2009 04 April Issue LHP Magazine

L i g h t h o u s e P o i n t M a g a z i n e 3www.lhpmag.com

Around the Point is a column that includes news items relevant to the residents of LHP. We reserve the right to reject material that may not be in the best interest of the community.

“The Biggest Little Magazine in South Florida”

Kenneth J. KerrKERR, Kenneth J., 50, of Lighthouse Point, beloved son,brother, uncle and friend passed away Friday, February 20,2009 at Mount Sinai Hospital, Miami Beach. A longtime res-ident of Lighthouse Point, Ken was born and raised inHialeah, graduated from Miami Springs Senior High School1976 and University of Miami 1980 with an Education degree.Ken worked with ReMax Partners of Lighthouse Point, wasa member of Lighthouse Point Yacht Club, enjoyed helpingthe Children's Home Society, sponsored several recoveringfamilies post Hurricane Katrina and was a member of severalarea churches. He loved his nieces and nephews. Ken is sur-vived by his brothers, Michael Kerr of Miami Beach, Georgeand James Kerr and families and cousin William Danton andfamily, all of Old Orchard Beach, Maine, his nieces andnephews and many loving members of family and dearfriends. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be madeto St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church

NEED FOR TEAMS &NEED FOR TEAMS &CANCER SURVIVORS!CANCER SURVIVORS!

Deerfield Beach/Lighthouse Point Relay For LifeDeerfield Beach/Lighthouse Point Relay For LifeChairpersons Gordon Vatch and Carol Landau inviteChairpersons Gordon Vatch and Carol Landau inviteyou to participate in the 25th Annual Americanyou to participate in the 25th Annual AmericanCancer Society May fundraiser event which will beCancer Society May fundraiser event which will beheld at Quiet Waters Park on Saturday, May 9th,held at Quiet Waters Park on Saturday, May 9th,beginning at 5 p.m. beginning at 5 p.m.

The event celebrates cancer survivors and caregivers,The event celebrates cancer survivors and caregivers,and remembers those who have lost their lives to canand remembers those who have lost their lives to can--cer. Survivors are honored by walking the first lap,cer. Survivors are honored by walking the first lap,and caregivers and other participants walk the subseand caregivers and other participants walk the subse--quent laps. Another touching part of the event hapquent laps. Another touching part of the event hap--pens when it gets dark. The track is lined with lumipens when it gets dark. The track is lined with lumi--naria bags that have the names of cancer survivors andnaria bags that have the names of cancer survivors andthose who have lost their battle with cancer. It willthose who have lost their battle with cancer. It willtouch your heart to walk the track with others whotouch your heart to walk the track with others whohave been touched in some way by cancer. Attendinghave been touched in some way by cancer. Attendinga Relay For Life event will change your life forever!a Relay For Life event will change your life forever!

Hi Jon,

You out-did yourself on the beautiful and inter-esting articles you had in the February issue!Thanks for including the boat parade and bookinformation on Elsa. It really looked great toinclude with the other article on the awards.

The book is still in presales, but selling wellalready. People have run into Elsa locally say-ing "You're the one in the book coming outsoon!", so I know a lot of people readLighthouse Point Magazine!

Kindest Regards,Sharon Textor-Black

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

COFFEE HOUSE COFFEE HOUSE TTO OPEN SOONO OPEN SOON

Daily Grind Coffee House & Café to open soon Daily Grind Coffee House & Café to open soon ininthe Venetian Isle Shopping Center, offering a full rangethe Venetian Isle Shopping Center, offering a full rangeof fresh gourmet coffees with a difference, a focus onof fresh gourmet coffees with a difference, a focus ontaste and flavor not found in mass-market coffee houstaste and flavor not found in mass-market coffee hous--es. Daily Grind is unique, with its fresh-baked pastries,es. Daily Grind is unique, with its fresh-baked pastries,sandwiches and salads prepared to order every daysandwiches and salads prepared to order every dayunder the watchful and caring eyes of its owners.under the watchful and caring eyes of its owners.Specialty teas and natural fruit smoothies are alsoSpecialty teas and natural fruit smoothies are alsoavailable. available. Daily GrindDaily Grind offers the genuine coffee houseoffers the genuine coffee houseexperience that Lighthouse Point was missing; theexperience that Lighthouse Point was missing; theopportunity to unwind, for that breakfast break, thatopportunity to unwind, for that breakfast break, thathealthy lunchtime snack, the stop before the shop, orhealthy lunchtime snack, the stop before the shop, orthat evening chillthat evening chill in an atmosphere both relaxed andin an atmosphere both relaxed andwelcoming. Owners Andrew and Graeme Donald fromwelcoming. Owners Andrew and Graeme Donald fromScotland, local residents in Lighthouse Point, haveScotland, local residents in Lighthouse Point, haveextensive food service experience in Europe and theextensive food service experience in Europe and theUnited States and are bringing their special blend ofUnited States and are bringing their special blend ofScottish hospitality to you in South Florida. Scottish hospitality to you in South Florida. DailyDailyGrindGrind is their own family business and they will takeis their own family business and they will takecare of you, just as if you were family. Watch out forcare of you, just as if you were family. Watch out forthe kilted Scotsmen in Venetian Isle and thethe kilted Scotsmen in Venetian Isle and theLighthouse Point community. They are Lighthouse Point community. They are Daily Grind.Daily Grind.They are the Coffee House & Café. They brew the bestThey are the Coffee House & Café. They brew the best

in Broward County. in Broward County.

AA dd vv ee rr tt ii ss ii nn gg RR aa tt ee ss && II nn ff oo rr mm aa tt ii oo nnThe Lighthouse Point Magazine is published monthly

by City News Group and delivered by mail, free of chargeeach month to residents of Lighthouse Point, businessesand the surrounding communities.

Check our website for advertising rates and specialsfor new clients, or call 954-4486-33820

DEADLINE FOR CAMERA-READY ART AND PREPAYMENT OF ADS ARE DUE ON THE 1ST DAY

OF THE PRECEDING MONTH OF PUBLICATION.ALL ON-GOING ADS MUST BE CANCELLED BY THE 1ST

DAY OF THE PRECEDING MONTH OF PUBLICATION.

The complete AprilThe complete Aprilissueissue,, and bacand back issues of k issues of

Lighthouse PLighthouse Point Maoint Magazine gazine can be seen on our can be seen on our NEWNEW

website at wwwwebsite at www.LHPma.LHPmag.comg.comDon’t fDon’t fororgget to tell yet to tell yourour

Cousin Denton in Cousin Denton in TTrentonrenton

From the EditorFrom the Editorfeatures10 Panama CanalFast Changing Landscape

15 Dog Day in Park 4-legged fun!

30 HISC CelebratesChanging of Guard

40 Restaurant Hop

features

LLiigghhtthhoouussee PPooiinntt MMaaggaazziinneeLLiigghhtthhoouussee PPooiinntt MMaaggaazziinnee3467 N.W. 17 Terrace, Oakland Park, FL 33309

OFFICE 954-486-3820CELL 954-608-3820FAX 954-735-3652 Email: [email protected]: www.LHPmag.com

JonFrangipane - Founder/Publisher/Editor

BohPhillips - Art DirectorLindaKaufman - Staff WriterWendellAbern – Staff WriterAlanWilliamson - Staff Writer

CCoonnttrriibbuuttiinngg WWrriitteerrssJim Balistreri, Doreen Gauthier, Sheriff Al Lamberti, Dr. Marc Sander,Dr. Steve Wigdor, Donna Torrey, Dr. Gary Goberville, Erica and JanDavey, Barbara Seidenstein, Rev. Jack Noble, Mary Griffin, DeniseRichardson, Al Siefert, Mary Greenwood, John Offerdahl, CatherineFavitta and Dr. Peter Painter.

6 L i g h t h o u s e P o i n t M a g a z i n e www.lhpmag.com

APRIL QUOTEAPRIL QUOTE

“If every fool wore a“If every fool wore acrown, we should all becrown, we should all bekings.” ~Welsh Proverbkings.” ~Welsh Proverb

My doctor is holding hisclipboard. I’m having my 6-month checkup.

“Weren’t you scheduled tosee the hematologist?” he asks.

“I wasn’t aware,” I say. “Andbesides, my last blood testshowed an increase in my nor-mally low platelet count, so Idon’t really see the need to revis-it the hematologist,” I add.

My doctor flips through a fewpages on his clipboard.

“What about the gastroenterologist?”he asks.

“I received flying colors for thecolonoscopy,” I say.

“When did you see the urologist last? heasks.

“I don’t need a urologist,” I answer. My doctor continues flipping through

pages on his clipboard.“Looks like it’s been a while since your

last EKG,” my doctor says.“I don’t think I really need an EKG,” I

tell the doctor.My doctor has not yet checked my

vitals yet, and I wonder what his purpose isas a member of the medical professionbecause I feel as though his main concern isreferring me to other doctors for seeminglyNO REASON.

During my last visit, I wastold that it was time for an x-ray of my chest. I was called afew days later and asked tocome back because it seemsthere was a spot on my left lung.To make a long story short, thespot on my left lung turned outto be my left nipple, not cancer.

Ask yourself if your doctoris prescribing uneccessary x-rays and blood tests or EKGs.

Ask yourself if there’s been a gradualchange in style and substance going on thatseems to contradict the hypocratical oaththat doctors are supposed to honor andobey. We should stand for nothing less!

Hey, you only get one body, so don’t beafraid to question your doctor. And if yourdoctor doesn’t give you an answer thatseems logical...dump him. I’m no guinea pig!You’re no guinea pig!

And If you notice your doctor spendingmore of your check up time being a bookingagent by referring you to other doctors,then it’s time for a change before youbecome over-examined, over-medicatedand over-sliced and diced.

I’m sure this may not be the case withall doctors, but take absolutely nothing forgranted.

Jon Frangipane, Editor

Has “Medical Care” become an oxymoron?Has “Medical Care” become an oxymoron?

7L i g h t h o u s e P o i n t M a g a z i n ewww.lhpmag.com

contentscontentsAAll’’ss CCoorrnneerr .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 7722AArroouunndd tthhee PPooiinntt .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 55AAss II WWaass SSaayyiinngg .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2244BBeeaauuttyy SSppoott ooff tthhee MMoonntthh .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2266 BBeerrkkeell aanndd MMee .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1166CCaannttaannkkeerroouussllyy YYoouurrss .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 5566CCoommmmiissssiioonneerrss’’ RReeppoorrtt .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 7722CCooookkiinn’’ wwiitthh tthhee CCoommmmuunniittyy.. .. .. .. .. .. 77 33CCoovveerr ssttoorryy .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1100 EEddiittoorriiaall .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 66 GGaarrddeenn LLaaddyy .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2266 GGrreeeenn HHaarrrriieett .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 5544BBuutttteerrffllyy LLaaddyy.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 4422HHaappppyy BBiirrtthhddaayy .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 7700HHoott OOffff tthhee GGrriillll .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 6644IIddeennttiittyy TThheefftt .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 6666II LLoovvee MMyy PPeett .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 88 LLiibbrraarryy NNeewwss .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..6622MMeerrcchhaanntt ooff tthhee MMoonntthh .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 7744MMoorrttggaaggee NNeewwss .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 4488OOnn RReelliiggiioonn .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 7722OOuutt && AAbboouutt .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 44PPeett CCaarree .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 7711 RReeaall EEssttaattee .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 6622SShheerriiffff LLaammbbeerrttii RReeppoorrttss .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 6644SSttrraannggee,, BBuutt TTrruuee .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 5544

I Love My Pet

NOTICENOTICEOUR NEW WEBSITEOUR NEW WEBSITE

IS NOW UP AND RUNIS NOW UP AND RUN--NING AND WILL BENING AND WILL BE

FEATURING EXCITINGFEATURING EXCITINGVIDEO ADSVIDEO ADS AND AND FREEFREEREGULAR ADSREGULAR ADS .PLEASE.PLEASECHECK IT OUT ANDCHECK IT OUT ANDCALL US FOR MORECALL US FOR MOREDETAILS. GO TODETAILS. GO TO

WWW.LHPMAG.COMWWW.LHPMAG.COM

L i g h t h o u s e P o i n t M a g a z i n e8 www.lhpmag.com

To accomodate the many requests we get for our publication, copies of the Lighthouse Point Magazine are now available during the first week of each month at the following locations: City Hall, LHP Library, Police Station, Red Fox Diner, LHP Yacht

& Racquet Club, J. Marks, Yahoo’s, Sushi & Thai Delight, Duffy’s Diner, and Offerdahl’s Cafe. Call for other locations.

Please send us a favorite photo of your pet. Also, include 75words, or less why you love your pet, your name, address, phoneand the name of your pet. Send photos by regular mail, or byemail as a PDF or jpeg file to [email protected]. No photoswill be returned.

Here I am just another big girl waiting. I am also aShow Dog, companion and a good friend. I live in a highriseat the beach with my mom and dad. My best friend is mymom’s horse named Mo. He’s great!

I love long walks on the beach, movies and showingmyself off at the dog shows, where I do very well. Imlooking for that right man whom I can have the most beau-tiful babies with. Someday my mom will find him. Untilthen I will just wait and be Me.

Jet


EDITOR"S NOTE: Why Panama? That's the question people wouldask me. My answer was simple: "It's not too far and it's not too near -and I don't like cold weather." A good friend and fellow writer, JoeyNaudic, thought it would be a great adventure, so he joined me on thetrip last December, 2008.

DAY ONE - After a flight delay,Joey and I arrived at the TocumenInternational Airport around 4 p.m.Dancers and musicians in colorful whitelace costumes greeted us at theentrance. A 30-minute, 30-dollar taxiride took us into the city proper wherewe got our first taste of city traffic. Ihave driven in New York City duringrush hour, but this downtown conges-tion was beyond anything I've ever

experienced. And the old model taxis have no air conditioning, so withopen windows you had no choice but to ingest the toxic fumes. I useda form of "shallow breathing" I learned in New York traffic.

We settled briefly into our beautiful 7th floor apartment, overlook-ing the Gulf of Panama on the Pacific side. A wonderful South Floridacouple rented it to us. They told us that this was the only place in theworld where the sun rises out of the Pacific in the morning. "Hmm," Icommented.

Joey and I refreshed ourselves and quickly headed to the down-town by taxi to get a feel for the city and landed at the MultiplazaPacific Mall, a huge shopping complex which features high endclothes and other products from around the world. My companionJoey noticed the complete lack of store "sales," a probable indicatorthat the economy was fairly stable. An array of gigantic, brightly-litChristmas trees were seen in on all floors. Shopping not being one ofour favorite pastimes, we settled into the Parador Restaurant on theiroutdoor patio and enjoyed some succulent mahi with sounds of aPanamanian trio playing familiar Christmas songs. A strange mix wethought.

A trip over to the Continental Riande Hotel and Casino gave ussome insight into the international flavor of the clientele. Not too dif-ferent from Las Vegas, but the rooms did seem smokeless for some rea-son which was hard to believe. The hotel casinos were all within walk-ing distance, so after exploring a few more night spots we were readyto call it a night.

DAY TWO - Our South Florida friends were right; from the bal-cony the following morning the sun did rise out of the Pacific Ocean(???). Of course, there had to be some trick to this phenomenon. I

promised to inves-tigate. Promptly,at nine a.m., EdgarGomez, who wasour prescheduledguide, picked upJoey and I in hislate model, air-conditioned van.Our plan includedpoints of historicalinterest, and thenfinally the main

focal point, the Panama Canal. Edgar told us it was best to view thelarger ships at the Mira Flores locks in the afternoon, perhaps after 1p.m. when the large cruise ship usually sail through.

Working our way in city traffic through a maze of exhaust-spew-ing old model cars and trucks was time-consuming and slightly frus-trating, but we knew the end result would be well worth the aggrava-

tion. Our driver was first taking us tothe older, historical section of the citywhere Manuel Noriega and his hench-men created their dirty work.

We parked the van and walkedamong the architectural treasures tobe found on the Plaza Bolivar andPlaza Herrara, including thePresident's Palace of the Herons andthe recently restored NationalTheater. A group of young dancersposed for us as they headed for the the-ater. An enterprising old EmberaIndian in colorful garb charged me adollar to take her photo.

This cosmopolitan city has a vital-ity similar to San Francisco, Madrid,Rio de Janeiro, and Hong Kong. Theysay that the "nights are too short" in

Panama City, where drinking has become a full-time occupation formany. Residents make the claim that the consumption of alcohol hasmedical benefits, since it keeps away any mosquitoes that bring malar-ia. Bartenders are sworn to keep secret the fact that malaria hasn'tbeen a threat in Panama for the past quarter-century. Luckily, Joey andI have had no signs of the disease since returning home.

C

PPANAMAANAMA - A Gem Between A Gem Between TTwwo Seaso Seas

View from our balcony

Emberaindian

Ruins of Noriega Plaza (left)

The Dancers


We reached the Panama Canal. our final destination of the day, atMira Flores Visitors Center about 1:15 p.m. It is located on the east sideof the locks and allows visitors to observe transiting vessels and get afirst-hand look at various, mostly all- computerized operations.

On our way to the locks, we had an amazing view of the ChagrasRiver that supplies water to the Panama Canal, the only river in theworld that empties into both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

The historical evolution of the region cannot be thoroughlydescribed in these pages, but the numerous efforts by groups of individ-uals from many countries were involved in this gigantic project, not tomention the great loss of life, before the canal was finally completed inAugust, 1915.

At that time in Washington and San Francisco, plans were beingmade for tremendous celebrations with President Woodrow Wilsonand world leaders in attendance, and to include more than a hundredwarships. "The greatest international fleet ever gathered in Americanwaters," were to assemble off Hampton Roads, Virginia on New Year'sDay, 1915, then proceed to San Francisco by way of Panama. It was esti-mated that it would take four days for the entire armada to go throughthe locks.

But there was no to be no pageant. The first ocean-going ship to gothrough the canal was a lowly cement boat, the Cristobal. There wereno luminaries as planned. Ironically, on the same day, Germany woulddeclare war, so the big news of the canal opening was buried in the backpages of all newspapers.

Before the age of electronic computers, the operation of the lockswould depend on no less than 1,500 electric motors, supplied in greatpart by the General Electric Company. Ninety motors were used toswing the lock gates and usually four towing locomotives were used to

guide an average size ship, two forward pulling and two aft, holding theship steady. At no time in the locks would a ship move under its ownpower. The locomotives, about 30 feet long, were on tracks, weighingforty-three tons with duplicate controls so that they could run in eitherdirection. To lift a 40,000 ton ship twenty-one feet in the lock chamber,one had only to turn a small faucet.

The average toll per ship at the present rate is about $10,000, whichis about one tenth the cost of sailing eight thousand miles around CapeHorn. The largest toll yet paid for passage through the Panama Canalwas the Queen Elizabeth ll at a record $42,077.88.

Chief engineer for the Panama Canal project was U.S Major GeneralGeorge Washington Goethals, an American Army officer who super-vised construction from 1907 to1914.

Considered on of the sevenwonders of the world, the PanamaCanal will soon be undergoing ahuge new project of widening thecanal. The Panama CanalAuthority has just signed a loanagreement with representativesfrom various multilateral andbilateral credit agencies for fund-ing of $2300 million for the expan-sion of the waterway.

Continues on page 46

Chagras River (left) which feeds into the Panama Canal

Celebrity Cruise ship “Infinity” heads to the Pacific Ocean

The locks

Cargo ship enters canal from Pacific Ocean through Gatun Bay

Mira Flores locks with towinglocamotive in foreground

THE RAINFOREST & EXCITINGTHE RAINFOREST & EXCITING, F, FASTAST-GROWING METROPOLIS-GROWING METROPOLIS



954-570-7733954-570-7733

Feel better, improve your postureand stand taller with Pilates!

www.lhpmag.com14 L i g h t h o u s e P o i n t M a g a z i n e

BUYBUY ONE ENTREE - GET 1/2 OFF 2NDONE ENTREE - GET 1/2 OFF 2NDENTREE OF EQUALENTREE OF EQUAL OR LESSEROR LESSER VVALUE!ALUE!

IIN N

TTHHE E

PPAARRKK

Story & Photos by Jon Frangipane

The Blustry winds couldn’t, nor did the nasty little pit bullincident dampen the spirits on DDoogg DDaayy iinn tthhee PPaarrkk at Dan Witt lastmonth.

The Soroptimists, dressed in their usual colorful garb, were atthe front gate to meet and greet the crowd and sign in the manydog entries.

Dogs romped, raced, twirled, jumped, barked, yelped, and thensome just stopped to get a good sniff.

Gigi & Luca Pet Boutique presented the annual Pet FashionShow, first prize going to Bianca Drohan of Deerfield Beach show-ing off pet schnauzers, Iggy, Pumpkin and Trump. Second prizewent to Ashley for Walking Pricess and Happy. Third prize wentto yorkies Paige and Piper.

Doggie look-alike went to Debbie Anzalone with Luca andLuna.

Judges for the event were Chip LaMarca, Debra Todd, andBarbara De Ville. Mike Long was Master of Ceremonies.

DOG DAYDOG DAYwoof-woof-woof-woof-woof-woof-woof-woof-woof-woof-woof-woof-woof-woof-woof-woof

More doggies next page

DOG DAY IN THE PARKDOG DAY IN THE PARKContinued from page 15

L i g h t h o u s e P o i n t M a g a z i n ewww.lhpmag.com 17

Can You Benefit from Current Opportunity in Municipal Bonds?

Do you own any municipal bonds? If not, you mightwant to look at them. And right now, these types of bondsmay be especially appealing.

The interest you receive from municipal bonds is exemptfrom federal taxes. If you are in one of the upper tax brack-ets, the tax savings you receive from your municipal bondsmay be enough to provide you with a higher yield thanyou’d typically get from a comparable Treasury or corporatebond.

But in recent months, we’ve seen something that rarelyoccurs: municipal bonds yielding as much as Treasury bonds— even without taking the tax benefits into account. Why?Because an oversupply of municipal bonds on the markethas led to lower prices. And when prices drop, yields rise.

If municipal bonds are appropriate for your needs, givethem some consideration. Member SIPC

Robert Friedman Robert Friedman AAMSAAMS1827 NE 24th S1827 NE 24th Streettreet

Lighthouse PointLighthouse PointFLFL 3306433064

[email protected]

954-783-6694 www.edwardjones.com



The Lighthouse Point Chamber ofCommerce had the monthly social-meet-ing at the beautiful state-of-the-art officesof Dr. Brian Rask on the 14th StreetCauseway. Dr. Rask gave a tour of thefacility and advised all in attendance of hispractice and what differentiates his frommany other traditional dental practices.Delicious delectables were provided byElsa of the Hot Tomatoe.

This was the first meeting of memberssince the 5th Annual Taste ofLighthouse Point in January at theLighthouse Point Yacht & Racquet Club.President Michele Greene kept the crowdin suspense as she conducted the "busi-ness" side of the meeting.

The Chamber presented a $1000 sponsor-ship check to Officer Jon Esposito of theLHP Police Department for the upcomingSpecial Olympics our Police Departmentwill participate in, running the FederalHighway corridor on Tuesday April 21,2009.

After the attendees gave self-introduc-tions, Greene thanked all those whoattended the Taste for all their great workand whose efforts netted $31,300.00 forthe event. As a result, monies will bedonated to the LHP RecreationDepartment for a new visitor/home score-board, the Library will be getting 9 newcomputers for the residents as well as amonthly classes on the how to use thecomputer, three $2,500 college scholar-ships for resident high school seniors whowill be majoring in, and $2500 to NorcrestElementary School for supplies in eachclassroom.

For more information on the Chamber,please visit our website @www.lhpchamber.com

Dr. Brian Rask

LHP CHAMBER NETS $31,300 AT THELHP CHAMBER NETS $31,300 AT THE5TH ANNUAL “TASTE OF LIGHTHOUSE POINT”5TH ANNUAL “TASTE OF LIGHTHOUSE POINT”

Receiving Membership Plaques, Front row, L to R: Robin Fulling, Susan &Roger Gingrich, Ruth Spiegal, amd Julie Wheeler. Back row: LHP ChamberPresident Michele Greene.

Mike McLain, Officer John Esposito andRenee Sabatini Elsa of Hot

Tomatoe cateredthe meeting

Stacey Bliss, Barbara Seely Curtis andWendy Hall Mary Griffin&Julie Mahfood

Lighthouse Point Magazine welcomes all residents in the surrounding area to send news items, articles and photos that would be of interest to the community

MASMASTER CHORALE OF SOUTH FLORIDATER CHORALE OF SOUTH FLORIDA

By Jim Filosa

The Master Chorale of South Florida is comprised ofthe finest classical singers in Broward, Miami/Dade andPalm Beach Counties. The MCSF began its Sixth Seasonon August 1, 2008, under the baton of newly appointedArtistic Director/Conductor, Dr. Joshua Habermann.Among his many accomplishments, Dr.. Habermann hasserved for the past 12 years as Assistant Conductor of theSan Francisco Symphony Chorus and Director of ChoralActivities at San Francisco State University. Dr.Habermann has also been named Director of ChoralStudies at the University of Miami and was recentlyappointed the Music Director of the prestigious Santa FeDesert Chorale.

On November 14, 15 and 16th 2008, The MasterChorale, with the Boca Raton Symphonia and bass DonnieRay Albert, tenor Glenn Siebert, mezzo Hannah SharenePenn and soprano Angela Cadelago, presentedMendelssohn's Elijah at venues in Pompano Beach (ThePink Church, Lighthouse Point), Miami, and Boca Raton,to rave reviews.

The season continued on December 12th, 13th, and

14th, with a lively holiday concert Singing in the Season,presented with the Empire Brass, again at the same ven-ues.

After a short break the Chorale is now in rehearsals forwhat will prove to be a truly exciting continuation of the2008-2009 Season.

On March 15, 2009 the Master Chorale performedBeethoven's Symphony No.9 with the world-renownedRussian National Orchestra under the baton of music iconItzhak Perlman. This concert will conclude an excitingFestival of the Arts at the Center for the Arts at MiznerPark in Boca Raton.

Continuing into April, the Master Chorale will pres-ent Made In America, accompanied by the Boca RatonSymphonia, on April 24th at The Pink Church inLighthouse Point, April 25th in Boca Raton and on April26th in Miami. The two major works to be presented areLeonard Bernstein's Chichester Psalms, sung in Hebrewand Morten Lauridsen's Lux Aeterna, sung in latin.

For exact times and ticket information, please visitthe MCSF website at [email protected]

L i g h t h o u s e P o i n t M a g a z i n e www.lhpmag.com20



BUYING PROPERTY ABUYING PROPERTY AT AUCTION?T AUCTION?WHAWHAT YOU NEED TO KNOWT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Prior to attending an auction, potential buyers should try to findout as much as possible about specific properties they are interest-ed in. While most real estate auctions allow prospective buyerssome inspection rights, direct contact with the administrator of theauction is frequently needed to arrange personal inspections.

Be sure to check the features, location and condition of the prop-erty. Attempt to discern the current market value of the property bylooking at sales of comparable properties in the same area. Arrivingat an auction well prepared will help you determine your bid priceand even help you decide whether to bid on a specific property at all.

Anatomy of a Real Estate AuctionA property is put up for sale through an auction format for any

number of reasons - a foreclosure action, a tax deed application, acourt-ordered sale, provisions in a contract, a divorce resolution, aprovision to satisfy the needs of an estate, a dissolution of a partner-ship or trust or because the owner chooses the auction as a means toquickly dispose of the property.Real estate auctioneers employ a variety of auction formats and

bidding procedures:• An absolute auction is an auction in which the property is sold tothe highest bidder, regardless of how low that bid might be. • A reserve auction also referred to as a minimum bid auction, setsa pre-determined minimum bid amount prior to the start of the auc-tion.• A subject to owner withdrawal auction allows the seller to bid onthe property for himself or herself or to withdraw the property from

the auction outright if he or she does not likethe amount of money bid.• A silent or sealed bid auction allows bidsto be made in advance and submitted forreview.In the case of a foreclosure or other court-ordered sale, state laws generally establish a period of time overwhich the property must be advertised prior to the sale. This servesseveral different goals. The most important is to give ample notice todraw prospective buyers. The other main reason for such announce-ment of the auction is to give all interested parties sufficient time toreact to protect their interests.

Once you understand how the auction works, you need to askyourself: Is this for me? It can be fun to bid, but it can be costly.Never bid because you get caught up in the fever of the moment.Some auctions can be very intimidating. It's a good idea to go to afew as a spectator, so you get used to the speed of the bidding andterminology used.

There will always be a degree of risk when buying a home thisway, but with a little due diligence, potential homebuyers couldsave a lot of money buying in this manner.

Excerpted, in part, from The Real Estate Investor's Answer Book by Jack Cummings, aMcGraw-Hill publication.

Scott Lanza, Certified Financial Planner & Branch Manager ofLighthouse Point Financial welcomes your inquiries at 954-582-5233. 2036 E Sample Road in the Gateway Centre.

Scott Lanza


A Professional Networking Organization

Formed by five local professionals in the spring of 1978, The BusinessForum met the first time for breakfast at the Howard Johnson’srestaurant that used to be on the corner of Atlantic Boulevard andU.S. One in Pompano Beach. The idea was that if local business own-ers, each in a different business, met weekly they could effectivelypromote each other’s businesses and build a strong foundation oftrust amongst the members. Based upon the trust developed, themembers could refer business to each other and all mutually profit bythe endeavor. After thirty-one years, the Business Forum, with overthirty-five active members, is a business networking success. Theconcept of continuing contact, camaraderie, and trust has meantgreat profit for its members. Based upon the organizations records,over one hundred business leads are generated by the members everymonth, and over eighty percent of those leads turned into referralsactually received by the members. It proves that a great networkingorganization is the best value in advertising.

Hosting a gala affair and sumptuous dinner at Palm-aire CountryClub in Pompano Beach, the Business Forum recently installed itsnew officers and board of directors for this, its thirty-first year. ThePresident is Robert Heyman of Triple Crown Property Management,Vice President is Carlos Arenas of Amphion Communications, treas-urer is Ellen Peoples of Peoples Title Insurance, and secretary isJeanette Eschenbrenner of Flowers by Jet. Directors are Kathleen

Doyle of G & K Marketing, Marilyn Constantine of Cleaning DoneRight, Kenton Hajdic of Oasis Lawn & Landscaping, RandallRichards of Cypress Insurance Group, and Dr. José Orta of Mind Byand Spirit Chiropractic.

The Business Forum meets every Wednesday morning at 7:30 a.m.at the Palms dining room located at Palm-aire Country Club. Formore information go to: MyBusinessForum.com

L to R: Bob Heyman, Ellen Peoples, Jeannette Eschenbrennerand Carlos Arenas

BUSINESS FORUM CELEBRATES 31 YEARS

AS I WAS SAYING


Bread WinnerBread Winner"Bread is dead," the headline screamed.The shock of it caused me to cough vio-lently, launching a chunk of partially-chewed Pepperidge Farm HoneyWheat on a short and tragic flight tothe floor below.

There must be some mistake, I thought, my mind desper-ately searching for a logical explanation to reports of a loaf-less world. Life without bread would be unthinkable,unbearable, not to mention hard-to-swallow. The roomstarted to feel small and stuffy as my fingers fumbled withthe paper, searching for better news on another page."Bread Sales Grow Stale," read a second bombshell head-line. "Anti-Carb Crusade Buries Bread," declared anotherobituary-style story.

The devastating news hit me in the face like a Chicago hardroll in a hurricane. The demise of bread was a crummyprospect indeed. Take away bread and, in my view, yourisk the collapse of civilization itself. Remove bread fromthe equation and you usher in an irreversible breakdown ofthe very fiber of existence. And for what? The chance tolose 15 pounds in six weeks so you can gain 30 six monthslater? People of Planet Earth, I implore you. Is this how youwant it all to end - not with a bun, but a whimper?

My life had been a journey driven and nurtured by bread, aquest enriched by bread as a daily symbol of sustenanceand stability. Bread, in all its glorious varieties added tome, defined me, made me more than I would otherwise be.I lived for bread, and my life is a testimony to bread's splen-dor.

Feeding Young Minds. Studies have shown that emptystomachs lead to poor concentration and a harder timelearning in school. What studies have not confirmed, butwhat my personal experience proves without a doubt, isthat getting the nutrition kids need to learn, grow and suc-ceed every day in school is greatly enhanced by eating aseedless Kaiser roll with breakfast. I'm absolutely certainof this due to the dramatic improvement in my grades fromthe time my father started bringing seedless Kaisers homewith the paper in the morning. Before the Kaisers, I wasflunking math and scrapping by in geography. After theKaisers, my math grades soared to solid "B's," and my graspof geography impressed my teacher enough to write on myreport card "Alan thinks globally, acts locally, and smells ofcream cheese."

The Battle for the Biscuit. For as far back as I can remem-ber, Thanksgiving has been my favorite holiday. No cards,no gifts, just say "grace" and begin the gluttony. While mymother would awake at some absurdly early hour to pre-pare a feast that would make a pilgrim weep with grati-tude, my two brothers and I were interested in only onething. The biscuits. When loading our plates with food, weeach left ample room for the flaky golden delicacies,begrudgingly adhering to the one-at-a-time rule my par-ents had established after the "Biscuit Blitzkrieg of '81." Onthat infamous Thanksgiving Day, 90 percent of the biscuitslanded in two of the five mouths at the table, and the bat-tle for the last biscuit was fierce and vindictive. I can stillhear my mother say, "there, now neither of you gets it," asshe extracted it from the combined clutches of my brotherBob and I and devoured it in two lusty, unladylike bites.

A Loaf of Bread, A Jug of Wine. When I got married, myrelationship with bread achieved even greater significance,as the preparation of meals took on a new prominence inmy life. Conversations like the following became a dailyritual.

Me: "Any thoughts on dinner tonight?"My Wife: "How about grilled cheese?"Me: "What kind of bread should we use?"My Wife: "The Publix Sour Dough Plus Five grills up

good."Me: "True. But their Country Rye is a larger loaf size

and holds the melted cheese in place better."My Wife: "What about the sauerkraut rye we used to

get?Me: "That was at Winn-Dixie, and they stopped mak-

ing it. I've been boycotting them ever since, which explainstheir recent downsizing."

My Wife: "Then just pick out what looks good to youat Publix and surprise me.

This, of course, was music to my ears, as visions of a steam-ing loaf of Basil Parmesan Sun-Dried Tomato Foccaciastirred my expectations for a night of hot buttered bliss.

Call me a fanatic, but for those who claim that bread's finalexpiration date is here, I strongly disagree. Bread is notdead. Bread will rise again. Bread is reborn! Crust is King!Long live bread!

Now are you going to back away from that last biscuit orare we going to have a problem here?

Copyright 2008 Alan Williamson


ETERNALLY YOURSETERNALLY YOURS

Congratulations to Peter and Mary Foglia of 2741 ne 39th Court, winners of the Lighthouse Point Community’s Beauty Spot of the Month Award for March. Chosen by LHP Beautification Committee.

The Garden Lady Says...The Garden Lady Says...By Donna Torrey

The Spring holidays are here andwith them the focus on bulb plants.Grocery stores are brimming with daf-fodils, hyacinths, tulips, and Easterlilies. Perhaps the reason for bulbsbeing popular for the Easter holiday is

that they so aptly describe rebirth, and rejuvenation.Bulbs by their very nature, are a storage vessel for the next

year's growth, with everything the plant will need for anotherseason of bloom inside of itself, buried deep below the surface ofthe soil. It is a marvel of nature, and a symbol of resurrection.

However, most of the bulbs that you see will not have ever-lasting life in South Florida, which really spoils the effect for me!All of the grocery variety blooming bulbs need an extendedfreeze period in order to bloom again. All that is, except theEaster lily. In fact, most of the bulbs sold are not appropriate forzone 10. Lilium longiflorum, or Trumpet Lily, is one of the fewlilies that will thrive in our climate.

If you purchase one or receive one as a gift, don't throw it outafter blooming. These can be planted in the perennial bed, wherethere is partial to full sun, decent soil and average moisture withgood drainage. They are reliable bloomers here, so don't wastethem, although they may not bloom right on Easter!

After blooming,all bulbs should beallowed to die backnaturally, whichmeans that you willhave to toleratesome yellowingfoliage, and untidi-ness. So, it is best toplace your decidu-ous bulbs in an areawhere they are surrounded by other things that will pick upwhere they left off and camouflage them during the die backperiod.

Try some other bulbs that do very well here, including theorchid-like Gloriosa lily, which is actually a vine; the Rain lilies,many kinds and colors are available, and the foliage is green yearround, much like liriope (which is a bulb in the lily family, butdoesn't flower here; not cold enough!), Blood Lily, and the spec-tacular Amaryllis. These bulbs will come back year after year, agentle and beautiful reminder of our eternal souls.

Garden Gate Nursery is located in the Pompano Citi Centre.Donna can be reached at 954-793-1199, or at www.donnas-gardengate.com

Beauty Spot of the MonthBeauty Spot of the Month

www.lhpmag.com L i g h t h o u s e P o i n t M a g a z i n e 27



By Lona Harris Photos by Vern Rasmussen

The Hillsboro Inlet Sailing Club held theirAnnual Change of Command ceremony at theLighthouse Point Yacht & Racquet Club.

Outgoing Commandore Julie Tice wel-comed the new Commandor Sully Sullivanand passed over the helm after a most out-standing year of tireless dedication in build-ing a phenomenally successful club.

Committee members were duly recog-nized for their volunteer efforts throughoutthe year.

Club members enjoyed an evening of finefood and dancing.

THE ANNUAL HISC CHANGE OF COMMAND



Story & Photos by Carlos M. Arenas

"DON'T GO! This is an ‘exclu-sive’ event, for only those Scoutswho have what it takes. Not every-one will qualify. Some will have tosit this one out at home - too tortu-ous for them. For those that feelthey have what it takes— well,we'll have to find out." This wasthe invitation delivered to thescouts of Troop 238 in LighthousePoint to our annual Big CypressPreserve hike.

But, what really does it take?For starters each 12-14 year oldscout has to prepare his own back-pack with everything he needs for2 days and carry it (25-30lb) 3.5miles into the wilderness, get mercilessly bitten by insects, sleep in the floor,make your own food and be wet most of the time. Ask any youngster to dothis and the likely answer will be: Are you talking to me?

Well, these boys are not your typical breed, at least not in some aspects.The idea behind the Boy Scout program in general and Troop 238 in particu-lar is to make them "physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight"and that has been the big success of scouting in Lighthouse Point. The CubScouts program, led by Fernanda Mc Cosh as Cub Master of Pack 238 (boys

7-11, www.cubs238.com) and the BoyScouts program, led by SteveZimmerman as Scout Master of Troop238 (boys 11-18 www.scouts238.com) isconsistently forging upstanding menout of boys. I have seen them blossom-ing into critical, prepared, self reliantand morally upright citizens. Many ofthem go from: No way I can do that! to aresounding: Wow, I did it!

They also go beyond the effort ofdoing it yourself, by giving a helpinghand to the new members. Truly amaz-ing. And it all happens because involvedadults get away from their comfort zoneand disregard their differences in favorof a common goal. None of the leaders is

a professional scouter and many run their own business; it's an entirely vol-unteer affair. We are very lucky to have the committed support of the St. Paulthe Apostle Catholic Church. Father Bryce and his team have gone out oftheir way to make us feel welcomed and at home. We are also fortunate tocount on many local businesses and the Lighthouse Point/PompanoExchange Club as sponsors, helping with the money needed for equipmentand some activities like the Summer Camp.

Back to Camp Torture: On Sept 27 0600, sleepy-eyed scouts and leaders(many of these relying on steaming cups of coffee), reunited at the parking lotand started distributing the food and troop equipment. After the youth lead-ers got their act together (the adults kept our arms crossed. THEY run theactivities), we headed to Alligator Alley. Upon arriving at the Florida Trailentrance, everyone mounted up and started the hike. One mile of walking onthe dirty Noble Road took us to our detour for Camp Torture. At this point,,the boys had to follow the blue blazes, since the trail is not obvious at all.

Wading through water flowing South to the Everglades from LakeOkeechobee was an interesting experience for our new scouts. One year agothe boys spotted what appeared to be a Cottonmouth or Water Moccasinand did the sensible thing: retreat without disturbing the viper. Was the hiketortuous? Absolutely! But these boys are strong and persistent and theyhelped each other to get to Camp Torture, which you can find in Google

Earth at 26°10'52.69"N 81°3'40.50"W. There are 2photos there from our trip.

Camp setup and a meal followed and at 4PMtea was served in memory of Lord Robert Baden-Powell who started the scout movement in theBrownsea Island in August 1st 1907. Training forproper and safe handling of knives and axes fol-lowed. Some of the boys spent time building a fortand the Poi Poi tribe performed a great ceremonyduring the campfire.

Sunday morning is always important since it'sthe opportunity to have our "Scouts Own" a non-denominational religious service catering to feedour spirits and be thankful for a wonderful experi-ence.

On our way back we had extremely closeencounters with either Africanized bees or yellowjackets. One of our leaders took 19 stings; a clearreminder of how important is to have a well-thought and comprehensive first aid kit and thattraining is paramount. It's all about "being pre-pared.”

Troop 238 is more than one year old and a bigsuccess thanks to the efforts and sound leadership of Steve Z. Building onthat success, some leaders and parents of our community are engaged in start-ing a Sea Scout unit called a ship instead of a troop.

Sea Scouting had its beginning at a campfire in England when Baden-Powell voiced the hope that older Scouts would be interested in learningabout boat management and seamanship. It offers the opportunity to experi-ence sailing, boat-handling, scuba-diving, oceanography, navigation andother water-related activities. It is a coed outdoor program for young adults

14 - 20 years old and their adult advisers. Part of the success of the troop has been the concept of "going back to the

principles," making it, arguably, the only traditional scouting troop in SouthFlorida. Similar principles should apply to the ship. Learning the very basicswill make our youngsters more self-reliant and capable. Activities will beplanned in a way to minimize conflict with troop activities so the boys canparticipate in both.

Many community members have offered help with resources. Whatseemed to be the largest hurdle: where to keep the boat will be solved in thenear future, as Dr. Marc Gannon of Lighthouse Point has graciously offeredthe use of his dock, once he frees it up from his current vessel. We thank Dr.Gannon because this will be a great boost for our organization. Please checkour (work in progress) website: www.ship238.com. You may fill out a formto be kept informed on progress of the ship and pre-register if you want toparticipate. You can also call me at my office at 954-782-8668.

Yours in scouting,Carlos M Arenas, Asst. Scoutmaster Troop 238

Office: 954-782-8668 Fax 954-301-0106 email: [email protected] website: www.scouts238.com

America is returning to the values Scouting never left

High THigh Tea aea at Camp Tt Camp Tororturturee

34 www.lhpmag.comL i g h t h o u s e P o i n t M a g a z i n e


PLEASE

SUPPORT

OUR

ADVERTISERS

PEDIATRIC DENTISTS

Dr. Robert StephensDr. James BennettDr. Lauren Governale

“SERVING SOUTH FLORIDA FOROVER 35YEARS”

(SATURDAY HOURS AVAILABLE)

954-781-1855

1930 NE 34th Court • Pompano Beach, FL

Email: [email protected]: www.sfldco.com

L i g h t h o u s e P o i n t M a g a z i n e

DOCKSIDE GALLEY GRILLE ANNUAL BASH

There wasn’t much room to navigate dur-ing the yearly customer appreciation party atthe Dockside Galley Grille last month. That’sbecause great samples of Mike Kidrow’s culi-nary magic put a smile on everyone’s face andno one left without having seconds.

Maybe the restaurant is a little out of theway, but the loyal customer base seems togrow each year.

The setting on the water is a perfect placeto get away from the city’s hec-tic pace.

Restaurant’s popularity grows each year

37L i g h t h o u s e P o i n t M a g a z i n e

PETRONES HONOR CLAIRE SYLVIAPETRONES HONOR CLAIRE SYLVIABy Jon Frangipane

Claire Sylvia is a regular customer atthe Red Fox Diner. Owner LouPetrone was so impressed with thislovely lady that he and wife Pattyheld a spectacular party for her attheir home last month.

What makes Claire Sylvia so spe-cial? She is a most pleasant, good-looking, well-groomed lady, unas-suming in nature, with a great inter-est in other people. But the mostextraodinary fact is that Claire is asurvivor of multiple organ trans-plants.

The Petrone’s have been involvedin many charitable events in the com-munity and at the Red Fox Dinersince opening a few years ago. Theirgenerosity in giving a helping hand tothose in need is highly appreciatedand respected.

Their daughter, Shawna, visitingfrom Chicago, keep the crowd enter-tained with her smooth vocal rendi-tions.

Thank you to the Petrones foryour kindness!

Look for the Claire Sylvia storyin our May issue!



www.lhpmag.com40

"Mona Lisa," the two-month-old gem of arestaurant in Deerfield Beach is getting knownquickly by word of mouth. It's the kind of restau-rant that you want to tell all your closest friendsabout because you know that you have found onespecial place. Located just off of A1A and HillsboroBoulevard, "Mona Lisa" is perfectly situated for all

the walk-in beach traffic. Upon entering the black tiled restaurant with matching booths, with

red and white gingham half curtains at the front entrance, you will noticethe numerous photographs of infamous mobsters such as Al Capone, JohnGotti, and Carlo Gambino. White rosaries hang over Gotti and Gambino'spictures as if to cleanse their souls. The brickwork on the left wall stretch-es towards the center where a gigantic pizza hearth blazes. Blue mosaictiles add color to the far wall, below which stands a top of the line commer-cial coffee maker that you would find in Italy. There is outdoor seating towatch the pedestrian traffic and to listen to Italian music on weekends.

Steven and Theresa launched Mona Lisa after having been retired fromtheir life long restaurant business. Steven's family started the original"Mona Lisa" of Brooklyn, New York over 80 yeas ago. The restaurant was afixture in New York, built on the reputation of using only the freshestingredients and the same recipes that have been handed down from gener-ation to generation from Sicily. When Steven was seventeen, he decided togo off on his own and opened up his own bakery and restaurant withTheresa after securing a loan from Theresa's family. They devoted all theirtime and youth to the restaurant that fortunately allowed them toretire at a young age. Then after 9/11, Steven moved his family andhis in-laws to Florida and found homes near each other inLighthouse Point. Using the same family recipes, the pizza ismade with water from New York that gets trailered down everycouple of weeks. "We're fanatical with the pizza." says Stephen."We do it the right way." All the pizzas are prepared "well done"with a thin crust. You can choose between a traditional Margaritapizza of plum tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, imported pecorinoromano cheese, olive oil and basil and Bianco pies which is of the

same ingredientswith ricottacheese but with-out the tomatoes.Various cheese, vegeta-bles, and meat toppingscan be selected for eithertype of pizza in personalor family size. I was nevermuch of a pizza lover butafter having tasted theBianco pie with pesto andkalamata olives, I am nowa pizza convert!

Roasted Peppers

Ciabatta Bread Sandwich

L i g h t h o u s e P o i n t M a g a z i n e

Antipasto

Chicken Wings

Sausage and Brocalli Rabe

SS tory by Linda Kaufman tory by Linda Kaufman Photos by Jon FrangipPhotos by Jon Frangipaneane

Coal-fired Ovens bring out the flavors of Sunny ItalyMONA LISA A FMONA LISA A FAMILAMILY AFFY AFFAIR FOR 80 YEARSAIR FOR 80 YEARS

L i g h t h o u s e P o i n t M a g a z i n ewww.lhpmag.com

Cases of tomatoesare ripened, seedsremoved, then manuallyground with a tomatogrinder. Canned toma-toes are never used! Youcan absolutely taste thedifference when onlyfresh ingredients areused. Even the moz-zarellas are homemade,which are delicious inthe "Caprese Salad" withvine ripe tomatoes, agedbalsamic vinegar, basiland olive oil. ($6.75)

The appetizers aregenerous in portion."The Italian wings"

which are oven roasted wings marinated in olive oil, red wineand rosemary ($9.95) have a nice flavor to them. I loved thecoal oven roasted red peppers ($9.95) which were fresh tastingand slightly sweet. The Italian sausage in the "broccoli rabeand sausage" ($9.95) had an interesting, spicy taste that com-plimented the garlic and cracked red pepper infused broccolicousin.

If you're not up to having pizza, you will not be disappoint-ed with the traditional Italian sandwiches that are made withfresh homemade ciabatta bread. I tried the prosciutto moz-zarella and arugula sandwich ($10.50) which reminded me ofthe sandwiches in Italy-fresh, delicious and addictive. (I actu-ally came back to take out the same sandwich a few days later!)

You can select pesto or sundried tomatospread to compliment your sandwich.There are various different sand-wiches to choose from: pro-sciutto and provolone,grilled chicken moz-zarella and arugula,sweet capicolla, moz-zarella, roasted red pep-pers, and sundried tomatoes,or turkey breast, provolone,tomatoes, and romaine lettuce toname a few. All the sandwichesare huge and priced at $10.50.

The best part of the meal was the desserts of course. Youcan drop in to just have a cup of cappuccino and pastry that arejust heavenly. The coffee beans are roasted right here on thepremise. The pastries are like no other. The New York Timesvoted Mona Lisa to have the best cheesecake. Soft and creamy,sweet yet not overly sweet, it's simply divine! The lobster tailis a light, slightly crispy pastry filled with French cream orcanola cream. I tried it with the French cream and it's an unfor-gettable experience with a cup of cappuccino. It's as if you died

and went to heaven! Thenapoleon, tiramisu, éclair,and canola are out of thisworld too! Most of thesepastries are staples atMona Lisa but it reallydepends on the bakers'mood as to what willappear for all the sweettooth's out there.Therefore, there is no setdessert menu.

Steven has purchasedan apartment in DeerfieldBeach to house the threebakers who descendfrom the New Yorkoperation for a three tofour month rotation. Infact, Mona Lisa ofBrooklyn is well knownfor their pastries andcakes. They have beenshipping their pastriesnationwide. Influentialpeople of New Yorksuch as Bloomberg,Giuliani, andSteinbrenner have beenordering cakes fromMona Lisa over theyears. Numerousawards have been

awarded from Italyto New York for their desserts.

Steven and Theresa are usually around to cater to thecustomers. Steven, an imposing Italian with a Brooklyn

accent is a no nonsense kind of guy who is funny with-out meaning to be funny. He tells it like it is without

any embellishment. When I asked him what time theyclose the restaurant, he said, "When I get tired, I throw

everyone out.. I shut the lights, put up the heat… but theydon't want to leave!" Theresa is a petite, attractive Italian withdark hair and eyes who still looks at Steven with an endearinglook. They knew each other since they were twelve and thir-teen years old and have been together ever since.

"I came up the hard way… I've been doing this for manymany years.. the old way, the right way. .. without a franchise…we're good at what we do. " Steven said matter-of- factly. "Idon't do this for money! I do it because I love it. I love the peo-ple and making people happy."

Mona Lisa is located at 2009 NE 2nd Street in Deerfield Beach. Call 954-420-5644

Margarita Pizza (top)Pesto Pizza (bottom)

PIzza Man

Dessert Tray

Teresa shows New YorkTimes Cheese Cake Award

41*This article was written for promotional purposes

43www.lhpmag.com L i g h t h o u s e P o i n t M a g a z i n e


DAY THREE - At nine a.m.Edgar Gomez picked us up andwe headed for the GamboaRainforest over an hour awayalong extremely bad roadwayscovered with huge, deep rutsthat in most cases wereunavoidable. To call these 'pot-holes' would be being too kind.Our driver said that the condi-tions were caused by the hun-dreds of cement trucks thattravel the area in the name of"progress." Apparently, thegovernment's last concern isfixing the roads. FriendJoey kept hitting his headon the tour car roof andbouncing around thebackseat. He kept saying,"My poor back can't takethis!"

We finally pulled upto a lakeside reservationin Gamboa where hol-lowed-out canoes werelined up along the shoreand indians from theEmbera Tribe were wait-ing for us. We were led tothe canoes which were about 20 feet long with one Indian standingat the helm and one sitting in the stern section to steer the craft,climbed aboard and headed up the Chagres River, the same river thatfeeds into the Panama Canal.

The 15-minute trip up the pristine body of water took us to abeautiful, scenic waterfall. A few tourists took a short swim in thee m e r a l d - c o l o r e dpools of sparklingwater. As expected,questions regardingalligators, snakes,spiders and monkeyswere a big part ofconversation as weonce again boardedour canoe and headedfor the Embera IndianReservation, another15-minute trip upstream.

We were greetedby many smiling femaleand young Indians as we stepped from the boat. Upon noticing ashirtless female Embera Indian, friend Joey said, "I think I rememberseeing her in the National Geographic." I didn't reply.

The Embera Indian Chief had died a few days before, so we wereinformed there would be no tribal dance that day, but a tribal leaderwould describe how their arts and crafts were made. The presenta-

tion was made in arather large openthatched hall built6 feet above theground with afloor of palmleaves. The Emberaspeak their ownlanguage, but arealso fluent inSpanish. The villagersset up tables of theirhandicrafts and offerthem for sale. Mostcrafts ranged from afew dollars to possi-bly $100. The woodcarvings and wovenbowls can cost asmuch as $600, andplates are amazing!

Each family hastheir own table, andwhatever they sell,they keep. I couldn'tresist a monkey carving. TheEmbera rely on the sale of theircrafts for their existence. Theirlives are very simple by Americanstandards, but they seem to befairly happy. This was a great dayto spend immersed in an ancientculture — and to glance at beauti-ful baskets, shamanmasks, and wood carv-ings directly from thejungle people who creat-ed them.

After the demonstra-tion, we had a nice mealof fried fish and pata-cones. It was actuallyquite tasty. We found theexperience exhilaratingin this pleasant little vil-lage.

A last goodbyeto our Indianfriends, and wecanoed back to ourstarting point,remembering thatwe had to look for-ward to an unpleas-ant, bumpy rideback to PanamaCity.

PPANAMA - A QuicANAMA - A Quick-Changing Landscapek-Changing Landscape

Edgar Gomez & family

Embera natives greet your editor

Continued from page 11


DAY FOUR - A ChristmasParade was scheduled downtownand I wanted to get some photosfor additional local color from thecity dwellers. The sun was intense-ly hot, so I prepared myself byspreading on a thick coat of #50SPF sun block lotion, and wearinga sun-resistant, long sleeve whiteshirt and baseball cap, forgettingthat I was in Panama, not SouthFlorida. A 3-hour session was all Ineeded to develop a serious burnthat took over 3 weeks to disappear. Panama sunis Africa hot!

Religious floats were prominently featured inthe parade, but Panama's love for parading aMister M&M candy replica was clearly evident.And Santa Claus was merely a plastic replica thatappeared sad and joyless. Many floats looked asthough they had been used and certainly abusedfor many years, and not one big sigh or any oohsand ahhs could be heard from the crowd. Itappeared to be just an annual parade you went toout of habit with little excitement generated byany passing float. I just realized that I'm soundinglike a typically spoiled American who grew upwatching the huge, spectacular Macy'sThanksgiving Day Parade. I had taken enoughphotos, and the sunburn on my chest was begin-ning to burn badly. We were both more than ready for dinner and an earlynight back at the apartment.

DAY FIVE - Edgar was invaluable in helping bring the events of Panama’spast and present together. Joey and I found the whole experience entriguing,especially upon learning that everyone from Donald Trump to the Chinesegoverment wants a piece of the action. Yes, Panama will always remain as acritical world hub between North and South America.

Later this day, Edgar drove to an elementary schoolwhere he picked up his wife, a part-time teacher, andtheir two children. We then proceeded to their home onthe edge of the Gamboa Rainforest on that same old,bumpy road. And again, Joey bounced around in the backseat for what seemed like an eternity.

Our last night was spent at a party-like gathering ofAmerican ExPats, or U.S. Citizens who have now eithermoved to Panama full time, or spend a good part of eachyear in Panama. As far as we could determine, they allseemed happy with their decisions. The meetings arewell organized and certainly a great support system forthose starting a new life in a far away country. Joey chats with RonaldPanamanian musician

On Parade

Beauty Queens

American ExPats


TTAX CREDIT FOR HOMEBUYERSAX CREDIT FOR HOMEBUYERSBy the time this article runs you will have heardmuch about The Stimulus Package. As I wrotethis at the end of February it had just been signedinto law so most of the information had yet to beinterpreted and most of the "how to implement it"had not been worked out. One part of the pack-age that is very clear from the start though is amodification of the $7,500 First-time homebuyercredit that had already been in effect as part of theHousing and Recovery Act of 2008.

The new tax credit is this: First-time homebuyers who purchase homesfrom January 1st, 2009 until the end of November 2009 may be eligiblefor an $8,000 or 10% of the value of the home tax credit, whichever isless. Buyers will have to repay the credit if they sell their homes withinthree years. Basically, the biggest difference in this new version of thetax credit versus the old one is you don't have to pay it back if you ownyour new home for at least 3 years. The tax credit starts phasing out forcouples with incomes above $150,000 and single filers with incomesabove $75,000.

Tax Credit Versus Tax DeductionIt's important to remember that the $8,000 tax credit is just that… a taxcredit. The benefit of a tax credit is that it's a dollar-for-dollar tax reduc-tion, rather than a deduction that would only save you $1,000 to $1,500when all was said and done. So, if a homebuyer were to owe $8,000 inincome taxes and would qualify for the $8,000 tax credit, they wouldowe nothing.

Better still, the tax credit is refundable, which means the homebuyer canreceive a check for the credit if he or she has little income tax liability.For example, if a homebuyer is liable for $4,000 in income tax, he can off-set that $4,000 with half of the tax credit… and still receive a check forthe remaining $4,000!

Homes that QualifyThe tax credit is applicable to any home that will be used as a principleresidence. Based on that guideline, qualifying homes include single-fam-ily detached homes, as well as attached homes such as townhouses andcondominiums.

Mary Griffin is a Certified Mortgage Planner to Howard Grace andAssociates, 625 S.E. 10th Street in Deerfield Beach. She welcomes allyour mortgage questions at (954) 421-3255, e-mail her [email protected]. Website: www.howardgrace-mortgage.com

Mary Griffin


LEGAL MATTERS

MMOORRTTGGAAGGEE NNEEWWSSMMOORRTTGGAAGGEE NNEEWWSS

If you know of an interestingperson with life experiencesworth reporting in our mag-azine, please contact us

By Kim Douglas Sherman, Esq.

If you want to get the most lawyeringfor your money, read on. Your first stepshould be to identify your problem andlegal needs. Do you need a will? Doessomeone owe you money? Maybe the

company you hired will not finish the job? Make a list of yourquestions and prepare to get some answers.

You should be looking for a lawyer with local knowledge,who knows the judges, experts, and the way it gets donewhere you need it done. Your best source of referrals is yourfriends or business associates-people whose opinions youtrust. Check with the county bar association for a profes-sional referral network. If all else fails look in the telephonedirectory under the area of specialty that you need.

When you call the lawyer for an appointment, you shouldfeel welcomed. Ask if there will be an initial consultation fee.When you meet with the lawyer ask him or her to tell youwhat are their qualifications to do your job. Read the lawyeryour list of questions and ask for answers. Ask the lawyer toevaluate your position. What is the downside risk and max-imum cost? If you win what is the chance of getting paid?Ask the lawyer to be candid-is it worth hiring him or her?

You may want to ask the lawyer to put his or her opinionsinto writing.

When it is time to talk about legal fees make sure thatyou know all the terms and add some important ones of yourown. Make sure the agreement is in writing and that youhave received a copy. Ask if the lawyer will put a "cap" uponthe fee or set a fixed fee. If the charges are on a time basis, askwhat the minimum billing time unit will be-- will the chargesbe by the tenth of the hour or greater? Make sure that youknow which lawyer will be performing your work. Have thelawyer commit to give you copies of all documents receivedand sent out regarding your case. Tell the lawyer that youwill not tolerate churning, that is billing for lawyers in thesame firm to talk to each other or their para-legals about yourcase. Insist that you want regular billing on a monthly basisthat specifies the services rendered and the specific timecharged for each service.

Get one last promise from your new lawyer. Make him orher promise to call you back within the same day that youcall or before the end of the very next day. Now you have afirm basis upon which to build a satisfactory relationshipwith your lawyer.

GOOD LUCK!For further info: Sherman Law Offices 954-489-9500

HOHOW TW TO HIRE A LO HIRE A LAWYERAWYER


www.lhpmag.com50 L i g h t h o u s e P o i n t M a g a z i n e

Over 90 Luncheon Held at St. Paul’sOver 90 Luncheon Held at St. Paul’s

For the fourth year in a row the Saint Paul'sWomen's Club hosted an “Over 90s Luncheon" onFebruary 26, 2009.

Invitees included all parishioners age 90 and over.As the older generation grows even older, we marvel,not only at the mental acuity of these folks, but therephysical appearance, as well.

A perfect example is Rose Jonan, born on January3rd, 1906 and oldest of the group at 103 years old whosays, “God was good to me.” She says she loves to prayand does so three times a day by watching TV stationWBTN. By all appearances, praying is a good thing. Herhusband John died twelve years ago. They had beenmarried 58 years.

On this day, Harry Volpe and Caroline Scialo satnext to each other to learn that they are both from Bari,Italy. Also somewhat interesting is that Edwin Smith,Dorothy Gurzynski and Marie McGill were all born inNovember of 1919. Amazing to think after 90 years theywould all end up together at a luncheon in Florida.

Those over 90 guests included: Joseph M.Biviano, 93; Ethel Bochetto. 94; Emma Francem, 93;Elmer Grade, 95; Dorothy Gurzynski 90; SylviaHagmaier, 91, Jean Hajdic, 91; Virginia Hanley, 94; RoseJonan, 103; Catherine Lemerise, 91; Ann Martin, 94;Marie McGill, 90; Lucy McKie, 98; John Millette, 94;

Caroline Scialo, 91;Edwin Smith, 90;Francis M. Smith,94; Harry Volpe, 95;

Each year theguests at the lunch-eon are given a vasewith a lovely flowerto take home withthem. The Women'sClub would like toacknowledge withthanks the generosi-ty of the LighthousePoint Florist whichgraciously providedand arranged theflowers for the guests free of charge for the second yearin a row.

The planning and preparation for the luncheon wascarried out by President, Diana Marcinka and BoardMembers, Cathie Desjean, Rosa Barros, Betty Arcellaand Carolyn Bergamini. On hand to greet the specialguests and serve the delicious lucheon were Women'sClub members, Judy O'Hara, Kathi Danes, AnnHutchinson, Bea Nieds, Betty Krupa, and Marie Puleo.

Rose Jonan, 103 years old, enjoysannual luncheon

4th Annual St. Paul’s Women’s Club Event


DEERFIELD ANIMAL HOSPITDEERFIELD ANIMAL HOSPITALALis pleased to announceis pleased to announce

WE ARE MOWE ARE MOVING!VING!Our neOur new home will be atw home will be at

AACACACIA ANIMAL HOSPITCIA ANIMAL HOSPITALALLaurie C. Phillips DVMMark B. Stevens DVMWilliam S. Croup DVMPhilip Homans DVM

Providing our clients with the highest standards of veterinary care, outstanding clientProviding our clients with the highest standards of veterinary care, outstanding clientservice, and friendly smiling faces for over 35 years!service, and friendly smiling faces for over 35 years!

www.AcaciaAnimalHospita l .comwww.AcaciaAnimalHospita l .com

FULL SERFULL SERVICE VICE VETERINARVETERINARY CAREY CAREEMERGENCY SEREMERGENCY SERVICEVICE

BOBOARDING & GRARDING & GROOMINGOOMING

(Just 1 mile south on Federal Highway)

4771 North Federal HighwayPompano Beach, FL 33064

954-942-5955954-942-5955


By Melanie S. Hecker, MD, MBA

A New Innovation in eyelashesLatisse™ solution is a prescription treatment for

hypotrichosis used to grow eyelashes, making themlonger, thicker, and darker. Eyelash hypotrichosis

is another name for having inadequate or not enough eyelashes.Latisse™ solution works by affecting the growth phase of the eye-lash hair cycle in two ways; first, it increases the length of thisphase; and second, it increases the number of hairs in this growthphase. The exact way it works is unknown. The onset of effectwith Latisse™ solution is gradual. In the clinical trial, the majorityof Latisse™ users saw a significant improvement by 2 months.

Who Can Use Latisse™?Anyone is a candidate for longer, thicker eyelashes, however

you should not use Latisse™ solution if you are allergic to one of itsingredients. Also tell your doctor if any of the following apply toyou: previously diagnosed with eye pressure problems, if you arecurrently taking medication for eye pressure problems or have highrisk factors for glaucoma. People with a history of eye pressureproblems should speak to an eyecare specialist before startingLatisse™. Individuals taking medication to lower their eye pres-sure should be closely monitored while using Latisse™ and thosewith a family history of glaucoma should be evaluated before start-ing Latisse™. However, the safety and effectiveness of Latisse™

was shown in a clinical trial. Only Latisse™ has been approved bythe FDA as a prescription treatment for hypotrichosis used to groweyelashes.

How Do I Use Latisse™?Once nightly, start by ensuring your face is clean with eye

makeup and contact lenses removed. Using a sterile applicatorthat comes in the kit, only one drop of Latisse™ solution on theapplicator is required for each eye. It is applied only to the uppereyelashes as though you were applying eyeliner. Repeat the sameprocess for the other eye. Latisse™ should not be placed in your eyeor in your lower eyelid. Your contact lenses can be put back intoyour eyes 15 minutes after applying Latisse™ solution. If you missa dose, there is no need to "catch up." Just apply Latisse™ solutionthe next evening and make it part of your nighttime routine likebrushing your teeth. It is not necessary to use Latisse™ more thanonce a day as it will not increase the growth of your eyelashes.

What Else Should I Know About Latisse™?If you stop using Latisse™, your lashes are expected to return to

their previous appearance over several weeks to months. And yes,you can use mascara in addition to Latisse™ solution.

Hecker Dermatology Group, P.A. New patients are welcomeand many insurances accepted. Appointments are available at:954-783-2323 or visit us on-line: www.heckerderm.com.

SSKKIINN CCAARREE

By Linda Bourguet

We've all heard about the devastatingeffects to a community when Wal-Martmoves to town, but what about theimpact of buying online instead of from alocal merchant? Let's think about it.

You're in the market for a Coach handbag that you can getonline at coach.com for $100. (I know, I know, no Coachhandbag is only $100, but it makes the math easier.) 100% ofyour $100 goes to wherever Coach corporate decides to sendit, I think I can say with some certainty that none of it willend up in Lighthouse Point. Let's say you buy that sameCoach handbag at a retailer in Lighthouse Point. That retail-er has to pay Coach for the handbag, we'll assume $50, leav-ing $50 profit. Statistics show that 68% of this profit willstay in the LOCAL community. That's $34 the store ownerwill spend in local restaurants, gas stations, jewelers, cloth-ing stores, etc. Millie Walsh from Body & Soul Boutique

comments, "I was surprised when one of my regular cus-tomers told me she bought $250 of merchandise on the inter-net that she knew I carried in my store. I have the exact sameproduct in my store at the same price. To top it off, shebrought some of the items to my store and asked me toexchange them." In these tough economic times, every dollarcounts to a 'mom and pop' company, but even shopping atthe local Staples instead of Staples.com provides jobs and atax base to the city of Lighthouse Point. By shopping locallywe are perpetuating a cycle that supports our local economy.I'm not saying that there's not a place for using the internet,a local retailer wanted $50 for an item I recently purchasedon ebay for $30. I'm just asking that next time you're onlineshopping in the comfort of your home and PJ's at 3am, askyourself, "Can I get the same thing within my community ata comparable price?" We will all pay the price when localbusinesses start closing their doors because we picked con-venience over making a little extra effort.

Think Before YThink Before You Make That Next Onl ine Purchaseou Make That Next Onl ine Purchase

WhaWhat's Net's New & Exw & Exciting in 2009?citing in 2009?Let's Talk LatisseLet's Talk Latisse

If you know of an interesting person with life experiences worthreporting in our magazine, please contact us today!


Today, when every dollar counts………………Get cash back on all of your shopping !!!

GO GREEN, while saving time, money and gasoline.SHOP TO EARN means SHOP TO SAVE!!!

TTAAKKEE AA MMIINNUUTTEE TTOO VVIISSIITT UUSS TTOODDAAYY AATT:: www.shoptoearn.net/evesapplewww.24hourtour.net/evesapple

954-326-2831

GreenGreen HarrietHarriet

STRANGE, BUT TRUESTRANGE, BUT TRUE!!


• New Jersey is home to the Miss America Pageant heldin Atlantic City. • The game Monopoly, played all over the world, namedthe streets on their playing board after the actual streetsin Atlantic City. • And, Atlantic City has the longest boardwalk in theworld. • New Jersey has the largest petroleum containmentarea outside of the Middle East countries. • New Jersey is a peninsula. • Highlands, New Jersey has the highest elevation alongthe entire eastern seaboard, from Maine to Florida. • New Jersey is the only state where all of its countiesare classified as metropolitan areas. • New Jersey has more race horses than Kentucky. • New Jersey has more Cubans in Union City (1 sq. mi.)than Havana, Cuba. • New Jersey has the most dense system of highwaysand railroads in the US. • New Jersey has the highest cost of living. • New Jersey has the highest cost of auto insurance. •New Jersey has the highest property taxes in thenation.

• New Jersey has the most diners in the world and issometimes referred to as the Diner Capital of the World • New Jersey is home to the original mystery pork partschub, Taylor Ham or Pork Roll. • North Jersey has the most shopping malls in one areain the world, with seven major shopping malls in a 25square mile radius. • New Jersey is home to the Statue of Liberty and EllisIsland. • The Passaic River was the site of the first submarineride by inventor John P. Holland. • New Jersey has 50+ resort cities & towns, some of thenations' most famous: Asbury Park, Wildwood, AtlanticCity, Seaside Heights, Long Branch and Cape May. • New Jersey has the most stringent testing along ourcoastline for water quality control than any otherseaboard state in the entire country. • New Jersey is a leading technology & industrial stateand is the largest chemical producing state in the nationwhen you include pharmaceuticals. • Jersey tomatoes are known the world over as being thebest you can buy.

PROGRAMMABLE THERMOSTATInvest in a programmable thermostat and set it way up ordown (when everyone's at work/school, and asleep at night);program it to turn "on" shortly before folks get home/wakeup/

HOT WATER HEATER SETTINGSSet your hot water heater no higher than 120 degrees.

TURN OFF THE TAPTurn off the tap when brushing your teeth.

USE A CLOTH BAGPaper or plastic? Neither! Take a cloth bag with you to thegrocery store.

PLANT TREESTrees help reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere byabsorbing and storing carbon dioxide. TheIntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that100 billion metric tons of carbon over the next 50 years couldbe sequestered through forest preservation, tree planting andimproved agricultural management.

DITCH YOUR CARAvoiding 10 miles of driving every week would eliminateabout 500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year, accord-ing to climatecrisis.net. The majority of car trips people makeare under two miles, so that should be easy to swap driving

for a bike or public transit, said RobSadowksy, executive director of theChicagoland Bicycle Federation.

GREEN YOUR BABYIt doesn't have to be a choice between plastic dia-pers that pile up in landfills and cloth diapers thatrequire frequent laundering.

GET A WATER BOTTLEAmericans buy 28 billion single-serving plastic water bottlesevery year, and 80% of those end up in landfills, according tothe Container Recycling Institute. Meeting the nation'sdemand for bottle water requires more than 1.5 million bar-rels of oil annually, enough to fuel 100,000 cars for a year, theEarth Policy Institute estimates.

UNPLUG ELECTRONICSCell phone chargers, TVs, DVD players, stereos, microwavesand other electronics with transformers continue to drawpower, even when they're off or not charging anything, aslong as they're plugged in. In the U.S., such "phantom elec-tricity" emits about 12 million tons of carbon into the atmos-phere a year, according to Conservation International.

DRIVE RESPONSIBLYEvery gallon of gas burned emits 20 pounts of carbon diox-ide, so make the most of your tank.



CANTANKEROUSLY YOURS .JUSJUST FOR LAUGHS, READ THE NEWST FOR LAUGHS, READ THE NEWS

Dear Fellow Newsaholics,

Yes, yes, I know all about the terriblenews everywhere these days. However, Isubmit that - in addition to all the gloomand doom - ridiculous items also pepper thenewspaper daily. And sometimes, many ofus skip over articles of the absurd, the outra-

geous, and even the most innocuous. Butthey're there. Every day. And viewed the

right way, they're humorous. A few modest examples:1 - No swimming pedicurists down hereThe Florida Board of Cosmetology has ruled against the use of

tiny flesh-sucking fish to nibble dead skin and thick calluses fromtoes and heels of consumers seeking pedicures.

In the skin-eating process, popular in Asia and some U.S. cities,tiny toothless fish, commonly called, "Doctor fish," wolf downdecaying skin with apparent gusto.

I concur with the board's decision. There's something off-putting about apedicurist telling a customer, "Just stick your feet in the tub and give the fish alittle nosh."

2 - Can't tell the future without a psychicAccording to Jill Dahne, Hollywood psychic, people reach out to

seers such as herself in critical times like these, anxious to find outwhat the future holds in store. While Ms. Dahne does predict thefuture, she does not indulge in speculation over outcomes of ballgames or horse races.

Meanwhile, Rosemary McArthur, founder of the AmericanAssociation of Psychics & Mediums, warns that "not all psychicscan be trusted. There are a lot of desperate people right now, andthey're reaching out to psychics; a lot of these people are beingtaken for a ride."

Wonder if this warning includes Jill Dahne, who charges $200 for a psy-chic reading … and last year predicted Hillary Clinton would win the presi-dency and name her husband as VP.

3 - Budget tricksIn his first speech to Congress, our new president promised that

his first budget will include money for the Iraq War, the buildup inAfghanistan and other expenditures. The previous administrationomitted such costs in its budgets, later asking for extra revenue inspecial appeals.

Oh, oh. Hope my wife missed that part of the speech. Whenever I draw upa household budget for the two of us, I deliberately use Bush's strategy, leav-ing out salami, cheddar cheese and hot fudge.

4 - Let's hear it for the vaunted World of AcademeA Tampa newspaper reports that Abdul Rao, a University of

South Florida dean who helped steal a $100 bike, is expected toresign.

Rumor has it that Rao was Dean of the School of Ethics. 5 - Now let's not rush to judgmentThe Rev. Francis Guinan, accused of stealing almost $500,000

from a Delray Beach church, recently said he "felt as though he haddiscretion to spend church money how he wanted, but was sorry forsome of his spending." The priest, according to a recent article, usedthe money for "girlfriends, trips, and supporting a gambling habit."

One would love to hear how the Vatican felt about the priest's belief hehad discretion to spend money on a girlfriend. And did he wear his priestlyattire while messing around? Perhaps the girlfriend was turned on by his holylook.

6 - To escape arrest, steal bigFBI agents tracked down financier R. Allen Stanford last month,

serving him with legal papers for perpetrating a fraud which cancost investors eight billion dollars.

Mr. Stanford has not been charged with any crime, is not underarrest and is not in custody.

Apparently, the feds are using the Bernie Madoff yardstick for crimes, andwill wait until Mr. Stanford's swindling efforts reach 50 billion dollars beforearresting him..

7 - Teens speechless after arrestFive Palm Bay teens "were arrested on burglary-related charges

after police followed a trail of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups packagesfrom the crime scene back to the house of one of the teens."

Word has it they were unable to give a statement to police because theirtongues were stuck to the roof of their mouths.

8 - Languishing LanguagesChristopher Moseley, an Australian linguist who edited a

recently published atlas that documents 2,500 dead or dying lan-guages, reports that "Language endangerment is a universal phe-nomenon."

If he ever hears how professional athletes and teens conjugate verbs, he'llno doubt place the English language on the Endangered Species list.

9 - "Humans evolved feet first"At least that's how some anthropologists see it. The journal, Science, recently reported that human feet - as we

know them today - appeared much earlier than previously thought.Recently discovered fossilized footprints, 1.5 millions years old,

indicate that as far back as 1.5 million years ago, hominids had a pro-nounced arch and a big toe parallel to other toes.

Where's the big news in that? I can name at least a half-dozen profession-al athletes whose brain size is still trying to catch up to their foot size.

10 - Ozzie does it againI thought I'd heard the end of Ozzie Guillen's silly rants last

time I left Chicago. But this outspoken manager of the ChicagoWhite Sox was recently quoted as saying, "I hope I die on the field.I hope when I walk to change the pitcher, I drop dead and that's it.I know my family would be so happy it happened on the field."

Oh, shut up. 11 - Hey, I'm convincedAasiya Hassan launched his Bridges TV network in Buffalo,

New York, in 2004, hoping the network would "balance negativeportrayals of Muslims following the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks."

Earlier this year, Hassan's wife asked for a divorce, so Hassanbeheaded her at his TV station.

Yessir, nothing like a good old decapitation to change your mind aboutsomeone.

* * *Well, it's time to get today's newspaper and look for some good

laughs. Oh look, here's one! I just picked up the sports page andspotted an article about Dwayne Wade. Not about his playing abil-ity, but about his fashion-plate Band-Aids.

Cantankerously Yours,Wendell Abern

Wendell Abern can be reached at [email protected].

By Wendell Abern



ONON R E L I G I O NR E L I G I O N By Reverend Jack Noble WE LOVE OUR PETSI love this time of year bursting as it

is with new life. It reminds me that liv-ing life is like being given a free ticket toa terrific play. Each day the act unfoldson something new and exciting. Butthrilling as it is, this succession of scenescannot go on forever; which, in my opin-

ion is probably just fine. I mean, can you imagine…? Soonor late, even the most enthusiastic among us grows boredand weary. And no matter how terrific the action, no onecan stay with it forever.

What happens when we leave the theater? One canbelieve, I suppose, that nothing happens, that the stagegoes blank and dark; or one can believe that some otherform of awareness will begin.

The older I become, the more I find myself believingthat something definitely happens after death. My reason-ing may seem weak or even naïve, but it carries consider-able weight with me, and it is simply this: The whole thing– the WHOLE thing – from the whirling masses of neu-trons in my brain, to the far reaches of the universe with itshundreds and hundreds of galaxies – the whole unbeliev-able shooting match – is just too beautiful, too purposeful,too cunningly arranged for it all to end in nothingness.

I mean, it is all too wonderful to be pointless!Now of course the more cynical among us might say

that this idea is nothing but pure ego strutting itselfaround.

But I believe that the chances of something being outthere in that “undiscover’d country,” as Shakespeare calledit, are better than the chances of nothing being out there.

As I sit in my living room watching the tide raise theboats in the canal outside my window, as I watch the bare-foot boys rushing to the bridge with their fishing poles, asI pass the tennis courts and see the players there, as I jour-ney to the pre-op with a friend and see the nurses at work,or as I merely watch the world unfold around me, I ammore and more convinced of something very loving, andvery intelligent at the heart of it all. I stand more often thanmost at the edge of the grave, or outside the crypt, or nextto the niche and often when I am there, I experience thistightening of my throat – especially if the passing has beenlong and difficult – I am reminded, “They’re at home now;yes, they’re at home.”

Article provided by Reverend Jack Noble of the FirstPresbyterian Church, 2331 NE 26th Street in PompanoBeach. 954-941-2308

At the Heart Of It AllAt the Heart Of It All

My dog has fleas, please help! Is a plea we hear from ourcustomers many times a day-on a daily basis. As a petowner myself, any advice we can get is priceless, so I want-ed to share with you this very helpful article from theASPCA.

Why Are Dogs Susceptible to Fleas?Fleas are hearty and nimble, and when searching for a

host, they can jump 10,000 times in a row (the length ofthree football fields). Three pairs of legs make for excellentleaping capabilities (up to two feet), and a laterally flattened body allows for quick movement in a dog’s fur.

With a complete life cycle ranging anywhere from 16 days to 21 months, depend-ing on environmental conditions, fleas are most commonly found on a dog’sabdomen, the base of the tail and the head. With heavy infestations, however, fleascan thrive anywhere on the body. They feed once every day or two, and generally remain ontheir host during the interim.

What Are Some Signs of Fleas in Dogs?• Droppings or “flea dirt” in a dog’s coat • Flea eggs on dog or in dog’s environment • Allergic dermatitis • Excessive scratching, licking or biting at skin • Hair loss • Scabs and hot spots • Pale gums • Tapeworms

What Are Some Complications of Fleas in Dogs?Since fleas can consume 15 times their own body weight in blood, they can cause

anemia or a significant amount of blood loss over time. This is especially problemat-ic in young puppies, where an inadequate number of red blood cells can be life-threatening to some dogs. Signs of parasitic anemia include pale gums, cold bodytemperature and listlessness.

When a dog has a heightened sensitivity to the saliva of fleas, just one bite of aflea can cause an allergic reaction. This condition is known as flea allergy dermati-tis and causes intense itching and discomfort for your dog. Signs include generalizedhair loss, reddened skin, scabs and hot spots. Flea allergy dermatitis often leads to skininfections.

Are Certain Dogs Prone to Fleas?Dogs who live in warm, humid climates, where fleas thrive at temperatures of 65

to 80 degrees, and those who live outdoors are most vulnerable to fleas.How Do I Treat Fleas?

• It is important that all of your pets are treated for fleas, including indoor and out-door cats, and that the environment is treated as well.• Speak with your veterinarian about choosing the right flea treatment product.

Common options include a topical, liquid treatment applied to the back of theneck, shampoos, sprays and powders. Some products kill both adult fleas and theireggs, but they can vary in efficacy. It is very important not to use products on yourdog that are intended for cats (and vice versa). Prescription products are generallymore effective and safer than over-the-counter products.• Thoroughly clean your house, including rugs, bedding and upholstery.(Remember to discard any vacuum bags.) In severe cases, you might consider usinga spray or fogger, which requires temporary evacuation of the home.

How Can I Prevent Fleas?Using a flea comb on your dog and washing his bedding once a week will go a

long way toward controlling flea infestation. Also, it is important to treat your yardas thoroughly as your house.

If you have any questions or tips on how to get rid of fleas, feel free to con-tact me. Elizabeth, Gigi & Luca Pet Boutique, 1825 NE 24th Street, LighthousePoint, 954-784-8755, www.gigiandluca.com

Fleas Are Back in Town!


TTHE EEYES HAVE IT

60 www.lhpmag.comL i g h t h o u s e P o i n t M a g a z i n e

HOW DO YOUR EYES FEEL?HOW DO YOUR EYES FEEL?By Dr. Steven Wigdor

Do your eyes ever feel tired, gritty, orsensitive to light? Does your vision everfluctuate from clear to blurry, especiallywhen you're concentrating on something?Do you ever move the page back and forthtrying to find the easiest place to see it?Do you ever wish you could see that traf-

fic sign just a little sooner? Did you know that these symp-toms are relatively common and are usually easily correctable?

There are many factors that influence not only the way yousee, but how your eyes feel while using them. When lighttravels into your eye it must first travel thru three layers ofyour tear film before even reaching the front corneal surface ofyour eye. If the tear layer of your eye is not smooth and prop-erly formed, a dry sandy feeling and/or excess tearing canoccur, both of which can cause intermittent blurred vision.

Many factors, such as medication, hormones, allergies andirritants can negatively influence the quality and quantity ofthe tear film. When we concentrate on something such aswhen we read, use a computer, or watch television, the fre-quency that we blink decreases. If your tear film is alreadycompromised, and then you decrease the frequency that youspread whatever tears you do have across your cornea, yourdry eye will feel even worse. There are various treatments andnutritional supplements that have been shown to improvetear production and quality, and thus help in these situations.

If your glasses or contact lenses are not accurate, yourvision will obviously be blurred. When there is an additionalcause creating blurred vision such as dry eye, cataracts, etc.,then the amount of blur you experience will be magnified. Itis important to reduce or eliminate all causes of blur in orderfor you to experience maximum clarity.

During a comprehensive eye exam, ocular health status isevaluated as well as possible causes of reduced vision. Variousoptions to improving comfort and sight are discussed that willbe customized to your needs and lifestyle. If any medicalissues are discovered, they would either be followed or treat-ed in an appropriate manner. In either case it's important toevaluate any medical conditions early in order to provide thebest opportunity for continued eye health.

It's important that any comprehensive examinationinclude a complete discussion of your eye care needs based onyour job and lifestyle. This way you will receive the best cus-tomized resolution to all your concerns. Make sure your doc-tor is willing to take the time to listen to your concerns.

Remember, everyone has hindsight - protect your eye-sight! Dr. Steven Wigdor, a board certified OptometricPhysician, and his staff welcome your calls and ques-tions in Lighthouse Point at 954-943-6210. You can alsovisit them at 3650 N. Federal Highway in the VenetianIsle Shops on the web at www.eyecareandeyewear.comThey also accept many vision care plans, so call today.

61www.lhpmag.com L i g h t h o u s e P o i n t M a g a z i n e

www.lhpmag.comL i g h t h o u s e P o i n t M a g a z i n e62

REAL ESTATE NEWS

By LHP Library Director Doreen GauthierLLIIBBRRAARRYY NNEEWWSS

It was not serendipity that National LibraryWeek, National Volunteer Week andFlorida's statewide Library AppreciationMonth are virtually simultaneous celebra-tions. A great many of Florida's, yea thenation's, libraries were begun as volunteerefforts. Women's clubs, Junior League chap-ters, literacy coalitions, and even an assorted

garden club were the foundations of the local library.

Lighthouse Point's library was begun as an all volunteer effort in1965 as the brainchild of Mr. and Mrs. William (Elayne) Solien.These two far-sighted people recruited their friends and neigh-bors to provide a lending library for this fledgling eleven-year oldcommunity. The collection was donated - mostly second-handbooks from private libraries, all staffing was a volunteer cadre,and the funding came from the social event of the season - theLibrary Ball.

Today, the Lighthouse Point Library is blessed with the samespirit of volunteerism.

Since the mid Twentieth Century each United States presidenthas urged the involvement of the populace in a volunteer move-ment - FDR had a vegetable soup of agencies to stimulate citizenparticipation in local public works projects or local artistic

efforts; John Kennedy established the Peace Corps as well as theVolunteers in Service to America; George H. W. Bush spoke of"points of light"; Jimmy Carter continues to promote Habitat forHumanity; George W. Bush urged "faith based initiatives" and2009 President Obama's Volunteer Corps embody this involve-ment. Our volunteer resources are not just those nearly 50 wel-coming ladies at the circulation desk - we have dedicated teach-ers who provide a variety of classes weekly: a seven memberAdvisory Board; and the Friends of the Library. Those Friendswho are 30 years old this year have provided literally hundreds ofthousands of dollars to support the capital projects of the librarythrough two expansions and to assist in underwriting program-ming for adults, children and supplemental training for staff.Volunteers are our life-blood and sustainers.

National Library Week and Library Appreciation Month recog-nize the cornerstone values of education and culture; access toinformation on health, economics, and the environment; the openaccess to electronic networks and their resources. These valueshave become vital conduits for individuals seeking to find, evalu-ate and use the information for employment, fiscal research, andrecreational pleasures. The library is far more than a warehousefor print - we are the available gateway to the Internet, the afford-able source of DVDs, CDs, and videocassettes. The diversity ofinformation exchange is limited only by one's imagination.World's Connect @ Your Library. Visit us soon.

LHP LIBRARY — LHP LIBRARY — MorMore than a we than a wararehouse fehouse for print!or print!

There’s Goodness in the Hearts of Americans

Greetings,

In these most unprecedented times, returningto the basics in every aspect of our lives, includ-ing business, is so important. With 71,000 fore-closure actions filed in Palm Beach and BrowardCounties in 2008, we understand that many ofour neighbors are in need of our help, expertiseand genuine care. Fortunately, we are able tohelp many of these folks avoid foreclosure if we

are able to reach them in time - and with your help, perhaps we canreach more sooner.

Commentator Paul Harvey passed away Saturday, February28th at the age of 90. I was moved by the "Prayer for Our Nation"that Mr. Harvey aired on his radio program, 'The Rest of the Story,'which received a larger response than any other program he has everaired. With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nationand wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called'One nation under God.'

'Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgive-ness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Wordsays, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what wehave done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed ourvalues. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. Wehave rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed ourunborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it

justifiable. We haveneglected to disci-pline our childrenand called it buildingself esteem. We haveabused power andcalled it politics. Wehave coveted ourneighbor's posses-sions and called itambition. We havepolluted the air withprofanity andpornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculedthe time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlighten-ment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse usfrom every sin and set us free. Amen!'

If we don't stand for something in our great country, we riskfalling for everything. I am encouraged about the future of Americabecause of the goodness and strength that lies in the hearts of herpeople.

If we can help you or someone you know we would be honored.

May God bless you,Jim BalistreriBroker / CEO

Jim Balistreri


Hot Off the Grill

By John Offerdahl (a.k.a. The Gridiron Griller)

Presciption Drugs HighOn Teens’ Wish List

Sheriff Al Lamberti Reports


Would you know if your child was usingdrugs? Hanging out with a "good" groupof kids, high grades and lots of energydoesn't necessarily mean your young oneis staying clean. Today's drug abuse hasbecome more convenient, easier to hideand more popular, thanks to the use ofprescription and over-the-counter medi-cines. Our kids don't have to look far fora high - a trip to their home medicinecabinet might just do the trick.

While use of illegal drugs among teens is falling, prescriptiondrug abuse is on the rise. In fact, studies show that one in fiveteens has abused a prescription pain medication, and inFlorida prescription drugs have killed 300% more peoplethan illegal drugs.

Kids as young as 12 are trying or using prescription drugs fornon-medical reasons. Many think these drugs are safebecause they have legitimate uses, but taking them without aprescription to get high or "self-medicate" can be as danger-ous - and addictive - as using street narcotics. This mistakenthinking causes teens that wouldn't otherwise touch illicitdrugs to abuse prescription drugs.

Pain relievers, sedatives and stimulants are the most widelyabused drugs. Teens often combine prescription and over-the-counter drugs with alcohol, a fatal combination.

Parents need to be aware of the dangers associated with pre-scription drug abuse and take actions to prevent their chil-dren from addiction. We need your help to save our childrenfrom this growing trend.

• Monitor your medicine cabinets. Count how many pillsyou have and make note of the date when you should expectto refill your prescriptions. Be aware that teens may obtainthese drugs from medicine cabinets while visiting friends orfamily.

• Restrict the availability of these substances within yourhome. Consider even locking them in a safe.

• Attend a "drug take back program" to rid your home of use-less or expired medications. You can get information aboutthis program from our website at www.sheriff.org/prescrip-tiondrugs.

• Talk with your teens about drug use. Help them under-stand that misused prescription drugs can be just as danger-ous as street drugs, especially when used in combinationwith other substances, like alcohol.

Don't let drugs start in the home. By educating teenagers andobserving their activities, parents can help curb this danger-ous trend.

Sheriff Al Lamberti

Girardi's NYC Grilled PizzaServes 4

Last time NY Yankee GM Joe Girardistopped by the home of the GridironGriller, we had some fun grilling a freshdough pizza. It is so easy and has anamazing crispy crust with just store-bought dough. As simple as the process

is, you could have one made at half time quicker than you couldcall for delivery. The fresh ingredients really make it standapart from the frozen sort and the smoky charred marks fromthe grill make it a signature dish.PREP• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 8 to 10 oz.)• 1/2-3/4 cup bottled balsamic vinaigrette dressing• 1 tube (11 oz.) pizza crust• Non-stick spray• 1 cup sliced Roma tomatoes• 1/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced• 1 cup lightly packed arugula• 8 oz. Fresh mozzarella, sliced• salt & pepper to taste• 4 oz. shredded parmesan READYPreheat grill to medium-high. Put chicken in vinaigrette dress-ing in a Ziploc bag, seal and turn to coat every 5 minutes. . Linea baking sheet with foil and coat it with nonstick spray. Unrollpizza dough on sheet and press into a 12" by 9" rectangle. Coattop of dough with nonstick spray. Mix the tomatoes, basil, gar-lic and arugula in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. LETS GRILL!Remove chicken form the marinade and discard the marinade.Grill turning once for 7 to 8 minutes. Remove to a cutting boardand cut crosswise in 1/2" slices. Invert pizza dough onto grilland peel off the foil. Grill for about 1 minute until the undersideis slightly browned. Turn crust over and grill for anotherminute until underside stiffens. Top off with mozzarella slicesand chicken. Cover and grill 1 to 2 minutes until cheese melts,but not letting crust burn. Transfer to cutting board and topwith tomato mixture, sprinkle with parmesan.

The Gridiron Griller says…"There's nothing like an authentic New York pizza hot off theoven rack. Then again, wait until you try Joe Girardi's NYCgrilled pizza hot off your very own tailgate grill! It's sure to bea Yankee grand slam!

What's on Your Plate Today? www.offerdahls.com


IIDDEENNTTIITTYY TTHHEEFFTT

L i g h t h o u s e P o i n t M a g a z i n e www.lhpmag.com

It's that time of year again. It's tax time!Though many taxpayers may dread fil-ing a return, and many of us wouldgladly welcome a refund, there are oth-ers ready to take advantage of this timeof year: identity thieves. Especiallynow, you have to keep a tight grip on

your personal information, or you could find yourself up againstthe IRS.

We are all much more vulnerable to identity theft during tax sea-son. Scammers know that by late January and early February,valuable personal information such as W-2's, 1099's, and end-of-year statements are being delivered through the mail. Early taxreturns are getting filed both via the US Postal Service and elec-tronically. This spike in activity provides additional points of vul-nerability for consumers. Criminals have created new and inno-vative methods to either get their hands on your personal infor-mation or trick you into divulging it by pretending to be an offi-cial from the IRS.

Did you know that your tax return could be rejected? That'sright-refused by the IRS. More and more taxpayers are findingout their tax return was rejected by the IRS when it was enteredfor processing. This rejection usually means someone else hasfiled a return using your social security number and personalinformation. In fact, there have been so many scams of this sortreported to the IRS that they've now opened a new officedesigned to deal exclusively with scams, fraud and identity theft.

So during tax season, you need to step up your vigilance. On thebright side, there are plenty of things you can do to lower the riskthat you will be a victim of tax-time identity theft.

USE COMMON SENSEWork with a reliable tax preparation company. Don't placereturns in your mail box for pick-up-take them to the post officeinstead.

MAKE SURE YOUR COMPUTER IS SAFEUpdate all the security features on your home computer, especial-ly if you are handling your own return and filing electronically.Also make sure that you don't have any peer-to-peer software onyour system since this could act as an entry point for hackers, pro-viding an opportunity for someone to bypass your computer secu-rity and copy items from your home system, including photos andimportant documents. Tax preparation software in itself doesnot put you at risk for identity theft, but a lack of security on yourhome computer or laptop certainly could cause problems.

DON'T GET PHISHEDYou should never take phone calls or click on links embedded inemails from persons who claim to be IRS agents. If you do, youcould be the victim of "phishing." Phishing is a technique used byidentity thieves to get you to divulge personal information. This

time of year the scammers will be posing as representatives of theIRS. A typical scam e-mail might attempt to notify the taxpayerof an outstanding refund and urge the taxpayer to click on a linktaking them to a fake but official-looking website. The fake web-site then either downloads malicious spyware or solicits personalinformation. It is important to note the IRS does not use e-mailto initiate contact with taxpayers and the official website willalways refer to .gov -such as IRS.gov. If you have any doubtwhether a call or email is authentic contact the IRS directly. Takethe time to look up the official number.

WATCH OUT FOR RETURN PREPARER FRAUDStick with trusted and reputable tax preparers. Dishonest returnpreparers make their money by skimming a portion of theirclients' refunds and charging inflated fees for return preparationservices. They attract new clients by promising large refunds.Taxpayers should choose carefully when hiring a tax preparer.

TAKE STEPS TO PROTECT YOUR INFORMATIONTake the necessary time to place proactive safeguards. The bestway to avoid an identity theft is to plan for one! If you aren't pre-pared to deal with both prevention and restoration, then make iteasy on yourself and hire a company like LifeLock to do it for you.Their system places multiple layers of protection, reduces youroverall risks and guarantees a complete support system in thecase of an actual identity theft. If you prefer to go it alone thereare a few things you can do to minimize your risk such as obtaincopies of your credit reports at annualcreditreport.com, freezeyour credit file or activate fraud alerts by contacting the creditbureaus.

That's the bright side. Now for the not-so-bright side... there isn'treally anything a consumer can do to keep another person fromfiling a tax return. The IRS doesn't have the means to validate onthe spot whether the person filing the tax return is the rightfulowner of the personal information provided. You need to focus onprevention. Look for the warning signs that someone is usingyour information and begin the long process of fixing the problem… if it can be fixed at all.

Suspected tax fraud can be reported to the IRS Web site atIRS.gov, or by calling 1-800-829-3676. The identity of the personfiling the report can be kept confidential. The person may also beentitled to a reward.

LifeLock offers Lighthouse Point readers and their loved ones aspecial 20% discount for life. Use the promotional code:Lighthouse when signing up by calling them at 800-LifeLock orvisiting LifeLock.com

Contributing sources: LifeLock, IRS/FTC

For more information, tips and scam alerts visit my websiteand blog at GiveMeBackMyCredit.com and feel free to con-tact me at your convenience!

Denise Richardson

TTax Tax Time is Also Opportune Time is Also Opportune TimeimeFor Identity ThievFor Identity Thieveses

66

TIME/SERVINGS: Total: 2 hrs, plus cooling timeMakes: 1 (9-inch) cake (Use Keebler Pecan Shortbread Sandies forcookie crumbs).

INGREDIENTS FOR THE CRUST• 1 1/4 cups pecan shortbread cookie crumbs, from about 11 cookies• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/4 stick), melted

THE FILLING• 2 pounds good-quality ricotta cheese, at room temperature• 1 cup granulated sugar• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour• 3 large eggs, at room temperature• 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract• 2 teaspoons packed orange zest, from about 1 medium orange• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

FOR THE TOPPING* 1/2 cup orange marmalade* 1/3 cup vodka

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CRUSTHeat the oven to 350ºF and arrange a rack in the middle. Coat a 9-inchspringform pan with butter.

2. Place cookie crumbs and melted butter in a medium bowl and mixuntil thoroughly combined. Place crumb mixture in the pan and, usinga measuring cup, press evenly into the bottom. Bake for 10 to 15 min-utes or until golden brown around the edges. Cool completely on awire rack.

FOR THE FILLING:1. Place ricotta in the bowl of a food processor and blend until

smooth. Add sugar and flour and pulse until well incorporated, about10 (1-second) pulses, then scrape down the sides of the bowl. With themotor running, add eggs and egg yolks one at a time until well incor-porated. Add vanilla, orange zest, and salt and blend until just incor-porated. Pour mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

2. Bake until the center of the cheesecake is set and the edges aregolden brown, about 1 hour. Remove to a wire rack and let cool.

ORANGE-VANILLA RICOTTA CHEESECAKE

BROILED MUSSELS WITH SWEET PAPRIKA AIOLI

TIME/SERVINGSTotal: 50 minsMakes: 10 to 12 servingsGame plan: The mussels can be made up to 4 hours in advance,and they actually improve in flavor when you do so. Follow therecipe through step 3, top with aioli, then cover and refrigerate.When your guests arrive, pop them under the broiler, garnishwith parsley and lemon juice, and serve.INGREDIENTS

* 1 1/2 pounds mussels* Sweet Paprika Aioli* 1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley, coarsely chopped* 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS1. Heat the oven to 400°F and arrange a rack in the middle.

Scrub the mussels and debeard them by grabbing the thread, orbeard, that runs along the side of the shell and removing it bypulling it toward the hinge of the shell.

2. Spread the mussels on a baking sheet in a single layer androast until they open, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from theoven and let cool for about 5 minutes. Discard any unopenedmussels. Heat the broiler to high.

3. Carefully pull apart the mussel shells and discard the meat-less side of each. With your fingers or a teaspoon, carefullydetach the meat from each shell, place it back in the shell, andreturn the mussel to the baking sheet. Top each mussel with 1/2teaspoon aioli.

4. Broil the mussels until the aioli is browned, about 2 to 3minutes. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with parsley, and driz-zle with lemon juice. Serve immediately.

We encourage those who can perform magic in their kitchens to submit favorite creations that can be enjoyed by readersof our magazine. To submit your recipe, please email us at: [email protected]. and type “RECIPE” in the subject line.


Total: 45 mins Makes: 6 to 8 servings

The ultimate dump-and-stir cake, this dessert requires no skill tomake yet bakes up into an impressive three-layered treat with acrusty top, a cakey middle, and a chocolaty pudding bottom.Game plan: If you want a strong coffee flavor use a darker, moreheavily roasted coffee. But keep in mind that the stronger the cof-fee, the weaker the chocolate flavor will be.

INGREDIENTS• 1 cup all-purpose flour • 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder• 2 teaspoons baking powder • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt• 3/4 cup granulated sugar • 1 cup whole milk• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick), melted and cooledslightly • 1 large egg • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract• 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar• 3/4 cup strong brewed coffee, at room temperature

INSTRUCTIONS1. Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Coat

an 8-by-8-inch square baking dish with butter and set aside.2. Combine flour, 3/4 cup of the cocoa, baking powder, and salt

in a medium bowl and whisk to break up any lumps. In a largebowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar, milk, butter,egg, and vanilla until evenly combined and smooth. Add flour mix-ture to milk mixture and whisk until just combined (some lumpswill remain).

3. Transfer batter to the prepared baking dish and spread evenly.Combine remaining 1/4 cup cocoa, remaining 1/4 cup granulatedsugar, and brown sugar in a small bowl until well mixed, thensprinkle over batter. Pour coffee over batter, do not stir, and placein the oven.

4. Bake until cake is bubbling, puffed, and set at the edges butstill a bit loose in the middle, about 25 minutes. Remove to a rackand let cool 5 minutes before serving.

MOCHA PUDDING CAKE

Pat’s TLC Pet Sittingin your home

Lighthouse Point/DeerfieldResident Since 1970

(954) 421-8757

L O C A L B U S I N E S S C A R D D I R E C T O R Y

Barbara Passariello, Licenced Nutritionist

FREE VIDEO AD SPACEFREE VIDEO AD SPACENOW AVAILABLE ONLINE!NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE!

INTRODUCTORY OFFERINTRODUCTORY OFFERA small investment of $250 production costsA small investment of $250 production costs

will entitle you to a will entitle you to a

1 minute video advertisement FREE! 1 minute video advertisement FREE! for 3 months on our website at www.LHPmag.comfor 3 months on our website at www.LHPmag.com

69

L i g h t h o u s e P o i n t M a g a z i n e70

Hey Kids! Born in May?Send us your photos before April 8th!

Include your name & birthdate and Email to: [email protected]

and Please type “Lighthouse Point Birthday”in the Subject Line, or mail to: City News Group,

LHP Birthday 3467 17th Terrace • Oakland Park, FL 33309

SEE PHOTOS WORLD-WIDE AT: www.LHPmag.com

www.lhpmag.com

PARENTSIF YOU PREFER

THAT WE DO NOTINCLUDE YOUR

CHILD’S LAST NAME,PLEASE BE SURE TO

LET US KNOW!

Colin Burnsturned 10 on February 28th

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

HAPPY

BIRTHDAY

TO

YOU

Lindsay P.turns 6 on April 3rd

HAPPY

BIRTHDAY

TO

YOU

Andre B.turned 2 on March 5th

Gabriel Eden Trustyturns 4 on April 12th

Sage C.turns 2 on April 13th

Cole W.turned 1 on February 12th


LETTERS TO THE EDITORTo The Editor,

I was delighted to read the article by Mr. FredSchorr in the March edition of the LHP mag. Itwas a patriotic call to our community to unite andto do things close to home.

I had the opportunity to get to know Mr. Schorrbetter whilst my wife Erica Davey was workingclosely with him to get LHP certified as aCommunity Wildlife Habitat. He is a progressiveminded leader that only have the best interest ofour City at heart. Few people are aware how he,not only motivated the team, but how he got intothe drag and certified all his neighbors yards. Hemakes me think of the “Atatürk” of LHP (father ofthe modern day Turkish Republic). Maybe some-one in his position cannot be everything everybody expects him to be. But I think he comes pret-ty damn close to that impossible dream.

May I suggest to Mr. Schorr that he institute a reg-ular page in the LHP mag to keep his flockinformed of what is happening in our city and howwe can help and join hands to make LHP an evenbetter place to live in. For example. our RealEstate values are depressed, but not as bad asother areas. Imagine if we all work together tomake LHP an even more enviable suburb to live in,how the forces of supply & demand will kick inget those values back where they belong.

The absence of an official “City of LHP” page inyour magazine for our cities doings always both-ered me. Maybe it is time for the city to acquirespace for this purpose.

Sincerely Yours.Jan Davey

Dear Dad,

Late yesterday afternoon, we learned of a fraud scambeing perpetrated against small business ownersacross the country in connection with the recenteconomic stimulus legislation. I am sending this incase similar scams are taking place involving youragency's programs. Our investigation has deter-mined that small business owners across the coun-try are being contacted by a letter using SBA letter-head, asking them to send their bank name andaccount information to a fax number so that theSmall Business Administration (SBA) can allegedlydetermine their eligibility for a tax rebate under therecent economic stimulus legislation. However, thisletter is fraudulent because: (1) it was not issued byor authorized by the SBA; (2) SBA does not have aprogram to determine tax rebate eligibility of smallbusinesses; (3) there is no SBA employee with thename of the person allegedly signing the letter; and(4) there is no SBA employee with the title ofEntrepreneurial Development Adninistrator, thetitle of the person allegedly signing the letter.

We have drafted a press release which was issued bythe Agency last night alerting people to this scam,drafted an information notice which is being sentout to all agency employees, are issuing a subpoenato obtain the subscriber information for the faxnumber, and issuing a cease and desist letter to getthe telecommunications company to shut down thenumber.

Given the widespread nature of this fraud, it is quitepossible that other agencies covered by the stimuluslegislation may also be facing similar scams.

Your loving daughter,Noelle

(Noelle Frangipane is working in Washington, D.C. at theSecurity and Exchange Commission as Deputy InspectorGeneral at the Office of Inspector General)

SPEAK YOUR MIND!A Letter to the Editor is a great way to let your feelings known in a time when there is so much to be said!

COMMISSIONERS’ REPORT

Recently the Sun Sentinel ran an article onvehicle maintence and how the auto repair shopsare seeing larger repairs due to the current lack ofmaintenance. The article explained how theshops were replacing engines because the ownersfailed to get their oil changes. They also men-tioned brakes that were over due for new padsand how the old pads were wearing into the

rotors which caused a more expensive repair.As consumers we expect things to wear out and know that there is

a useful life for everything. However basic maintenance will oftenextend the life of many household appliances. One example of this ischanging the filter in the air conditioners. By changing the filters wekeep the coils from getting clogged and the units run more efficiently.Once the coils get clogged you will need to pay a repair man to removethe coils, clean and reinstall them.Recently we had two different calls from people that were withoutpower because of a panel failure.

The first one was at a residence who was replacing the same 60amp fuses on a service disconnect close to his main service. Hereplaced the fuses two times before the service disconnect overheated,melted down and burned the fuse block. This disrupted several cir-cuits and caused him to lose power to most of his house.

The second property was experiencing a circuit breaker trippingbefore the panel burnt through the buss bar. This caused a need toreplace the panel and the main disconnect. In both cases the customer

was unaware that they would be without power for a long period oftime.

In the South Florida environment we are subject to damaging saltparticles in the air. These particles are the cause of many metal prod-ucts to rust prematurely including electrical equipment mounted inoutdoor locations

Be aware that if a circuit is tripping it is probably for a reason.There could be a problem with the item the circuit breaker (or fuse) isprotecting, the wiring could be going bad, or there is a problem in thepanel. A warm panel cover, flickering lights or a burning smell couldalso be a symptom of a problem in the electrical panel.Electrical inspections if done properly could save people money byfinding a potential problem before it gets critical. Many companieshave thermal camera’s that will show temperature variations in theequipment. These cameras will show overheating problems beforethey are visible to the naked eye.

We recommend an annual inspection as preventative maintenance.These inspections are not expensive and will give the customer pieceof mind, knowing that the wiring and equipment is in good condition.We do not recommend anyone that is not experienced with electricalsystems to remove any panel or equipment covers. There are energizedparts inside that could be dangerous if touched.

For further info, please call Al Siefert Electric (954) 493-9411

By Al Siefert

AALL’’SS CCOORRNNEERR

By Broward County Commissioner and Vice Mayor Ken Keechl

When I campaigned to be your BrowardCounty Commissioner, I promised that I wouldnever vote to increase your property taxes. Ihave kept that promise for the last two years. Iintend to keep it for the next two years as well.

For Fiscal Year 2008, I voted to lower property taxes and shrink theCounty's budget by approximately $90 million dollars per year. My col-leagues agreed by a 9-0 vote.For Fiscal Year 2009, I voted to lower property taxes and shrink thebudget by approximately $87 million dollars per year. My colleaguesagreed by a 7-2 vote.

Since these are recurring, yearly savings, the result of these two voteswas to shrink the Broward County budget by almost $177 million dollarsper year.

How did we do this? We instituted a hiring freeze, which reducedoperating expenses drastically. We reduced capital projects by prioritiz-ing and funding "needs" while postponing or eliminating "wants". Wepaid off certain debt (to lower yearly interest costs) and we minimallyraised certain fees (which hadn't been reviewed or raised in more than 13years!)

On February 17, 2009, the County Commission had its first FiscalYear 2010 budget workshop. The good news: the majority of my col-leagues agreed to lower property taxes for a third consecutive year. Thebad news: we couldn't agree on how much to cut from the FY 2010 budg-et.

Due to the decrease in property values county-wide, some of my col-

leagues want to raise the property tax (millage) rate applied to all taxablereal property in Broward to a certain rate known as the "rolled-back" rate.Technically, this is not considered a "tax increase" because it will bring inthe same amount of property taxes as last year. If 5 or more of my col-leagues agree, the FY 2010 budget would decrease by approximately $45million dollars (for a combined three year cumulative and recurring budg-et decrease of $222 million dollars.) Not bad.

Nevertheless, while I believe the County Commission has made realprogress over the last two years, and while I believe that $45 million dol-lars is a real reduction, I don't believe it is good enough.

In order to keep my promise to you and your families, I believe I can-not, in good faith, vote to raise the County's millage rate on the assessedvalue of any real property you own in Broward County. To me, anincrease in the millage rate equates to a tax increase. If 4 or more of mycolleagues agree with me and we keep the County millage rate at lastyear's rate of 4.888, the County's FY 2010 budget would shrink by anadditional $135 million dollars (for a combined three year cumulative andrecurring budget decrease of $312 million dollars.)

My colleagues and I will continue to discuss the FY 2010 budget forthe next several months. I will, of course, continue to fight to lower yourproperty taxes as much as possible. And based on the first budget work-shop, I am confident that the majority of the Broward CountyCommission will eventually vote to once again lower your property taxburden by decreasing the size of Broward's budget by at least $45 million,and possibly by as much as $135 million. I will keep you apprized of ourdiscussions.

My best to you and your families,Broward County Commissioner and Vice Mayor Ken Keechl

www.broward.org/KKeechl

L O W E R I N G B R O WL O W E R I N G B R O W A R D C O U N T YA R D C O U N T YP R O P E R T Y TP R O P E R T Y T A X E S A G A I N I N F Y 2 0 1 0A X E S A G A I N I N F Y 2 0 1 0

www.lhpmag.comL i g h t h o u s e P o i n t M a g a z i n e72

HAHAVE YVE YOU SCHEDULED AN INSPECTION?OU SCHEDULED AN INSPECTION?


Merchant of the MonthMerchant of the Month

Owners Gene Petilli and Mike Baney say "AHealthy Home Is A Happy Home!"

After the smoke has cleared and the waterhas receded, it may seem impossible to reversethe damage caused by a fire, a flood, water intru-sion or mold. Florida State Restoration Servicescan restore your home or commercial property toits previous condition.

For many years, Florida State RestorationServices has been providing home owners andproperty managers 24-hour service to deal withwater and fire damage. No matter the locationthat's been damaged, be it your kitchen, office,bathroom, warehouse or any other location inyour home or commercial property, we are ableto provide you all the services you need frompackaging and storing your belongings to elec-tric, plumbing, drywall and flooring.

QUALIFIED, CERTIFIED CONTRACTORSState licensed and insured, Florida State

Restoration Services employs a large crew of qualifiedcontractors to reconstruct your home or commercialproperty after it has been damaged. We are in lock-stepwith the latest building codes and regulations andadhere to strict safety guidelines. And wit h the ownersGene Petilli And Mike Baney of Florida StateRestoration Services are actively involved in every proj-ect, you can be sure that your project is always beingaccounted for.

DIRECT INSURANCE BILLINGOften times20insurance adjustors are only able to writea preliminary claim for what they can see. We makesure that supplemental claims are honored for all thedamage that is unseen. In fact, we will meet directlywith you and your insurance adjustor offering ourinsight that comes from firsthand knowledge and expe-rience to ensure that 100% of the damage is accounted for and fixed correctly.

THE LATEST TECHNOLOGYFlorida State Restoration Services is certified in the

use of thermal imaging, a relatively new technology thatallows its team to see what's happening inside yourwalls without opening up your drywall or other finish.It can reveal water leaks and mold growth.

3RD PARTY CERTIFIEDIt's no secret that mold can be extremely toxic, and

in the case of Stachybotrys or "black mold", it can causea host of health problems including chronic fatigue orheadaches, fever, sneezing, rashes, and more. When youwork with Florida State Restoration Services , certifiedmold remediators and soon to be certified indoorhygienists, to extricate mold from your residence orcommercial property, you will have the guarantee of itsremoval not just from us, but from an independent thirdparty testing company.

By measuring the air quality at the start of the proj-ect, checking on our work throughout the process, andfinally measuring the air quality at the conclusion of ourwork, you can be sure that the air is free of the harmfulmold. And because our team uses Personal ProtectiveEquipment (PPE), containment barriers and HEPA aircleaners, we avoid cross containment into other areas ofyour property.

Restoring you home or commercial property to itscondition before fire, water or mold damage is possiblewith Florida State Restoration Services.

Contact us today to learn more about the workwe've done throughout the Dade, Broward and PalmBeach counties and how we can help you. OFFICE #954-941-9084

FLORIDA SFLORIDA STTAATE RESTE RESTORATORATION SERVICES, INC.TION SERVICES, INC.

Mike Barney and Gene Petilli

POSTMASTER: Please deliver to addressee or current resident by April 1st, 2009

PRESORTEDSTANDARD

U.S POSTAGEPAID

PERMIT 1169FT. LAUDERDALE, FL

LLiigghhtthhoouussee PPooiinntt MMaaggaazziinnee33446677 NNWW 1177 TTeerrrraaccee

OOaakkllaanndd PPaarrkk,, FFLL 3333330099

Date post:	29-Dec-2014
Category:	Documents
Upload:	jon-frangipane
View:	413 times
Download:	2 times

2009 04 April Issue LHP Magazine

Documents