Author: Cynthia MacGregor

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Strategies for coping with social isolation

What are you going to do? Your favorite restaurants and night spots are closed, the movie theatres have gone dark, and so have the theatres that offer live shows. All the sporting events have been cancelled, and it isn’t even safe to invite friends over anymore. 

Depending on your work status (employed, self-employed, retired, in search of employment), and the type of work you do, you may find yourself suddenly at loose ends during the daytime, as well. So, really, what are you going to do with yourself?

Believe it or not, I have two sets of suggestions. One set falls into the category of social interactions; the other falls into the category of keeping yourself happily and productively occupied “for the duration.” Ready?

Social interactions

The internet is your new best friend, your fallback for getting together with friends old and new. If you’re not already on Facebook, now would be a good time to join. And if you’re already on Facebook, start spending more time there.

The internet can also provide you with opportunities to get together with friends and family face to face, even though not in person. You may miss talking with your friends over a couple of glasses of wine or beer. You may have had to cancel a visit to your grandkids. But all is not lost.

Chances are you have FaceTime on your smartphone and/or your computer. My friend Deb, who lives in California, FaceTimes regularly with her grandkids in New Jersey and has been doing so since long before we’d ever heard of the coronavirus. She has cancelled her next planned trip to see the kids, but she continues FaceTiming with them. 

But you don’t have to have grandkids (or siblings or other relatives) to take advantage of FaceTime. Use it to keep in touch with your friend around the corner, now that she and you are skittish about getting together for coffee. And since it’s a visual medium as well as a voice medium, you can show her the new outfit you ordered from Amazon and see how she likes it on you.

Facebook’s Messenger app offers another means of getting together visually as well as vocally (or just by text if you prefer). If you and the friend you want to “visit” are both on Facebook, use the Messenger app the same way you would use FaceTime. And then there’s Skype, which again offers visual and voice get-togethers. Most uses of Skype are free. (Calling a landline from Skype incurs a charge—but why would you want to do that anyway?) Instagram also has a video chat function for up to 6 people. And speaking of parties DJ D’Nice hosts “Homeschool at Club Quarantine” on his instagram channel @dnice, where on March 22nd of this year over 160,000 people danced while he DJ’d! Discord and WhatsApp are other free chat services that include voice, and text chatting.

Finally, you can have a party and invite a bunch of friends to join you — remotely. Zoom is an application primarily used for remote business meetings with which any number of people can get hooked in to a “conference.” If you limit your get-together to half an hour, it’s free. Or take some of the money you’re saving by not going out to your fave restaurant or other entertainment, and go for the Zoom plan that will let you stay in the conference for as long as you want. Invite your friends to pour a beverage (“adult” or soft), sit in front of the computer, and have a party or just a conversation.

Keep yourself productively busy

There are plenty of projects around the house and on your computer that aren’t “busy work” but are genuinely useful and really need to be done. What better time than now to do them?

Let’s start with a subject that’s dear to my own heart: writing. How many of you reading this have had an idea for a book, whether it’s the next Great American Novel, a self-help book, or a children’s story, but have put off sitting down and writing it for lack of time? You said maybe you’d write it some day when you retired. Well, now’s your opportunity. Go for it!

And speaking of writing, how about writing your memoirs, or your family history? I don’t mean for you to write this for publication. No, you’re writing for your children, your grandchildren, your great-grands, and beyond, and perhaps for your nieces, nephews, and cousins, as well. 

Now, while you’re at your computer, when’s the last time you went through it deleting old files you don’t need anymore? “Housecleaning” is a term that applies to your computer as well as to your kitchen. You go through your spice rack periodically, getting rid of old spices that have lost their pungency. You go through your fridge periodically, getting rid of old foods that should no longer be eaten even if they haven’t yet turned into “science experiments.” 

You go through your closets periodically, getting rid of clothes that no longer fit you or suit you. Do the same with your computer. Delete files you are sure you have no further need for. You’ll make room on your hard drive for new files and may well find your computer executing saves and other functions faster.

Now, moving on from your computer and getting back to your closets, when’s the last time you went through them all to see what’s in them — clothing and otherwise — that you and your family no longer want or need? Fill giant-sized bags with all the things you want to give away. When it’s once again safe to do so, you can venture out and drop the bags off at your favorite thrift store or other charity. And now that your closets are emptier, reorganize them.

Until then go online and check out organizations like Vietnam Veterans of American at scheduleapickup.com or American Veterans at amvets.org. 

What else in your house needs reorganizing? Your kitchen cabinets? Your bookshelves? Your kids’ toys? Maybe this is even a good time to reorganize the furniture in your living room, family room, or kids’ rooms. 

Some day — in the not-too-distant future, I hope — the need for social isolation will be over. But until then, you have ways to “visit” with your friends and plenty of projects to keep you occupied between visits.

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Your neighbor, the black bear

As creeping urbanization slowly takes over nature’s wild habitats, denizens of the wild increasingly find themselves living in close quarters with us human folks — and foraging our garbage for food. Case in point: The black bear. Once you had to go camping to risk an encounter with creatures of the ursine kind, a.k.a. bear. Now you can step out into your backyard and surprise a black bear attracted by the smell of the steaks on your grill.

While finding a bear in your backyard (or while walking your dog in the neighborhood, or when you’re on a camping trip) can be startling, to say the least, and may make your pulse pound, black bears are not dangerous unless they’ve been confronted, according to Ray Simonsen, Sr., known as “Ray the Trapper.” 

Ray is a licensed nuisance wildlife trapper but says you don’t need to call a trapper if you encounter a black bear. “They’re very docile,” he says. 

You can chase it away yourself, but don’t turn tail and run, he advises. Instead, put your hands in the air. Clap your hands, and yell at the bear — something like, “Hey bear, get out of here, bear.” 

Back up. Don’t turn your back to the bear. You can get a small airhorn at a sporting goods store. One blast will scare the bear back into woods. The bears are more afraid of us than we are of them. There is also bear spray, available at local stores like Dick’s and Bass Pro Shops.

Although bears are normally docile creatures, if one is confronted or feels threatened by a human or a pet, it could react. As long as a bear has the means of a way out, it will retreat unless it has cubs in the area. But if cornered by people or pets, it could become aggressive. 

Bears have been known to tree themselves when scared. If you do encounter a bear and see it climb a tree, leave it alone. It’s not stuck in the tree. It will come down on its own. Just let any neighbors know that there is a treed bear, so they don’t approach the tree and bother the bear. If left to its own means of escape, it will be fine and not bother anyone.

While there’s no way to ensure you won’t have a bear encounter, especially if you’re camping, you can minimize the chances of finding one in your backyard: Keep your garbage cans covered and secured. Thoroughly clean out any backyard grill, fryer, or smoker, and don’t leave food droppings on the adjacent ground. Clean up promptly after a barbeque or picnic; no matter how tired you are, don’t leave the clean-up till morning. Bears can smell food from two miles away.

If you do find a bear in your yard, chances are he is just passing through — unless you’ve left something appetizing out. If the bear can get into your garbage or finds something else of interest, then, just like Arnold Schwarzenegger, he’ll be back.

You are more likely to see a bear in the spring at dusk and dawn. Like most other wildlife, they conserve their energy in the heat of the day. 

What you should not do in case of a bear encounter is shoot the creature. Bears are a protected species. They are losing more and more of their habitat to construction, but the good news (for the bears, if not for those humans who fear them) is that the Florida black bear is making a comeback. There are some estimated 1400 black bears in the state now, up from the low 100s in the 1970s. 

Their worst enemies are humans and cars. Despite laws, poachers still kill bears for their meat and/or their hides. And now there’s a new dark motive for bear poaching: extracting the bears’ gall bladders. It seems that the bile this organ produces is erroneously believed to have medicinal properties. 

The legal consequences for killing bears are less severe than those for killing turkey and deer out of season. But recent proposals would set the minimum fine for killing bears at $750 instead of the maximum $500 under current law. Also, hunting licenses could be suspended for three years, rather than the current yearlong maximum. There is now an effort on the federal level to stop the poaching of black bears. 

While a bear in your backyard that refuses to leave is unlikely, you are breaking the law if you shoot it. In such an event, call the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission at 888-404-3922.

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What The Police Want You to Know

The Parklander spoke with Captain Chris Mulligan of the Broward Sheriff’s Office, Parkland District, to learn what’s going on with our police department that our local residents should be aware of. Captain Mulligan led off the conversation with good news. He said that Parkland citizens are living in a safe community and the first six months of this year, crime is down 30 percent compared with the same period last year. He also spoke about the Center for Public Safety Management’s study of the BSO’s Parkland area in the wake of the Stoneman Douglas incident. One decision that came out of that study was a call for increased staffing. The BSO responded by enhancing traffic safety enforcement and adding a motorcycle deputy. (There previously was not one in the area.) Citations are up as a result, and statistics show that the number of accidents has remained even compared with the same period last year.

In more good news, the increase in staffing also resulted in an increase in the Crime Suppression Team, whose role it is to target specific problems that have been identified as well as the locations and times where and when they most often occur. The Crime Suppression Team moves from location to location in order to combat crime and keep it from occurring. The BSO also has revived their bike patrol unit and now has deputies on bikes in the area, particularly in areas of heavy traffic, in parks, in business areas, and in residential areas. Their mission is the same as that of officers in patrol cars, but being out in the open they can see and hear more of what’s going on in their surroundings. Therefore, they’re also able to interact with residents, businesspeople, and patrons of businesses. The area is also seeing, among the new hires, more deputies who are new to police work. Although not as seasoned as those who have worked in other agencies, but they are fresh and eager to get into stopping crimes before they occur and solving them when they do occur.

Captain Mulligan also said that the Parkland area detective unit has a clearance rate (rate of number of crimes solved) of 32%, making it one of the best in the agency.

In response to comments from residents, the Parkland area unit is also making a greater effort to engage with the community’s residents. They are contacting homeowner associations and attending their meetings on an average of three a month. In addition, some HOAs hold events (e.g. carnivals, Easter egg hunts), and the BSO tries to be a presence there as well. The unit also does its own events, including Coffee with a Cop, where residents can sit down with officers at a restaurant or coffee shop and, over a cup of coffee, discuss their concerns, pose questions to the officers, and get to know better what the BSO is doing in their area. It’s a great opportunity for an exchange of information and ideas. Then there is National Night Out, another anti-crime initiative, and an opportunity for parents of school-age kids to meet their school’s Resource Officer. Last year, at the beginning of the school year over 2000 residents turned out for this. Another event involving kids is Trunk or Treat, a goodie-filled event, co-sponsored by the city of Parkland, that’s an alternative to trick-or-treating and is safer than walking the streets and ringing doorbells. Parkland Unit BSO officers also attend PTA meetings. Additionally, there are programs in which officers read books to kids, which fosters a greater harmony between kids and police. The BSO participates in area farmers’ markets in the fall and spring, also co-sponsored by the city of Parkland. They bring out their specialty vehicles, including a striped police car, for the kids to swarm all over. The SWAT trucks are a special favorite.

Last year the BSO had a Rape Aggression Defense program in Parkland, teaching situational awareness, how to know you’re in danger, and some self-defense techniques. They will repeat this program this year. The Parkland Area unit is getting ready to start a Police Youth Explorer program for middle school and high school students who have an interest in law enforcement and might consider it as a future career. There is training, and the kids get community service hours while developing leadership skills. October will see the first Citizens Police Academy in the district. As the start of the school year is upon us, the Parkland Area unit of the BSO has its safety plan and traffic plan in place so they can be sure they’ll be watching out for our kids.

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Predator-Proof Your Child

~ Is this the first year your child will be coming home to an empty house after school?

~ Is your child starting school for the first time?

~ Is your child walking to school alone this year?

Are you concerned about your child’s safety? You should be! Today, the threat to children from predators is greater than ever before. Predators come in a wide variety. There are those who kidnap kids for ransom. There are perverts who kidnap children for their twisted sexual pleasure. And there are predators who kidnap mostly girls but also some boys for the sex industry. Some are forced into prostitution; others are coerced into posing for nude or sexually explicit videos or photos.

Are you scared yet?

Kidnappings and other bad scenarios occur through a variety of ploys. Sometimes a kidnapper will grab a child and try to force him/her into a car. More often, a lure is used to make the child want to go off with the predator. “My dog just had puppies. Do you want to come see them?” is still a popular ruse, as is, “I’ve lost my dog. Will you come with me to help me find him?” A more recent ruse is, “We’re filming a commercial [or a movie] a few blocks from here. Do you want to be in it? Come with me.” Some predators will watch for a child leaving school and walking alone, and then follow him or her at a distance, so the child doesn’t realize he/she is being followed until he/she is almost home. Then the predator makes his move.

Another ruse occurs when the predator singles out a child who is apparently waiting for a ride. The predator tells the child, “Your mother is busy and couldn’t come get you. She asked me to pick you up and bring you home.” But of course, home is not where he will take the child.

But my use of the pronoun “he” shouldn’t leave you believing it’s only men who are predators. While the majority are men, there are women predators too, especially those recruiting kids for the sex industries.

Teach your child these basic safety rules:

  • If a kidnapper tries to carry you away by force, scream loudly, “Let me go! You’re not my father!” so passersby don’t think it’s just a case of a dad disciplining an unruly child.
  • Turn around from time to time as you walk and be aware of your surroundings.
  • If you think you’re being followed, look for a police officer, or go into a store, or look for a woman who has a child with her, and ask for help.
  • If you think you’re being followed and nobody is home, go to a neighbor’s house and ring the bell.
  • If you’re home alone and the doorbell rings, ask who’s there without opening the door. Never tell anyone you are home alone. Say “My mom is busy, she can’t come to the door.” If the person says he has a package someone must sign for, or if he says he’s a police officer, don’t believe him. Call a trusted neighbor and ask her or him to come over and find out who’s really at the door.
  • If you are really scared, call 9-1-1 and tell them what is going on.

And finally, establish a code word with your child. If you usually pick him/her up from school, band, dance class, Scouts, or wherever, and one day you really do need to send a friend in an emergency, share the code word with the person you’re sending. She (or he) can then say to the child, “Your mother asked me to bring you home. Your secret code word is ‘kangaroo.’” Your child hears the code word and knows it’s safe to go with the person. After you’ve used the code word, change it.

There are definitely “bad guys” out there, but with caution and common sense you can keep your child safe from predators.

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HALF-PAST NEW YEAR’S Whatever Happened to Those Resolutions?

Whether you followed my suggestions in the January issue for accomplishing goals or stuck to the traditional resolutions, how are you doing with that? At the halfway point – July – it’s time for mid-course corrections and a fresh start.

If you’re like most people, you made resolutions on January 1 regarding how you were going to change, how you were going to improve yourself, in the new year. And, again if you’re like most people, it didn’t take long at all before you gave up — stopped going to the gym, started smoking again, drank too much.

The three most common resolutions are usually:

  • I will stop smoking.
  • I will lose weight. I will go to the gym (or work out at home) regularly.
  • Other popular resolutions include: I will stop biting my nails.
  • I will stop eating junk food (or I will stop eating so much junk food).
  • I will be more helpful around the house (for men).
  • I will try to be gentler with my husband/wife.
  • I will try to spend more time with my kids.
  • I will drink less (or I will drink only on weekends).

But whether any of these were among your resolutions, or whether yours were different ones entirely, now that we’ve passed the halfway mark, how are you doing?

Many people who fail to keep up with their resolutions slough it off for another year. But that’s unfortunate. There is really nothing magical about January 1. There is no reason that new resolutions—or a renewed resolve of a failed resolution— can’t be made on February 5, October 12, or March 23—in other words, any random date.

Now, at the halfway point of the year, is as good a time as any. But let me ask you this: Do you really want to change—to stop the bad habit or start the good new habit—or is it only a case of your feeling you should? There is more motivation in the former than in the latter. If you really want to change, and you’re looking for that kick in the pants to spur you into doing it, consider that now, the “half-past New Year’s” point, is as good a time as any and perhaps a better time than most.

It will resonate with people who want a “meaningful” or auspicious start date…although, as I said earlier, there is no real reason to have to start on a particular date, whether that is January 1, July 1, or some other date. Now here are some helpful hints to aid you in sticking to your resolution(s). Don’t make too many resolutions. It’s easier to make one life change, or a couple, than to stick to a myriad of changes. Leave yourself visual encouragement, negative or positive or both. You can tape pictures to the fridge, the bathroom mirror, or any other place that works for you. For someone who wants to start running, a picture of a gold medal. For someone who wants to lose weight, a picture of you at your heaviest, next to a picture of that bathing suit you want to fit into.

For someone who needs to lower their cholesterol count, perhaps a print-out of a lab report or, if your doctor offers this as mine does, a print-out of the summary of your last office visit. Repeat your resolutions out loud daily, 10 times, in affirmation style, while looking into a mirror: “I will never have another cigarette.” “I will become a more thoughtful person.” “I will never drink and drive again.” Remember, the most powerful motivator is wanting to see this change in yourself. Doing it because you feel you ought to or, even worse, doing it to please someone else is not helpful

 

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Wisdom from Our Mothers

 As Mother’s Day approaches, we all find our thoughts turning to our moms, whether they’re still here on this earth or gone but remaining in our hearts. We remember the nuggets of wisdom and advice they imparted to us.

My own mother had many gems she tried to instill in me, including the hoary maxim, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again,” but her byword, always, was “moderation.” If I may say so, she preached moderation immoderately.

What are some of the words of wisdom that mothers of other area residents gave their offspring?

 

Rich James, Palm Springs:

When I was in grade school, I distinctly remember my mother telling me “Always cultivate friends.” It was an interesting choice of verb, and I always did, and continue to do, just that.

 

Rev. Gloria Stanchak Alexander, West Palm Beach:

Mom always said, “Call me anything, but don’t call me late for dinner.” It was funny, but it was a great way to deflect some bars that label and also helps when we get involved in contentious issues.

 

Blair Critch, Fort Lauderdale:

Like many young brides, I ignored quite a few of the words of wisdom my mom offered about marriage…and I paid the price. In a nutshell, she said “If you do it, he won’t.” By “it” she meant housework and child care.

 

In the early days of our marriage we were making great money, so a housekeeper did the heavy work. By the time I had my two sons, the crash of 2008 had made our lives a bit leaner, but I figured that since I was a stay-at-home mom, that meant that I should do all of the cooking, cleaning, child care, and things like garbage duty, light repairs, and even locking up at night.

 

I assumed Ryan would effortlessly step in and shoulder his share when I went back to work, but my mom warned me that I had spent years “training” him not to help.

 

Mom, you were right! It took many, many months for my husband to view the home as a 50/50 partnership when it comes to the work that it takes to run our family, but thank goodness, now he does. I will give the same advice to my daughters-in-law some day—and hope they actually take it.

 

Deena Padnis, Parkland:

My mother, Naomi, always told me to fold a $20 bill and hide it in my wallet and in the car, just in case of an emergency. Sometimes I’ve run out of cash and needed that $20 bill.

The other great piece of advice is to always have food on hand in the event someone stops by. My mom loves feeding others. Since I’m now living in Florida and originally from Philly, I get many unannounced visitors. Luckily my mom’s words of advice have stuck with me. We always have food.

 

Shirl Solomon, Palm Springs:

Wisdom from my Yiddish momma: In my late teens I had many beaus but was dating one fairly regularly. My sister, Sophie, some five years older, was more attractive, more intelligent, and more talented than I, but somehow not as lucky with the opposite sex. My mother approached me one day and asked if I had serious intentions with this one persistent beau. When I replied “No,” she suggested that I tell him and free him to date my sister, Sophie.

 

Today, they are both deceased, but they had a wonderful marriage for 55 years. In Yiddish we call this “chutzpah.” My mother had a lot of that, and I love her all the more for it.

 

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A national “teach-in” put a spotlight on environmental issues

EARTH DAY 1970

A national “teach-in” put a spotlight on environmental issues

“Go green, be environmentally conscious, think eco-friendly.” These catch phrases are now firmly established in the popular lexicon. So it may seem strange that at one time most Americans were largely unaware of the need to clean up the planet and preserve its precious resources.

Flash back to the end of the tumultuous 60s with massive civil disobedience protests against the Vietnam War, and in support of civil rights. Urban sprawl and pollution are starting to make people think twice about the cost of “progress.”

Enter U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin. A large oil spill in 1969 motivated him to make Americans more aware of the importance of environmental issues so that legislation will become a political action priority.

 

Senator Nelson chooses Harvard University graduate student Denis Hayes and a small army of college volunteers to coordinate the activities of “a national teach-in on the environment.” Thousands of communities and schools across America took part. So, on April 22, 1970, Earth Day is celebrated by an estimated 20 million people. It’s a huge, unprecedented, and historic U.S. event.

Lesser known is the fact that nearly simultaneously an international version of Earth Day was conceived by San Francisco newspaper publisher and peace activist John McConnell and actually celebrated first — a mere month prior to Gaylord Nelson’s national Earth Day.

McConnell first proposed the idea of a global holiday to honor Earth and Peace in October 1969 at a UNESCO Conference, followed by a San Francisco Earth Day proclamation and worldwide celebration on March 21, 1970. The United Nations continues to mark Earth Day on that day every year by ringing its Peace Bell at U.N. headquarters in New York City.

An enduring legacy of Nelson’s Earth Day was the subsequent passage of the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Safe Water Drinking Act, and the Endangered Species Act, among other laws. Only three years later, the Environmental Protection Agency was established to protect the environmental health of all Americans.

“Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness, and the extinction of wildlife suddenly realized they shared common values,” states The Earth Day Network.

Flash forward to Earth Day last year when 175 countries came together and signed the historic Paris Climate Agreement to cut carbon emissions to address the disastrous consequences of climate change to all species inhabiting our planet.

Global warming will be the overarching issue as the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day in 2020 approaches. Meanwhile, it serves as an annual reminder that each person can do his or her part, in their own communities to keep the environment healthy for all.

 

 

 

 

 

Please put in a box or something fancy

IF YOU GO

 

EARTH DAY 2017 ACTIVITIES

 

Coral Springs

What: EarthFest

When: April 22, 9am to 1pm

Where: Sawgrass Nature Center. 3000 Sportsplex Drive, Coral Springs

Features: Wildlife exhibits, guided tours, plant giveaways for Coral Springs residents, and children’s activities.

Parking: Dr. Paul’s Dog Park and Sawgrass Springs Middle School.
Information: Visit CoralSprings.org, or call Casey Lee, Coral Springs Environmental Coordinator, at 954-344-1117.

 

Parkland

What: Parkland’s Farmers Market Earth Day and Arbor Day activities

When: April 23, 9am to 1pm

Where: 8350 Ranch Road, Parkland

Activities: Annual Releaf Tree Giveaway (for Parkland residents only). Informational displays on environmental subjects, as well as earth stewardship representatives on hand to speak about native plants in the home and city landscape, national wildlife certification, and more. The Farmer’s Market is dog-friendly.

Information: Visit Cityofparkland.org, or contact Suzanne Newman, Parkland Environmental Coordinator, at 954-757-4115.

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Celebrating 50 years at the zoo where the people are in cages

It’s just past 10am and the residents are hungry. Wildebeests, tapirs, and ostriches gather at flat concrete slabs immediately adjacent to the roadway, to scarf up the feed that the workers have spread out for them. They wander at will throughout their respective areas of the park, uncaged—although the lions remain securely behind a fence. Apparently 10am isn’t their feeding time. They stretch out in the sunshine, napping like overgrown housecats.

It is the visitors who are caged. Lion Country Safari, an attraction in Loxahatchee, Palm Beach County, strictly requires visitors to remain in their cars with the doors and windows closed.

This doesn’t deter some of the animals from trying to get up close and personal with the visitors, but it does keep them safely on the other side of the window glass. As we drove through the animal park on a recent morning, we came up behind another car stopped on the roadway. An ostrich was standing immediately adjacent to the car’s passenger-side window, rippling its neck up and down, back and forth against the window glass.

Besides the obvious appeal of being able to see the animals wandering uncaged throughout the park, there are practical advantages to the set-up, too. If you’ve ever tried to walk a small child through a conventional zoo, you know the dangers of his or her wandering away from you, as well as the probability that at some point he’ll complain that his legs are tired. Driving through this zoo rather than walking through it is also a boon for people like me with mobility issues.

Lion Country Safari is divided into separate sections, with names such as Serengeti Plains, Kalahari Bushveldt, and Las Pampas. Some of the animals’ names are equally exotic: kulan, nyala, greater kudu, and Nile lechwe to name a few. But you’ll also encounter familiar “old friends” such as giraffes, zebras, chimps, impalas, and llamas.

When you’ve finished circling through all the sections of the park, you have the option of going around again, leaving, or—if you’re looking for a chance to stretch your legs—there are lots more things to do in an area where you are encouraged to park and exit your car. You can follow the advice of the song from Mary Poppins and “feed the birds.” You can ride the carousel. There is a petting zoo. Enjoy the Safari Splash Waterplay Area and the water slide. And that’s still not all. Hungry? There’s a restaurant and two snack shops. And what would a park-type attraction be without a gift shop? There are also animal shows and talks at scheduled times.

Although pets are not allowed to ride through the park, the park does provide free comfortable kennels for them if you’ve mistakenly brought your furry family member with you. From June through August, the park offers one-week daycamp sessions. There is a KOA campground. They also host birthday parties and they offer annual passes.

Paddy, a 17-year-old White Rhino, who was born on St. Patrick’s Day, at World Rhino Day at Lion Country Safari in Loxahatchee, Fla., Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013. World Rhino Day celebrates all five species of rhino: Black, white, greater one-horned, Sumatran and Javan rhinos and to bring attention to the plight of this iconic species. (Gary Coronado/The Palm Beach Post)

It’s a winner of an experience for all ages. For more information, call 561-793-1084 or visit LionCountrySafari.com.

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LOOK WHAT’S AT THE LIBRARY!

LOOK WHAT’S AT THE LIBRARY!

by Cynthia MacGregor

Once upon a time—and not that long ago—the library was where you went if you wanted to borrow books or consult reference books. Period. End of statement. But, as the saying goes, that was then and this is now. The library systems in the Tri-country area is a trove of information, materials, educational, and cultural opportunities, and more…and, oh yes, you can still borrow books.

Broward County

The main phone number is 954-357-7444, and the website is broward.org/library. There are 37 library locations throughout the county and a wealth of information, activities, and materials. They offer free special events at the various branches. To find out what’s coming up that might interest you, go to the website and, under “News,” look for the newsletter link. There is also a paper copy of the newsletter available at each of the branches.

If the reason you prefer a paper copy is that you are not too familiar with the computer, you may want to know that their computer classes are popular and they are free. Besides borrowing books, you can borrow CDs and DVDs, and e-books for all popular platforms including Kindle, Nook, and electronic devices—computer, tablet, or smartphone. You can stream movies to your home electronic device, or download music to keep—all for free.

The Creation Station at the main library, 100 South Andrews Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, offers state-of-the-art technology including 3D printers and robotics.

Rosetta Stone is a program through which you can learn a Tower of Babel’s worth of languages including Spanish (Latin American or Castillian), English (American or British), French, German, Italian, Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, Dari (Persian as spoken in Afghanistan), Dutch, Filipino Tagalog, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Indonesian, Irish, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Pashto, Persian Farsi, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Swahili, Swedish, Turkish, Urdu, and Vietnamese.

If it’s learning you’re after but not languages, the Universal Class offers more than 500 areas of study in six-month online courses in such subjects as diverse as accounting, parenting, math, web development, or psychology. You’ll interact one-on-one online with a real teacher.

Also in the area of learning, the library’s e-tutor program can help with homework or studies from kindergarten through pre-college, with a live tutor online…but it’s not just for students. The program also helps with résumé crafting and job searches.

Besides the magazines available to read in the library, you can download the Zinio app and read magazines at home on the electronic device of your choice, through the library.

To learn more, go to the website and/or subscribe to the weekly newsletter, which also lists upcoming special events. To subscribe, send an e-mail to librarymarketing@broward.org

Round bookshelf in public library

Miami/Dade

Their phone number is 305-375-2665, and their website is mdpls.org. They have 49 branches as of this writing, with a 50th scheduled to open around the time this issue gets published. Two bookmobiles travel throughout the county. To find out when one will be at a stop near you, go to the website, look under “Find a Branch,” and on the left click on “Mobile Library.”

Their offerings are similar to those listed above for Broward: CDs, DVDs, e-books, music, movies, magazines available in print in the branches or digitally online with the Zinio reader, and a very extensive research database.

The educational courses are offered via lynda.com with a wide variety of subjects you can study and train in. They, too, have online tutoring via tutor.com. There is an online encyclopedia, and newspapers galore.

Worth noting in particular, they offer information on available foundation grants and how to apply for them. Another highlight: They have a huge genealogy department through which you can trace your family tree. It is not only Florida based; this service can help you regardless of where your ancestors lived. And of particular note: Unlike most of the services offered here (and in the other tri-county libraries), you do not need a library card to use the genealogy department.

Also on offer at the Miami-Dade libraries: a permanent art collection and rotating art exhibits; and a Florida room that houses documents, books, photos, and periodicals concerning Florida’s history, available for research purposes. Also story times, yoga classes, language classes, and musical performances.

If you wish to borrow books or other circulating materials but are homebound and cannot come to the library, the library will mail your desired materials to you. You can request them by phone or online.

Palm Beach County

The phone number is 561-649-5476, and the website is pbclibrary.org. There are 17 branch libraries and one bookmobile, whose schedule is posted on the web or available on paper at all of the branches.

In common with the other two South Florida library systems there are CDs, DVDs, and e-books, and downloadable music to add to your collection. You can stream TV shows and movies to your electronic device at home or watch on the library’s computers. There are magazines to read in the library or on your electronic device at home, and also newspapers you can read at the library.

If the book you want to borrow isn’t in the PBC library system, you can request an interlibrary loan. Participating libraries stretch all across the country, magnifying your chance of finding what you want.

The library’s monthly calendar of events, called “Happenings,” lists all activities for the month by branch and can be accessed through the website, or you can pick up a paper copy at any branch. There are activities for children, teens, and adults.

Like the two library systems above, the Palm Beach County library also offers computer classes.

What’s available at the library these days? Plenty!

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The Origins of Halloween

THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT: THE ORIGINS OF HALLOWEEN

by Cynthia MacGregor

halloween-cat

From trick-or-treating to costume parties, from pranks to watching scary movies, Halloween is a holiday enjoyed by all ages. In fact, it is second only to Christmas in retail sales. But how much do you know about the origins of Halloween?

Its roots go back two millennia, to the polytheistic Romans, who had a goddess named Pompona. Each October the early Romans celebrated the Feast of Pompona, during which they lit fires inside gourds—the antecedents of our jack o’lanterns—to chase away evil spirits.

Halloween’s origins also go back to the Celts, whose new year started on November 1st. Their New Year’s Eve was known as the Festival of Samhain, Samhain being the Lord of Death. On the Celtic New Year, each household would let their fire go out. Then they would go to the Druid priests’ bonfire, light wood or rags from it, and carefully carry this fire home and use it to start a new fire in the hearth. They believed this would bring them good luck in the new year.

Not that long ago, right here in America, kids celebrated Halloween with bonfires. They would throw scrap wood in a pile in the street, and then set fire to the pile. (Do you remember the Halloween scene in the movie Meet Me in St. Louis?)

When the Romans went to war with the Celts some of their customs became intermingled. On the Festival of Samhain, which was on October 31st, Celtic adults would wear costumes to frighten away evil spirits. Soon Celtic children started walking up and down the streets dressed in costumes too, although they didn’t knock on doors or carry goody bags.

Later, when Christian missionaries arrived they were horrified at the things the people believed, and the holidays they celebrated. The Lord of Death? Evil spirits?

But the missionaries knew that the Celts weren’t going to give up their holidays altogether, so instead of telling them they had to stop celebrating the festival of Samhain, the missionaries turned the festival into a celebration of the Christian saints. Since not all saints have days in their honor, the missionaries decreed that any saint who didn’t have a holiday of his or her own would be celebrated on November 1st, which became known as “All Saints Day,” and was also called “All Hallow Day.” The evening before that came to be known as “All Hallows’ Evening,” or “All Hallows’ Eve.”

If you say, “All Hallows’ Eve” quickly, you can hear how “All Hallows’ Eve” got turned into “Halloween.”

halloween

When the Scottish and Irish people, the descendants of the Celts, came over to America, they brought their traditions with them. To this day, Halloween is still mostly celebrated in English-speaking countries, especially Ireland, Canada, and America.

It was the Irish who gave us the name “jack o’lantern” for the carved-out pumpkin. According to an old Irish story, a man named Jack supposedly tricked the Devil into getting stuck up a tree, angering the Devil. Later on, when Jack died, he was not allowed into Heaven because he had been a bad person when he was alive. But because he had tricked the Devil, the Devil wouldn’t even let Jack into Hell.

Halloween pumpkins
Halloween pumpkins

Jack wandered around in the darkness carrying a hollow turnip, which he wanted to light up and use as a lantern. But the devil would give him only one lump of coal to light the lantern. The hero of this fable became known as “Jack of the lantern,” or, in the Irish pronunciation, “Jack o’lantern.” Eventually carved turnips, and later carved pumpkins, with something burning for light inside became known as “jack o’lanterns.”

 

But here’s something else to think about: Why did kids start trick-or-treating on Halloween in the first place?

 

Just as November 1st was called “All Hallows Day” or “All Saints’ Day,” November 2nd became “All Souls’ Day,” which honored people who had died. In England, one way it was celebrated was by handing out “soul cakes.” These were little cakes given to people who knocked on doors and begged for them in return for promises to pray for the souls of the dead—the precursor of today’s costumed kids begging for candy.

Trick-or-treating became popular in America between 1920 and 1950. It seems to be a mix of the old custom of wearing costumes to scare away evil spirits, and the later custom of begging for soul cakes.

This is briefly the origins of Halloween. Boo!

full-moon

 

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PRANK YOU VERY MUCH: ON BEYOND TP-ING

PRANK YOU VERY MUCH: ON BEYOND TP-ING

by Cynthia MacGregor

What does Halloween mean to you? To little kids (and a few bigger ones), anticipating a haul of goodies, the holiday means a chance to dress up in costume, get out and ring doorbells, and see what kind of sweets they can fill up their goody bags with. To teenagers, celebrating Halloween often means binge-watching the scariest movies they can find. And adults, if they’re not staying home handing out candy, might opt for attending a costume party, or hosting one of their own.

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Ah, but then there are the pranksters—primarily kids and teens, although there are some adults like “Amazing Grace” (as she asked to be identified) of West Palm Beach, an inveterate prankster, for whom Halloween is a wonderful opportunity to pull a few good ones on unsuspecting friends.

Amazing Grace seems to be in the minority, however. Two requests for descriptions of Halloween pranks, one in the form of a mass emailing to almost 80 local residents, and the other a notice in a newsletter called HARO (“Help A Reporter Out”), failed to turn up anyone in the Tri-County area who recalled ever pulling a Halloween prank or having one pulled on them—either in their childhood or their adult years.

Fortunately, howeveraddams021, questioning people who hadn’t received the mailings and don’t read HARO resulted in two positive responses—from Amazing Grace and from Grant Houser of Palm Springs.

Amazing Grace says she has a 6’ 2” butler statue that she calls “Uncle Fester.” The eyeballs shift and move, and the chest goes in and out, but only when activated by a clap of her hands. She brings “Uncle Fester” out of storage every Halloween and, when people come over, they are surprised to see the “butler” standing there. They are even more surprised when, at the clap of her hand, “Uncle Fester” starts breathing (chest moving), his eyeballs roll…and he talks. “Huh – huh –huh – hello,” he says. “How may I serve you?” And then, “The master will serve you now.”

Also clap-activated is a “spiritual ball” that, when Amazing Grace claps, lights up, displaying a face inside. This bit of trickery also has a voice. It says, “Good evening. How are you? Are you looking for guidance? Ho ho ho. Go to the nearest store and find it.”

Finally, this inveterate trickster has a fake phone that she can cause to ring on command. She’ll ask the person who’s about to be her prank victim, “Can you please answer that?” and, when they do, a spooky voice emanates from the receiver, saying, “Come with me to the grave. I know what you’re doing.”

Grant’s two pranks, both memories from his childhood, were far tamer by comparison. One was the evergreen prank known variously as “ring and run,” or “ding-dong ditch,” in which the prankster rings someone’s doorbell, then quickly runs out of sight. When the home’s occupants come to the door with a bowlful of candy, expecting to dole some out to costumed trick-or-treaters, there is no one there.

His other remembered prank, though, required a little more ingenuity—and the aid of his stepfather. Grant’s stepdad would take all the thread off a thread spool, then notch the spool all over with a workshop tool. They would approach a home and stealthily go to the window. They would run the notched spool down the windowpane, which made a “terrible, awful, raucous noise” that brought the home’s occupants rushing to the window to see what the cause of that horrible sound was. The residents usually arrived with so much haste that Grant and his stepdad would not have time to make a clean getaway, as Grant did with ring and run, and they wound up face to face with the prank’s victims. But as no harm had been done, there were fortunately no repercussions.

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Starting off Right: Your Child’s First-Ever Day of School

startingschool

Few children today enter first grade or kindergarten with no prior school experience. The majority have either been enrolled in pre-school or they have attended VPK, the free program that prepares children for kindergarten. These programs help make a child’s first day of real school easier. In times past, kindergarten was often a child’s first experience with school.

There is an old joke about the Jewish mother who prepares her son for his first day of school, saying, “Now, bubeleh, go to school and make me proud. You’re a big boy, bubeleh, and you’re going to learn a lot in school. Oooh—here comes the bus. Give me a kiss, bubeleh, and have a wonderful time.” As the school bus pulled up to the bus stop that afternoon, the mother waited eagerly to hear about her son’s first day in the hallowed halls of education. Giving him a big kiss as he stepped off the bus, the mother said, “So what did you learn on your first day of school, bubeleh?” He replied, “I learned that my name isn’t bubeleh. It’s Irving.”

Funny as that joke is, it does contain a lesson: Make sure your child knows what their real first name is. Although many schools today are lenient about the use of nicknames, there are still some that demand that “Pat” answer to “Patrick” or “Patricia,” as the case may be. At the very least, he or she should be aware of what their true first name is. This is even truer if the nickname doesn’t derive from the first name, as in the case of kids who are used to answering to “Red” or “Shorty.”

Although you may be feeling nervous, wondering if your child will make friends easily, if he or she will be accepted by their peers, and other worries, former elementary school teacher Lenna Buissink urges that you try not to communicate those feelings to your child. Children can sense when their parents are nervous. A child who is facing the first day of school with equanimity can develop stage fright if he or she picks up on the fact that you are nervous about this impending event.

Be sure your child has all the recommended supplies. Don’t let them be the only one without a set of crayons, pencils, or whatever else the school requires.

Remind him or her that entering kindergarten is an important step in growing up—that he or she is a big kid now. Since kids take the growing-up process very seriously, capitalize on that and help them to feel proud of being big enough to go to school.

Buissink advises that if the child is nervous, you should honor that feeling. Don’t belittle or disrespect the child’s feelings by saying, “Don’t be nervous,” or “Don’t be silly. There’s nothing to be nervous about.” Instead, say, “Okay, what are you nervous about? Let’s talk about it.” Encourage your child to open up about his or her concerns, and then calmly and positively respond to them.

Even if your child has gone to pre-school or VPK, he or she may be nervous about attending real school. Don’t assume a child will be at ease because of prior school experience. Maybe he will…but maybe she won’t.

While you don’t want to send your child off to school with a teddy bear or security blanket, if there is a small trinket that is meaningful and comforting and will fit in the backpack, let the child bring it to school.

Buissink also advises that you stress how wonderful the teacher is likely to be, and also suggests trying to find something out about the teacher beforehand, then sharing that information with your child. A tidbit like, “Did you know Ms. Jones has a boy your age?” can strike a spark of kindred feeling in the child that can make all the difference between starting school with butterflies in the stomach or with a feeling of confidence and excited anticipation.

by Cynthia MacGregor

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