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Parkland Life: Home sweet home

By Jill

It was one year and one month since I last saw my daughter, son-in-law and my three natural grandchildren. It has been the same amount of time since I saw my stepchildren, their spouses and my other seven grandchildren. This was the hardest part of the pandemic for me. I had this irrational fear that I might get the virus and never see them again. Well, the light at the end of the tunnel was finally here. In January, I received both doses of the Pfizer vaccine, waited three weeks after my second dose to make sure the maximum immunity kicked in, and booked a trip to New York. I was lucky, my daughter and son-in-law, and one of my stepdaughters and her husband were also fully vaccinated – so they felt safe about my visit. Neil stayed home with Mickey.

Of course New York’s quarantining rules did not make this trip easy. In order to go to NY from almost anywhere, you have to quarantine and take two COVID tests, one 72 hours before arriving and one 72 hours after quarantining. Of course both have to be negative. Even though I had received both vaccines and the CDC doesn’t feel quarantining is necessary, NY still does. I was quarantined at my daughter’s and did not plan to go anywhere until after the second negative test so it was all fine.

The day to travel finally arrived. While I was sad to leave Neil and Mickey, I was beyond excited. My 8:00 AM flight was totally full. It felt strange and I was a little nervous as I had not been around that many people in such close proximity for an entire year. After the 3 hour plane trip, I was glad to disembark into the cold, snowy landscape of NY. I arrived at my daughter’s to a huge welcome sign made by my grandchildren and that began 5 days of sheer bliss. We played games, built snowmen, went sledding, cooked and baked. We watched movies and read books, did art projects and in short, spent all waking hours enjoying each other’s company. The kids were tolerant of my too often hugs and kisses and my insistence that we all cuddle on the couch including the two family dogs. I was also lucky and got to see my stepdaughter, her husband and my three grandchildren from them. We met them for sledding, hugging after each trip down the hill, and a second evening for a ladies dessert party. The entire trip was teary, joyful and a slice of heaven. I never appreciated
the importance of the hugs, kisses, and simply being together. Before COVID, I
always took these things for granted. The year of separation made me realize how lucky we are to have one another and how important it is to treasure our time together.

I had been so caught up in my excitement to finally see my family that I also did not realize that after an ENTIRE year spent alone with Neil and never leaving Mickey before, how much I would miss them. While I was away, Neil and I spoke often. He told me endless Mickey stories on the phone and thankfully they both had a blast without me.

Six days proved to be the perfect amount of time away. I was missing Neil and Mickey more each day and had collected tons of hugs and kisses from my grandchildren, daughter, son-in-law, stepdaughter and stepson-in-law to tide me over for a while. It also helped that my daughter’s family is coming to see us in three weeks. As anxious as I was to leave, I couldn’t wait to get home.

I think I have always idolized New York since moving here, longing for more time to visit. I have also taken Florida and my beautiful Parkland community for granted. While my visit was magic, my return was magic as well. I went from the snowy New York gray tundra to the beauty of green palm trees and warm sunny weather. I also went from the hugs of children and grandchildren to the hugs and kisses of Neil and the non-stop licking of Mickey. I feel blessed that I get to enjoy both and will try to never take either for granted again.

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Wine Watch: Don’t judge a wine by its price

By Bennet Bodenstein

You don’t judge a book by its cover, nor do you judge a wine by its price. In over thirty years of writing about wine, I have sampled some monumental stinkers that sold for over $100 and some absolutely wonderful wines that were under $20.

As an example, I once tasted an Edna Valley Vineyards pinot noir that sold for under $15 that could only be described as ethereal, and a cabernet sauvignon with a price tag of $128 that I poured down the drain.

Keeping that in mind, I approach all wines by tasting them before paying attention to the price or the name of the producer. I recently had the pleasure of tasting some South American wines that, in my opinion, are well above the average.

Trivento 2019 Argentinian Reserve Malbec ($10.99). Please do not let this wine’s very affordable price tag scare you off , this is a showcase malbec that radiates all of the flavors and aromas that have made the variety so popular. This big, bold, and solid wine is very dark in color and displays the aromas of strawberry, plum, and red cherries with a hint of spice in the background. Cherries, plums, cinnamon, and coffee are the dominant flavors along with the added complexity provided by a hint of oak. This is truly a regal wine with the charm and bearing of a modern classic. It is ready to drink now or can be set down for as long as five years to soften, mellow, and take on the glow of a great classical wine. This wine will prove why malbec is becoming a favorite among many red wine drinkers.

Frontera Cabernet Sauvignon ($6.99). In the quality for your dollar category, this cabernet sauvignon from the Central Valley of Chile achieves the impossible; it is a very nice wine at an even nicer price. This deep ruby, medium bodied wine presents a clean and open aroma of spice, black currants, vanilla, and soft oak. There are no harsh tannins in this wine so it is ready to be enjoyed right now without any further aging. Another quality point is the finish, which is moderately long and very fruity. While the raised pinky connoisseur might scoff at this wine, my suggestion is “don’t knock it until you have tried it” and when you have tried it you will be very glad you did.

Frontera Cabernet Sauvignon/ Merlot ($6.99). The classical French Bordeaux blend of 85 percent cabernet sauvignon and 15 percent merlot is presented in its Chilean incarnation. This is not an attempt to pass off Chilean wine as a Bordeaux but rather an homage to the blend. The color of this wine is dark, very dark and the aroma reflects plum, cherry, red berries, and chocolate which carry over to the flavor and then on to a delightful finish. I found this wine to be very enjoyable and very easy to drink; however, I do have one complaint. Why can’t there be more wines this good and this affordable in today’s marketplace?

Frontera 2020 Sauvignon Blanc ($12.99). Hey, wait, a sauvignon blanc that sells for more than a cabernet sauvignon? Something here is topsy turvy or very special. It appears that the sauvignon blanc grapes were at a premium in Chile which resulted in a higher cost per bottle. Is it worth it? I must answer with a resounding “yes.” Most sauvignon blanc wines are flimsy little things that smell more of grass than the aroma of fruit. This wine’s full fruit aroma is presented right up front, exhibiting pear, peach, and citrus. These carry over to the flavor and then to the finish. Do not let this one slip past you either; it is, to say it in one word, gigantic.

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Motherhood on the autism spectrum

By Amy Martin

Carly Fulgham is recognized for quite the impressive life and career. She is a mother, wife, and Vice President of Document Services Strategy for a major worldwide bank. She is also the first autistic President of the Board of Directors of the Autism Society of Ventura County, VP of the Autism Society of California, and is on the Board of The Art of Autism.

She was recently a guest on “Spectrumly Speaking,” A Different Brains® podcast, with hosts Haley Moss and Dr. Lori Butts.  Carly explains that for the first twenty years of her life she didn’t realize that she had autism. She had been using workarounds until she experienced burnout and needed Social Security disability.

One day, she found an article about a boy with autism and suddenly her own
disability became clear. She was finally diagnosed at 28 years old. Becoming
involved in the Autism Society shortly thereafter was a no-brainer.

Navigating her disability on her own was one thing, but doing so with children
was another. She knew that she had a complicated medical history and that she (and her medical team) would need to be prepared for her specific needs, and communication was key.

Carly had prepared a very long birth plan, including a huge section about
her sensory issues, and how she might respond to pain and other experiences. She discusses how certain types of touch can trigger her issues, how variations of feather-light touches and knife-sharp pain may cause different reactions.

When she noticed that one nurse during her labor communicated differently than her, she politely requested a different nurse, and possible miscommunications were averted. She even prepared for the
sounds and the chaos in the operating room by wearing noise-canceling
headphones.

Carly stresses that many women don’t even fi nd out that they have autism
until their own children are diagnosed, meaning that maternity nurses have likely cared for plenty of undiagnosed autistic patients. She says the nurses are, “Used to all kinds of sensory things like, ‘I have to have low music playing,’ or ‘I have to have this lavender scent’ or ‘I have to have it scent-free.’”

Haley Moss adds that there already exists a bias in medicine for women,
and for autistic people in particular, where pain is often not taken seriously
or believed. She shares her own fears on becoming an autistic mother in the future, asking, “What if I’m in pain and someone doesn’t believe me because they think autism impairs my sense of judgment?”

Carly explains hospitals in general have a poor system for pain scales, replying
that often only a diagram with facial expressions and numbers is available to
measure pain. For the autistic patient, this vague representation may be difficult to understand. Someone’s level four pain may be someone else’s eight. Carly stresses that you have to be really descriptive, giving
examples like “It feels like someone’s stabbing me with a knife”, or “It feels like ants are crawling on me.”

Carly notes that through her non-profit work, her autism, and the awareness of
the developmental stages have helped her become a better mother.

She recounts a story about her son from before he could talk, where they were
sitting at the breakfast table and he started screaming. Carly says she took
a moment and thought, ‘Okay, there’s something that’s upsetting him’. So she
followed his eyeline and he was staring outside in the backyard at a blue ball.
She asked her son, “Do you want me to put the blue ball away?” and he nodded
his head in the middle of his wailing. So Carly went out, put the ball in the box it’s normally kept in, and he instantaneously stopped screaming.

For more of this conversation you can listen to the entire podcast, or read the transcript, here:

https://www.differentbrains.org/motherhood-on-the-autism-spectrum-with-carly-fulgham-spectrumly-speaking-ep-107/.

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One year anniversary of COVID-19

Believe it or not, March marks a year since our lives changed drastically. At the beginning of March 2020, COVID-19 spread throughout the world, requiring individuals to forgo their usual routines and adapt to a new lifestyle. Now, a year later, we are living our lives very differently.

Not only are we more conscious of our surroundings, but we are more hygienic. For example, if you go to a store or a gym, you will see employees or trainers sanitizing equipment and merchandise every few minutes. We spend more time washing our hands and taking care of ourselves than we ever did before.

“I forgot my mask!” is a common phrase you catch yourself saying, and traveling out of the country or state is an all-too-real distant dream. With all the isolated time we have been given during the pandemic, we have learned how to slow down, organize our homes and closets way too  many times, bake banana bread, and enjoy the outdoors.

With all these new hobbies we have acquired, all we want to do is to continue living our lives the way we did a year ago, but it is not that simple.

University of Michigan senior, Donna Neuman, longs for an in person graduation ceremony more than anything. “I really just want a graduation and nothing else right now is important to me. My friends and I have turned a lot of negatives into positives; for example, instead of going out with friends we hang in together. Those things are replaceable, but graduating is not.”

Our lives have changed in many more ways than one. As we sit and reflect on the one-year anniversary of COVID-19, it is hard to believe that it has only been a year.

When I think about the timeline it almost feels like a century. Masks are a part of our uniform and getting tested for COVID is the new trend.

Since it is risky for older adults with health restrictions to spend time with their younger loved ones, we have utilized FaceTime or Zoom to still get our personal family time.

Fortunately, the vaccine has been distributed to many essential workers, and soon to the rest of the world.

With the new year, all we can hope for is to say goodbye to COVID-19 and hello to living. By March 2022, I hope for good health, love, and for our lives to be more adventurous and spent with the ones we love most.

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Almost time to appreciate the manatee

Wednesday, March 31, is National Manatee Appreciation Day, aimed at bringing the world’s attention to an herbivore with no known natural enemies – in the water, at least.

Also known as sea cows, manatees are a vulnerable species due to their contact with humans. Boating and pollution are their greatest threats.

Florida, contrarian that it is, designated November Manatee Awareness Month. But we’re going to put that aside because, hey, it’s National Manatee Appreciation Day and our publisher made us.

And, besides, Manatee Lagoon, north of Palm Beach, held its ManateeFest at the beginning of February, a five-day, free, and virtual manateeorama. So, technically they did it first.

“I don’t care who did it first. One more time and I’m turning this car around.”

As you all know, of course, manatees are of the scientific order, Sirenia, of which the well-known dugong is also a member. The two main differences between them are that dugongs are smaller than manatees and have a sillier name.

If you insist on going into more detail, any third grader can tell you that manatees have horizontal, paddle-shaped tails with only one lobe to move up and down when the animal swims. Dugongs, on the other hand, have a fluked tail, meaning it is made up of two separate lobes joined together in the middle.

Manatees also are distantly related to elephants, and I mean distantly. There may be some common DNA, chromosomes, genes, or whatever between the two species, but manatees are a distant enough cousin to the elephant that they’re not being invited to the annual pachyderm family picnic anymore.

The last time that happened one of the manatees embarrassed himself at the punch bowl. You can guess the rest.

I have my own theory about the whole elephant-manatee connection. Please pay attention. It will be on the test.

Millions of years ago, an elephant, or mammoth, or mastodon, or whatever, enjoyed being in the water, like modern-day elephants do. He or she gradually started walking out to deeper and deeper water and started using its trunk as a breathing tube.

As time evolved, it learned to hold its breath longer, its trunk got progressively shorter, and its legs shriveled up into flippers. Voila, the manatee!

But seriously, despite manatees having no natural enemies, except perhaps crocodiles preying on their young, the species is in danger.

According to a 2012 article on Web Ecology the main causes of death “are human-related issues, such as habitat destruction and human objects.”

“Their slow-moving, curious nature has led to violent collisions with propeller-driven boats and ships. Some manatees have been found with over 50 scars on them from propeller blades.”

“The best way to protect manatees is for the public to learn about their plight and how protecting them is in all our best interests if we care about healthy aquatic ecosystems,” says Patrick Rose, Executive Director of Save the Manatee Club.

“Whether passively observing the beauty of our waterways or actively engaged in water-related activities such as boating, fishing, or diving, we should understand our role as responsible stewards of manatees and their habitat and how we can help protect those things we hold dear.”

Manatee Lagoon (www.visitmanateelagoon.com) in Riviera Beach is a great place to see manatees. The lagoon is closed now because of the pandemic, but you can still access its live manatee cam at www.visitmanateelagoon.com/manatee-cam.

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Virtual care becomes new standard in era of COVID-19

The coronavirus pandemic has forced a reshaping of the landscape of healthcare, requiring the medical community to look for new, safer approaches to patient care.

To keep patients and team members safe, virtual visits are now conducted via remote communication technology, such as Telehealth and Telemedicine. This is the new normal of patient doctor interaction, and represents a new era of healthcare delivery, and one that will continue into the foreseeable future.

As the pandemic continues, frontline workers at doctors’ offices and hospitals have been put to the ultimate test. In response, new and better programs of communications via Internet technology were enhanced, and audio check-ins restructured. Through telehealth and telemedicine, doctors and nurses can now engage patients via digital devices to meet basic healthcare needs.

During the height of the pandemic, most elective procedures at hospitals and doctors’ clinics were cancelled. With new variants of the virus threatening the country, a new challenge has been created. With elective procedures canceled, questions arose on how to safely care for emergency and non-emergency patients in a safe environment.

The solution was a broadening of virtual care to interact with patients, maintain safe environments, and adhere to mandated social distancing guidelines. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) increased access to Medicare telehealth services so beneficiaries could receive a wider range of care from their doctors without them having to travel to a healthcare facility.

“To protect both staff and patients, some medical practices closed their doors to in-person visits because of concerns over the risk of transmission,” said Randall M. Taubman, M.D., CPE, regional medical director at ClareMedica Health Partners LLC, Miami Lakes. “We remained open; our staff wore personal protective equipment (PPE) and each patient was thoroughly screened. Anyone screened as a possible COVID candidate was seen remotely.”

According to Dr. Taubman, video-based visits are preferred and more effective. “The doctor and the patient can see each other and it’s a more natural interaction,” he said. “Plus, if there are any physical changes, doctors can analyze the problem, and that’s a big benefit over an audio virtual visit.” Differences also exist between the way medical codes are applied and how video-based visits are billed.

Scheduling a remote health visit
Telehealth visits can be Web-based or done through a phone call to the office, but prior to the online interaction, most practices require verification of identity and insurance information. “Patients must consent to this form of care, and when they ‘meet’ with their doctor, the visit is conducted in much the same way as an in-person visit,” said Dr. Taubman. “The one exception is that doctors may ask additional questions about a patient’s general health and well-being.”

Before opting for a telehealth or telemedicine visit, patients should make a list of questions. They should also be prepared to explain any symptoms and list medications, dosages, and times they are taken daily.

“The best way to prepare for a virtual health visit is to find a quiet, private room where there are no distractions,” Dr. Taubman said. “Patients need to download any applications needed for the two-way communications and decide beforehand if the visit will be done on a computer, tablet, or phone. The doctor’s office needs to be aware of the patient’s choice. When prescribing medications, doctors still use electronic prescribing to send the script to a pharmacy — a routine practice even before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

A new revenue stream
Reaching out to patients and serving them remotely is now a necessity to sustain physician practices. It is even a benefit to hospitals where there has been a revenue decline in long-standing money-making units such as operating rooms, interventional radiology, and outpatient services. Virtual care is now a proven means of caring for patients safely while tapping into a revenue source that helps offset the decline of in-person visits.

Over the months, regulatory and reimbursement barriers that hindered the widespread use of telehealth were relaxed, allowing providers more freedom to use virtual care for their patients. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says that during the first quarter of 2020, the number of telehealth visits increased by 50 percent. This allowed providers to scale their technology, learn more about various platforms, and reshape strategies that would be the most benefit to patients.

The difference between Telehealth and Telemedicine
The words “telehealth” and “telemedicine” are sometimes used interchangeably, but they don’t mean the same thing. The Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) says telehealth is the “use of electronic information and telecommunications technologies to support long-distance clinical health services, patient and professional health-related education, public health, and health administration.” These technologies include videoconferencing, the Internet, store-and-forward imaging, streaming media, and wireless communications. Telemedicine, however, refers to “specific remote clinical services.”

Both play a critical role in the new era of patient care. Virtual care allows doctors to communicate with patients at a variety of locations that include their residence, a nursing home, an emergency room, or specific divisions within hospitals such as wards, special care units, and even psychiatric units. In addition, access to remote care greatly reduces the potential of exposure to the virus and lowers demands on frontline workers.

Types of remote visits
The three basic types of access routinely used are: Medicare Telehealth (MTH) visits, Virtual Check-ins (VCI); and E-Visits (EV). MTH utilizes telecommunication systems between the provider and patient and may include office visits, out-patient visits, or consultations. The VCI is a brief phone check-in with a practitioner to discuss whether an in-office visit is required, or a remote evaluation can be conducted where a patient can submit images (as in the case of dermatology) to his or herdoctor for  evaluation. The EVs are a format to communicate between patient and provider via an online patient portal.

Telehealth popularity
According to the CDC, the number of telehealth visits in the U.S. increased by 50 percent during the first quarter of 2020 and providers reshaped their strategies to engage with patients. “The use of telehealth is a trend that I don’t foresee diminishing even if COVID improves,” commented Dr. Taubman. “It can help with physician shortage and travel issues in the medical industry, so I believe it’s here to stay.”

According to a Telehealth Impact Claims Analysis conducted by the COVID-19 Healthcare Coalition Telehealth Impact Study Work Group, the latest numbers on telehealth claims in Florida peaked at around 700,000 in April of 2020, and the primary diagnosis of circulatory issues exceeded 200,000. Claims nationwide for circulatory issues in the country exceeded five million in February of last year, and total claims exceeded 12 million.

New advances in digital health technology have transformed patient treatment models internationally. Greater access and more efficiency are the keys to serving patients in the era of COVID-19.

 

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Celebrating Passover

Growing up, all Jewish holidays were a big deal for my family. We were five; my mother had a sister with a husband and two kids; their brother had a wife and five kids. And, of course, there was my grandmother, the matriarch of the tribe and solo cook for all feasts. She was a wonderful cook.

I would have loved to have helped, but I was a kid and wasn’t getting anywhere near her food. She was a clean freak. She eschewed germs. And to her, when she cooked, I was a germ. We were all germs, every last one of us. But I did get to taste.

My mother and her family grew up in an orthodox home and followed
all the rules, with which she really didn’t always agree. By the time
my mother was an adult, she had joined the Army, met and married my non-Jewish father, and began her life with her children as Jewish, but with a sprinkling of rules.

As I said, holidays were a big deal. Food was plentiful as were the mouths ready to consume it; all of us: Cousins, aunts, uncles, mothers, fathers, and one very strict grandmother.

She made gefilte fish, charoset, chicken soup with kneidlach (matzo balls), chicken liver, brisket with potatoes and carrots, and sponge cake with fresh fruit.

It was difficult for any of us to get up from the table to clean. Jewish food is very filling and fattening. While it took me many years to appreciate and finally love gefilte fish — maybe because they look like little brain dumplings — the rest was just fine with me.

I’m offering two recipes today, exactly how my grandmother and my mother made them. I have not changed anything. The recipes are at least a century old, probably older, but I suggest using fresher ingredients. I’m happy to say that our two daughters also have carried on these recipes.

Chopped chicken liver

  • 1 lb. chicken livers – fat removed
  • 1 large yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 small yellow onion
  • 5 hard cooked eggs
  • chicken fat (schmaltz) 2 tablespoons to sauté livers and onions and more to mix with eggs and raw onion salt and pepper

Make sure the livers are dry. Melt the 2 tablespoons of fat in a 10-inch fry pan. Add livers and onions and cook until cooked through. No pink in livers, but do not overcook because it will taste dry.

Add this mixture to a wooden bowl and chop that along with the raw onion and the hard cooked eggs. As you mix, taste for seasonings and texture. I like the moisture the added chicken fat brings. I also don’t chop it to death. I like a few lumps in my chicken liver.

I use the fifth egg chopped fine in the food processor to sprinkle on top of liver.

In my family we would eat this before the soup and after the gefilte fish.

Chicken soup

  • 2 roasting chickens, quartered. Do not use the liver.
  • 1 bunch of fresh dill
  • 3 to 4 medium yellow onions, peeled and quartered
  • 1⁄2 bunch curly parsley
  • 4 to 5 large, peeled carrots
  • 4 to 5 celery stalks, leaves included
  • 2 turnips, peeled
  • 1 parsnip
  • Kosher salt
  • 10 to 15 peppercorn 

Using a 14-quart pot, add chicken and allow cold water to run into pot until it runs clear. Add enough water to cover by about three inches. Bring to a slow boil. Do not allow to come to a hearty boil which will darken the soup. As it boils, slowly remove the scum that comes to the top.

When all scum has been removed, take out the chicken parts that have the breast meat. Allow to cool to the touch and remove the meat from the breasts. I leave this meat intact until the next day so it doesn’t dry out. Then I pull the chicken apart to use in the soup when served. Return the bones to the soup and add onions, carrots, celery, turnips, dill, parsley, salt and pepper. Bring again to a slow boil. Allow to cook, uncovered, for about two to three hours. If any other scum has come to the top, remove it also. At this point I turn the soup off and allow it to cool. Strain the soup and put back the chicken parts. Refrigerate overnight, UNCOVERED.

The next morning you will have a layer of fat on the top. It can be removed easily with a large spoon. Discard. Bring the soup to a slow boil and add new vegetables. I use the same amount of new onions, celery, carrots, turnips, parsnips, parsley, and dill. Allow to simmer until the vegetables are tender. Usually about one and a half hours. If they are not tender, continue to cook until they are. Now you can taste for seasoning. Add kosher salt and white pepper.

I make white rice and/or noodles to go with the soup. If you make matza balls, follow the directions on the box of Manischewitz or Streit’s matzo meal. They will be delicious. Either of these recipes can be cut in half if you’re serving fewer people or you have the same aversion to leftovers as my husband.

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Roller coaster ride for local fraternal groups

“We’ve really become everybody’s new favorite place,” boasts Veroni Que, referring to an increase in membership at Ft. Lauderdale Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie 3140.

In fact, membership has increased by at least 25 percent since the coronavirus pandemic hit, estimates Que, a bartender at the club. She attributed the growth, in part, to the club’s pleasing physical appearance, reasonable prices for meals, and camaraderie among club members.

A strong membership drive during 2020 might have also helped, club trustee Kelly Carver said.

But apparently, such efforts elsewhere in the world of fraternal organizations have not translated into increased membership.

Indeed, a 2019 congressional report found that membership has been steadily declining in a variety of social clubs and groups. Specifically, the joint economic committee report found that membership rates in some organizations decreased from 75 percent in 1974 to 62 percent in 2004. “At 52 percent, the drop was steepest among fraternal organizations such as the Freemasons or the Knights of Columbus,” NPR reported, citing the committee report.

Speaking of the Freemasons, its membership in Florida has considerably decreased over the last 10 to 15 years, says Stewart Davies. He’s the secretary and past master of the Hollywood-based Roe Fulkerson Masonic Lodge No. 299 of the Free and Accepted Masons.

Today, the lodge boasts 192 members, about 30 less than five years ago, Davies says. But within the last couple years, the lodge has “held its own” in terms of membership, he adds.

“We have a really good team of new blood in our lodge,” Davies says. Specifically, he notes, within the last five years or so, men in their mid-20s to mid-30s with vigor and ambition have joined. In contrast, older members didn’t return when the lodge re-opened after a closure due to the pandemic. The lodge lost almost a dozen members in 2020. Six died, and the others left for different reasons.

Davies says he feels one of the reasons that membership is down among Freemasons is that people have other interests.

“We’re just competing with natural diversions,” he says. But Davies also notes that a Mason must follow strong rules and regulations. And it might be harder for younger people to follow them.

There’s also a lot of work involved to become a master mason, Davies says. In particular, the process can take anywhere from four months to a year. There is no “instant gratification,” he adds.

Freemasonry, or masonry, comprises fraternal organizations which trace their origins to the local fraternities of stonemasons that, from the end of the 14th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities and clients.

Modern Freemasonry consists of two main recognition groups. Regular Freemasonry “insists that a volume of scripture be open in a working lodge, that every member profess belief in a Supreme Being, that no women be admitted, and that the discussion of religion and politics be banned.”

Meanwhile, Continental Freemasonry is now the general term for the jurisdictions which have removed some, or all, of these restrictions.

Davies says that lodges are particular when deciding who
joins.

“We take good men and make them better. We don’t take bad men and make them good,” he says. “We’re not looking to fill our chairs with numbers but with quality men. We want people whose heart is in freemasonry.”

“We’re not some weird, secret society,” Freemason Daryn Hufton-Rees told CNBC for an article by Holly Ellyatt published in 2013. “There are no Illuminati roaming about or funny handshakes involved — although, by the way, it’s a grip, not a handshake — We’re an organization with moral codes and people join us for the sense of camaraderie, the opportunities to learn, and charitable giving.”

The Fort Lauderdale lodge, for example, held a school supplies drive at the beginning of the academic year. The lodge has also conducted food drives.

Opportunities also exist to perform good deeds with the Fort Lauderdale Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie 3140. Que, the club’s bartender, says she thinks the “charity work” that the club performs is a draw for people considering membership.

The Fraternal Order of Eagles, an international nonprofit organization, “unites fraternally in the spirit of liberty, truth, justice, and equality, to make human life more desirable by lessening its ills, and by promoting peace, prosperity, gladness, and hope,”according to www.foe.com.

“We have a great group of people here,” Que says about her Fort Lauderdale chapter.

Once people notice the camaraderie within the group, “they come back, they want to be a member,” she adds.

Now, Eagles Aerie 3140 is striving to bring in younger members. Carver, one of the chapter’s trustees, says he feels that in general, younger people are not as interested as are their older counterparts in joining fraternal groups. They might just be too busy, Carver says.

“It’s a tough group to shoot for,” he adds.

 

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Holi, the Hindu festival of color and love

Holi, the Festival of Colors, is one of the most widely celebrated Hindu festivals. The festival is a time of joy and excitement, widely known for the use of vibrant colored powders. As with many other Hindu festivals, Holi has some ties to representing the triumph of good over evil.

The origins of Holi is believed to be related to the story of King Hiranyakashipu. The demon king wished for all subjects of his kingdom to pray and worship him rather than God.

His son Prahlad, however, was a devout devotee of Lord Vishnu. Hiranyakashipu hated his son for disobeying him and because Lord Vishnu had killed the king’s brother.

Hiranyakashipu persuaded his sister, Holika, who was immune to fire, to enter a raging fire with Prahlad in her lap. However, Holika was unaware that her immunity only worked if she was alone, so she perished.

Prahlad exited the fire untouched, due to his extreme devotion to God. This represents the victory of good over evil once again, and during Holi, bonfires are usually lit to celebrate. Similar ancient stories tell about the use of colors during the festival. Many believe the use of colors comes from Lord Krishna’s pranks on milkmaids, drenching them in colored water, and/ or from Krishna fearing that Radha would not like him for his unique skin color.

The Sanskrit word “Krishna” means “dark” or “black”, although Krishna has universally been depicted as blue. It is believed that Radha allowed Krishna to dye her hair and skin, making them a couple. Therefore, Holi is not only about good over evil but also love.

The festival of Holi is usually celebrated in March, at the start
of spring, and on the day of the full moon. Rituals include Holika Dahan, which is the burning of a Holika effigy in a large bonfire on the eve of Holi to celebrate the death of evil and victory of Prahlad and good, as in devotion to God.

People of all nationalities and religions participate in the celebration of Holi with colored powders and waters. Often people gather in the streets or in large groups and throw water and powder on everyone.

The celebration is supposed to be a time of enjoyment. People also often eat sweets and spend time with their family and dance. Holi is also a time of love, so people are encouraged to mend relationships, pay off debts, and forgive and forget.

Even though the pandemic continues to hinder celebrations and social gatherings, by the time of Holi, we may be able to gather in small groups. If that is the case, Hindus and people around the world will be able to rejoice and celebrate together. If we are still limited in social interaction, the spirit of Holi will still be felt worldwide, and we should spread happiness and love in a time of despair and loneliness.

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Fish for amberjacks around artificial reefs

Amberjacks don’t get much respect from South Florida anglers, but they should.

They’ll bite throughout the spring when other species won’t. Getting amberjacks to the boat is challenging because they fight like mixed martial arts heavyweights.

AJs, as they’re known, gather around local artificial reefs to spawn from March through early June. That makes them easy to target, but it also makes them difficult to land because they’ll head straight for the wreck when they’re hooked. If they make it, that’s pretty much the end of the fight, because it’s next to impossible to pull them out, and usually the fishing line ends up breaking on the wreck.

Local amberjacks range from 20 to 50 pounds, but they can be bigger, like 60 or 70 pounds. To give their anglers a fighting chance, most charter captains use 50 pound outfits spooled with monofilament or braided line. Leaders range from 80 to 130 pound monofilament and are tied to a big circle hook.

Those captains use a variety of live baits, with goggle eyes, small blue runners, and small bonitos-their favorites. AJs also willbite ballyhoo, mullet,  speedos, pinfish, and grunts.

The basic rig has a three-way swivel tied to the main line with a 10-foot or longer leader tied to the swivel along with a sinker on a short piece of monofilament. Sinker weights can range from 8 to 16 ounces depending on the strength of the current.

Hooks used with bait for amberjacks cannot be made of stainless steel in state waters off South Florida and anglers must have a de-hooking device aboard their boats to aid in the release of fish. As soon as you hook an amberjack, you need to reel as fast as possible to get the fish away from a wreck, although a big AJ can pull enough drag to get back to its hangout. A good boat driver can help by pulling away from the wreck after the fish is hooked.

Even then, the fight is far from over, because the fish will circle and dig all the way to the surface, then take out line just when you thought it was about to give up.

Another way to catch amberjacks is by jigging for them. Butterfly or flutter jigs can be dropped around a wreck and then worked almost to the surface by lifting the fishing rod up and down as you reel.

If the jig, which darts and flutters as it sinks, doesn’t get bit, let it fall back down and jig it up again. Bites can come on the fall or after the lure hits bottom and is jigged up.

Conventional or spinning outfits spooled with 50 to 65 pound braided line tied to five feet of 80 pound monofilament or fluorocarbon leader can be used to jig.

The only downsides to jigging: Even if you don’t hook an amberjack, it can be tiring after doing it several times. It can also be expensive if the AJs you hook get into the wreck and break the line. The jigs typically cost from $10 to $25, so a good day jigging wrecks for AJs can easily cost you $100 in lures.

Among the pluses: You don’t have to mess with live bait and the jigs also catch cobia and grouper, as well as almaco jacks, kingfish, and blackfin tunas.

Figuring out where to drop your jigs or baits is easy. Just visit any of the area’s artificial reefs in 150-300 feet (you can find their coordinates at myfwc.com/conservation/saltwater/artificial-reefs).

Among the best wrecks for amberjacks are many of the 25 artificial reefs sunk off Pompano Beach by the Pompano Beach Fishing Rodeo, including the Corey and Chris in 244 feet, the Lowrance in 200 feet, and the Miller Lite in 155 feet.

The Rodeo reefs were so good for amberjacks that commercial anglers used to hammer them every spring. Rodeo officials repeatedly asked state and federal agencies to make the tournament’s reef area off-limits to commercial fishing. When that didn’t happen, the Rodeo refused to sink any more ships.

Deeper wrecks are often better than shallow wrecks because they don’t receive as much fishing pressure as the shallow ones. If you don’t get a bite on a wreck after a while, move to another one and keep moving until you  find the fish.

It’s best to fish the edges of a wreck rather than dropping a bait or jig in the wreck. Depending on the current, you might have to position your boat well off the wreck so by the time your bait hits bottom, it’ll be adjacent to the wreck.

In the Atlantic, the amberjack daily bag limit is one per person, the size limit is 28 inches from the tip of the mouth to the fork of the tail and the season is open year-round. The Gulf of Mexico bag limit is also one per person, the size limit is 34 inches fork length and the season is open May 1-31 and Aug. 1-Oct. 31.

A fried amberjack sandwich is popular fare in restaurants in Florida’s Panhandle, and smoked amberjack is quite tasty, but most local anglers release the fish because their flesh tends to have worms. The worms are not harmful, but they can make you think twice about eating an amberjack as you pull them out of a fillet.

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Happy Passover holiday ‘Chag Pesach Sameach’

Let all who are hungry come and eat ~ Kal dichfin yeitei v’yeichul.


This phrase, found in the Passover Haggadah, follows the teaching about matzah, the bread of affliction. It is one of many important symbols found on a Passover Seder table – all edible reminders of how the story is retold of the Israelites journey from slavery to freedom. The Passover holiday is one of the major Jewish festivals that occur yearly each spring. Beginning on the 15th of the Hebrew month Nisan, it lasts for seven days for Israeli or Reform Jews, or eight days if you are an Orthodox or Conservative Jew living outside of Israel.

We learn about the passage from slavery to freedom, led by Moses, in the Book of Exodus in the Bible. Moses beseeches Pharaoh, “Let my people go!” Pharaoh repeatedly denies his request and God intervenes, sending ten plagues to torment the Egyptians. From blood, frogs, insects, wild  animals , livestock disease, boils, fiery hail, locusts, darkness, to eventually the death of male first-born Egyptian children. This final plague motivates Pharaoh to release the Israelites. However, when they were alerted that they could depart, they rushed, which did not give them enough time to allow their bread dough to rise. As a result, the Israelites created Matzah, a flat cracker, which is eaten throughout the holiday and is one of the most recognizable symbols of Passover.

While most Jews celebrate holidays in community, this is the perfect  pandemic holiday as it is celebrated at home with family. It is also one of the most observed holidays by Jews. A special meal is prepared, called the Seder, and the service preceding the meal is written in a Haggadah. Seder means “order” and Haggadah means “the telling.” Throughout the service and the meal, families retell the story of the Exodus in Egypt. All of the ritual foods are explained, each with a blessing recited before eating them. A Seder plate often sits in the center of the table with six symbolic foods:

  • Maror, the bitter herbs, to remind us of the bitterness of slavery in Egypt.
  • Charoset, a sweet mixture of chopped apples, nuts, cinnamon, and sweet red wine, represents the brick and mortar used by the Hebrew slaves to build Pharaohs’ pyramids.
  • Karpas, a vegetable, brings hope of spring and renewal as new seedlings begin to sprout. Many families use lettuce or parsley and these are also dipped into saltwater to remind us of the tears shed by the slaves.
  • Zeroah, the shank bone, while not eaten at the meal, is meant to remind us of the Passover sacrifice, when a lamb was offered in the ancient Temple in Jerusalem.
  • Beitzah, the roasted hard-boiled egg, recalls the festival sacrifice. We eat hard-boiled eggs during the meal as they serve as a symbol for mourning when mourners consume an egg after a funeral.
  • Three stacked matzot (plural of matzah) found on the Seder plate serve multiple purposes. The Seder leader breaks the middle matzah, putting aside half to be used as the afikoman, or “dessert.” Many families hide the afikoman and the children are sent to search for it and offer it back to the leader at a price. The Seder cannot continue or finish without the eating of the afikoman.

During the Seder, families also sing joyous melodies such as Dayenu, “it would have been enough,” as we recall all of the miracles God bestowed, and The Four Questions, often asked by the youngest member of the family. This begins with the question: Why is this night different than all other nights? It is actually answered with four statements about the differences such as eating matzah only instead of other breads, eating bitter herbs, dipping them twice in the saltwater, and reclining as if we are royalty when eating (and not slaves).

Wishing those who celebrate a wonderful Passover holiday. As the Seder concludes we say, “Next year in Jerusalem!” but I think we can all agree that we may want to amend it to just say, “Next year with more family and friends” as we all hope the pandemic ends swiftly.

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End of an era – Greyhound racing hits finish line in Florida

As the ball dropped in Times Square on New Year’s Eve, at  the stroke of midnight on Dec. 31, 2020, in addition to being the end of a very turbulent year, the practice of greyhound racing in the state of Florida came to an end thanks to Amendment 13,  when the Palm Beach Kennel Club in West Palm Beach ran its last race.

All the more reason to celebrate, according to those who worked tirelessly for more than a decade — including advocacy groups such as The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Grey2KUSA Worldwide and even the Doris Day Foundation, to end this century-old “sport,” which its opponents characterize as antiquated, out of touch, inhumane, and down-right cruel.

A fixture in Florida since 1931, the state was the largest state to have greyhound racing, with 13 tracks at its peak in the 1980s. Currently, tracks remain for now only in three states – West Virginia, Arkansas, and Iowa.

Kate MacFall, Florida state director for the HSUS, says, “The issue of greyhound racing has been put to rest in the state of Florida. We’re very pleased that the amendment was created, placed on the ballot, and passed by almost 70 percent of the voters in Florida.”

MacFall notes that her group, along with other animal rights organizations, worked tirelessly and diligently on this issue to raise awareness for more than 10 years. She says greyhound racing fell out of favor with constituents and attendance dropped at the venues.

“We brought this issue front and center to the public,” she says,
“and they responded.”

“When voters heard that these dogs were dying and spent their days confined in small cages, got frequent injuries, and were living sad lives, it was a no brainer,” MacFall said from her office in Tallahassee.

Now that this issue has been put to rest, MacFall is focusing her agency’s efforts on retail stores in Florida selling puppies from out-of-state puppy mills.

It is estimated there are more than 10,000 puppy mills operating in the U.S. and two million puppies are sold each year from these mills. Noting that the HSUS is not going after responsible breeders, MacFall says, “We’re working to create a more humane model and moving away from retail and storefront sales of these puppies.”

The non-profit, Grey2KUSA Worldwide, and the chief sponsor of Amendment 13, which passed 69 percent to 31 percent on Nov. 6, 2018 and was designed to prohibit dog racing and close down the twelve remaining tracks in Florida.

Flagler Greyhound Park in Miami closed before the vote, seeing the writing on the wall.

Carey Theil, executive director of Grey2KUSA Worldwide, which is based in Arlington, MA, said there were systemic problems within the racing industry and called them out for their treatment of the animals.

He says the racing dogs were kept confi ned in small, stacked cages for 20-23 hours a day and fed a diet of raw 4-D meat, (meat derived from dying, diseased, disabled, and dead livestock). He says that over the past decade, over 400 greyhounds tested positive for a variety of drugs and when let out of their cages to race, many were injured or even died.

In 2018, when 11 tracks were operating in the state, a Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) report revealed that a greyhound died every three days.

At the sport’s peak in 1991, according to a report in the Tampa Bay Times, Americans wagered $3.5 billion at tracks across 19states. By 2018, the amount had fallen below $500 million. , not everyone agreed with the impetus to shut down the tracks and the industry, including the American Kennel Club, the NRA, and the Farm Bureau. Many racing families had been in the business for generations and lost their livelihood.

Boynton Beach resident, Barbara Masi, was not in favor of shutting down the industry and blames out of state lobbying interests for closing down the tracks.

President and founder of Awesome Greyhound Adoptions, a volunteer-run, nonprofi t agency dedicated to fi nding homes for retired racing greyhounds, Masi also runs a program called Hounds & Heroes which provides retired racing greyhounds to veterans as full service dogs.

“These are not emotional support animals or therapy dogs, but fully trained service dogs,” she says. “They can help veterans with mobility issues, or those with MS, brain injury, PTSD, and Parkinson’s Disease. We call them “battle buddies,” and they are allowed full access to restaurants, buildings, and airplanes. They cannot be refused.”

She has been placing trained greyhound service dogs with veterans since 2011 and says, “Greyhounds sleep a lot and make the most awesome pets.”

Each dog trains for approximately 6-8 months to become a full-service dog and Masi says she currently has 11 dogs in training.

All the racing dogs here in Florida have been placed, Masi says, or are with adoption approved groups across the U.S. waiting to find homes. Others have gone on to race in other states.

And while Thiel and Masi are on opposite sides of the racing issue, Thiel credits Masi with helping the dogs and says “she does great work.”

Theil says that in Florida, both sides made their cases known, and disparate political interests joined together, even former governor and senator Rick Scott (R) and former mayor of Tallahassee Andrew Gillum (D) were united in their opposition to the tracks.

“I wasn’t surprised at all,” he says about the outcome of the vote. “Floridians love dogs.”

“This is a victory for Florida and a victory for everyone who cares about the dogs,” says Theil. “We are working to put ourselves out of business – that would be a good day.”

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