Category: Community

If you’re hosting a Superbowl party this month, you know how much work goes into the preparation process. If the stress starts to feel overwhelming, just be thankful you’re not responsible for throwing a week-long Superbowl party for all South Florida that will be scrutinized by economic, sports and pop culture analysts and historians.

That’s the weight on the shoulders of Mike Zimmer, president of the Miami Super Bowl Host Committee. After a 10-year drought, South Florida will host Superbowl LIV (54) in 2020.

“Ninety-nine percent of residents in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties won’t go to the game, so my primary goal is to bring the game to them,” Zimmer said. “We’ll hold events in their neighborhoods so they have the opportunity to celebrate with the players, NFL Hall of Famers, and team mascots. Every person in South Florida will have the opportunity to touch the Superbowl.”

Cities that want to enter the Super Bowl bid process must form a host committee to lead the presentation. After selecting Miami for Superbowl LIV, the committee – not the Miami Dolphins or any government organizations – enters a contract with the NFL and serves as the primary liaison between the league and the entire tri-county community.

Zimmer had the same position from 2008 to 2011, where he was directly responsible for overseeing and coordinating the daily operations and preparations for Super Bowl XLIV and the NFL’s Pro Bowl in 2010. That game was the 10th Miami hosted. When the ‘Big Game’ returns in 2020, it will make history for both the league and South Florida.

Although it will be the 54th Superbowl, 2020 will mark the NFL’s Centennial anniversary (dating back before the merger with the AFL). Miami will be the host city for a record-setting 11th time, breaking the current tie with New Orleans for the most ever. Both are significant milestones to add to the long sports and pop culture timelines that tie the NFL and South Florida together.

Miami played host to four of the first 10 Super Bowls, beginning in 1968 with Superbowl II. The Green Bay Packers beat the Oakland (later Los Angeles, then Oakland again, and soon-to-be Las Vegas) Raiders 33-14. That game was Vince Lombardi’s final game as the Packers’ head coach. The Superbowl trophy carries Lombardi’s name and he remains the icon that all other coaching greats like Shula, Knoll, Landry, Gibbs, Parcells, and Belichick are compared to.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys teams of the 1970s, led by quarterbacks Terry Bradshaw and Roger Staubach, clashed in Superbowl X and XIII. The Steelers won both by a total of eight points.

The San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana helped cement his own Hall of Fame legacy in 1989 by leading the game-winning drive against the Cincinnati Bengals from his own eight-yard line with just over three minutes to play. The famous Montana to John Taylor touchdown pass with only with 34 seconds left on the clock remains a staple of any Superbowl all-time highlights reel.

Speaking of great quarterbacks, Steve Young, John Elway, Peyton Manning, and Drew Brees all won their first Super Bowls in Miami. Yet none of these games may be as famous as “The Guarantee” game – Superbowl III in 1969 between the Baltimore Colts and New York Jets.

Jets quarterback Joe Namath guaranteed his team would win the game in the days leading up to Superbowl Sunday. It was a seemingly ridiculous, arrogant statement to make considering the Colts were the heavy favorite and teams from the NFL had won the previous two Super Bowls against teams from the old AFL. But Namath led his team to a 16-7 victory in a game that not only made football history but also brought the NFL into popular culture.

Namath was as much a cultural icon as a great football player, lounging poolside before the game and making public appearances in full-length fur coats. Can you imagine how large his Broadway Joe image would have become if he had access to today’s social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram? He’d be bigger than the Kardashians.

Remember the famous Coca-Cola commercial that first aired during Superbowl XIII in 1979 featuring the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Mean Joe Greene tossing a little boy his jersey? The halftime show for Superbowl XXIII in 1989 was broadcast in 3-D, including the first-ever 3D TV commercial for Diet Coke.
There have been some amazing Superbowl halftime shows featuring legendary artists such as Bruce Springsteen, The Who, and Beyoncé. Yet they were all eclipsed by Prince’s performance in Miami during Superbowl XLI in 2007. There was a steady rainstorm through the first half, and the downpour threatened to ruin the halftime show. But when a Superbowl official alerted Prince he’d have to sing and play his electric guitar, Rolling Stone magazine reports Prince simply asked, “can you make it rain harder?”

It may not be possible to make the Superbowl itself any bigger than it has become. Thirty-second TV commercial spots go for millions of dollars, and celebrities from all over the world will attend the game. So Zimmer and the Miami Superbowl Host Committee are going to make the days leading up to Superbowl Sunday bigger than ever. The centerpiece of events and celebrations that will take place across Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties will be the transformation of downtown Miami into Super Bowl Park.

“We’re going to take over 43 acres across 14 city blocks stretching between Bayfront Park and Museum Park,” Zimmer said. “Superbowl Park will be on a scale never done before. We’re partnering with the NFL, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Dolphins and countless other organizations to put on exhibitions, concerts, and activities for kids. Basically, we’re turning downtown into an enormous, family friendly tailgate party.”

Although the game is three years away, Zimmer and his team are already under a time crunch. The priorities are creating the sales and marketing teams that will raise the more than $20 million dollars necessary to put on such a massive undertaking.

Estimates for the economic impact to South Florida are expected to exceed $200 million. That does not include the publicity and future tourism dollars the event will generate.

“When you consider the media exposure our communities, businesses, and tourism destinations will receive for one week, you just can’t buy that kind of publicity,” Zimmer said.

The only thing that would make it crazier for the South Florida native? The Miami Dolphins becoming the first team to play for the Superbowl trophy in its hometown.

“That would be off the chart,” Zimmer said. “We’d have the combination of the NFL’s 100th anniversary and the team’s own rich history. I’m a big Dolphins fan, so I don’t fear that scenario. I’ll take the Dolphins in the Superbowl anytime, anywhere.”

PHOTOS:

SB3Namath: Joe Namath plays Super Bowl III.

Meanjoegreene: Diet Coke commercial featuring Mean Joe Greene.

Prince; Prince playing the halftime show in the rain at Superbowl XLI.

Women’s Health

As a practicing gynecologist in Coral Springs for many years, and as a menopause specialist (NAMS Menopause Practitioner), one of the most common conditions I diagnose and treat in the 50 to 90 age group is vulvovaginal atrophy, now known in more current terminology as Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause. This condition encompasses a multitude of symptoms which are disruptive to menopausal women’s quality of life and relationships. The symptoms include vaginal dryness, irritation, itching, burning, and discomfort with intercourse. Urinary symptoms can occur as well, including discomfort during urination, urinary frequency and urgency, and some types of incontinence.

How do we treat women who have one or more of these symptoms? Many women will initially utilize over-the-counter lubricants and moisturizers. In most cases these are only minimally effective. Local vaginal estrogen therapies are available and are effective for some women. Many women fail to adhere to the regimen of inserting creams or tablets, and some are concerned about using a hormonal therapy, although the risks are minimal with local therapies. However many women who have had breast or uterine cancer are cautioned not to use estrogen therapy. There is an oral medication available for these symptoms which is effective for some women, but does have some minimal risks.

Enter a new player to the field of treating symptomatic menopausal women. There is an exciting new treatment available for the restoration of vaginal health. This therapy is known as the MonaLisa Touch laser procedure. This CO2 laser technology was developed in Europe where many women have been successfully treated. The procedure has been embraced by many female pelvic health experts in the United States. It has been performed in the U.S. for two years and is cleared by the FDA. It is backed by several scientific studies that have been published, and there are several studies ongoing. The initial study published in the U.S. was done by well known urogynecologists Dr. Eric Sokol and Dr. Mickey Karram from Stanford University and Christ Hospital in Cincinnati. Results of this study showed significant improvement in all symptoms, including vaginal pain, burning, itching, dryness, discomfort with intercourse, and discomfort with urination, at both three and 12 months post-treatment.

So how is this procedure done, and what should a patient expect? The procedure is performed in the physician’s office. It is considered to be minimally invasive. Only topical anesthetics are used. A CO2 laser is employed to deliver energy to the vaginal wall and on the external skin to remove damaged cells and create a mild thermal effect. The thermal effects promote the synthesis of new collagen and elastic fibers, as well as re-establishing normal blood flow to the area. The procedure takes a few minutes and has very minimal discomfort. The patient receives three treatments at six week intervals. One yearly maintenance treatment is recommended for continued vaginal health.

The MonaLisa Touch laser procedure is safe for women who have had breast or uterine cancer. No estrogen or topical steroids are involved. Besides the symptoms already mentioned, the procedure can be used for women with other vulvar skin conditions such as lichen sclerosus, with proven success. It can be used for women who have had a hysterectomy in the past, a group that typically has pronounced vaginal atrophy if the cervix and ovaries were removed. There are also applications for other types of skin damage in other areas of the body.

In summary, the MonaLisa Touch laser procedure for treatment of Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause, is a very effective, minimally invasive and safe procedure, which has been scientifically proven to help women with restoration of vaginal health, improvement of sexual function, improvement of urinary symptoms, and overall restoration of quality of life in menopause.

This is a perfect example of ways that community businesses can join forces to help each other achieve goals.  Don’t you think so?

The Parklander magazine is a full color, glossy monthly publication that is mailed monthly to over 21,000 homes in Parkland, Heron Bay and Coral Springs and heavily distributed in the surrounding areas (including west Boca Raton).

They are currently working on our Upcoming March issue, and work off of an editorial calendar with a different focus every month which offers many opportunities for artists’ interpretation of our features and focus. As you will see from past issues on our site, our covers, more and more, avoid the trite and expected for the season and our subject matter. They are particularly interested in exposing their readers to new ways of looking at things and our editorial reflects that mission.

by Victoria Landis

I love writing for the January issue. It’s a new year. An arbitrary date that really means nothing, yet it symbolizes a fresh beginning. The chance for everything to be washed clean, metaphorically speaking. We’ve been doing silly things in honor of the new year, ever since we invented calendars. Why should 2017 be any different? In honor of our being washed clean, starting anew, etc., let’s see how many of our planetary roommates celebrate.

First up – Throwing stuff away. In theory, I can see how getting rid of the old to make room for the new became a tradition. Somehow, the Italians embraced the idea a little too fervently, though, and began tossing old furniture out the window. One would imagine copious amounts of wine had something to do with it. Think about it. Okay, Maria and Antonio decide new chairs are in order. They want to get rid of the old nasty ones with 200 years’ worth of wear, sweat, wine, and god-knows-what-that-is stains from untold numbers of folks. Yeah, that would gross me out, too. Most people would simply carry them out the door. For some reason, on that particular New Year’s Eve, Maria and Antonio thought, Hey, let’s toss them from an upstairs window instead. With any luck, we’ll accidentally hit that annoying Fabrizio who’s been soused and camped out on the sidewalk for two days. Maybe they eliminated poor old Fabrizio, then all the neighbors agree it was a brilliant accident? And it caught on. That’s the best I can come up with. Honestly.

Not to be outdone, the South Africans apparently loved the Italian thing, so they go one better and earn bonus execution points for throwing old appliances out the windows. Do not get drunk and loiter under windows in Johannesburg, people.

Continuing with the destruction of property (and possibly people), the good citizens of Denmark have a strange belief that throwing old dishes at their friends’ front doors will bring luck. To whom, I’m not sure. But offhand, if I woke up on New Year’s Day with shattered china littering my stoop and cut marks in my door’s paint job, I’d be ticked off, but good.

Thailand has a bizarre way of cleansing for the new year. They throw buckets of water on anyone, anywhere. Water pistols the size of machine guns and hoses are also employed. No one is safe. Cars driving by with open windows? Target. Old ladies ambling by on the sidewalk? Target. You’re getting doused whether you like it or not. But the next part is the real puzzle. Step two is flinging talc at you until you look like you crawled through a white mud bog. How did this start?

In many countries, celebrants visit graveyards. Honoring ancestors. This, I understand. But some carry it too far and actually spend the night sleeping on the graves. I suppose if you’ve never seen a horror flick, you wouldn’t be creeped out by this, but for the rest of us? That would be a big, resounding hell no. One weird moan from a distant animal in the night, and I’d scramble over anything or anyone in my path. I’m pretty sure my ancestors wouldn’t approve of my accidentally crunching someone’s hand, foot, or head as I escaped.

Now we come to wardrobe choices. Especially in the unmentionables department. Yellow undies are all the rage in Venezuela to bring luck. Red underpants are supposed to bring romantic love in the new year. Green undies will lead to financial fortune. This might explain quite a bit in my life. I’m not sure I’ve ever owned private garments in any of those colors. So that’s what I’ve been doing wrong. Well, I’m correcting that immediately and will report back to you with my scientific results.

Rats. As usual, I’ve run out of space, just when I was getting warmed up. Happy New Year!