has been practiced for centuries, valued for building flexibility, balance, and strength. General Fitness offers Power and Hatha Yoga in their Combo Yoga training, suitable for people at any fitness level.

Pilates is also offered in combination with Step exercises or in the Cardio-lates program, which alternates cardio exercise with Pilates exercises to build flexibility and balance.

Kick it up with Zumba, “very popular, a Latininspired exercise class choreographed to music,” said Scott. The New Year will see the start of a Zumba toning class, which will combine strength and cardio workouts.

The Smoothie Bar offers healthy drinks, most of which are juice or nonfat yogurt based, using the highest quality protein and drink mixes. The “bartender” will prepare your smoothie to your personal taste, and “it’s very affordable,” said Scott.

A membership in General Fitness is not an expense, it’s an investment in your good health and physical fitness.

To see for yourself, General Fitness is offering a 14-day free pass for January and February. “It’s an unlimited pass,” said Scott. “All the classes, all the facilities, everything.”

Class schedules, operating hours, and more can all be found at the General Fitness website, www. generalfitness.net.

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THINGS TO DO

by Greg Jones

The YMCA has been around a long time. It was founded in London in 1844 and brought to the United States in 1851, with the first YMCA at the Old South Church in Boston. In 2010, the directors of the YMCA revitalized its brand, beginning by referring to itself by the name its members had been using for a long time: the “Y.” ere on the South Coast we have six branches of the Y: Dartmouth, Fall River, The Gleason Family YMCA in Wareham, Mattapoisett, New Bedford, and the Stoico/FIRSTFED YMCA in Swansea. None of the branches are sitting still, so to speak.

Stay moving

“Since I’ve joined the YMCA, 12 years ago, we have been in expansion mode,” said Nancy LaRue Bonell, Vice President of Operations for YMCA Southcoast.

“The campaign for Fall River is almost done,” she

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January 2016 / The South Coast Insider

said, “and we’re still working on Swansea.” She’s speaking of the Stoico/FIRSTFED YMCA, as it’s officially known. A swimming pool is part of the expansion plans at Swansea.

The Fall River Y was built in 1903, at a time when the YMCA buildings were “stairs and halls,” said Bonell, and among the priorities of any updating project for the older YMCAs is full access for members with handicaps.

The New Bedford Y will have its turn in the near future, as soon as the Stoico/FIRSTFED Y is finished. Built in the 1970s, the New Bedford facility was expanded in the 1990s, but is now in need of modernization.

The New Bedford Y serves a wide range of people, from the preschoolers in day care to the older kids in the after-school programs to special wellness programs for seniors. The Y takes care of and has programs for all age groups and every level of physical ability.

There are special programs at the various Southcoast Ys designed for adult cancer survivors whose therapy and the course of their cancer has resulted in chronic fatigue or a loss of physical conditioning. The LIVESTRONG program is a 12-week small group program, and is available at no charge to the participants.

The conditioning equipment at the half-dozen

Southcoast Ys is impressive, marvelous machines that time your exercise, count your calories, monitor your heartbeat, keep score of your progress and even match you up with other people, storing your performance on the machine to allow you to exercise with or compete against people anywhere.

We took a quick ride around the virtual block on one of the “Expresso HD” stationary bicycles. First you select where you want to ride, and voila! There on the screen in front of you is a road, winding through the countryside. You’re right behind another rider, whom you can pass if you pedal a bit harder. The road curves, and you follow it, turning the handlebars and being careful as you pass another rider. The screen reads out your heart rate, caloric burn rate, speed and the gear you’re in. For the hard core you can select a route that seems to be nothing but uphill, with competing riders that don’t give up their place easily.

Top shape

With all the fancy machines and opportunities, most people benefit from some guidance, whether it’s learning how a machine works or setting up a wellness program tailored specifically for you.

That’s the job of Mary Beth Gamache, the New Bedford Y’s wellness director. “We offer free consultations with all memberships,” she said, and for a good reason. “They are more likely to continue and succeed.”

With the combined efforts of Gamache and her staff, anyone, from yesterday’s couch potato to members that have made staying fit a lifelong habit, can establish an exercise program.

Actually, even the term “couch potato” has been replaced with a more aspirational title. “We call them ‘health seekers,’” said Gamache, and urged members to not be shy about working with a trainer.

“We can help them,” she said. “I’m a student of the human body, and have an extensive background in training, plus a trained staff.”

Membership in the Y is available and affordable for everyone. “We have reduced rates to match our income,” said Bonell. “We even have ‘full scholarships’ to deserving members.”

She said that at the New Bedford Y, twenty to twenty-five percent of the members are on some sort of financial assistance. “We can help anyone join.”

The South Coast Ys are a community resource all across the region, with trained staff, modern equipment, and programs to suit everyone. Full information on all of the various branches can be found at their website, www.ymcasouthcoast.org.

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The South Coast Insider / January 2016

17

YOUR HEALTH

Building a better resolution

BY Jay Pateakos

Every one of us suffers with some kind of weight control issue, whether we’re skinny, heavy, or anywhere in the middle.

It’s with that in mind that most of us form our New Year’s resolutions. And the numbers show that those resolutions are generally ill-fated.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, 78 million Americans suffer from obesity (roughly one third of the population) and 24 million of that number are severely or morbidly obese. The rate of obesity itself has tripled since 1960 and is estimated to rise to 42 percent of the population by 2030.

Obesity, categorized by a Body Mass Index (defined as the body mass divided by the square of the body height) of 30 or more has been linked to dozens of diseases, including Type-2 Diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and more.

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January 2016 / The South Coast Insider

Several cancers, including cancer of the pancreas, esophagus, colon, and rectum are directly linked to obesity, resulting in approximately 50,000 new cases each year and an estimated 500,000 by 2030 if things don’t turn around, and quickly.

So yes, resolutions for weight loss are a good thing, if they are kept. Just a modest five to fifteen percent total body weight loss could save your life.

Fighting back Martin A. Fogle, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Prima CARE, said that the implementation of Prima CARE’s comprehensive program for weight management (affiliated with their Endocrinology Division and St. Elizabeth’s

Medical Center Bariatric Surgery Program) grants Prima CARE patients the combined benefits of diet, exercise, behavior modification, and weight-loss surgery.

Prima CARE’s Endocrinologist, Dr. Tamer Yacoub, works alongside Dr. Anthony McCluney in providing the safest and most effective medical and surgical options for weight control. Dr. Fogle noted that they are aided by dedicated Nurse Practitioners, dietitians, and psychologists, all working in concert to customize the program to a patient’s desires and medical needs. Fogle said the results of the weight management program have been incredible, with Type-2 diabetics becoming non-diabetic and others losing enough weight to improve other ailments that afflicted them.

Even weight-loss surgery has drastically improved over the years, becoming far less invasive and allowing for a faster recovery process.

“These are benefits that would not have been possible ten years ago,” said Fogle. “It’s really saving lives.”

First steps Prima CARE/St. Elizabeth’s Weight-Loss Center offers a complete medical evaluation, followed by a variety of options, including the Transitions Lifestyle System (TLS) Weight Loss Solution and an expert evaluation for surgical weight-loss procedures. Dr. McCluney has extensive experience with minimally-invasive laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery, sleeve gastrectomy, gastric banding, and anti-reflux procedures, utilizing the advanced surgical facilities and staff available at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center.

Dr. Tamer Yacoub, the Prima CARE Endocrinologist and an expert in the dietary and medical aspects of weight control, said they’ve linked up to 103 ailments related to obesity, including diabetes, hypertension, and more. Dr. Yacoub said back in the day, all these ailments—obesity included—were treated separately, and in some cases ignored obesity completely. Today, it’s a holistic approach beginning with 1) behavioral modification in adjusting old habits into newer, healthier ones; 2) meal planning; 3) physical exercise like walking that doesn’t necessarily mean working out; and 4) medication or a surgical approach.

“We can offer the first three together and can offer medications at the beginning or further down the road,” said Dr. Yacoub. “Our slogan here is that people don’t plan to fail— they fail to plan.”

Following through Yacoub said that during the initial motivational interviewing, patients are guided through an individualized program where they come up with a plan for each individual lifestyle instead of forcing them into a program that doesn’t fit their lives and that patients eventually rebel against. Dr. Yacoub said the individual approach has proven to be much more effective.

“Our twelve-week weight management program is twelve weeks because it takes that amount of time to change, along with another six to twelve months to develop new habits. At the end of the twelve weeks there are maintenance classes that participants can Continued ON NEXT PAGE

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19

Continued FROM PREVIOUS PAGE take for as long as they want,” said Dr. Yacoub.

“The end result is a weight loss of between five to ten percent with improvements in diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol, a reduction of medicines, and an improvement to overall quality of life.”

Dr. Yacoub said there is a knowledge gap between the planning and strategies of weight loss, with many people not understanding the full implications of obesity.

“They lack knowledge on how to do it or the plan to execute it,” said Yacoub. “At our initial consultation, we explore other diseases caused by an increase in weight, screen for diabetes and cholesterol. Some question the start of medications, but for the vast majority, we start the meds later on. The good news is four medicines have been recently approved by the FDA for chronic weight issues, and that gives us more options.”

Improving the three M’s Dr. Yacoub said the weight loss management program helps with the Three M’s: Metabolic (high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.); Mechanical (back pain, joint pain, reflux, etc.); and Mental (quality of life, fatigue, and depression.)

There are plenty of success stories. Yacoub speaks of one gentleman who had come to him five years after heart bypass surgery, a diabetic and on 140 units of insulin, constantly struggling with his eating and exercise habits. By the 8th week of the program, the man came off all 140 units of insulin, lost 28 pounds —good for eleven percent of his weight—and fell into the non-diabetic range.

Nicole Pecquex, MD

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January 2016 / The South Coast Insider

“It was a significant improvement in quality of life, stamina, and endurance,” said Yacoub.

Another patient has already lost twenty pounds—seven percent of her body weight— and dropped her insulin level by half.

“Obesity is a chronic disease with a longterm impact on health and quality of life.

Weight loss and weight maintenance needs a lifetime of support to be achieved,” said Yacoub. “Weight loss is only the first phase.

You need to work as hard as you can to maintain it.”

“It’s a lifestyle change issue and we want them to begin making those changes early on because they will have to be doing that after the surgery…”

Scrutinizing surgery Dr. Anthony McCluney, a Steward/ St. Elizabeth’s surgeon who specializes in Laparoscopic and General Surgery as well as Bariatric Surgery, handles the surgical management of weight control. He said there’s been certain stereotypes about weight loss surgery, but like Fogle, stressed the great changes that have come over the last few decades. Dr.

Tamer Yacoub, MD

McCluney said the surgical route for many patients has proven to be more beneficial and effective than non-surgical approaches involving medicine, dieting, or more. He said that surgery, now just a one-or two-night stay, can take the place of a lifetime of medicine, something good for the patient and society as a whole. It’s not the “easy way”—patients for surgery are required to lose weight beforehand, McCluney noted, working with a nutritionist to create a plan for them.

“It’s a lifestyle change issue and we want them to begin making those changes early on because they will have to be doing that after the surgery,” said McCluney. “If they can’t do it before the surgery, it tells you something about how they will do after the surgery.”

Surgery becomes an option for those with a BMI over 40 alone or anyone with a BMI of 35-40 with any accompanying weight-related illnesses. Dr. McCluney said that in the end, the surgical approach is also an educational approach because it’s a lifestyle change in eating, exercising, and overall health that will follow the patients the rest of their lives. He said the joint effort between Prima CARE and Steward Centers for Weight Control program represents a multipronged solution that includes a team of providers that assist the patient, helping to attack the weight problem from different angles.

“We take an individualized approach that helps guide the patient through the process.

We focus on ensuring each patient is fully prepared for surgery and is in position to be successful after surgery,” said Dr. McCluney.

“Every patient has regular appointments with the bariatric team which includes surgeons,

Anthony McCluney, MD

nurses, and dietitians, all specializing in weight loss surgery. Obesity is a complex disease, and it takes this kind of team approach to be successful.”

Myth busting Part of what is unique is the number of locations they serve. Steward Centers for Weight Control has five locations in communities across Eastern Massachusetts with its newest location a partnership with Prima CARE, which intends to provide local access for Fall River and the surrounding areas.

When asked about the common myths regarding weight loss surgery, McCluney pointed to concerns about safety, which has improved greatly over the years.

“These surgeries are very safe especially since we now do all surgeries using a minimally-invasive camera (laparoscopic) technique,” said McCluney.

But is surgery a last resort as opposed to dieting and exercise and possible medication?

“The major difference is that surgery provides long-term results. Research has shown that weight-loss surgery along with diet and exercise offer better and more permanent results than diet and exercise alone,” said McCluney.

“For some (but not all) patients, it is a last resort. Even if it is, that is not necessarily a bad thing. Making the decision is the first step toward fixing the problem. Our job is to be there whenever the patient is ready to make that change.”

For many, statistics show the biggest hurdle isn’t losing the weight, but rather keeping the weight off.

“This is where the nutrition education and exercise come into play. We continue seeing our patients for years after surgery so they’re not left to do this on their own,” McCluney said.” It’s vital that all patients understand that the surgery is only one piece of the program.

The work for the patient and our team continues long after the day of the procedure.”

Most New Year’s resolutions fail, but the Prima CARE professionals are dedicated to having yours succeed.

Located in Building #1 of the Prima CARE Durfee Mills complex, The Center for Weight Control brings together experts in Internal Medicine and Bariatric Surgery—conveniently located in Fall River or at www.prima-care.com.

For referral to the Prima CARE/St. Elizabeth’s Center for Weight Control, speak to your Primary Care Provider about a referral, or call 508-235-0481.

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21

FOOD NOTES

One-pot wonders:

Souper food!

BY Elizabeth Morse Read

January is National Soup Month! It’s time to put your grandmother’s tureen on the supper table and ladle out some serious comfort food on these cold winter days.

T

here is no meal that evokes such strong memories as soup – coming home from school on a snowy day to the aroma of Meme’s ham-andpea soup, fish soup on Christmas Eve, or being nursed back to health with chicken-noodle soup. A bowl of homemade soup heals the body and the spirit, and it’s been the staple meal worldwide since our cavemen ancestors learned how to boil water.

Growing up here on the South Coast, I ate a lot of soups. My own family heritage was a muddle of Irish, English, Scottish, French-Canadian, and swamp Yankee. We ate barley soup, split-pea soup, corn chowder, and a mysterious concoction called “French soup” (aka kitchen-sink soup with hamburger chunks and a can of tomato sauce).

Fortunately, many of my school-mates were either

22

January 2016 / The South Coast Insider

Portuguese, Polish, Lebanese, or French-Canadian, so I ate soup at their houses a lot.

Every family, region, ethnicity, and country takes pride in their “special” soup recipes, which are handed down from generation to generation.

In New England, we’ve got clam chowder. In the South, they’ve got gumbo. The French have their bouillon and bisques, the Greeks have avgolemono, the Vietnamese have pho, the Portuguese have caldo verde, the Japanese have tori-jiru, the Hungarians have goulash, the Italians have pasta e fagioli, the Scots have cock-a-leekie, and the Ukrainians have their borscht. Richly-flavored, nutritious, sticks-to-your-ribs soups made from humble ingredients.

Soup is a miraculous brew of peak-nutrition in a bowl, especially during the winter months. Our great-great-grandparents may not have understood

the chemistry of nutrition, but they knew to add some meat bones into a bubbling broth for a ration of protein, calcium, and Vitamin B12. They’d throw in some winter kale and carrots (for Vitamins A & E). They’d use garlic, peppers, ginger, spices, and onions (for antibacterial protection). They’d add cabbage and cauliflower (for Vitamin C) and a grain like pasta, rice, barley, or noodles (for minerals, fiber, and carbohydrates.) Soup was a life-sustaining peasant food made with whatever food was available during lean times. It kept people alive back then, and we, their 21st-century descendants, are still using those old recipes to give comfort to ourselves and to others.

Man does not live by soup alone

Soup has always gone hand-in-hand with some form of bread. What we now call “soup” actually

started out as a boiled-whatever broth poured over stale breads. The English words “sop” (bread dunked in soup) and “supper” echo the instinctive expectation of bread with soup.

The knee-jerk association of soup-and-bread is hardwired in our mental-menu, like fish-and-chips on Friday and then baked beans and B&M brown bread on Saturday, or when your mother fed you soup and Saltines when you were sick back in third grade. Soup-and-bread reminds us of warmth, good times, and belonging – the ultimate comfort food. Think about soup kitchens and breadlines – since ancient times, people have always felt the moral obligation to feed the poor, the hungry, and the homeless. Remember reading Stone Soup, the classic folk-tale about how making soup brings people together, even strangers?

We all innocently carry on that collective memory of soup-goes-with-bread. An authentic bowl of French onion soup still has a slice of stale baguette on top, right? For instance, would you eat again in a restaurant that served you clam chowder without a packet of oyster crackers? Or a bowl of kale soup without a Portuguese roll? Or chicken soup without noodles or matzoh? Or even canned Campbell’s tomato soup without a grilled-cheese sandwich?

What’s wrong with that picture?

Soups can be amazingly calming, as well as comforting [see sidebar]. Even the most finicky children and picky eaters can be tricked into eating a healthy meal when distracted by an amazing homemade soup. Picture two American middle-schoolers getting dragged through Belgium during asparagus season (i.e. their spring break.)

Once they realize that (a) there was no Hard Rock Café in Belgium, (b) Mom has no intention of eating at McDonald’s, and (c) ordering an Americanstyle cheeseburger-and-fries anywhere is a really bad choice, they suddenly became open to trying Mom’s tureen of cream-of-asparagus soup. Those kids were mine, and they were instantly converted to fans of the local fare, and even started ordering their own meals in fractured school-French.

“Soup’s on!”

Eating soup is a deep-in-our-bones communal event, going back to our ancestors hunkering around the campfire, boiling some moose bones, berries, and wild greens. The English word “company” essentially means “to share bread with,” and bread has always been shared with a bowl of homemade soup.

Soup is not just the soup du jour starter dish at a restaurant (and most people choose the salad

10 steps to a savory soup or stew

F

irst of all, the only real difference between a soup and a stew is the thickness of the broth and the size of the individual ingredient pieces. A gravy-like broth (thickened) with chunky pieces is a stew/chowder; a clear broth with small pieces is a soup. In other words, soup has a higher ratio of liquid to solid.

The broth base for either a soup or stew is always the same – a clear liquid simmered with meat/beans, herbs, and vegetables. Adding acidic ingredients like tomatoes, vinegar, wine, or lemon juice helps soften proteins (meat, beans) and gives the broth a piquant flavor.

A note about salt (sodium): except for the pinch of salt in step 1, don’t turn your soup broth into a pucker-y brine by adding more salt. If you’re adding canned tomatoes, V-8 or a carton of store broth, always use the low-salt/sodium version.

Don’t add bouillon cubes or those “seasoning” packets that come with ramen noodles and dried soup mixes – they’re nothing but flavored salt. Let the subtle flavors of the soup’s ingredients season the broth.

4

If you’re going to add uncooked red meat (like beef cubes or cut sausage), first add a can of chopped tomatoes with its liquid, V-8 juice and/or some cooking wine/red vinegar to the broth – you need an acidic ingredient to “tenderize” the meat. If you’re going to add pieces of raw white meat (like chicken or fish), use lemon juice, cider vinegar or rice wine instead. Bring the broth to a boil.

5

Add the prepared meat (or rinsed beans/ lentils, if you’re making vegetable soup), cover and simmer until everything has softened.

6

Fast-cooking soft greens like peas, cut-up string beans, spinach, chard or chopped broccoli florets should be added now.

7

[see step 7 before you start] In a large covered pot or Dutch oven, saute earthy vegetables like chopped garlic, onions, and mushrooms with a pinch of salt in a little oil until soft. If the recipe calls for a spicy kick, add a few sliced hot peppers at this stage.

Meanwhile, pre-cook and rinse your grain starches separately – rice, pasta, gnocchi, dumplings, noodles, wontons, barley, tortellini, potatoes… (If you cook them directly in the hot soup broth, they’ll suck it all up and you’ll be left with a chewy casserole.) Stir in the pre-cooked grains when the meat/fish is thoroughly tender and starting to shred. They’ll reheat quickly.

2

8

1

Add lots of chopped watery vegetables like celery, cabbage, leeks, bok choy, onions and a splash of water; cover and simmer until soft – they’ll “melt” and produce a lot of savory liquid.

(The more watery vegetables you use at this stage, the less plain water or store broth you’ll need to add. Add only enough liquid to keep all ingredients just barely covered by the broth, but not drowning in it. Remember that simmering a soup over time brings out the flavors – boiling it to death in a hurry turns everything into a tasteless mush.)

3

Add cut-up root vegetables (like carrots, turnips, parsnips) and chopped dark greens (kale, collards, chard) to the broth and let them simmer until almost soft.

If you want to thicken the broth [see sidebar], this is when you stir in the prepared thickening ingredients. Keep stirring.

9

Sprinkle crushed herbs and green garnishes (like chopped parsley, scallions, cilantro, chives), cover and remove from heat. Let it sit for a while, so that all the flavors can “marry.”

As it cools, the broth mixture will thicken. If there’s a layer of fat or grease that rises to the top as it cools, skim it off and discard it.

10

Serve with bread, baguette, croutons, crackers, naan, lavash, matzoh, tortillas, ciabatta, or whatever other grain you prefer.

Continued ON NEXT PAGE

The South Coast Insider / January 2016

23

“It’s all in the whisks”

How to thicken a broth

The sure-fire technique for successfully thickening a clear broth is pretty simple: first, make sure that everything in the soup is “done,” and that the clear broth is scalding hot, but not boiling.

With a wooden spoon, swirl the soup round-and-round, so that you create a funnel in the center. Slowly pour your prepared thickener into the funnel as you stir—it’ll distribute itself evenly. No lumps!

Depending upon your recipe’s ingredients and ethnic “flavor,” you can turn a clear soup broth into a thicker, cloudier stew/ chowder broth in many ways: For instance, by whisking a starchbased flour (like corn starch, chickpea flour (besan), Wondra) into a separate measuring cup of the hot broth, then slowly returning it to the pot. You could also make a classic roux of butter, flour and milk. If you tried to add these flour-based thickening mixes directly into the pot at the wrong time, you’d end up with nasty lumps —go the extra step and make this thickener mix separately.

For certain soup recipes, you can whisk eggs with lemon juice (with maybe some grated cheese and fresh pepper) and stir that into the broth. You could also use hummus (or mash some cooked beans into a paste with some hot broth), and swirl that back into the pot.

Or you could slowly pour in dairy products like sour cream, yogurt, milk, or butter. Warning! Don’t let the soup pot come to a boil after you’ve thickened it with egg or dairy products. Put it on the back burner ASAP. Otherwise, the milk will curdle and the broth will get stringy and sour-tasting.

24

January 2016 / The South Coast Insider

Continued FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

option anyway, right?). Soup should always be the main event, the piece de resistance, at your winter table, if only on the Sabbath or when company’s coming. Eating soup and bread together is a means of carrying on traditions, relationships, and memories.

Soup equals group.

Fondue, cholent, New England boiled dinners, pot-au-feu, clean-out-the-refrigerator soup, “perpetual stew,” eintopf and lapskaus… there should always be something simmering on the back burner or in the crock-pot during the winter months.

of last night’s peas, the carton of Chinese take-out white rice. Soups are perfect for freezing in serving-size portions for after-school snacks, and they make great take-along lunches. And if someone you know is feeling under the weather, a container of homemade soup is a very welcome gift, especially in the winter. And eating homemade soup in January is a surefire way to detox and slim down after the binge-eating excesses of the holidays.

Americans consume almost 3,000,000 cans of commercially-produced soup every year (like Campbells, Progresso, Goya), along with the countless driedsoup mixes (Lipton, Knorr, ramen-noodle soups) eaten in college dorms and lonely kitchens. But eating fake insta-soup from a can or microwaveable package misses the point, completely, of what making and eating soup really means.

Anyone can hit the buttons on a microwave, but real people make, eat, and share homemade soup.

With bread. With others.

January is National Soup Month. It’s also National Soup Swap Month. Food for thought.

Anyone can hit the buttons on a microwave, but real people make, eat, and share homemade soup.

“Soooup, beauoootiful soooup!”

The true beauty of homemade soups, in addition to their health and happiness benefits, is their economy and longevity. Unlike most meals, soups always taste better the next day. They’re also a great way to use up leftovers – the turkey carcass, the lonely carrot in the bin, the small Tupperware

Can chicken soup really make you feel better?

In the 12th century, the great physician and rabbi Maimonides praised chicken soup for its health benefits. They don’t call it Jewish penicillin for nothin’.

Long story short—chicken soup absolutely works.

Homemade chicken soup will not cure cancer or insanity, but if you’ve got a cold, the flu, an infection, stomach bug, morning sickness, or a hangover, homemade soups do actually help ease your aches and pains. If nothing else, a bowl of hot soup will warm up your hands and your insides on a cold day—even the rising steam will unclog your frozen or stuffy nose.

Homemade soups contain powerful antibacterial/ anti-inflammatory ingredients like onions, garlic, mushrooms, or peppers, and medicinal herbs and spices like turmeric, cayenne, or ginger. Plus, soups are essentially a liquid food, which helps keep the sick person hydrated, and they’re easily digested.

Nibbling on crackers, croutons, or burnt toast between sips of soup will further calm a queasy stomach.

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2331 Acushnet Ave. New Bedford, MA The South Coast Insider / January 2016

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BUSINESS BUZZ

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January 2016 / The South Coast Insider

In a few short weeks the tax filing season will begin, and I will start meeting with clients reviewing their income and expenses, discussing the financial gains and losses they’ve experienced over the year.

The tax returns we file present a snapshot of our financial year.

Did your income go up or down? Did you sell a home or buy another? Did your portfolio go up or did your investments take a nosedive? All of these issues provide insight into our financial lives, but when I view a client’s tax returns I see much more than just an overview of their financial situation.

A tax return reveals new dependents. A child is born. There are childcare deductions, and we talk about plans to fund college. Almost before you know it, the child has grown and we’re filing for college education credits. A change in filing status

signifies a divorce and then another change, a new marriage. We see a year of unemployment and then a new employer. A job was lost but another found.

Sometimes we see major losses. The death of a parent or child. High medical expenses related to illnesses or accidents.

People age, children grow and move on, and the family home is sold. A new home is found. As an outsider looking in, I am a voyeur following from a distance watching the ebb and flow of life’s gains and losses.

My mother died a little over six years ago—one of life’s great losses—and every so often I make a list of the gains

and losses we’ve experienced since she left us. My daughters have both finished their schooling, and a grandchild has been born. He has brought us all great joy after much loss. One of my brothers experienced a divorce and then a re-marriage. Another brother is remodeling my parent’s family home. Two other grandchildren recently graduated from high school and have traveled off to college.

In six years we’ve suffered the loss of loved pets and acquired new ones. Time is like a magic eraser slowing erasing old wounds and making room for more joy.

Much has changed. Every year brings more things to mourn and even more things to celebrate.

When meeting with clients I have often found the business of the tax preparation to be the easiest part of the meeting.

The numbers on a tax return are easy to balance, but it’s the emotional gains and losses that are harder to reconcile. The death of a spouse, a child, a debilitating illness or devastating divorce can undo even the soundest among us and sometimes there are tears on both sides of the desk. There are also large gains—pictures of grandchildren, graduations, marriages, and travel plans. The business of tax preparation naturally brings us inside a client’s life, and they look to us for a reminder that they aren’t alone in their losses. So I try.

Experience tells me that I will see that same clients again in a year, and their lives will be different. We will spend our time discussing different gains and losses they’ve experienced in the past year. The job loss that was so devastating the year before might only be vaguely remembered. The loss of a spouse that was so fresh at our last meeting will be a year past and the wound less painful.

For me, this time of year makes me reflect not only on my own gains and losses but those of the clients that I serve, and I wait for these stories reflected on the pages of a tax return. Stories of love lost and found, stories of deaths and births, achievements, trips and changes. And, when I meet with a client in a year of loss, I let them share their story knowing that next year will bring stories of different gains and losses. May this New Year bring you great gains, and may your losses be few and roll away easily!

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27

BUSINESS BUZZ

Bridgewater State

celebrates!

By Michael J. Vieira

One of the treasures of the South Coast is Bridgewater State University, which last year began its 175th year of service with a new president, a birthday bash, and a rededication to what was described as “a holy and philanthropic cause.” estled in the heart of a New England town, the original campus looks like a movie set. Boyden Hall, with its stately white columns overlooks the green grass of the quadrangle, which is surrounded by historic buildings that have been modernized within but unchanged outside.

In fact, September 9 was not only school’s birthday party, but also a day marked by the rededication of

Woodward Hall. This building, the oldest residence hall on campus, has been fully renovated. It opened in 1912 and was originally a “girls’ dorm.” Woodward, like all housing, is now open to everybody.

In a state that boasts 114 colleges and universities, according to the

Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, Bridgewater is the tenth largest institute of higher education, public or private, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Despite its size, it retains a “small school” feeling, with small classes and individual attention.

Faculty and administration work to get to know students, and although I graduated 40 years ago, this alumnus is still greeted warmly by

administrators, faculty, and staff.

Growth has been well-planned and the buildings blend in with the setting. The historic campus core now known as the “West Campus” eases under the railroad tracks and past the MBTA station to the “East Campus,” which has been an area of growth – especially in terms of additional housing – through more recent times.

Continued ON NEXT PAGE

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January 2016 // The TheSouth SouthCoast CoastInsider Insider January 2016

A good example of how the school straddles the past and the future is the Dana Mohler-Faria Science and Mathematics Center, which opened in 2011. It’s the largest building on campus, but its design blends the old comfort of brick with new glass walls.

It sits where the old Marshall Conant science building was – but sprawls gently behind and along the side into a garden and small park with a memorial area and greenhouse.

When the school opened its doors in 1840, twenty-one women and seven men made up the entire school. Today, more than 11,000 students live at and commute to the liberal arts institution.

That’s pretty good for a school that was started in one room in the basement of the old town hall.

A rich history

As Governor Charlie Baker said in his remarks at the inauguration of President Frederick W. Clark, Jr. Esq., 1840 was “a wicked long time ago.”

Martin Van Buren was President, and Horace Mann was Massachusetts’ first secretary of education in 1939 when the dream of a school in Bridgewater began. Mann was not an educator, but a lawyer and legislator. However, he soon became convinced that, “The cause of education is eminently the cause of the age…” as then-Governor Edward Everett said.

“Education… is the great equalizer of the conditions of men – the balance-wheel of the social machinery,” Mann wrote. Public schools and the concept of education for all citizens taught by qualified teachers took root in the state.

Lexington became the site of the first “Normal School,” as the teachers’ schools were called, and Barre followed in the same year. At first, Plymouth, Middleboro, and Bridgewater were contenders to host a school in the southeast of the state.

No less than John Quincy Adams, and Daniel Webster joined Mann in the attempt to convince people to

raise funds for what was then called

by Webster, “a noble experiment.”

The town of Bridgewater raised the $10,000 “subscription” required to host the school. That would equal about $278,000 in 2015.

Nicholas Tillinghast was hired to be the principal and only teacher. Born in Taunton, he attended West Point at 15 after his father died and, upon graduation four years later, was hired as an instructor at the military academy. One of his students was Robert E. Lee. After leaving the service, Tillinghast taught at Boston English High School and other schools, before leading Bridgewater for 13 years.

His students erected a monument at his grave after his death in 1956.

It remains in the Mount Prospect Cemetery in Bridgewater and is inscribed: “His purity of heart, independence of mind, elevation of soul, exhibited the value of the truths which he taught.”

On the day of the 175th anniversary celebration, President Clark, some of Tillinghast’s descendants, and others visited the grave of the first leader of the oldest, permanently located institution of public higher education in Massachusetts. The visit to the grave symbolically connected the past to the present, as Clark looked to the future.

“We remember where we have come from, who we are and why we are here,” Clark said in his inauguration remarks.

A new President

Under a huge tent on a hot September 1st, Fred Clark was inaugurated as the 12th president of the school which over the years has been called Bridgewater Normal School, Bridgewater State Normal School, Bridgewater State Teachers College, State College at Bridgewater, Bridgewater State College, and in 2010, Bridgewater State University.

More than 3,000 people attended, Continued ON NEXT PAGE

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The South Coast Insider / January 2016

29

Continued FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

including the newest students on campus. I was honored to be one of them at a ceremony that featured words from a variety of state and national leaders, students, faculty, staff, and of course, the new president, who said: “I chose to have my inauguration at the same time as the convocation for the Class of 2019 because I wanted to highlight what is and will be most important during the term of my presidency — the success of our students.”

Clark was once one of them. A native of Brockton and the first in his family to attend college, Clark was a member of the Bridgewater State College Class of 1983, which is also where he met his future wife, Carrie Kulick. He often calls her his partner in the presidency.

After working for the late Rep. Joe Moakley, who was instrumental in getting the college a $10 million federal grant (the largest ever awarded to a college in Bridgewater’s class), Clark worked in higher education at the state level and returned to Bridgewater in 2011 as executive vice president and vice president for external affairs.

“He knows this campus like the palm of his right hand, and higher public education like the palm of his left hand,” President Emerita Adrian Tinsley said, and President Emeritus Dana Mohler-Faria agreed: “We could not have chosen better.

There is no one who will lead this institution better.”

Clark used the occasion not only to highlight his focus on students, but also to acknowledge the past and present.

“It is truly my honor to stand before you today as Bridgewater State University enters its 175th year… 175 years advancing equity and justice, 175 years serving Southeastern Massachusetts and the Commonwealth, 175 years transforming student lives,” President

30

Clark said. “I know the transformative power of Bridgewater State University. I have lived it.”

He also looked to the future, outlining three goals: to expand proven practices for student success, to maintain Bridgewater’s affordability, and to leverage partnerships to create “pathways of opportunity,” including 1,000 paid internships in five years.

He is committed to expanding opportunities for adult learners, for community college students, and for at-risk public school students in cities like Fall River, New Bedford, Taunton, and Brockton.

At a time when some colleges are

teachers I had graduated from Bridgewater. If I was going to be a teacher, where else would I go?

Thanks to a scholarship – and my father’s willingness to let me charge a tank of gas each week so that I could commute to the school – I was the first in my family to earn a bachelors, then a masters, (both at Bridgewater) a CAGs, and finally a Ph.D. But it was Bridgewater that changed my life.

A professor, the late James K. Nerney, nudged me to work for the school paper (one of my big regrets is that I never thanked him.)

I loved the writing, editing, and lay-

The author with Bridgewater State President, Fred Clark

striving for exclusivity, Clark wants Bridgewater to be known “for who we include, not who we exclude.”

“We remain a gateway to opportunity for all of our students, many of whom are the first in their families to attend college… a Bridgewater State University education can take you anywhere in life,” President Clark said.

A proud grad

In the interest of full disclosure, as a proud alumnus of Bridgewater, my four years on that campus were life-changing. I didn’t apply to anywhere else because all of the good

January 2016 / The South Coast Insider

ing out, the leading and managing, the deadlines and late night production, and the early morning rides to the printer in Mansfield.

Although I didn’t realize it at the time, it also provided the foundation upon which I built decades of freelance writing, graphic design, publications advising, and classroom teaching in K-12, undergraduate, and graduate schools.

When I returned to teach in Fall River Public Schools, I joined many amazing colleagues – most of whom were also Bridgewater graduates. I returned to my alma mater, Durfee, and worked with great students on

the Durfee Hilltop, yearbook, and other publications both print and electronic. I modeled our program after The Comment.

My first Superintendent of Schools, Robert J. Nagle, was also an alumnus. He thought high enough of his alma mater that his gravestone is inscribed with the Bridgewater motto: “Not to be ministered unto but to minister.”

I always thought it meant “don’t tell me what to do, I’ll tell you what to do,” but President Clark said it better in his address and charge to the Class of 2019.

The mission of Bridgewater, and the legacy of Joe Moakley, is “changing lives through our intervention.” In addition to education, the school has always focused on giving back to the community.

In late September, Bridgewater unveiled a statue of Martin Richard, the boy killed in the marathon bombing, but whose hope for peace will live on through the Martin Richard Institute for Social Justice. His parents, Bill and Denise Richard, met at Bridgewater and graduated in 1993.

According to a Boston Globe article, Richard said that even if one Bridgewater student walks by the statue and pauses and realizes that he or she can help someone in need or that the world can be better place through hope and perseverance, “then surely the meaning of our son’s life lives on.”

After 175, the “noble experiment” that is Bridgewater continues to remain true to its mission, while changing to meet the needs of each new generation. Today, it balances a traditional general education with focused study in areas that have expanded from teaching to business, aviation, STEM fields and more.

“A liberal arts education has no expiration date,” Clark said, “A liberal arts education allows you to adapt.

It is not training to do one thing, but an education to do anything.”

I know it worked for me. Happy birthday, Bridgewater, and thanks.

BUSINESS BUZZ

THINGS TO DO

Mechanics Cooperative Bank announces 2015 community grant program winners!

Color yourself calm

Mechanics Cooperative Bank and President and CEO Joseph T. Baptista Jr., are proud to announce the winners of the 1st Annual “Let’s Keep it Local!

Community Grant Program!”

Thousands of customers voted through the Bank’s website to voice their opinion on which local non-profit organization deserved a share of the $25,000. It was an extremely tight race right down to the finish.

Donation or sponsorship request information and the Mechanics Cooperative Bank donation form are available on their web site at www.Mechanics-Coop.com.

Try to stay inside the lines as you color yourself calm with AHA! Fall River at the Fall River Public Library at 104 North Main Street from 6:30-8:30 pm. Supplies are provided and you are welcome to bring your own.

No registration required. AHA! holds events like the adult coloring club every second Tuesday of the month. For more information and events, go to www.ahafallriver.com.

The winners of the 2015 Let’s Keep it Local! Community Grant Program receive their funds!

(From left) Jack Weldon, Executive Director of Saint Vincent’s Home, (3rd Place Winner; tie), Gail Furtado, President of Forever Paws Animal Shelter (1st Place Winner), Joseph T. Baptista Jr., President and CEO of Mechanics Cooperative Bank, Emanuel Bairos, President of the Kids Kickin’ Cancer Foundation (2nd Place Winner) and Ann Duhaime, Executive Director of Our Daily Bread Soup Kitchen (3rd Place Winner; tie). Mechanics Cooperative Bank would like to thank all of the organizations that participated and the winners for their efforts to promote and support this wonderful program!

New Year’s walk

Take a New Year’s Day hike at the 62-acre hidden gem, the Let Conservation Area in Westport. Park at Sylvan Nursery at 1028 Horseneck Road.

The free three-mile walk begins at 1 pm. For more information visit www.westportlandtrust.org.

Southcoast Health invested $22 million into community health programs in 2014

Working with hundreds of community partners across the region, Southcoast Health invested $22 million in community benefits in 2014. The funds went towards efforts to reduce smoking, help residents lose weight, improve diet, avoid diabetes, detect cancer and heart disease, and help address pressing health equity issues such as chronic homelessness. In addition to programs and services, almost $10 million of these funds went directly to charity care which supports the region’s most vulnerable residents.

Information on the range of community benefits programs and services can be found at www.southcoast.org/news/benefits/.

The South Coast Insider / January 2016

31

DATELINE: SOUTH COAST

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

by Elizabeth Morse Read

It’s time for First Night, so get ready to ring in the New Year! Listen to the bells, the fireworks, and the sounds of friends and families celebrating. Find a warm indoor event—concerts, plays, farmers markets, and readings. Share the love and the warmth of the season with others!

acushnet

A large LNG facility in Acushnet is being proposed by Eversource, the gas and electricity utility, is running into serious opposition from residents and environmental groups.

Talk a stroll through the newly-restored Acushnet Sawmill public park and herring weir! Canoe/kayak launch, fishing, trails. For info, visit www.savebuzzardsbay.org.

attleboro

Take the kids to Mass Audubon’s Oak Knoll Wildlife Sanctuary and Nature Center! For more info, call 508223-3060 or visit www.massaudubon.org.

Check out what’s going on at the Children’s Museum of Greater Fall River.

For more info, go to www.cmgfr.org or call 508-672-0033.

“Radio T.B.S. (Trailer Park Broadcasting Scandals)” will be performed by the Attleboro Community Theatre in February! For details, call 508-226-8100 or go to www.attleborocommunitytheatre.com.

bristol

Learn about life in the 18th century and take the family to the Coggeshall Farm Museum for “Home and Hearth” workshops! For details, visit www.coggeshallfarm.org or call 401-253-9062.

Stroll through the Blithewold Mansion and Gardens! Don’t miss “Sparkle: Christmas at Blithewold” through January 3. For info, call 401-253-2707 or go to www.blithewold.org.

dartmouth Mark your calendar for the monthly Paskamansett Concert Series at the Dartmouth Grange Hall in Russells Mills. Bill Harley will perform on January 9, Fourteen Strings on February 13. For more info, call 401-2413793, or visit www.paskamansettconcertseries.weebly. com.

Paskamansett Woods, the newest nature reserve operated by the Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust, is now open to the public. For more info, go to www.dnrt.org.

Explore the Lloyd Center for the Environment in Dartmouth! Try your hand at canoeing or kayaking! For details and dates, call 508-990-0505 or visit www.lloydcenter.org.

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

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

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

fall river To find out what’s happening in Fall River, go to www.ahafallriver.com or call 508-294-5344.

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January 2016 / The South Coast Insider

All About Your Thyroid

Thu., January 21 6:30 -7:30 PM

“Your Natural Path to Better Health”

The Lloyd Center in Dartmouth has some great January events lined up! There’s the 25th annual New Year’s Day Beach Walk, Birding New Bedford Harbor, and for the kids, Nature Discoveries. For times, locations, and more details, go to www.lloydcenter.com or call 508-990-0505.

HealthFirst Family Care Center has partnered with the Massachusetts Health Connector to offer walk-in enrollment services for state health insurance.

freetown

The Massachusetts School Building Authority has given the go-ahead for the proposal to build a new BMC Durfee High School.

AmeriCann Inc. has filed an application to build a medical marijuana cultivation, testing and processing facility.

Head for Battleship Cove! Call 508-678-1100 for info or visit www.battleshipcove.org. Check out the largest collection of Titanic memorabilia in the U.S., including the one-ton model used in the 1953 movie, at the Fall River Marine Museum in Battleship Cove. Call 508-6743533 or visit www.marinemuseumfr.org.

mattapoisett

Help invigorate and showcase the arts and culture scene in Fall River – volunteer for AHA! Fall River. There will be AHA! events on April 21, July 21, October 20 and December 15 in 2016. To learn more, call Sandy Dennis at 508-673-2939 or Donna Winn at 401-663-6889.

Fall River’s Little Theatre will perform “Into the Woods” January 21-31. For details, call 508-675-1852 or go to www.littletheatre.net.

The Narrows Center for the Arts has a fabulous line-up – there’s NRBQ December 31, Funky White Honkies January 1, Girls, Guns and Glory January 2, David Bromberg Quintet January 21, Donna the Buffalo February 5, Samantha Fish February 11, and much, much more! For a complete schedule, visit www.narrowscenter.com or call 508-324-1926.

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

Free trolley rides to and from the city’s Senior Centers are now available. For a schedule, contact the Council on Aging at 508-324-2401.

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

The Winter Farmer’s Market has returned to the ORR Junior High School gymnasium, and will be open on the second and fourth Saturday of every month through April.

Explore the trails, wildlife, and scenery of the Mattapoisett River Reserve. Leashed dogs are welcome.

Hike, fish, picnic, bird-watch – and it’s a great place for cross-country skiing, too! For more info, go to www.savebuzzardsbay.org.

middletown

Take a stroll through the Norman Bird Sanctuary.

EcoTours for all ages. For info, visit www.normanbirdsanctuary.org or call 401-846-2577.

new bedford

Don’t miss the annual Moby Dick Marathon January 8-10 at the Whaling Museum in New Bedford! For more info, visit www.whalingmuseum.org or call 508-997-0046.

For the fifteenth year, New Bedford has remained the No. 1 seaport in the country for the dollar value of the catch, $329 million this year, thanks largely to scallops.

The Harbor Walk, a ¾-mile path atop the hurricane dike in the city’s south end, has officially opened to the public.

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Continued ON NEXT PAGE

The South Coast Insider / January 2016

33

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

Continued FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

New & Used Tools • Bought and Sold

Fine Furnishings Home Goods Kitchen Equipment

508-235-1006

1225 GAR Highway • Swansea, MA

ToolConsignment.com

Your Theatre Inc. has signed a purchase and sales agreement with the historic First Baptist Church in downtown New Bedford. The church’s congregation will move into the enlarged chapel in the rear of the building, and Your Theatre will renovate the current sanctuary into a permanent theatre.

The Zeiterion Performing Arts Center has partnered with the New Bedford Folk Festival, and will manage the festival’s overall production and marketing in the future.

10%OFF

The wildly popular annual Working Waterfront Festival may soon become a biennial event, next scheduled for 2017.

with purchase of

$10 or more Expires 1/31/15

It’s all happenin’ at the Z! Don’t miss the Zeiterion’s New Year’s Eve Bash at the Whaling Museum on December 31-- family-friendly, food, music, great view of the fireworks! Plan ahead for “Saturday Night Fever: The Musical” on January 17, “Moby Dick” on February 7 and A Night with Janis Joplin February 26! Go to www.zeiterion.org or call 508-999-6276.

Enjoy the centennial season of the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra at the Zeiterion! The NBSO will perform Britten, Schumann and Mussorgsky on February 20. For more info, call 508-999-6276 or visit www. nbsymphony.org.

SCI

The South Coast Chamber Music Series will perform “Sweethearts” at St. Gabriel’s Church in Marion on February 13, and at Grace Episcopal Church in New Bedford on February 14. For more info, call 508-9996276 or visit www.nbsymphony.org.

— Store Hours — Sun. & Mon. 12pm -5pm Tue.-Sat. 10am-5pm

32 Gooding Avenue Bristol, RI 401-396-9600

Take a winter walk through the Buttonwood Park Zoo! For info, call 508-991-6178 or visit www.bpzoo.org.

Take a tour of the city’s historic district and the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park! For more info, go to www.nps.gov/nebe. And while you’re there, explore New Bedford’s evolution from a whaling port to an industrial giant at the new exhibit “Energy and Enterprise: Industry and the City of New Bedford” at the Whaling Museum. For more info, visit www.whalingmuseum.org or call 508-997-0046.

www.secondhelpingsri.com

visit our

Curtain time! Mark your calendar to see Sam Shepherd’s “True West” performed January 14-24 by Your Theatre in New Bedford. For info, call 508-9930772 or go to www.yourtheatre.org.

clothing consignment store

Wander through the urban green space of the Allen C. Haskell Public Gardens in the north end of the city! Learn more at www.thetrustees.org or call 508-636-4693.

located next door to SECOND HELPINGS — Store Hours — Sun. & Mon. 12pm-5pm Tue.-Sat. 10am-5pm • Thu. 10am-5pm

34

January 2016 / The 2016 / The South Coast Insider

Classes Resume Jan. 4th Winter Stock-up Sale!

Sewing Machine Repair/Service Fabric Consignment & Sewing Classes

1160 County St. • Somerset, MA 508-679-9301

(Rt. 138 next door to MaRaffa’s)

Visit the whaling-era mansion and grounds at the Rotch-Jones-Duff House. For more info, call 508-9971401 or visit www.rjdmuseum.org.

If you’re a fan of Americana and roots music, check out the monthly Salon Concerts at the Wamsutta Club.

For more info, go to www.wamsuttaconcerts.com.

newport Stroll through the splendor of “Christmas at the Newport Mansions” through January 3! For more info, go to www.newportmansions.org.

Owl Prowl at Caratunk Bundle up for a night hike in search of owls. Your Audubon guide will call for different species of these beautiful raptors. While we never know if we’ll actually get to hear or see an owl, participants will be sure to learn a lot and have a great night hike. Wear warm socks and shoes or boots and dress warmly. Bring a flashlight. January 20 from 7:00pm. Hike will be canceled in the event of inclement weather or icy trails.

Caratunk Wildlife Refuge, 301 Brown Avenue, Seekonk, MA. Fee. Register online at www.asri.org.

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

There’s a day-trip to Twin Rivers on January 11, and a multi-day day trip to Montreal and Niagara Falls May 15-20. For details, call 508-991-6171. n The Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) of Citizens For Citizens Inc. is looking for retired seniors who can offer their skills, talents and experience to help out public and nonprofit organizations in the Fall River and Taunton areas.

To learn more, call Judy Charest at 508-679-0041. n The Southcoast Visiting Nurses Association (VNA) needs Portuguese-speaking volunteers for its Hospice and Palliative Care programs. For more info, contact Mary Harrington at 508-9733219 or at harringtonma@ southcoast.org.

Prowl for Owls at Audubon’s Caratunk Wildlife Refuge in Seekonk! Great Horned Owl image by Ed Hughes.

Go on a Seal Watch/Nature Cruise in Newport Harbor!

The one-hour tours will leave from Long Wharf through April. For details, call 401-324-6060 or visit www.savebay.org.

Get out the ice skates and head for the Newport Skating Center! For more info, visit www.skatenewport. com, www.newportwaterfrontevents.com, or call 1-888900-8640 x 709.

Talk a stroll through Ballard Park! For more info, go to www.ballardpark.org.

plymouth It’s official… the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station (the only nuclear power plant in Massachusetts) will close by 2019.

portsmouth Get back to your musical roots at Common Fence Music! There’s Qristina and Quinn Bachand January 16, A Gathering of Fiddlers and Fishermen January 23, Wild Ponies February 6, and The Slambovian Circus of

Dreams (at Channing Church in Newport) on February 13. For more info, visit www.commonfencemusic.org or call 401-683-5085.

n The AARP Foundation’s Tax-Aide program is looking for volunteers of all ages to provide free tax assistance and preparation for low- to moderate-income taxpayers. Training is provided, need Spanish and Portuguese speakers. Call 1-888687-2277 or go to www.aarp.org/taxaide.

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

n

providence

Find out what’s on stage at the Providence Performing Arts Center! There’s “Annie” through January 3, “Cabaret” January 26-31, and “Pippin” February 16-21!

Plan ahead for the multi-media concert “StarTrek: The Ultimate Voyage” on February 14. Call 401-421-2787 or go to www.ppacri.org.

Catch “Stupid F#*%ing Bird” January 21- February 6 performed by The Wilbury Theatre Group. For info, call 401-400-7100 or visit www.thewilburygroup.org.

Don’t miss the stunning performances at Rhode Island College – plan ahead for The Muir String Quartet on February 1. For info and tickets, call 401-456-8144 or visit www.ric.edu/pfa.

Listen to the Rhode Island Philharmonic’s performances of Dvorak’s New World January 16 or Ride of the Valkyries February 20! Visit www.ri-philharmonic.org.

Explore the Children’s Museum in Providence! Go to www.childrenmuseum.org or call 401-273-5437.

Continued ON NEXT PAGE

n Junior Achievement of Southern Mass. needs volunteers to teach workforce readiness, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship to students in Bristol County and southern Plymouth County.

Training and materials are provided. For more info, contact Elaine Meredith at Elaine.Meredith@ ja.org or 508-997-6536 x 12. n “My Brother’s Keeper” of Easton and Dartmouth is looking for volunteers, gently-used residential furniture, and non-perishable food for families in need. Free pick-up. Call 774-305-4577 or visit www.MyBrothersKeeper.org.

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

n

The South Coast Insider / January 2016

35

Byron R. Ford, Jr., Realtor ®

Weichert Realtors, Mel Antonio Group Cell: 401-640-7634 • Office: 508-999-6661 x112 www.GreaterNewBedfordHomes.com

President’s Award 2015, 2014, 2013 1160 Rockdale Ave. New Bedford, MA Each officeindependently independently owned Each office ownedand andoperated operated

Helping You Do Smart Things With Your Money 651 Orchard St., Ste. 308-A • New Bedford, MA

www.rollifinancialinc.com

Don’t miss “The Heidi Chronicles” performed through January 3 at Trinity Rep. “The Hunchback of Seville” will be performed February 4 – March 6. For more info, call 401-351-4242 or go to www.trinityrep.com.

rehoboth

Plan ahead to hear “Andrius Zlabys & Friends” on February 13 at Goff Memorial Hall, part of the “Arts in the Village” series. For details, visit www.carpentermuseum.org.

The new Swansea YMCA has received a $1,000,000 gift from the Robert F. Stoico/FIRSTFED Foundation.

Registered Representative & Investment Advisor Representative

Call Rolli Financial, Inc. 508-997-6100

Take the kids to the Roger Williams Park Zoo. For more info, go to www.rwpzoo.org or call 401-785-3510.

swansea

Michael McGreavy • IRA Rollovers • Retirement Planning • Life and Long Term Care Insurance • College 529

Continued FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

Residential Construction Home Improvment Kitchens & Bathrooms Apartment Renovations

Rick Finneran 781-864 -2401

Securities & Investment Advisory Services offered through Cantella & Co. Inc., Boston, MA — Member FINRA /SIPC —

taunton

Taunton firefighters Mathew Arruda and Joseph Santos were honored by Governor Baker and state Fire Services officials as Firefighters of the Year for their heroism in rescuing a handicapped woman in a burning trailer home last summer.

tiverton

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

Happy New Year from

Find out what’s happening at Tiverton Four Corners!

Get details at www.fourcornersarts.org and www.tivertonfourcorners.com.

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wareham

The Wareham Board of Selectmen has endorsed the plan for Compassionate Care Clinics to build a state-approved medical marijuana dispensary near Tobey Hospital by summertime.

warren

Check out what’s playing at 2nd Story Theatre!

“Hysteria” will be performed January 22 through February 14. Call 401-247-4200 or go to www.2ndstorytheatre.com.

westport

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

The Westport Land Conservation Trust is looking for volunteers for the “Tuesday Trail Team.” To learn more, contact pam@westportlandtrust.org or call 508-636-9228.

Explore 18th and 19th-century life at the Handy House. For more info, visit www.wpthistory.org or call 508-636-6011.

36

January 2016 / The South Coast Insider

BRISTOL BRISTOL COUNTY COUNTY PRECAST PRECAST Reinforced concrete septic tanks (1,000-10,000 gallon capacity) n

Leaching chambers

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Galleys and seepage pits

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Manufactured & delivered brick face, decorative stone, and plain concrete precast steps (1-8 steps) (different styles available 4' to 8' wide)

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Pre-cast sonatubes

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The South Coast Insider / January 2016

37

ON MY MIND

MY MIRACLE

By Paul E. Kandarian

I’m not a big believer in miracles. But I am a big believer in miracle babies.

One very much in particular. ne year ago this month, my grandson was born, Michael Everett Taylor. It was an unusual birth – no one knew he was there.

My daughter had what is known as a “cryptic pregnancy,” in which a woman can carry a baby all the way to term without realizing she is pregnant. It happens more than you might think. According to one study, one out of every 475 pregnancies is unknown to the mother until after the 20th week. And one pregnant woman out of every 7,225 learns of her condition when she goes into labor.

It understandably defies belief that a woman could carry a full-term baby and not realize she was ever pregnant. Had it not happened to Jessica, my daughter, I’d be hard pressed to believe it. But it did, and I do. Others may not. I do not care, because the most important outcome is a perfectly happy, healthy, delightful little boy born to two terrific parents.

I tell others this story, particularly women who had long, tough pregnancies, and am met with skepticism. Mostly these are women who were trying to get pregnant, and eagerly looked for every sign of it, the kicks, the water retention, the weight gain, etc.

My daughter had none of these signs. She and her boyfriend, James, weren’t trying to get pregnant, and were using birth control. But she has long had irregular menstrual cycles – not an uncommon occurrence – missing a few months at a time. She saw no significant weight gain, felt no kicking, experienced none of the usual indications of pregnancy.

Then on a late January night, during the first of

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January 2016 / The South Coast Insider

what would be four crippling blizzards in a row, she experienced abdominal pain, and was rushed to the hospital. Jess is not one to give into pain, she’s a tough kid, so she fought it but relented.

At the first hospital they went to, they did an ultrasound – and told her she was one month pregnant and about to miscarry. That was the first bit of incredible news.

The pain was mounting, and she was bleeding, so they brought her to UMass Medical in Worcester, near where they live. They had her in the ER, anticipating a stillbirth. But hours later, as she was pushing out what she thought was a dead child, out came a baby boy – a full-term, squalling, healthy baby boy. That was the second, life-changing bit of incredible news.

To go from not being a mom one day to being one the next was daunting, to say the least.

They thought about doing what they thought might have been best for him – giving him up for adoption.

But the second I walked into her hospital room and saw my daughter holding her swaddled son on her lap, we both dissolved into tears, and I knew that would never happen. And it didn’t.

Today, Michael is as normal as normal gets, a very alert, very healthy child, laughing and cooing, melting my heart every single time his big blue eyes lock onto mine.

Having a baby, even when you expect it in the best of times, is hard. Having one out of the blue is overwhelming. But they, like most parents, soldiered on. They make do with little money, raising their child with the most important currency they have – love. When she was younger and I saw my daughter with kids, I never doubted she would be a great mom. She has done nothing to change my opinion, and strengthens it every time I see them together.

As with the birth of my own children, Michael’s has changed my life. I was head-over-heels about my kids. It was a love unlike any I had ever experienced and thought I never would again. That was until one year ago, when Michael popped into our lives. That love blooms again, in many ways even more magical than before.

One day I was not a grandfather, the next day I was. From the start I embraced it fully, realizing, as most grandparents do, that your sole responsibility is to love them completely and unconditionally. You needn’t fret (though we do) over their upbringing, or the day-to-day energy-draining chores of raising them. You may help build the foundation for their lives, but mostly you just show up and give them every bit of your heart.

My daughter doesn’t mind me talking about this, she doesn’t care what people think any more than I do. She got many things from me (I say proudly) including not relying on others for validation. I say all this to only to let others know it does happen, it has happened, and it is nothing – absolutely nothing – to be ashamed of.

Not long after Michael’s birth, I was telling a friend about it, wondering if I’d have to explain what happened to everyone I told about the baby.

She gave me a valuable bit of advice.

“Just say you have a beautiful grandson,” she said. “That’s all anyone needs to know.”

That’s all I have: a beautiful grandson whom I adore and love and spoil and dote upon and cry just looking at the little giggling bundle of hope and joy and promise that he is.

And that is the miracle.

Getting You Back to Better

Vibra Hospital has a comprehensive inpatient Wound Care Program designed for patients requiring advanced treatments & interventions.

Our wound care team includes certified wound care nurses, rehabilitative therapists and nutritionists. Our program focuses on restoring skin integrity and preventing skin care complications. Although many of our patients have multi-system health complications, the majority show a significant improvement in their wound appearance during their stay at Vibra Hospital of Southeastern Massachusetts.

Surgical Wounds • Complex non-healed post-surgical wounds & incisions • Infected and/or draining wounds complicated surgical wounds Pressure Ulcers with Complications • Multiple stage II, III and IV • Deep tissue injuries Other Wounds Associated with: • Infections requiring IV antibiotics • amputations • Peripheral vascular disease • Venous & arterial ulcers • Diabetic/neuropathic ulcers • Inflammatory wounds & ulcers • Traumatic wounds • Skin tears • Minor burns

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The South Coast Insider / January 2016

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BRAndon WoodS

Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Centers 567 dARtmoutH StReet, SoutH dARtmoutH, mA 397 County StReet, neW BedFoRd, mA From rehabilitation to transportation services, Brandon Wood’s continuum of care offers a variety of services guaranteed to meet the needs of you or your loved one on a short or long term basis.

SHoRt teRm ReHABilitAtion SpeCiAltieS inClude:

ouR dediCAted StAFF inCludeS:

Orthopedic Care & Recovery Stroke Recovery Cardiac Recovery Pulmonary Rehabilitation Respiratory Care Oncology Care & Recovery Pain Management Wound Management IV Therapy Alzheimer’s & Dementia Care

24 Hour Nursing Services 24 Hour On Call Physicians/Phone Doctor On-site Nurse Practitioner Licensed Social Workers 7 Day/Week Physical, Occupational, & Speech Therapists Dietician Activity Director

Brandon Woods is JCAHO certified and accepts: Medicare, Medicaid, Private Pay, Senior Whole Health, Harvard Pilgrim, BCBS, VA & Tufts, United Health Care

Community SeRviCeS Adult dAy HeAltH

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Monday - Saturday 9AM to 3PM FRee Trial Day Socialization & Activities Specialized Therapies Medication Management Hot Breakfast, Lunch, & Snacks Transportation To/From Home

7 Days/Wk, 24 Hrs/Day We offer: Personal Care Companionship Medication Reminders Meal Prep Escort Services

Monday - Friday, 7 AM to 4 PM To/From Medical Appointments Cost Covered by MassHealth/SWH Door to Door Service Escorts Available As Needed Non-Medical Private Pay

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT CRYSTAL MACEDO AT 508.958.5920 toll FRee CentRAl AdmiSSionS: tel 844.322.3648/Fax 978.522.8329 www.elderservices.com • Family Owned & Operated

Pictured from left to right: Edward Petras, Vice President Commercial Lending; Anthony Medeiros, Vice President Commercial Lending; Joseph T. Baptista Jr., President & CEO; Nancy E. Stokes, Senior Vice President Lending; Matthew R. Ledin, Vice President Commercial Lending; Daniel L. Conrad, Senior Vice President Lending

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Pearls, all dressed up in silver with French enamel.

Is your vehicle ready for winter?

Full Detail Special

Earrings, $225

$99 cars

.

$125 trucks/suvs mini vans

Remote Starters

Starting at $245 Ask us about Smart Start!

Necklace, $235.

(508) 673-0561

508-677-3063 483 Bedford St. • Fall River, MA

Swansea Crossing Plaza ~ Swansea, MA 02777 www.plantejewelers.com

NATIONAL TOUR SUNDAY, 2PM

JAN17

www.missZphotography.com • 508.663.6544 Book a newborn session by January 31, 2016 and mention this ad, and receive a complimentary maternity session!

A value of $199!

Terms and Conditions:

IT BEGINS WITH A TICKET...

zeiterion.org

508-994-2900

Zeiterion Performing Arts Center

NEW BEDFORD

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parking available adjacent garage

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No substitutions for maternity sessions–if give birth before session or don’t want session there is no substitution or refunds for complimentary session. Session includes time and talent, customization (including unique clothing and props) and in person ordering session 2 weeks following session. Prints, digital images and products are NOT included in session fee. Maternity sessions are conducted between weeks 28 and 36 weeks of gestation.

Newborn sessions are conducted within first 10 days after birth.

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Clifton

HEALTHCARE CAMPUS

WILBUR AVENUE, SOMERSET, MASSACHUSETTS

Need Short Term Rehab?

Tell your Healthcare Provider you PREFER Clifton…

And, Call Clifton…508-675-7589 for priority placement.

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

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

 Transitional Care

 Outpatient Rehab

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You Have A Choice in Your Care…… .Call Clifton.