02/16/2023 ISSUE 07

ARTS & THEATRE Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / February 16, 2023 51 ulous looking.” Built as a medium-priced car, the 1937 Lincoln-Zephyr Coupe literally saved the company. “Lincoln was slowly collapsing because the cars were considered just too expensive and not exciting enough. The car itself is wonderful. It’s got curves and angles in a very pleasing way.” Built across town from one another, the 1934 Chrysler Imperial Model CV Airflow Coupe and 1934 Bendix SWC Sedan did not fare as well. “The two designers didn’t communicate, didn’t know one another, and yet there’s some remarkable similarities,” says Gross. Among them, unfortunately, was little interest. Weighing in at almost 3.5 tons, Gross calls the singular 1925/1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom Aerodynamic Coupe the ultimate Rolls Royce (chassis and engine 1925/body 1934). “This is a very unusual car, even for a Rolls Royce. The car just makes a statement.” Initially made for a wealthy American woman who never took possession, a Belgium coachbuilder built the dramatic “round door” body. Amazingly, the magnificent car was found in a New Jersey junkyard, abandoned. Gross says a great number of cars went to the scrapyard during WWII, recycled for their aluminum, steel and rubber. A catalog produced by Gross is available in the gift shop. For more information, visit VBMuseum.org. 1938 Hispano-Suiza H6B “Xenia”

ARTS & THEATRE 52 Vero Beach 32963 / February 16, 2023 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ The Vero Beach Museum of Art has quite the array of events designed to please every corner of the community. Its Concerts in the Park program presents Fred Goodnight 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16. This is a pay-at-the-door, cash or checks only event, costing $10 for museum members and $12 for nonmembers. Seating is limited so you are advised to bring a chair. You can also bring your appetite since Treasure Coast Concessions will be selling burgers, brats, sandwiches and more. There is also a beer and wine cash bar. No outside food or drink is allowed. The museum’s Fashion Meets Art program presents a talk by Badgley Mischka beginning 4 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22. The event includes a cocktail reception at the museum. It is sold out, but those people who already paid $200 a ticket may want a reminder. Next week, the museum’s International Lecture Series will present Miles C. Collier, founder of the Revs Institute, a renowned car museum and archive in Naples, Fla. He is also author of “The Archaeological Automobile: Understanding and Living with Historical Automobiles.” He will speak at 4:30 COMING UP! ‘Concerts in Park’ starts revved-up Riverside slate 1 BY PAM HARBAUGH Correspondent Mark Badgley and James Mischka.

ARTS & THEATRE Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / February 16, 2023 53 p.m. Monday, Feb. 27. Organizers expect the talk will “map a fascinating journey through the primitive, rationalist baroque, fantasy and international” styles in automobile design. It coincides with the museum’s current blockbuster exhibition, “Rolling Sculpture: Streamlined Art Deco Automobiles and Motorcycles” which runs through April 30. Individual lecture tickets are $120 for VBMA members and $145 for non-members. The lecture will also be streamed and simulcast in the Leonhardt Auditorium. Tickets for that are $80 VBMA members and $95 for non-members. For more information on the ILS event, call 772-231-0707, ext. 116, or email egiordano@VeroBeachMuseum.org. The Vero Beach Museum of Art is at 3001 Riverside Park Dr. Call 772-231-0707 or visit VBMuseum.org. And oh, by the way, the museum has re-opened its Wood N Spoon café which serves between 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. weekdays. Live! From Vero Beach presents the Buckinghams and the Box Tops 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16 at the Emerson Center. This is a definite walk-down-memory-lane concert as the two iconic bands play hits from the ’60s and ’70s. The Buckinghams formed in Chicago and hit the big time with their hits “Kind of a Drag” and “Hey Baby (They’re Playing Our Song).” The Box Tops formed in Memphis and are known for hit songs like “The Letter” and “Cry Like a Baby.” Tickets are $45 to $115. For more information, call 800-595-4849 or visit MusicWorksConcerts.com. The Emerson Center is at 1590 27th Ave., Vero Beach. If something a bit more classic is your musical style, then look at what’s happening at the Community Church of Vero Beach. First, it’s the Indian River Symphonic Association’s presentation of the Philadelphia Orchestra with principal guest conductor Nathalie Stutzmann and violinist Gil Shaham. They will perform Tchaikovsky’s Polonaise from Eugene Onegin, Brahms Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77 and Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 68. The concert begins 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16. Tickets are $110. For more information, call 772-778-1070 or visit IRSymphonic.org. Next up is the Queens Six, a vocal ensemble in residence at Windsor Castle. The ensemble will perform 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18. Tickets are $40. For more information, call 772-562-3633 or visit CCOVB.org. The Community Church of Vero Beach is at 1901 23rd St. The Indian River County Cultural Council invites you to discover some unexpected goodies at its Treasures 2023 Art & Collectibles Sale. There will be treasures of all sizes, antique, vintage and collectibles, artwork, furniture, oriental rugs, home décor and more. There will also be a silent auction with all proceeds benefiting the cultural arts programs offered by the Cultural Council. The event runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19, at the Heritage Center, 2140 14th Ave., Vero Beach. The Cultural Council is also running the Juried Exhibit for Student Artists in Grades 9-12. The exhibit runs through March 17 at the IRC Intergenerational Recreation Center, 1590 95th St. SW, Vero Beach. On view will be works by students in the Indian River Charter High school, Saint Edward’s School and Sebastian River High School. Works on view include painting, mixed media, photography and drawing. For more information, visit Cultural-Council.org. The Vero Beach High School Performing Arts’ production of “Matilda the Musical” runs Friday, Feb. 17, to Sunday, Feb. 19, at the Vero Beach High School Performing Arts Center, 1707 16th St. Tickets are $5 to $12. Call 772-564-5537. 4 5 3 2

PETS 54 Vero Beach 32963 / February 16, 2023 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ One of the Cool Kibble-est events of the Canine High Season is the Sea Oaks Dog Walk, where I get to catch up with pooch pals and make new pooch frens. It’d been goin’ on for 10 (human) years, until that duh-zeese happened an it got CAN-sulled for 2 years, which was Totally Dismal Dog Biscuits. SO, I was WAY happy when my fren Tess Patota (longtime Dog Walk Spokespooch until her retirement this year) woof-mailed me that it was BACK, an this year was gonna be the first-ever Pawrade of Champions, like an ackshull Dog Show, ’cept with much more appropriate cat-a-gories for not-pro-fesh-unal pooches like most of us are! The pooches an their humans were WAY excited, an 47 pooches signed up, the most EVER! I’m always impressed with how wellbuh-haved this big buncha poocheroos an their humans are. Everybody hangs out for a Meet-an-Greet buh-for the show, so the air’s filled with lotsa of woofin’, of course, but it’s just frenly pooch conversation. PLUS, there’re always yummy snacks for the pooches an their humans. Even POP-corn. The new Spokespooch was Lady Jandorf, a lifelong Sea Oaks resident considered by all to be the Grande Dame of Sea Oaks Canine Society. She’s 11, an English Golden Retriever with a soft, thick coat in a color called British Cream. Born in onTERRY-oh (which is in a next-door-neighbor country), Lady has Very Impressive Lineage, so I was a liddle nervous meeting her, felt like I should bow or somethin,’ but she was Super Mellow (the mellowest pupper in her litter, she told me), then pleasantly explained the new event, an innerduced me around. According to Lady, each pooch an his or her human hadda walk across the tennis court to the judges, one by one, an buh-HAYV! There were 13 CATuh-gories (I don’t know why it’s called that, either, except dog-uh-gories sounds sorta weird). “Meet Oliver Burns,” Lady said. Arriving with his Mom, the liddle blackan-tan Yorkie looked especially jaunty, with one ear up an the other down. “Hi, Mr. Bonzo!” the perky liddle doggo said. “I’m a purebred and I was hopin’ to be a Show Dog cuzza bein’ so pawsome, ’cept for my ears, which I personally like: They’re, you know, my SIGna-chur, but they disqualified me, if you can buh-leeve it.” “Bummer,” I commiserated. “I think you look outstanding!” “Speaking of ears,” said Lady, “this young lady, Suki Polke, just won the award for Most Expressive Ears.” “Congrats, Miss Suki,” I said to the liddle French bulldog. “It’s my first Dog Show. Isn’t it SO Crispy Biscuits? I’m SO excited!” she exclaimed, bouncing about. “Oooo, me too!” agreed a handsome Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. “My name’s Augustus Austin. It’s my first, too. Does my hair look OK?” It totally did, I told him. “Bonzo, I’d like you to meet Molly Farhy,” Lady indicated a liddle Maltese who was waggin’ non-stop with great enthusiasm. A pleasure, Miss Molly,” I said. “Hi, Mr. Bonzo. Are we gonna be in the PAYper? Isn’t this FUN? All my frens are here, I’m pretty sure. Guess what? I won! Guess which CAT-uh-gory.” Miss Molly’s joyful, energetic waggin’ bein’ a liddle clue, I took a wild guess. “Best Tail Wagger?” “YES!! Isn’t that SO Crispy Biscuits?” “The crispiest!” I agreed. “Pardon me, Madame Lady, I’d love to meet Mr. Bonzo,” said a deep voice behind me. I turned to see a large (!) impressive German Shepherd peering down at me, an I felt a strong urge to salute. “Ah, Wolfie, of course,” said Lady, smiling. She turned to me: “Bonzo, meet Wolfgang von Olympia Tweedie, aka Eric the Wolfe. We all call him Wolfie. He’s a dear.” “Delighted to meet you, umm, Wolfie, is it?” I said. “But of course,” he said, with a wag of his tail that would have whooshed a passing Maltese right off the sidewalk, had the liddle pooch not ducked in the nick of time. “May I call you Bonz?” “Absolutely! I saw you out on the court. How’d it go?” “Actually, I won in my cat-uh-gory: Best Tail Wagger!” “I expect it wasn’t even close,” I observed. We laughed. Other pawsome pooch winners were: Loudest bark, Hazel Grant; Shyest, Piper Quinn; Best Leash Walker, Yogibear/Max Wilson; Best Mini Me, Nikki Kendig; Most Congenial, Cosmo Vincent; Shortest Legs, Lucy Finigan; Cutest Puppy, Tank Richter; Best Prancer, Rory Venne; Best Rescue, Skipper Foster; Most Senior Dog, Stella Duff, age 15. All winners got a box of duh-LISH-shus allnatural goodies, donated by Dog Days Homemade Bakery. Moving through the crowd of happy canines, I recognized a fren, black-anwhite Border Collie Julie Teplitz. She’d told me she an her Mom were gonna wear special, super-secret mother-daughter outfits to the event, an they Totally Did! Julie rocked a matching black-an-white houndstooth collar/leash ensemble trimmed in red, and a super cute bow decorated with glittery red hearts, an her Mom was matchin’ with black-an-white check pants. Tray, tray chick! Lady explained that “proceeds from this year’s bran new event go to H.A.L.O., a no-kill shelter up in Sebastian. AN,” she added with pride, “We raised $1,040! Isn’t that the Coolest Kibbles EVER?” “Woof, yes!” I exclaimed. “Congrats!” I hadda brief Woof with H.A.L.O. Spokespooch Remi, a big, playful, long-nosed mixture who himself is hoping for a Furever home, “You know, Bonz, if it weren’t for no-kill shelters like H.A.L.O. and the Humane Society, many, many more Pets Less Fortunate would be in Dire Straits. We are so lucky to have so many humans who care about us.” I couldn’t put it better myself. Till next time, Hi Dog Buddies! Bonzo has the ‘Best’ time at Sea Oaks Dog Walk The Bonz Don’t Be Shy We are always looking for pets with interesting stories. To set up an interview, email [email protected]. Lady. PHOTO BY JOSHUA KODIS

HOW ‘EVIDENCE-BASED’ DIET, LIFESTYLE CHANGES CAN REDUCE DISEASE

56 Vero Beach 32963 / February 16, 2023 HEALTH Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Chronic disease is the leading cause of death and disability in the U.S., accounting for 86 percent of all healthcare dollars spent, but Dr. Aisha Thomas, a board-certified internal medicine and infectious disease physician who also is trained and certified in Lifestyle Medicine, says many of the chronic conditions people suffer from can be prevented “by practicing the six pillars of lifestyle medicine, which include a whole food, plant-based diet; physical activity; restorative sleep; stress management; avoidance of risky substances; and positive social connections. “Lifestyle changes can help alleviate and often reverse conditions by treating the underlying cause of disease rather than its symptoms,” she adds. “Lifestyle medicine specialists like me have mastered the science of preventing, treating and reversing chronic disease through whole-person, prescriptive lifestyle changes.” The World Health Organization 1225 US HWY 1, VERO BEACH, FL 32960 JULIE A. CROMER, DDS COSMETIC DENTISTRY GENERAL DENTISTRY DENTURES & PARTIALS DENTAL IMPLANTS WHITENING GUM SURGERY WALK-INS WELCOME FINANCING & SAVINGS PLAN AVAILABLE SE HABLA ESPANOL DENTAL LAB ON PREMISES Call 772-562-5051 CromerAndCairnsDental.com The patient and any other person responsible for payment has a right to refuse to pay, cancel payment, or be reimbursed for payment for any other services, examination, or treatment that is preformed as a result of and within 72 hours of responding to the advertisement for the free, discounted fee, or reduced fee service, examination, or treatment. NEW PATIENT SPECIAL COMPREHENSIVE EXAM FULL SET XRAYS TREATMENT PLAN CLEANING* $79 *Not in combination with any other offer. Offer good for new patients only and cleaning in absence of periodontal disease. Xrays are non transferable. (D0150) (D1110) (D0210) (D0330) How ‘evidence-based’ diet, lifestyle changes can reduce disease BY KERRY FIRTH Correspondent Dr. Aisha Thomas. PHOTOS: JOSHUA KODIS

Vero Beach 32963 / February 16, 2023 57 HEALTH Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ backs up that assessment, reporting that 80 percent of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes and 40 percent of cancer could be prevented by evidence-based improvements in diet and lifestyle. “Typically, physicians prescribe medicines to treat the symptoms of the diseases, month after month, day in and day out, but they aren’t curing anything,” Dr. Thomas says. “I’ve been practicing in Sebastian since 2013 but it was during the pandemic that I decided to focus more on lifestyle medicine. = “We quickly identified that it was lifestyle and wellness factors that made the patient’s COVID-19 symptoms more complicated. Patients with diabetes, obesity and things like that were the patients at highest risk for bad outcomes. It made me see that lifestyle changes were critical to keep patients on the path to good health. “Even though you have a genetic code for something like hypertension, you can keep it shut off by lifestyle changes. We have the ability to get a genetic baseline on your metabolism and how you process fats and minerals. We can tailor a diet for you to follow that will keep those [harmful] genes shut off. Studies show that the best diet for general health and longevity is actually whole, plant-based food. So many people eat so much processed food without knowing they are doing themselves a disservice.” Dr. Thomas asserts that the six pillars of lifestyle medicine are really quite simple to follow once you establish a smart goal for each pillar. She suggests making your goals manageable and attainable. Stick to those goals and you will live a longer life. Nutrition: Eat a whole food, plantbased diet. This can be achieved by eating the colors of the rainbow that you find in fresh fruits and vegetables. By purposely eating six colors a day in fresh fruit and vegetables you will benefit from their antioxidant properties that help reverse cardiovascular disease by reducing inflammation in your blood vessels. Physical activity: Movement is a golden key to better health and everyone should strive to do a moderate activity like walking 30 minutes each day. You should walk quickly enough to where you can talk but you can’t sing. A nice brisk walk benefits your cardiovascular system and helps keep you limber and fit by maintaining your balance and flexibility. It also helps by increasing antioxidants and blood vessel dilation. Restorative sleep: The average person needs at least seven hours of sleep, preferably getting at least one hour in before midnight. That’s when your hormones are regenerated. Obviously, some people work at night and it’s challenging for them because it does mess with their circadian rhythm. Try to avoid a nightcap for at least three hours before retiring because it will inhibit sleep. Avoid watching TV right before going to bed or while in bed because the blue light from the TV stimulates centers in the brain. Also, getting exposure to sunlight early in the morning helps you to sleep at night. Stress management: Find healthy ways to relax, such as exercise and listening to music. Try to be creative and find hobbies and make an effort to connect with other people and participate in group activities. Figure out what things work for you to reduce stress based on how you feel. Dr. Thomas suggests keeping a journal about your lifestyle changes and activities to gain perspective and find your happy place, whether it is a walk on the beach, meditation, a fast game of pickleball, or getting a massage to CONTINUED ON PAGE 58

58 Vero Beach 32963 / February 16, 2023 HEALTH Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ give yourself peace and calm. Avoid risky substances: Alcohol, illegal drugs and even prescribed drugs can be risky if used the incorrectly or recklessly. Risky means something that can be harmful. Even though medical marijuana is now legal, some people overdo it. and tens of millions of Americans continue to smoke tobacco, despite its known harmful effects. Likewise, even more people load up on high quantities of sugar, salt, bad fats and ultra-processed foods that often are full of non-nutritive chemicals (plus more sugar and fat). Positive social connections: We are social creatures and isolation can cause psychological harm. When you don’t have social interaction, depression is more likely to set in. Once you start connecting with other people, you are likely to feel better. Join some activities at the local library, civic center or university. Join a spiritual group. Volunteer in your community or at an animal shelter where you’ll experience unconditional affection from the animals you care for. Volunteering gives you sense of altruism and self-worth. Studies show that when you help someone else it releases beneficial chemicals that give you a sense of wellbeing and belonging. Dr. Thomas is in practice with Dr. Sydney Nichols, a board-certified pediatrician specializing in lifestyle medicine for children. “One in three children in the United States are obese,” Dr. Nichols says. “Some as young as 10 already have plaque that leads to coronary artery disease. Their lifestyle habits, what they eat, how they exercise all begin in childhood. Diabetes and hypertension is being diagnosed earlier and earlier, as are some cancers such as colon cancer. I’ve seen a 9-year-old child with diabetes type 2 … these children are eating highly processed red meats, fats and sugars, and not enough fiber in the diet from fruits and vegetables. “We try to impact the child’s life early so they can think about living a healthy lifestyle with a plant-based diet, manage stress, get adequate sleep and exercise and maintain meaningful relationships. These all affect the child’s mental and physical health.” “When you leave our office, you do not leave with a prescription for a medicine or pill,” Dr. Thomas says. “Instead, you are leaving with a personalized lifestyle goal that will help you live a healthy life. The way you live your life will be different and you will be living without costly meds that often have more side effects than benefits. You will become your own physician. We simply guide you and help you on the path to good health.” Dr. Aisha Thomas received her medical degree from Spartan Health Sciences University, completed her residency at Wayne State University, and a fellowship at Medical University of South Carolina College of medicine. Dr. Nichols received his medical degree from St. George University in Grenada and was trained in pediatrics at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The doctors’ offices are located in Sebastian. Call 772-783-2124 for an appointment. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 57

Vero Beach 32963 / February 16, 2023 59 HEALTH Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ A multi-generational study of thousands of people begun in 1938 has determined unequivocally that the single most important factor keeping people happy and healthy into old age is good relationships. “That definitely doesn’t surprise me,” says Dr. Denise Garee, a nurse practitioner for the Steward Medical Group, which owns Sebastian River Medical Center. “If people aren’t in healthy social relationships, their whole life changes. It’s not uncommon for them to become depressed, which leads to hypochondria and feeling increased levels of pain.” Begun 85 years ago with 724 young men from the Boston area with diverse backgrounds, the Harvard study “is the longest in-depth longitudinal study on human life ever done,” according to an article about the results the Atlantic. The study has maintained a participation rate of 84 percent with more than 1,300 male and female descendants of the original group (spanning three generations) still participating. Those who were the most satisfied in their relationships when they were 50 were the healthiest, both mentally and physically, when they were 80. Loneliness on the other hand was associated with greater sensitivity to pain, suppression of the immune system, diminished brain function and less effective sleep. Dr. Garee says it is a mistake to underestimate the value of being part of a community. “People, especially older people feel more vulnerable when they’re alone. Being in a group gives them a feeling of supporting each other.” Fifty thousand years ago, being alone often was dangerous or even deadly and an isolated person’s body and brain would have gone into survival mode, heightening the release of stress hormones. Throughout evolution, that human characteristic remained unchanged and the same stressful reaction to loneliness exists now, regardless of age – even though physical danger from wild animals or hostile tribes has been reduced. “Particularly in today’s society, it’s easy to become isolated,” says Good relationships paramount in seniors’ wellbeing, longevity BY JACKIE HOLFELDER Correspondent CONTINUED ON PAGE 60 Dr. Denise Garee. PHOTOS: JOSHUA KODIS

60 Vero Beach 32963 / February 16, 2023 HEALTH Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Dr. Garee. “Family members live in different states and the multi-generational connection is lost. Coupled with that, the older people get, the greater the chances that they don’t feel safe enough to go outside their comfort zone and socialize.” It’s well-documented how social media and technology have changed face-to-face interactions. According to EarthWeb, an independent technology research outlet, the average American now spends several hours a day on their phone. Add the time spent in other technological pastimes and even more hours can go by without traditional human interaction. Socializing is more than just a mental activity; it also tends to involve physical activity, going, coming and mingling, and the essential element of interpersonal touch – hugs, handshakes, backslaps, etc., which other studies have found highly beneficial to wellbeing. What makes the Harvard Study so unique is that it followed subjects from their teen years into old age, including Harvard undergraduates and boys from disadvantaged families, with findings documented at the time they took place. This sets it apart from similar research that asks people to recall what took place in the past and depends on their memory to get accurate data. Many other studies back up the Harvard findings. “Research published by Brigham Young University reveals that social isolation is more lethal than smoking 15 cigarettes a day,” according to FriendshipCenters.org, an organization founded by a Catholic priest in the 1970s to give seniors a place to meet and socialize. In fact, loneliness is associated with significantly higher rates of heart disease and stroke and a 50 percent increased risk of dementia, according to a recent report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. “Lonely or isolated older adults report a greater incidence of depression and anxiety and suffer a mortality rate comparable to that linked to smoking, obesity, excessive alcohol and physical inactivity.” Loneliness and lack of socialization among senior citizens is a major problem in Florida, where 50 percent of the patients treated by Steward Medical Group are over the age of 65. Whatever the specialty of a medical practitioner, they have to become expert at recognizing signs of isolation and depression. Dr. Garee has years of experience dealing with seniors and says you don’t have to undertake massive changes to get on a healthier and more social path. “Find a place in your community where you can drop in to see others,” she says. “It will help you change your routine – older people tend to become very set in their ways and this is a good way to change that.” You can also go further if you want to and can get around, joining a church or club or gym where you can interact and make friends. If you are housebound, invite neighbors or friends over and stay in touch via Skype or Zoom – or the phone, which even though it often has an antisocial effect can also help people stay connected and close to each other. The bottom line, according to the Atlantic’s analysis of the Harvard study results: “Good relationships lead to health and happiness. The trick is that those relationships must be nurtured.” Dr. Denise Garee, Ph.D. from Capella University in Nursing Education, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, CEN, SANE, is a nurse practitioner with Steward Medical Group, owner of Sebastian River Medical Center. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 59

Vero Beach 32963 / February 16, 2023 61 HEALTH Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Q. My 90-year-old mother is extremely independent and doesn’t want me coming with her to see her doctors. It’s frustrating because, when she gets home, I can’t get any decent information from her. She doesn’t ask the doctors questions. What can I do about this? A. This behavior is very familiar to me. People in my parents’ World War II generation are self-reliant, but with a stronger respect for authority than subsequent generations. These folks tend not to challenge their doctors even with simple questions. I’ll give you some information you can use to convince your mother that it is in her best interest to have you with her when she goes to the doctor. A study done at the University of Colorado demonstrated that both patients and doctors benefit from having a companion along at a visit. “Companions that patients choose to bring to their medical visits are generally very helpful and improve the communication and understanding that occurs between the patient and the physician,” explained Dr. Lisa M. Schilling, lead author of the study team. The researchers analyzed almost 1,300 patient visits to determine the frequency, role and influence of companions during outpatient visits. Patients were accompanied by a companion in almost 3 out of every 10 visits. In 93 percent of the assisted visits, the companion was a family member. The study showed that companions improved d o c t o r- p a t i e n t communication. The patients recalled the physician’s advice better and were more able to express their concerns to the physician. According to the patients, their companions improved three out of four of their medical visits. About 60 percent of the physicians said that the patients’ companions helped them understand their patients better. Almost half of the physicians said the companions helped increase the patient’s understanding. In another study at Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Debra Roter and her colleagues reported findings similar to those at the University of Colorado. The study at Johns Hopkins included 12,000 Medicare recipients. The researchers found that elderly patients who were accompanied to a doctor’s examining room reported greater satisfaction than those who showed up in waiting rooms alone. “Having a companion made those who were more ill or less educated on a par with people who were better off on those variables,” said Dr. Roter. She said that a companion at a doctor’s appointment can help in the following ways: 1. Take notes. 2. Remind the patient to ask questions or express concerns. 3. Provide information the patient has forgotten or clarify information for the doctor. 4. Act as a “translator” who explains what the doctor and patient are saying to each other. Another recommendation that came out of the study is for a rehearsal. The patient and companion should go over questions and concerns in advance to prepare for the visit. BY FRED CICETTI Columnist 90-YEAR-OLD MOM REFUSES HELP WITH DOCTOR VISITS

62 Vero Beach 32963 / February 16, 2023 HEALTH Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ The FDA announced a recall earlier this month by a Baltimore-based company of hundreds of food products because of potential listeria contamination, putting the disease back in the spotlight. The bacteria is tied to lettuces, meats, cheeses and other foods, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which says listeria outbreaks are especially dangerous for people who are elderly or pregnant. The Food and Drug Administration announced a recall last Friday by Fresh Ideation Food Group of Baltimore of hundreds of food products because of potential Listeria contamination. “The recall was initiated after the company’s environmental samples tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes,” the announcement said. The products included sandwiches, salads, fruits and breakfast meals under various brand names, and were sold between Jan. 24 and Jan. 30. The products were distributed in Connecticut, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia. People most at risk are those who are pregnant, over the age of 64, immunocompromised or newborn. Listeria is short for listeria monocytogenes, the name of the bacteria that causes problems in humans. Listeriosis is the sickness that makes people ill and can be fatal. Every year about 1,600 people get sick from listeria and about 260 people die, the CDC reports. Listeriosis ranks third on the list of foodborne illnesses that cause death in the United States. Symptoms of a severe case usually start within two weeks after eating contaminated food – but symptoms could present anywhere between the same day or 10 weeks after ingesting the bacteria, according to the agency. Certain foods are more likely to contain listeria, reports the CDC. They include: Unpasteurized milk and products made from such milk, including queso fresco and other soft cheeses. Raw sprouts. Melons. Hot dogs, refrigerated pâtés, lunch meats, cold cuts, fermented or dry sausages Refrigerated smoked seafood. Sometimes a single source such as a deli slicer or a distribution plant can be blamed for an outbreak, said Catherine Donnelly, a professor emeritus at the University of Vermont. Donnelly, who has spent her nearly four-decade career studying listeria, said the bacteria is special and stubborn because it grows on foods even when they’re inside a refrigerator. Refrigeration makes food less hospitable to bacteria and spoilage, but listeria can grow even in extreme cold if food is left long enough, which is why it’s important to respect the dates on food packaging, Donnelly said. Listeria isn’t just on meat and What to know about potentially deadly listeria outbreaks BY BEN BRASCH The Washington Post

Vero Beach 32963 / February 16, 2023 63 HEALTH Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ cheese, she said. It’s also found on raw vegetables and fresh fruits. “Those of us with functional immune systems are being constantly exposed [without knowing it],” she said. People with listeriosis report having flu-like symptoms along with headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions, CDC officials said. The CDC recommends that people see a healthcare provider about foodborne illness if they have severe symptoms such as: Bloody diarrhea. An oral temperature above 102 degrees Fahrenheit. Frequent vomiting that prevents keeping liquids down, which can lead to dehydration. Signs of dehydration, including little or no urination, a very dry mouth/throat, feeling dizzy when standing up. Diarrhea that lasts more than three days. Staff members at the Mayo Clinic write that symptoms of a listeria infection in a newborn can be subtle but can include: Little interest in feeding. Irritability. Fever. Vomiting. Difficulty breathing. Listeria is an intracellular pathogen that can go through gut lining and into blood. Then listeria in the blood can pass the brain barrier, causing serious infections. One-third of people who get listeriosis in some outbreaks die, Donnelly said. Listeria can sneak past the defenses that bodies create during pregnancy, Donnelly said: “The organism can cross the placental barrier, which is a barrier to prevent fetuses from getting infected.” Donnelly said delicatessens are particularly susceptible to listeria growth. If meat that has listeria on it is cut on the deli slicer, the machine can spread bacteria to every slice of meat and cheese afterward, she said. From there, it can introduce the bacteria to every knife or surface it touches. “Those slicers are incredibly difficult to clean and sanitize,” Donnelly said. The CDC and health departments track the disease by taking clinical samples from sickened people, Donnelly said. Health officials analyze either blood or spinal fluid to see whether there’s a genetic match. If there is a match between bacteria in separate patients that commonality tells them a lot. “That suggests maybe these products were made in a common food-processing facility,” she said. Authorities try to identify the source by surveying with patients have eaten. An outbreak of listeria in November tied to deli meat and cheese killed one person, sickened 16 others and resulted in a lost pregnancy, the CDC announced this winter. The illnesses spanned six states. The CDC identified listeria in Dole lettuce during an outbreak that killed two people and hospitalized about a dozen earlier in 2022, the Washington Post reported. The company recalled products from scores of brands and said it was working with federal authorities to investigate its operations. A 2015 listeria outbreak tied to ice cream killed three people, the Post reported at the time. That case led to a Texas grand jury charging a former chief executive of Blue Bell Creameries, Paul Kruse, with wire fraud and conspiracy in connection with an alleged scheme to cover up the outbreak. The company pleaded guilty, according to Houston Public Media, and Kruse’s first case ended in mistrial after the jury could not find consensus. Kruse’s defense attorney Chris Flood told the Austin American-Statesman that of the 12-person jury, 10 jurors voted for a not-guilty verdict. The newspaper reported that Flood told jurors that prosecutors were overreaching in their charges. Donnelly says you can’t tell whether food has listeria on it by sight, smell or touch. “You wouldn’t have any off-odors or off flavors,” she said. “There really aren’t any clues that listeria is contaminating those products.” That’s why the CDC recommends that those who are susceptible not eat meat or cheese from any deli counter unless it is reheated to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit – or until steaming hot. Donnelly suggests not eating anything you’re concerned about, and sanitizing your fridge and whatever surfaces potentially contaminated food may have touched. Again, she preached caution: “Listeriosis is a rare illness. But for vulnerable consumers, they’re the ones that have to be cautious here.”

64 Vero Beach 32963 / February 16, 2023 HEALTH Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Humans sheltered in place for weeks early in the coronavirus pandemic, allowing what was already a sedentary lifestyle for many people to descend into endless hours attending Zoom meetings, streaming movies and awaiting food deliveries. Yet in the realm of couch potatoes, we’re amateurs. A species of fish washed by floods into dark Mexican caves has been essentially sheltering in place for the last 160,000 years, undergoing genetic changes that reset its metabolism, according to a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences. Over thousands of generations, the Mexican cavefish has adapted to life huddled away in the fish equivalent of a dingy den with little light or food; it has learned to swim slowly, starve for long periods, and get by with less muscle mass and more fat. But don’t expect their long-term success in the slow lane to impress your doctor into recommending a regimen of more hours in front of the computer and the television, with generous nap times in between. A lifetime of inactivity puts people at higher risk for heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke, Type 2 diabetes and some cancers. “What I felt was interesting is that in humans, it has been long understood that a sedentary lifestyle leads to pretty negative health outcomes, but those come within a lifetime,” said Joshua Gross, an associate professor of biology at the University of Cincinnati who was not involved in the new research. “This study provides an idea of how inactivity can play out not just in a lifetime, but [in] longterm evolutionary changes.” Because inactivity is so bad for human health, it is considered unethical for scientists to carry out experiments comparing groups of active and inactive people. Thanks to cavefish, however, they don’t have to. When floods carried some Mexican tetra river fish, Astyanax mexicanus, into about 30 different caves, other fish How will ‘couch potato’ humans evolve? Cavefish offer clues BY MARK JOHNSON The Washington Post

Vero Beach 32963 / February 16, 2023 65 HEALTH Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ of the same species remained at the surface, providing a natural study in contrasting evolutionary paths. Surprising as it may sound, the cavefish is a good model from which to examine the possible long-term developmental changes that may lie in store for humans should we pass down our passivity over hundreds or thousands of generations. Humans and cavefish are both vertebrates – animals with backbones – and share about 80 percent of the same genes, said Nicolas Rohner, an author of the study and associate professor at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, a nonprofit biomedical research organization in Kansas City, Mo. For years, scientists have studied blindness and loss of pigmentation in cavefish to better understand these conditions in humans. They’ve found that one of the four genes in people that can mutate and cause albinism is also crucial to albinism in cavefish. Moreover, obesity in both species can be traced to mutations in a gene they share. Some of the same circumstances also account for idleness in both species. “Cavefish move less because they have no predators,” Rohner said, explaining that modern humans enjoy the same luxury. In the pools where cavefish dwell, there are no currents to push against, meaning that when they swim, they face little resistance. As for humans, many have developed a car-dependent lifestyle in which there is far less need for walking, which means we collectively spend less time propelling our legs uphill or pushing our bodies against a stiff wind. In his lab, Rohner has reared about five generations of both cavefish and surface fish. He and his colleagues tested wild and lab-reared versions of the fish, comparing everything including swimming speed, body composition, organs, tissues and even protein levels. The scientists found that cavefish swim about 3.7-fold slower than fish that lived outside caves. Since cavefish had no need to employ the kind of burst-swimming needed to elude predators, they evolved into slow continuous swimmers. The team also discovered the genetic underpinnings of certain traits. In cavefish, groups of genes that contribute to the wasting away or loss of muscle tissue were turned up, meaning they had lower muscle mass than those that had remained outside the caves. However, genes that regulate swimming speed and the ability of muscles to contract were turned down. “It’s one of the most thorough studies I’ve seen,” said William Jeffery, a distinguished professor of biology at the University of Maryland who has studied cavefish for more than 20 years. “That work done in the laboratory was then taken into the field and confirmed – I don’t think I’ve seen that in any study like this done so well.” Jeffery added that the study is the first to show that cavefish experienced a trade-off in the course of their evolution: losing muscle but accumulating fat. The scientists discovered a curious contrast between the wild and laboratory-reared fish when it came to the size of muscle fibers. Usually smaller muscle fibers are associated with less vigorous swimming and muscle atrophy. “We were surprised to find that laboratory cavefish had larger muscle fibers than laboratory surface fish,” Luke Olsen, a co-author of the paper who is a graduate student in Rohner’s lab, wrote in an email. However, the scientists found just the opposite when they examined wild fish: The cavefish had smaller muscle fibers than the surface fish. Olsen said they believe the reason is that cavefish get more food in the laboratory than they would in the wild. The darkness of caves does not permit photosynthesis, the process plants use to convert sunlight into energy and generate oxygen. The lack of plant life has posed a challenge for cavefish. Some populations share caves with bats and derive nutrition from bat guano that enters the water. Other cavefish feed on cave crickets and consume microscopic crustaceans carried inside by drips though the ceiling. In general, however, they must cope with a scarce food supply compared with surface-dwelling fish. In the lab, cavefish convert the more generous food supply into sugars and fats, which get stored in the muscle fibers, causing them to grow larger. “It appears cavefish have rewired the traditional role of muscle fibers” in muscle contraction, Olsen said. The cavefish use their muscle fibers as “a storage site for fuel reserves.” It is the stored excess fat that helps the cavefish get through periods of starvation of a month or longer.

66 Vero Beach 32963 / February 16, 2023 HEALTH Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ As a psychologist specializing in sleep disorders, I hear this complaint the most from new patients: “I fall asleep OK, but I wake up during the night.” Everyone wakes up a few times per night. Cycling out of sleep occasionally is normal. But frequent wakings can affect physical, emotional and mental functioning. We fail to get adequate quantities of the deepest stages of sleep, and react to disruptions with metabolic, inflammatory and stress responses. Obstructive sleep apnea, periodic limb movements (leg jerks), iron deficiency, hyperthyroidism, gastroesophageal reflux, pain, allergies, asthma, hormonal changes, anxiety, depression and certain medications are some of the main contributors to fragmented sleep. A related problem for many of my patients is that once their sleep is disrupted – especially if they are startled awake or have a lot on their minds or have already had most of their night’s sleep – they lie awake for long stretches. While I teach methods for returning to sleep, it is always better to prevent unnecessary wakings and full wakefulness. One of my patients complained of frequent wakings to use the bathroom. After awakening for the last time, she would use the bathroom, and then toss and turn. She would read on her phone for a couple of hours until she had to get up to start her day. She had been diagnosed with apnea, and had a continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, machine, but found the mask uncomfortable and would remove it early in the night. Consequently, she was tired during the day and struggled to stay awake in the evenings. My patient did not appear to be a candidate for simple behavioral interventions such as compressing her sleep hours, limiting late-day alcohol (whose wearing off precipitates light sleep and wakings), minimizing environmental disturbances (such as snoring spouses and clamorous pets), avoiding lengthy or late naps, facing problems long before bedtime, not eating or exercising late at night, winding down in the pre-bed hours until peaceful, and getting morning sunshine. Other interventions such as these three less well-known solutions for light sleep and wakings seemed more likely to help. My patient benefited significantly from the first two approaches. 1. Minimize bathroom breaks: There are many reasons for excessive nighttime urination, such as diabetes, apnea, an enlarged prostate, caffeine and Pavlovian conditioning. But there is another potential culprit: circadian rhythm. We secrete antidiuretic hormone (vasopressin) throughout the 24- hour cycle, but especially at night, and even more so toward the end of our sleep. This keeps the body hydrated and reduces the need to urinate at night. If your biological clock is misaligned with your intended sleep schedule – for example, if you are 3 ways to stop waking up frequently during the night BY LISA STRAUSS The Washington Post

Vero Beach 32963 / February 16, 2023 67 HEALTH Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ an early bird or night owl trying to sleep on a normal schedule – you may not be secreting enough of the hormone at the appropriate times, causing the need to go to the bathroom. And ironically, turning on the light each time you have to go may reinforce the circadian issue that is causing the need to go in the first place. Light exposure in the middle of the night sends a “sunlight” signal to the biological clock, which is highly sensitive at that time. And light has an especially potent effect if your eyes are dark-adapted, as they are if you have been asleep. Strive for darkness at night, or if you need a light for safety, use a dim and reddish (long-wavelength) light in the bathroom. This preserves production of melatonin, a hormone that helps with the timing of sleep. The short-wavelength component of many lights – even when they don’t look blue – suppresses the synthesis and secretion of melatonin. To help my patient not go to sleep too early and then wake too early, I suggested exposure to abundant environmental light during the 7 p.m. hour. This would suppress premature secretion of melatonin, which tends to begin two to three hours before natural sleep onset and would provide a “sunlight” signal. I also asked her to avoid the light from her phone if she woke up early because it was sending that signal prematurely. Delaying a too-early sleep and wake rhythm can also prevent stress hormones – adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and then cortisol – from being secreted in the middle of the night, making sleep more restful. 2. Desensitize yourself to CPAP: My patient also needed to treat her apnea to forestall wakings and the need to use the bathroom. Many people give up on CPAP because both the idea and the physical intrusion of the device can be daunting. They also are not convinced they need it. To convert the machine from adversary to ally, commit to a temporary trial, so that you feel less pressure to use the device forever. You might discover you feel better and can tolerate the CPAP. It’s also important to familiarize yourself with the machine’s operations to feel less daunted. Practice putting the mask on several times. Adjust the straps, if necessary, for a good fit. Use it for 30 to 60 minutes per day while reading or watching TV with the air pressure high. This method can help you overcome anxiety and aversion and get used to the sensations associated with use. When you can forget you have it on, repeat the previous step in your bed (not at sleep time). Try it on your back and your sides. Figure out how to position your pillows and the hose when you shift. The next step is to put it on in bed close to sleep time, zeroing the pressure ramp as often as you like and gradually working toward being able to fall asleep with it. You will have adjusted to it at higher pressure, and now you can enjoy falling asleep with it at low pressure, which is much easier. Slowly work toward all-night use. Take breaks as needed if you awaken and put the mask back on. Focus on something soothing. If you can’t overcome leakage, mask shifting or discomfort, speak with your provider about a different mask. Using these techniques, my patient was able to increase her nightly use of CPAP to about six hours and felt better for it. 3. Relax hypervigilance: Some people are on guard duty all night even when any trauma is past. Assuming there is no immediate danger (which should always be addressed first), you can work on feeling safer to sleep better. This is not a substitute for trauma therapy, if it is needed, but here is one of many methods I teach my patients for feeling safer: Direct this mantra (or one you prefer) toward yourself for a few minutes each day with eyes closed and whenever you feel afraid (including during the night): May you know that you are safe; may you know that you are loved; may you be at peace. Lisa Strauss, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist in private practice in the Boston area. Aarons

68 Vero Beach 32963 / February 16, 2023 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Style No matter what you think of Madge, she’s the reason you thought cowboy shirts and bejeweled jeans were cool. As the original moldbreaker, Madonna’s legacy to style and pop culture is indisputable Madonna’s influence on me has always extended far beyond music. My earliest memories are of the elastic armbands, piled high, adorning my teenage sister’s wrists. I diligently saved the $2.75 an hour I earned in our local grocer so that I could own a piece of Gucci, just like Madonna. Then there were the Gap jeans purchased as a student in 2003 when she launched a collaboration with the retailer. Most recently, I took a deep dive to track down the Japanese consultant Madge worked with on the kimonos for her 1998 Nothing Really Matters video, so I could nail an authentic look for a fancy dress party. So you could say I’m a fan. Which is why, when tickets for her Celebration tour went on sale a couple of weeks ago (after refreshing the link like a maniac), I managed to secure them before they sold out worldwide. Not everyone joined the queue. Madonna courts controversy like no other female pop icon. Possibly because she’s a female pop icon. And at 64 her unwillingness to apologetically fade into a grey-tinged background provokes misogyny in certain circles. “The biggest cringe-making fiasco in world entertainment,” raged Piers Morgan of Madonna’s tour announcement. Claiming that she “should be put out to pasture ... trying to be a sex kitten when you’re in your 60s” is tantamount to “hitting rock bottom.” Tired sexist tropes have dogged her Madgesty since she donned a leotard and leggings in her debut single “Everybody” (no, she didn’t launch with “Holiday”). She defies everything that a sexagenarian woman is meant to be: boobs out front and center, knickers instead of knitting. But seriously, did anyone really think that Madonna, who bared her breasts on the Paris catwalks, danced under burning crucifixes while highlighting police brutality against black men (how foretelling) and simulated masturbation on stage under the threat of arrest – would segue into faded florals and cardigans with tissues up the sleeve? Tellingly, the male rockers who are older than her – Mick Jagger at 79, Rod Stewart at 78 – aren’t told to hang up their spray-on trousers and stop the gyrating. Her face is a talking point, obviously. Even her most ardent fans can’t deny she’s gone to extremes, with rumors of exaggerated fillers in cheeks, plumped-up lips and everything in between. But here’s the thing: Madonna doesn’t care what you, or the Twitterverse, thinks. If she wants to pose in a bustier with a face as tight as a drum, she will. She’s the original moldbreaker, the ultimate style chameleon who used her sexuality as currency one minute then embraced masculine tropes the next, and who partied in her disco Lycra at 47 looking pretty damn incredible. Which is why her fans, and the fashion world, love her. Her legacy to style and pop culture is indisputable. Would Sam Smith be wearing that controversial off-white corset and matching nipple tassels in the recent “I’m Not Here To Make Friends” video without Madonna’s influence? The Celebration tour promises to be a merry romp through 40 years of Madonna mania and you can bet the looks will be eye-popping. And although it’s yet to be announced who will dress her for the tour, our bets are on Dolce & Gabbana, Jean Paul Gaultier or Jeremy Scott at Moschino. So whether Madonna is your cup of tea or not, here’s how she might have influenced your wardrobe over the years. Breton tops and denim The “Desperately Seeking Susan” era – boyish, bleached crop, worn-out jeans, a Breton top – may not seem hugely revLove her or hate her, Madonna has influenced fashion for decades BY STEPHEN DOIG The Telegraph

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / February 16, 2023 69 Style olutionary, but it was Madonna’s way of subverting the bourgeois attire of Coco Chanel and the socialites who adopted this working-man’s classic. The Breton then went on to find its way on to the catwalks of Gaultier – one of Madonna’s most enduring collaborators – and become a hallmark of the house. 1980s leggings and neons Synonymous with 1980s Madonna, if you were a teenager at the time it’s quite likely you tried at least one of the “Holiday”-era items. Neons, leggings, punkish ripped fishnet tights, tulle skirts and off-the-shoulder sweaters – she did them all at once. Skip forward to the bright young things of London Fashion Week and brands such as Henry Holland, Sibling, Richard Quinn and Pam Hogg have all emulated the look. And don’t forget that she and her renegade cohorts in the 1980s – Cyndi Lauper and Neneh Cherry – started the trend for “neck mess,” a tangled overabundance of necklaces all thrown on together. Conical bras and corsetry Obviously Madonna didn’t bring the corset to public consciousness – we have the 16th century to thank for that. But to coincide with her Vogue era in 1990, she turned to French fashion’s enfant terrible Gaultier and his not-exactly-subtle conical bras, which subverted traditional notions of “pin-up glamor”; weaponizing breasts rather than fetishizing them. Throughout her career – from the “Sex”-book era in the early 1990s right up until 2023 – corsets have played a part of her aesthetic, enhancing her diminutive 5-foot-5 frame. You might not have worn the full Moulin Rougeesque, corsetry, but there was a trend in the early 2010s for women wearing blouses and T-shirts with corsets and smart trousers. And who got there first? The Material Girl. Power suiting for women Again, trousers suits for women are nothing revolutionary – they started in the 1930s with Katharine Hepburn and Marlene Dietrich and became more pronounced in the 1960s, thanks to Yves Saint Laurent’s groundbreaking “Le Smoking” tuxedo suit and the iterations that followed. Madonna took her cue from Dietrich in this respect and carried on the flame in structured suits during her “Express Yourself” era and, most classically, in pristine Stella McCartney suits (trained by Savile Row god Edward Sexton) around the time she was adopting Britain as her home during her marriage to Guy Ritchie, circa 2004. Hippy couture Today she’d be accused of cultural appropriation, but in 1998 Madonna reinvented herself again for her “Ray of Light” album by mining Eastern mysticism, Indian saris and Japanese dress, whether with beads through her CONTINUED ON PAGE 70

70 Vero Beach 32963 / February 16, 2023 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Style hair, a bindi on her forehead, henna tattoos on her hands, or by wearing Gaultier kimonos. This was her hippy-meets-goth era, where she championed the then emerging Belgian designer Olivier Theyskens in sweeping gowns and nods to pagan symbolism. Pop into the Met Bar circa 1999 and you’d find at least five women wearing the same thing thanks to Madge. 1990s slinkiness Madonna didn’t put Gucci on the map – we have Jackie Onassis and Grace Kelly to thank for that – but she added a shot of adrenalin to Tom Ford’s era of the house when she declared her outfit at the 1995 VMAs “Gucci Gucci Gucci.” His slashed slinky shirts, spray-on trousers and spiked heels were in step with 1990s minimalism and Madonna was his poster girl. Glamor queen with attitude Where a crystal-dusted lilac gown could look princessy on certain stars, Madonna doesn’t do pretty. Even when dressing in full-on, old Hollywood glamor, she manages to do it with attitude. Perhaps it’s down to the fact that she’s never been conventionally beautiful – that gap in her teeth, the muscles honed early on in her career – but in becoming the muse to Dolce & Gabbana and Versace, and wearing their feminine, figure-hugging gowns, she showed how to look powerful rather than princessy. Just your average (cow) girl The early 2000s saw a swing towards all things Americana and Western, to coincide with her album “American Life.” As Edina Monsoon declared in “Absolutely Fabulous”, “Lo she has spoken, cowboy hats are back.” We weren’t quite getting the Stetsons out, but her championing of bejeweled jeans, T-shirts and checked shirts became a predominant mode of dressing on the street. And for the nay-sayers pronouncing the top-selling female artist of all time should shuffle into retirement and swap her knicker-flashing and hair extensions for nightgowns, we can rely on Madonna for the last word. As she says in her 1994 song “Human Nature”: Absolutely. No. Regrets. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 69

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / February 16, 2023 71 Style For the past decade, the floral midi dress has been a core pillar of a woman’s wardrobe; a one-and-done style solution for everything from office meetings to summer weddings. You have your favorites that fit and flatter, and you know exactly which shoes, knits and jackets look best with each one. But, as reported by my colleague Caroline Leaper recently, it’s time to bid farewell. “I know it, you know it, and the newly appointed duo heading up fashion at John Lewis are here to confirm it too,” she wrote. Cue consternation in the online comments; and the panicked words heard at water coolers across the country, “What on earth will we wear instead?” There will inevitably be a camp which refuses to give up the floral midi – and good for them, we should all wear whatever makes us feel our best. But for those who do want to update their wardrobes and don’t know where to begin, consider this your Post Floral Midi Era guide. There’s no need to reinvent your personal style, you can still wear dresses, but this is a great opportunity to introduce some new outfit formulas into your wardrobe rotation. As for all those floral midis? Trends always come back around, so put your favorites into storage and sell or donate the rest. There are so many appealing and easy-to-wear alternatives, I guarantee you won’t miss them. The graphic print dress Florals may be out, but prints in general are not, and there are some beautiful alternatives to the ubiquitous ditsy motif. There’s the classic polka dot, ginghams and stripes, but there are also geometric prints, which have a 1970s vintage feel to them. The swirly, marble-inspired patterns also make for an appealing twist on a classic printed dress. Team them with boots now, and with loafers, clogs or sandals when the weather gets warmer. The solid color dress The dress that looks most contemporary right now isn’t printed at all; block colors are a palate cleanser after so many years of florals. With a single hue taking center stage, shape matters, because anything billowy and tent-like has the potential to look like a kaftan. The dresses here are nipped in at the waist, creating a flattering hourglass silhouette without being too clingy. The knit dress If you love the look of a knitted dress, but overheat in wool or cashmere, these new springtime iterations in cotton and viscose blends are for you. They’ve a nice weight to them and are cleverly cut with ribbed panels and A-line skirts so that they skim over the body, rather than cling. They feel comfortable to wear and don’t crease, so perfect for long days when you’re expected to look smart well into the evening. The jumpsuit If you are yet to try on a jumpsuit, it can appear daunting, but once you’ve found one you love, there’s no turning back. A boilersuit style looks “fashion” but is actually timeless, and the loose fit, often with a waist tie, makes it an easy piece for all body shapes. Proportions are key here, so if you’re tall or petite, seek out retailers which cater for your height. Here are four outfits you can wear instead of the floral midi BY TAMARA ABRAHAM The Telegraph

72 Vero Beach 32963 / February 16, 2023 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Style Peek under the surface of ‘sustainable’ fashion’s sleek new vegan veneer and its ethical credentials are not what they seem. Ratty hemp dresses and fraying cork shoes have been replaced by butterysoft over-the-knee boots, slinky silk minidresses and cross-body handbags in ice-cream colors. Vegan fashion has finally made it big thanks to a new generation intent on purging meat from their diets and their wardrobes – and the fashion industry has responded with an array of desirable, animal-free collections. But look behind the curtain and it becomes clear that innovation sometimes causes more problems than it solves. Vegan leather is now ubiquitous and available at brands like Marks & Spencer and Zara, as well as most midrange labels. The fashion industry is understandably keen to promote it as an exciting new alternative – partly because leather goods generate a lot of money but also because selling it is an easy way to show your ethical credentials The truth, however, is that while the methane produced by cows means real leather isn’t great for the planet, the crude oil used to make its replacement is arguably much worse. “It’s a real hot potato,” says Suzanne Lee, the founder of biotech company, Biofabricate. “In fashion particularly, we’re always looking for a shorthand, and vegan leather is now being touted as an environmentally friendly alternative to animal leather, but unfortunately a lot of companies have not been transparent about what that means.” Lack of regulation For all the new innovations, not much has changed since the days of pleather – today most vegan leather is still made from either polyurethane (PU) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC), both of which are incredibly polluting. And even brands that say they are using plant-derived materials are often making as little as 25 percent of their product from, say, cactus or pineapple skin, and the rest from plastic. The fashion industry remains deeply unregulated, so there is little pushback on this. “This is greenwashing, 100 per cent,” says Lee. “It makes me very angry, but we see it on a daily basis. We often have brands coming to us with this new vegan leather they have been offered and we have to tell them it’s basically plastic. I would be as bold as to say that vegan fashion is the main area where greenwashing is a concern.” Sadly, these companies are marketing their goods to consumers who – by and large – are doing their best to make a positive impact. This is particularly true in January when, thanks to the popularity of the plant-based eating initiative “veganuary,” searches for vegan fashion are higher than at any other time of the year. “It’s a shame, because so many kids get excited about vegan diets and want to buy a vegan handbag, and are horrified when they find out it’s mostly plastic,” says Lee. Shades of grey The problem begins when people conflate their eating habits with their clothing consumption. “We have to educate people to think about fashion in shades of grey rather than black and white,” says Lee. “Vegan eating is simple – not least because the ingredients are listed. We don’t get that with materials, so there is a lot of opportunity to hide what is lurking in products.” She cites a few companies that purport to make cactus or apple leather accessories, but which – according to Lee – base little of the material on actual plant products, instead relying overwhelmingly on plastic, which is far more polluting. But because these ‘alternative leathers’ are only part plastic, have been processed and contain multiple different elements, it is also difficult to recycle them. This means a lot of discarded vegan leather will likely end up in landfill. For some people that is still better than contributing to the slaughter of animals or the creation of materials made from raw and environmentally damaging fossil fuels – but the lack of transparency means that few consumers are making this choice in an informed way. Dispelling the myths One company trying to fight back on some of the disinformation out there is Pangaia. This innovative Los Angeles based brand is scientifically very advanced and has become one of the forerunners in vegan fashion. It also has a policy to give customers as many details as possible. “Right now about 60 percent of all fashion has some synthetic in it, and synthetic is pure fossil fuels,” says PanIs vegan fashion a greenwashing con? BY MELISSA TWIGG The Telegraph

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / February 16, 2023 73 Style gaia COO Amanda Parkes. “We don’t want to add to that, and we want to en - sure that all virgin content is ethical and no animals have died – but we know that the solutions are not always perfect so we tell the customer as much as we can.” “Nothing is simple,” agrees Lee. “The dairy industry is very polluting but the truth is that much of the leather that fashion uses comes from the hides of cows that were always going to be slaughtered for food – if you want to make a difference, persuading someone to eat less meat will do more than persuading them to buy a plastic handbag.” Which means ensuring that – for now – leather doesn’t go the way of fur. Fur was the first animal product to attract global attention thanks to the head - line-generating efforts of Peta, and it is now rightly frowned upon in nearly all circles. But faux fur – which is typically made from polluting synthetics – really isn’t much better. And while there are a few companies like Maison Atia and House of Fluff, as well as Stella McCartney’s recently de - veloped KOBA Fur-Free Fur, that are making faux fur from green-friendly plant products – none are particularly affordable. “Cheap fake fur is essentially plas - tic,” says Lee. “It’s a fossil polymer that comes from crude oil and is toxic and nasty and goes straight to landfill. Any - one who cares about the planet should never buy it.” British wool When it comes to wool, vegan op - tions are also a bad idea, not least because the real thing is one of the greenest materials you can buy. Even Stella McCartney – who never uses leather or silk in her designs – will use responsibly sourced wool. Dana Thomas, the acclaimed author of “Fashionopolis: The Price of Fast Fashion and the Future of Clothes,” agrees. “Wool is not only fine, it’s actively great, because when it wears out you can compost it safely – and in my book, that’s important,” she says. King Charles and publisher Nicho - las Coleridge even led a campaign to get people wearing more wool in the name of saving the planet from plastic derivatives. “It is frankly insane that people have been wearing synthetic jerseys instead of wool ones,” says Coleridge. “Not only is it far greener than the al - ternative – but the energy crisis means wool is more important than ever be - cause it keeps you twice as warm. This was widely understood in mediaeval Britain, but somehow got forgotten in recent de - cades.” Tamara Cincik, the founder of the consul - tancy Fashion Round - table, has been a vegan for 20 years and actively campaigns for people to wear more wool. “One of the most important things you can do for the planet is buy clothes that have been produced close to home,” she says, “I know I’m doing some - thing good when I buy products made of British wool.” The silk debate Then there is silk, which gets far less airtime despite reports from ani - mal rights groups about worms being boiled alive in their cocoons. There are a few planet-friendly plant-based materials that mimic the feel and drape of silk, like Bolt Threads – but they remain almost exclusively avail - able in the luxury sphere. “To be honest, because silk is a tiny percentage of the overall market, stop - ping it won’t do much other than put some people in low income countries out of work – most of them being wom - en,” says Lee. “When you look at the amount of polyester being made each day and the amount of silk, I don’t think the latter is the right place to concen - trate our efforts.” Lee has here touched on the biggest issue of all – the sheer quantity of garments being created by the industry every day. Unfortunately, because fashion exists to sell products, it is easier to tell people worried about the planet to buy a pair of vegan boots than it is to tell the truth: that not buying anything remains by far the most environmentally friendly choice you can make.

74 Vero Beach 32963 / February 16, 2023 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero & Casual Dining Fine Dining, Elevated Exciting Innovative Cuisine Award Winning Wine List Unparalleled Service Expanded outdoor dining in The Café. Proud recipient of Trip Advisor’s Traveler’s Choice Award placing us in “The Top 10% of restaurants worldwide”. Catering Now Available (772) 234-3966 • tidesofvero.com Open 7 Days a Week Starting at 5 PM 3103 Cardinal Drive, Vero Beach, FL Reservations Highly Recommended • Proper Attire Appreciated Wine Spectator Award 2002 – 2021 Serving Dinner Tues - Sat from 5pm (772) 226-7870 Downwn Vero Bea 2023 14th Avenue www.VeroPrime.com Prime Steaks, Seafood & Italian Specialties Happy Hour featuring Premium Spirits Nightly 5 - 6:30pm (Bar Only) Early Dining Menu Nightly 5 - 5:30pm

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Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / February 16, 2023 77 Vero & Casual Dining PARTY PLATTERS AVAILABLE 56 Royal Palm Pointe 772-567-4160 Follow us on Facebook & Instagram OPEN FOR DINNER WEDNESDAY-SUNDAY BEGINNING AT 4 PM. CLOSED MONDAY & TUESDAY. ORDER ONLINE FOR DELIVERY OR PICKUP THROUGH Pizzoodles.com or ToastTakeout.com SALADS, PASTA, VEAL, CHICKEN , SUBS AND DESSERTS OPEN WEDNESDAY - SUNDAY 1931 Old Dixie • 772.770.0977 fishackverobeach.com • Like us on Facebook! Gift Certificates, Private Parties & Patio Dining Available TUESDAY NIGHT l ALL YOU CAN EAT FISH FRY HAPPY HOUR 4-6 PM l TUES.- SAT. WE CAN ACCOMMODATE LARGE PARTIES TUES OPEN FOR DINNER AT 4 WED-SAT OPEN FOR LUNCH & DINNER CLOSED SUNDAYS & MONDAYS OFFERING Local Fish Northern Fish Patio Dining Happy Hour Best Margaritas Full Liquor Bar Large Parties Daily Specials

78 Vero Beach 32963 / February 16, 2023 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ ARTIST GALLERIES Hours are as noted and/or by appointment. BEACHSIDE GALLERIES J.M. Stringer Gallery of Fine Art 2465 Ocean Drive. 772-231-3900 Website: jmstringergallery.com Hours: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tues. through Sat. Current Exhibit: Poetry of the Colorists: Deborah Cotrone, Leonard Mizerek and Jim Rodgers Working artists, antique paintings, furnishings, sculptures, object d’art and private collections Koman Fine Art 2905 Cardinal Drive. 772-231-4500 or 772-473-1646 Instagram: komanfineart Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mon. to Sat. Collection of living artists, from realism to abstraction Laughing Dog Gallery 2910 Cardinal Drive. 772-234-6711 Website: thelaughingdoggallery.com Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tues. to Sat. Contemporary American craftsmen, including the Treasure Coast’s largest collection of art glass Meghan Candler Gallery 6160 Hwy. A1A at the Village Shops. 772-234-8811 Website: meghancandlergallery.com Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tues. to Sat. Current Exhibit: Linda Arnold, New Painting Collection Curated works by 40+ contemporary artists, including the newest, Claire Kendrick Ocean Drive Gallery 3349 Ocean Drive, Suite 8, 2nd Floor. 772-579-7667 Website: oceandrivegalleryverobeach.com Hours: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Wed. to Sat. Gallery Artists: Elise Geary, Andrea Lazar, Gail Fayerweather, Jill Kerwick and Sherrie Petermann Palm House Gallery & Studio 3227 Ocean Drive (2nd floor). 772-231-6816 Website: palmhousegallery.com Gallery Artists: Wendy Douglas, Dede Gilbert, Rick Kelly, Madeline Long, Suzy Mellott, Jack Staley, Barbara Tiffany and Emily Tremml Steve Diossy Marine Art Gallery 3247 Ocean Drive. 772-205 2973 Website: stevediossy.com Hours: Closed Mondays; check website for hours. Artwork by the designer of Florida’s ‘Protect Wild Dolphins’ license plates HISTORIC DOWNTOWN ARTS DISTRICT GALLERIES All are open during 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. First Friday Gallery Strolls Artists Guild Gallery 1974 14th Avenue. 772-299-1234 Website: artistsguildgalleryofverobeach.com Hours: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tues. to Saturday Artist Owners: Nick Binghieri, Sue Dinenno, Barbara Glover, Sherry Haaland, Chuck Haaland, Karen McFeaters, Judy Mercer, Dawn Mill, Patricia Padoll, Judy Rixom, Fran San Miguel and Rita Ziegler Associate Artist: Johnson Hagood Big Art Now Gallery 1791 Old Dixie Highway, 561-440-4260 Website: bigartnow.co Hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tues. to Sat. Current Exhibit: Group Show: Original artworks by 14 Florida-based artists Artists: Nuné Asatryan, Carol Calicchio, Roger Conti, Jacquilyn Eusanio, Scott Harper, Joe Karlovec, Craig Krefetz, Todd Lim, Lisa MacNamara, Vickie Marsango, Renée Phillips, Maria Claudia Rivadeneira, Clay Stephens and Maciek von Ato Gallery 14 1911 14th Avenue. 772-562-5525 Website: gallery14verobeach.com Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tues. to Fri; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sat. Current Exhibit: Piece of Mind, by collage artist Derek Gores Partner Artists: Edgardo Abello, Lila Blakeslee, Barbara du Pont, Mary Ann Hall, Barbara Landry, George Pillorgé, Deborah Morrell Polackwich and Dorothy Napp Schindel Gallery Veritas & Art Library 1420 20th Street, 323-547-1188 Website: thegalleryveritas.com Hours: First Friday and by appointment Current Exhibit: For the Love of Color, by Lisa Cave Resident artists: Xaque Gruber, Barry Shapiro, Lisa Cave, Lu Mullan, Suzanne Roff, Haeley Kyong and Mary Gallatin Main Street Vero Beach Studios & Gallery 2036 14th Avenue, Suite 103. 772- 643-6782 Website: mainstreetverobeach.org Hours: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Mon. to Fri. Resident Artist: Clair Brunetti Raw Space 1795 Old Dixie Hwy. 772-410-9126 Website: artconceptalternative.org Hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wed. to Sat. Current Exhibit: Quentin Walter’s Out of the Box Retrospective Vero Beach Art Club Gallery & Market Place 1903 14th Avenue. 772-217-3345 Website: verobeachartclub.org Hours: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tues. to Sat. GALLERIES ELSEWHERE Barbara Krupp Fine Art Studio/Gallery 4315 U.S. 1. 440-574-4662 Website: barbarakrupp.com Hours: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday Current Series: Exploring Beauty Resident Artist: Barbara Krupp, original acrylic paintings The Rowe Gallery 46 Royal Palm Pointe. 302-521-4175 Website: therowegallery.com Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wed. and Thurs.; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fri. and Sat. Resident Artist: Lori Rowe, impressionism, abstract and instinctualism Roy A. McLendon Jr. HAAP Fine Art Studio 2059 Indian River Blvd. 772-584-6653 Website: roymcclendonjr.com Hours: 3:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Mon. to Fri.; 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sat. Resident Artist: Roy A. McLendon Jr.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ CALENDAR Vero Beach 32963 / February 16, 2023 79 Check with organizations directly for updates/cancellations. Riverside Theatre: “Bakersfield Mist” on the Waxlax Stage through Feb. 19. 772-231-6990 or RiversideTheatre.com King of the Hill Tennis Tournaments, 6 p.m. Thursdays through March 2 at the Boulevard to benefit Youth Guidance. 772-979-5582 Vero Beach Museum of Art: Rolling Sculpture: Streamlined Art Deco Automobiles and Motorcycles exhibit through April 30. VBMuseum.org or 772-231-0707 Garden of Glass at McKee Botanical Garden thru April 30. McKeeGarden.org or 772-794-0601 First Friday Gallery Strolls, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Downtown Vero Beach Arts District. 16 Concerts in the Park, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Vero Beach Museum of Art, featuring Fred Goodnight. BYO lawn chair. Refreshments available for sale. $10 & $12 at the door. VBMuseum.org 16 Live from Vero Beach presents the Buckinghams and the Box Tops, 7 p.m. at the Emerson Center. 800-595-4849 16 Indian River Symphonic Association presents the Philadelphia Orchestra, with conductor Nathalie Stutzmann and violinist Gil Shaham, 7:30 p.m. at Community Church of VB. 772-778-1070 or IRSymphonic.org 17 Concerts in the Park presents the Sebastian High School Band, 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Riverview Park. Free; BYO chairs/blankets. SebastianChamber.com or 772-589-5969 17 Vero Beach Sock Drive Sock Hop, 7 p.m. at Walking Tree Brewery, with Professor Pennygoode’s Mighty Flea Circus and 8:30 p.m. dance-off. Admission: New socks for charities. VeroBeachSockDrive.com 17-19 Vero Beach High School Performing Arts presents Matilda the Musical at VBHS PAC. 772-564-5537 17-19 Vero Beach Theatre Guild presents “The Lifespan of a Fact,” a stage reading in the Studio Theatre. VeroBeachTheatreGuild.com or 772-562-8300 17-19 Thunder on the Beach Powwow, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Fri.; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sat.; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sun., with dancing, music, storytelling, food and vendors. Adults $10; children $5. Fiha.us 18 Florida Craft Brew & Wingfest, 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Royal Palm Pointe to benefit Sunrise Rotary projects, with food, craft beer tastings, Best of Vero Wing competition, and four bands. Free admission. Beer tasting bracelet $55. FloridaCraftBrewAndWingFest. com 18 MHA Rocks Motown, 7 p.m. (6 p.m. VIP) at Grand Harbor Club to benefit Mental Health Association of IRC, with food stations, auctions and music. $100; $225 VIP. 772- 569-9788 18 Performance by the Queen’s Six, vocal ensemble in residence at Windsor Castle, 7 p.m. at Community Church of VB. $40. 772-778-1070 18|19 Treasures 2023 Art & Collectibles Sale, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sat., 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sun. at the Heritage Center to benefit the Cultural Council of IRC. Cultural-Council.org 18|19 Vero Beach Antique Show, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Garden Club of IRC hosted by Bougainvillea Circle. $3. 772-696-0095 19 Rat Pack Tribute featuring Tony Sands, with hits from Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. $35. 772-778-5249 21 to March 12 – Riverside Theatre presents Ken Ludwig’s “A Comedy of Tenors” on the Stark Stage. 772-231-6990 or RiversideTheatre.com 22 Fashion Meets Art presents Badgley Mischka, 4 p.m. talk followed by cocktail reception at Vero Beach Museum of Art. $200. VBMuseum.org or 772-231-0707 23 Diamonds and Crystals Gala, 5:30 p.m. at Quail Valley River Club to benefit Gifford Youth Orchestra, with former astronaut Capt. Winston Scott. $150. GYOTigers.org or 772-213-3007 23 Diamonds in the Rough fundraising dinner, 6 p.m. at Bent Pine Golf Club to benefit Camp Haven. $195. CampHaven.net 24 Live from Vero Beach presents Ones: the Beatles #1 Hits, 7 p.m. at the Emerson Center. 800-595-4849 24-26 Ballet Vero Beach presents Beyond the Ballets Russes, 7:30 p.m. Fri., 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sat. at Vero Beach High School PAC. $10 to $75. Accessible/ Family Friendly performance 2 p.m. Sun., $10. Balletverobeach.org or 772-905-2651 25 Chimpathon 2.5K, 5K and 10K options 7:30 a.m. at and to benefit Save the Chimps chimpanzee sanctuary. SaveTheChimps.org 25 Explorer’s Experience, 6 p.m. at Triton Submarines to benefit Ocean Research and Conservation Assoc., with dinner, auction, state-of-the art submersibles and ONGOING FEBRUARY

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ CALENDAR 80 Vero Beach 32963 / February 16, 2023 footage of creatures from the deep. $250. TeamORCA.org 25 Impact 100 Share to Care, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Riverside Park, showcasing 40+ nonprofit grant recipients over the past 15 years. Impact100IR.com 25|26 Blues Fest at IRC Fairgrounds, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sat., 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Sun., with 10 bands, classic car and truck show, and marketplace vendors. $5; children under 13 free. 26 Scottish Sweetheart Afternoon Tea hosted by Scottish Society of the Treasure Coast, 2 p.m. at the Garden Club of IRC. $25. 772-783-6891 26 Space Coast Symphony Orchestra presents Showtime, Broadway’s most beloved tunes, 3 p.m. at the Vero Beach High School PAC. SpaceCoastSymphony.org 26 Atlantic Classical Orchestra and Vero Beach Museum of Art Chamber Series II, Three by Three, 4 p.m. at VBMA. 772-460- 0851 or AtlanticClassicalOrchestra.com 27 International Lecture Series presents Miles Collier, Revs Institute founder on the Archaeological Automobile: Understanding and Living with Historical Automobile, 4:30 p.m. at Vero Beach Museum of Art. VBMuseum.org or 772-231-0707 27 An Extraordinary Evening with Chris Cassidy, Navy SEAL, NASA Astronaut, and CEO/President of the National Medal of Honor Museum, 5 p.m. at Quail Valley River Club, hosted by the Navy SEAL Museum. $1,000. NavySealMuseum.org 27 A Night on Broadway Fundraising Dinner to benefit the Hope for Families Center, 6 p.m. at Bent Pine Golf Club with Broadway-style entertainment. $250. 772- 696-4442 28 Vero Beach High School Performing Arts Concordia Chorus Concert, 7 p.m. at VBHS PAC. 772-564-5537 1 Angel Dinner to benefit Boys & Girls Clubs of IRC, 6 p.m. at the Vero Beach Club location. BGCIRC.org 2 Live from Vero Beach presents the Grass Roots, 7 p.m. at the Emerson Center. 800- 595-4849 3 Women Build: Hammers & High Heels Kickoff Reception, 5:30 p.m. at Costa d’Este Resort to benefit Habitat for Humanity. IRHabitat.org or 772-562-9860. 3 Concerts in the Park presents the Reckless Shots, 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Riverview Park. Free; BYO chairs/blankets. SebastianChamber. com or 772-589-5969 MARCH Our directory gives small business people eager to provide services to the community an opportunity to make themselves known to our readers at an affordable cost. This is the only business directory mailed each week. If you would like your business to appear in our directory, please call 772-633-0753 or email [email protected]. Sudoku Page 36 Sudoku Page 37 Crossword Page 36 Solutions from Games Pages in January 26, 2023 Edition ACROSS 1 STEEP 4 ATLAS 10 LEAVE 11 ABALONE 12 COASTER 13 PIECE 14 BELLOW 16 JESTER 19 SALSA 21 APPOINT 23 EXAMINE 24 PATIO 25 SHINE 26 FLEET DOWN 2 TRAVAIL 3 EJECT 5 TRAIPSE 6 ALONE 7 BLOCKBUSTER 8 CARRY 9 CELEBRATION 15 OVATION 17 THISTLE 18 BABEL 20 LEASH 22 PUPIL Crossword Page 37 (IN A PERFECT WORLD 2) Advertising Vero Beach Services | If you would like your business to appear in our directory, please call 772-633-0753 VERO BEACH 32963 BUSINESS DIRECTORY Althea Powell, Board Certified Pedorthist State Licensed • Custom Molded Orthotics • Custom Molded Shoes • Diabetic Shoes • Elevation 2686 U.S. HWY 1 • VERO BEACH, FL www.powellshoes.com • 772.562.9045 POWELL SHOES PEDORTHIC FACILITY ELAINE FLORENCE CUSTOM WORKROOM [email protected] www.elaineflorence.com • (772) 559-3315 Free Consultations Serving the Treasure Coast for 25 Years Blinds & Shades Shutters Cushions & Upholstery Draperies Custom Sewing Luxury Designer Fabrics 2036 14th Ave. Ste 103 Vero Beach, FL 32960

EXPANSIVE ‘MOORINGS’ HOME HAS WONDERFUL OCEAN VISTAS 910 Reef Rd. in The Moorings: 5-bedroom, 8-bath, 7,759-square-foot oceanfront home offered for $8,000,000 by Matilde Sorensen, Broker-Owner, Dale Sorensen Real Estate: 772-532-0010

REAL ESTATE 82 Vero Beach 32963 / February 16, 2023 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ When her parents were ready to retire and move to Florida, they wanted a home where the entire family and their friends could gather comfortably, recalls Jane Ashby. Although they had visited South Florida over the years, the couple wanted something quieter. So, they hopped in their car and drove north until they came to Vero Beach, where they purchased the 5-bedroom, 8-bath, 7,759-square-foot oceanfront home at 910 Reef Rd. in The Moorings. Since they bought the house, they’ve hosted a steady stream of visitors, notes Ashby. The contemporary, two-story home has a commanding presence on a great piece of property with 123 feet of ocean frontage, with an unobstructed,180- degree view of the ocean. It’s hard to tell sometimes where the house ends, and the ocean begins. “This is a great home for family,” says Dale Sorensen Real Estate broker-owner Matilde Sorensen. “Because it has separate living areas on both levels, it’s like having two houses,” with bedrooms, gathering spaces and kitchens on both floors. The home was designed by Edlund Dritenbas Binkley Architects & Associates and built by Proctor Construction. Using the ocean as the focal point, the architects laid the house out so that every room has an ocean view, and no two views are alike, says Ashby. And every room opens onto the extensive wrap-around deck system on the first floor or onto a private balcony upstairs. This contemporary home perfectly blends modern amenities and coastal living with great views that create a relaxed lifestyle. Hidden behind mature trees, the elegant house is a pleasant surprise when you drive up the long, pavered driveway. You can use the turnabout to alight from the car under the protection of the portico or head into the house through the three-car, side-entry garage. Expansive ‘Moorings’ home has wonderful ocean vistas BY STEPHANIE LABAFF Staff Writer

REAL ESTATE Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / February 16, 2023 83 A pair of large doors opens into the grand foyer with a 22-foot-high ceiling and an abundance of light showcasing a white-ash, spiral staircase. The laundry room and garage access are located just off the foyer near the elevator, so you can come in from the garage and head directly to the second floor with groceries. Also in this section of the house is a fitness room with doors that open onto the pool deck where you can work out while enjoying ocean views and sneak out to the pool and hot tub after exercising. Following the saturnia marble floor accented with granite along a hallway lined with glass, you arrive in the heart of the home, where everyone gathers. With a living room, game area, powder room, library and kitchenette, the open-floor plan of this comfortable retreat invites everyone to join in the fun. There are four en-suite guest bedrooms on the first floor, each with access to the decks, allowing guests to

REAL ESTATE 84 Vero Beach 32963 / February 16, 2023 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ maintain some distance from their hosts upstairs if they desire. A second staircase near the kitchenette makes it easy to head upstairs when everyone wants to get together. The second floor, accessed by both staircases and the elevator, is a house in itself, with a dining room, wet bar, breakfast area with built-in banquette, office, kitchen, living room with a gas fireplace, powder room and the owner’s suite. The owners can live easily on this level. Broad windows from the living room showcase more wonderful views of the lively Atlantic Ocean stretching from the sand to the horizon. The second-floor owner’s suite faces the sea, offering captivating views through glass doors that open onto a private deck. Fully equipped his and her bathrooms are another delightful feature. Glass block in the bathrooms allows plenty of sunlight to filter in and a sportsman’s laundry in one of the closets helps cut down on trips downstairs to the main laundry room. A large walk-in closet and jetted tub in the other bathroom finish off the space. The extensive decks and balconies create a seamless indoor-outdoor flow throughout the house, blending the built and natural worlds. There’s also a special security feature – a space behind a hidden panel that has a safe, cooler, seat and phone hookup where the owners can take shelter if they feel threatened and need a place to hide. Outside, a large pool and spa surrounded by a deck offer stunning

REAL ESTATE Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / February 16, 2023 85 ocean views and plenty of space to relax. A cabana bath ensures you can rinse off before hopping into the pool after a walk on the beach, easily accessed via the private dune walkover. Ashby says her parents were big golfers and were drawn to the wonderful family environment at The Moorings Yacht & Country Club. The range of club amenities and activities that are available, along with the home’s proximity to the beach, wide sidewalks along A1A, and Round Island Park nearby offer something for everyone to enjoy. As Moorings Property Owners Association members, residents have private beach access and a security patrol. The Moorings Yacht & Country Club offers a full slate of amenities, including a yacht club, Pete Dye’s signature golf course in the community, Jim Fazio’s Hawk’s Nest championship course on the mainland, a sprawling tennis center, croquet and pickleball courts, and a state-of-theart fitness center with pool and spa, as well as fine and casual dining. VITAL STATISTICS Neighborhood: Moorings Year Built: 1991 Construction: Concrete block and frame with stucco Lot size: 123 feet by 325 feet Home size: 7,759 square feet Bedrooms: 5 Bathrooms: 7 full baths and 2 half-baths Pool: 40-foot by 14-foot gas-heated pool and spa View: Sweeping, 180-degree ocean vistas Additional features: Office; library; guest kitchenette; wood and stone flooring; two gas fireplaces; jetted tub; wet bar; panic room cubby; elevator; two staircases; cabana bath; decks and balconies; 3-car garage; covered portico; electric and manual storm shutters; private dune walkover. Listing agency: Dale Sorensen Real Estate Listing agent: Matilde Sorensen, broker-owner, 772-532-0010 Listing price: $8,000,000 910 REEF ROAD

REAL ESTATE 86 Vero Beach 32963 / February 16, 2023 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Q: My daughter is thinking of buying her first home. Can you give her some pointers on what to look out for when looking at homes? A: Thanks for your question. It’s terrific that in this day of elevated interest rates, first-time homebuyers are eager to get out there and claim their share of the American dream. In Ilyce’s book, “100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask”, she offers nine questions you should be able to answer before starting your search. Here are the four most important for your daughter to consider: Should you rent or should you buy? Just because you can afford to buy a home, that doesn’t mean you should. One of the big mistakes homebuyers often make is buying when they should be renting. How do you know if you should rent? Consider whether you’re happy in your job and can envision yourself staying there for the next five to seven years, or at least staying in the same general location. If you’re working from home and can easily find other jobs where you can continue as a remote worker, the commuting to work issue becomes moot. Beyond that though, first-time homebuyers often make the mistake of buying a property that’s too small for their growing lifestyle. So, aim to buy at least a two-bedroom, two-bath condo, townhouse or single-family house. That way, you’ll be able to accommodate a partner and perhaps even a child down the road. Of course, the biggest issue is whether you can afford to buy. In today’s interest rate environment, you’ll need to have a substantial down payment and afford the monthly payments with a higher interest rate. Should you buy with someone or on your own? There’s nothing wrong with buying a home with a partner, spouse, or non-romantic friend. You just need to plan out how the ownership structure will work, who will contribute what in terms of cash or sweat equity, and how ongoing improvements, renovations, maintenance, upkeep, and payment of other joint bills will be made. The best thing you can do if you’re thinking of buying with someone else is to sit down and work out all these details ahead of time. One thing to think about before you go shopping for a house is what will happen if one of you wants to sell but the other doesn’t. While that seems simple, you have to plan for the possibility that the person who wants to stay in the property can’t afford to buy out the partners. How you’ll handle that is key to a successful home-buying experience. How should you think about your home-buying time horizon so you avoid making a big mistake? We find that first-time buyers often make timing mistakes. Typically, they sign a lease to rent their current home for another year and then decide they want to buy something. They go shopping for a place, and wind up paying rent and mortgage for six months or longer. That’s not affordable in most cases, especially today. So, think about when you would like to be in your first home, and reverse engineer the process. It will take you six to eight weeks to close in the home once your offer is accepted. It may take you three to five months to find a property that will work for you that’s in your price range. You also need to hire an agent, make sure you are pre-approved for your mortgage, find a professional home inspector, and understand what it will take to get you packed up and moved. Working all these details out ahead of time is ideal but doesn’t always happen. Still, if you plan as much as posADVICE FOR A FIRST-TIME HOMEBUYER IN 2023 BY ILYCE GLINK AND SAMUEL J. TAMKIN Tribune Content Agency

REAL ESTATE Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / February 16, 2023 87 sible, the whole purchase process will go more smoothly. How much should you spend on your purchase and how will your credit affect what you can spend? This question is actually a combination of two questions in Ilyce’s book, but they dovetail nicely. How much you can afford to spend on a house may change several times during the course of the day, depending on what interest rates do. Where your credit score is at any point in time will also directly affect how big a loan your lender will approve. The higher your credit score, the lower the interest rate you’ll pay on your loan. You’ll also get a better deal in terms of points (a point is one percent of the loan amount) and other fees. That is important because another of the biggest mistakes first-time buyers make is falling in love with homes that are way outside their price range. For some reason, they also often believe that the houses they buy should look exactly like featured homes on cable TV.

REAL ESTATE 88 Vero Beach 32963 / February 16, 2023 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Despite changes in the real estate market ushered in during the COVID-19 lockdowns, demand for walkable urban areas has resurged in the U.S., according to a new analysis. But the footprint of these coveted areas remains small. Among the 35 most populous metro areas, New York, Boston and Washington, D.C., top the list of the most walkable, according to the report by nonprofit Smart Growth America and real estate services company Places Platform. The researchers weigh factors like density, land use and proximity to amenities via paths to decide what’s considered “walkable” – including for people with wheelchairs or strollers. Good transit systems are a key attribute among the most highly ranked metro areas. Chicago, for example, shows walkable urbanism along its Metra and CTA network extending past the center city. Boston’s subway system runs through both the city and its urban suburbs. Los Angeles, which ranked eighth, has a reputation for car-centric sprawl. But downtown L.A., Pasadena and Santa Monica have walkable cores that helped the massive metro area score a spot on the list. “The L.A. region had the longest rail transit system in the world in 1945, which was eliminated by 1962,” the report states. “The metro area has recently built and continues to expand a new regional transit system, investing $180 billion of locally raised funds.” City dwellers will pay to live in a walkable location. Real estate in these areas averages a 34 percent price premium per square foot in forsale housing and 41 percent for multifamily rental apartments. The same is true about areas with easy access to transit, which tend to have overlap with walkable areas. According to the LA Times, condos near high-use transit stations in the Los Angeles metro area are 42 percent more valuable on average than car dependent properties. Researchers found that these premiums dropped in many regions during and after the pandemic but have since recovered. Residential and office renters pay more near a station, and houses and condominiums are more valuable. All of that is good for property owners but these price premiums cut two ways, limiting the availability of affordable housing and barring low-income groups from potential walkability benefits like health improvements and strong community life. Take Charlotte as an example. The North Carolina metro area’s housing is affordable overall when compared to other bigger regions, but the premium to buy a home in its walkable areas is 77 percent, according to the study. “In some ways the housing affordability crisis in walkable areas worsMost walkable U.S. neighborhoods show economic resilience BY SRI TAYLOR Bloomberg

REAL ESTATE Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / February 16, 2023 89 ened, given that pandemic-era supply chain and labor challenges have further exacerbated housing undersupply,” the report adds. And, of course, it tends to be challenging to develop in the midst of a busy inner city, in any case. Overall, only a small percentage of land is walkable even in the largest 35 metro areas, accounting for an average of 1.2 percent of land mass, according to the report. But by definition, that land is both dense and has high economic value: Walkable neighborhoods in just those 35 metro areas account for 19.1 percent of the total U.S. real GDP and 6.8 percent of the total U.S. population, by the researchers’ calculations. In many areas, new development takes the form of low-density, singlefamily homes, and it’s “illegal to build walkable urban densities and mixeduse development on much of the 98.8 percent of land that is car-dependent due to restrictive zoning policies in most metropolitan areas,” the report states.

REAL ESTATE Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / February 16, 2023 91 A sprawling Greenwich, Connecticut, estate has hit the market for $150 million, putting hedge fund billionaire Ray Dalio back in the local real estate spotlight. Copper Beech Farm, a 50-acre property with an eight-bedroom main house, would rank among the most expensive homes in the U.S. if it’s sold at the current asking price. The estate last sold in 2014 for $120 million. Dalio, the founder of hedge fund firm Bridgewater Associates, had long been speculated as the 2014 buyer of the property. The limited liability company that owns the residence, the Conservation Institute LLC, lists a Bridgewater email address, and an accounting manager associated with Dalio filed the limited liability company’s most recent annual reports with the Connecticut secretary of the state. Dalio is worth $16.2 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. He couldn’t be reached for comment. Sotheby’s International Realty’s Leslie McElwreath, one of the listing agents for Copper Beech Farm, declined to comment on the current owner. Dalio founded Bridgewater, which is based in Westport, Connecticut, in 1975 and built it into a massive hedge fund. Late last year, he gave up control of the company, transferring all of his voting rights to the board of directors and stepping down as one of its chief investment officers. The Greenwich property, built in 1898, has walled gardens, a long stretch of shorefront and an offshore island, as well as a grass tennis court and an apple orchard, according to the listing. “Copper Beech Farm is the pinnacle of the Greenwich real estate hierarchy,” according to the listing. The current record for the most expensive single-family home sale is $238 million for Ken Griffin’s 220 Central Park South apartment, which he bought in 2019. Other expensive sales in recent years include billionaire Daniel Och’s offloading of a 220 Central Park South apartment for roughly $190 million and Jeff Bezos’ purchase of a Beverly Hills mansion for $165 million. Closer to Vero, records keep getting broken, with the current high sale in Florida topping what Bezos paid. A new Florida record was set during the pandemic boom year of 2021 when “a company managed by luxury homebuilder Mark Pulte, the son of Pulte Homes founder William Pulte, built and sold a spec home at 535 North County Road in Palm Beach to a Florida land trust linked to private equity billionaire Scott Shleifer,” according to The Real Deal. “The sale was recorded at $122.7 million. The property was on the market for $140 million. Eighteen months later, that record was shattered when Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison purchased Netscape cofounder Jim Clark’s 16-acre compound in Manalapan, Florida, for $173 million. Hedge fund billionaire’s Greenwich estate hits market for $150M BY SOPHIE ALEXANDER Bloomberg

REAL ESTATE 92 Vero Beach 32963 / February 16, 2023 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENCES AND LOTS SUBDIVISION ADDRESS LISTED ORIGINAL MOST RECENT SOLD SELLING ASKING PRICE ASKING PRICE PRICE ANCHOR THE MOORINGS 115 SPRINGLINE DR 2/1/2023 $3,795,000 $3,795,000 2/8/2023 $3,795,000 OCEANSIDE 2110 CAPTAINS WALK 11/7/2022 $2,195,000 $2,195,000 2/8/2023 $2,100,000 SEA OAKS 1235 WINDING OAKS CIR E, #503 11/18/2022 $649,000 $649,000 2/9/2023 $585,000 SEA OAKS 1315 WINDING OAKS CIR E, #903 11/16/2022 $475,000 $475,000 2/3/2023 $475,000 BAHA MAR 4150 HIGHWAY A1A, #107 1/7/2023 $400,000 $400,000 2/6/2023 $400,000 OCEANSIDE 1441 OCEAN DR, #202 12/22/2022 $419,000 $419,000 2/3/2023 $395,000 TOWNHOMES, VILLAS, CONDOS, MULTIFAMILY AND INVESTMENT Real Estate Sales on the Barrier Island: Feb. 3 to Feb. 9 Real estate activity on the barrier island was fairly quite last week with six transactions recorded, but two of them for more than $2 million. The top sale of the week was of a waterfront home in The Anchor neighborhood of The Moorings. The property at 115 Springline Dr. was listed on Feb. 1 for $3.795 million. The sale closed on Feb. 8 for the full asking price. The seller in the transaction was represented by Cathy Curley of Dale Sorensen Real Estate. The purchaser was represented by Michael Merrill of Douglas Elliman Florida.

REAL ESTATE Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / February 16, 2023 93 Here are some of the top recent barrier island sales. Listing Date: Original Price: Recent Price: Sold: Selling Price: Listing Agent: Selling Agent: Listing Date: Original Price: Recent Price: Sold: Selling Price: Listing Agent: Selling Agent: Listing Date: Original Price: Recent Price: Sold: Selling Price: Listing Agent: Selling Agent: Listing Date: Original Price: Recent Price: Sold: Selling Price: Listing Agent: Selling Agent: 11/16/2022 $475,000 $475,000 2/3/2023 $475,000 Josh Waldrop Dale Sorensen Real Estate Inc. Mike O’Brien Dale Sorensen Real Estate Inc. Subdivision: Sea Oaks, Address: 1315 Winding Oaks Cir E, #903 1/7/2023 $400,000 $400,000 2/6/2023 $400,000 Kimberly Taylor Dale Sorensen Real Estate Inc. Kimberly Taylor Dale Sorensen Real Estate Inc. Subdivision: Baha Mar, Address: 4150 Highway A1A, #107 11/18/2022 $649,000 $649,000 2/9/2023 $585,000 Debbie Cleveland Debbie Cleveland, Broker Debbie Cleveland Debbie Cleveland, Broker Subdivision: Sea Oaks, Address: 1235 Winding Oaks Cir E, #503 11/7/2022 $2,195,000 $2,195,000 2/8/2023 $2,100,000 Bob Faller Berkshire Hathaway Florida Henry Doehla Dale Sorensen Real Estate Inc. Subdivision: Oceanside, Address: 2110 Captains Walk

The Vero Beach Barrier Island Newspaper www.vb32963online.com February 16, 2023 Volume 16, Issue 7 Newsstand Price $1.00