CONSERVATION EXPERT TO SPEAK AT PALM BEACH ZOO ON FLORIDA PANTHER HABITAT CONSERVATION AND CONNECTIVITY

Conservation biologist Richard A. Hilsenbeck, Ph.D., says that “Panthers depend for their lives on the same basic natural resources that sustain our own livelihoods,….conserving lands for the Florida panther is important for protecting our own best interest.”  He further says that, “This is because having large natural areas and working lands, like cattle ranches, stay in productive agriculture is not only important for our food prosecution, but also vitally important to protecting the water supplies of Florida’s citizens.”

 

Dr. Hilsenbeck will be speaking on Thursday, June 12, and after guests have enjoyed cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and Zoo animal views from 6-6:30 pm. he will present the third Conservation Leadership Lecture of 2014.

 

Dr. Hilsenbeck, currently Director of Conservation Projects for the TNC Florida Chapter, has had 35+ years of experience in conservation biology, including about 23 years with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and is considered an expert in conservation easements, ecological assessments and descriptive ecology of Florida’s natural communities.

He has had statewide responsibilities for project initiation, design and implementation and has authored or co-authored 60+ projects, many focused on conservation of Florida’s ranch and timberlands, including Preservation 2000, Save Our Rivers and Florida Forever.   His is the primary responsibility within TNC for land acquisition issues, successfully guiding scores of projects through the State of Florida’s initial land acquisition process.  Thirty plus peer-reviewed articles of his have been published in scientific journals,  he has written chapters in several books and many technical reports, provided to private, state and federal agencies.

Seating is limited; tickets are $20 per person.  You can purchase tickets online at www.palmbeachzoo.org or call 561-547-WILD, ext 285.

Photo below of my own active, tame, smart Bengal cat, Purrfect Posh, descended from a baby leopard:

If you are interested in rescuing a Bengal cat, email me at marilynfjacobs@gmail.com and I will tell you where to look online.

 

BIG TIME DONATION FROM KRAVISES WILL MOVE CANCER RESEARCH FORWARD

Through the generosity of the Marie-Josee and Henry R. Kravis Foundation, who are contributing $100MM to Memorial Sloan Kettering, the Center for Molecular Oncology will move forward more quickly on its goal to expand gene coverage above the currently 341 known cancer-causing genes  and monitor therapy at the molecular level.   

They want to discover why tumors spread and if the patients were predisposed to cancer, determine what mutations are driving growth of the tumors.  The gift will create a precision oncology center which will bear the names of Henry and Marie-Josee Kravis.  The center states that cancer is a disease of the genome and they need to integrate vast amounts of molecular discoveries and analyze patients’ DNA and tumors to develop tumor-specific treatments.

Six gene-sequencing machines are being installed to analyze tumors.

Mrs. Kravis is Chairperson of the Sloan Kettering Institute, the research arm, and has been on their Boards of Overseers and Managers since October 2000.  Mr. Kravis is a private-equity investor.  Mr. Kravis told the Wall Street Journal, “I like to do things that are transformative and more importantly make a difference.”  

 Kravis gifted the Columbia Business School with $100MM in 2010 to fund a new building that will be completed this year and will bear his name.

HOA TRANSFER FEES - HOTLY DEBATED ISSUE

As of 2012, according to the Community Associations Institute (CAI), there were 323,600 association-governed communities in the U.S. with just under 26 million housing units and 63.4 million residents.  Averaging $100 to $500, transfer fees are generally used by communities for replenishing capital reserves, improvements to infrastructure and sometimes to fund environmental conservation activities; in other words to benefit the community.  A CAI member survey showed that 72% of HOAs charge transfer fees when units are sold, mostly flat fees but sometimes a small percentage of the sale.

In 2012 Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac adopted guidelines that banned private-purpose investor-benefit transfer fees from eligibility for conventional financing.  Lawyers for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) warned FHA that under current “free assumability” regulations, they cannot insure mortgages on properties with “restrictions on conveyance”, encumbrances on the title that could hamper transfers, including fees paid at sale of units in HOA communities.  Most existing HOA transfer levies may become obstacles to those who want to use Federal Housing Authority (FHA) loans and seniors who apply for an FHA-insured reverse mortgage.  Groups have appealed to the FHA to mirror Fannie’s and Freddie’s current guidelines and prohibit only those fees that will not benefit the homeowner and association where they reside.  

Regulations might be published in June.  States estimated to be hardest hit if this Transfer Fee HOA rule goes into effect include Florida, California and Arizona, which have all struggled with owner-unit default problems.  Some had to put off needed capital improvements.  Others use these funds for essential community services.

The CAI has put FHA on notice that if this transfer fee plan goes forward, they will have to go to Congress feeling that these restrictions for FHA financing will adversely affect many forthcoming homebuyers and will compromise the stability of many communities.

FAU'S NEW PHYSICIAN RESIDENCY PROGRAM BRINGS GOOD NEWS FOR OUR LOCAL MEDICAL CENTERS AND FOR FUTURE PATIENTS

With New York having 82 medical residents and Massachusetts having 84 per 100,000/population, Florida is hard at work to catch up, to fill the gap of shortages of residents with our FAU (Florida Atlantic University) playing a big part.  Florida had about 19 physicians in training per 100,000/population and placed 42nd in the United States. About 25% of Florida’s physicians are over age 65.

Three local community hospitals will be benefiting from the new Florida Atlantic University (FAU) physician residency program.  Recently there were 36 medical school graduates, who will be employed at Boca Regional Medical Center, Delray Medical Center and Bethesda West (near Boyton Beach), and these medical centers are becoming academic teaching hospitals.  About half of these grads will be at Boca Raton Regional. The new physicians will be using the FAU Medical Simulation Centers and Boca Raton and West Palm Beach to learn about high risk procedures, and connected to FAU’s Boca Raton campus through conferencing and virtual classrooms. 

While serving hospital patients, two new FAU outpatient clinics are coming to Boca Raton Regional and Bethesda West where these residents will provide primary care and conduct wellness programs in the communities.  Thirty-nine percent have roots in Florida.  They begin working on July 1. FAU’s College of Medicine’s program began in 2011 with 64 students, who will be eligible to be residents after next year’s graduation.  FAU’s goal is within three years to grow to 96 physicians in their new internal medicine residency and to 400 within five years, serving at the three hospitals above and adding St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach and the West Boca Medical Center.  The college medical association says that 47% of doctors set up practices where they complete their residency, making friends in the area, establishing roots, working with colleagues, buying a property and finding a partner.  Half the current graduates will be working at Boca Raton Regional.

Dr. David Bjorkman, Dean of the FAU College of Medicine says that FAU is awaiting approval from its accrediting body on a surgical residency and developing programs in emergency medicine, psychiatry, pediatrics and considering other programs.  Dr. Charles Posternack, Chief Medical Officer at Boca Raton Regional, said that “the physician trainees will being patient care to a new level…academic medical centers perform research that benefits patients locally and around the world, and become a magnet to physicians”. 

Boca Raton Regional has been aiming to transition into a teaching hospital for the past seven years and their working together with FAU has brought new and wonderful benefits to our area.

THIRTY SECONDS OVER TOKYO

THIRTY SECONDS OVER TOKYO

When asked to identify the base from which they flew, President Franklin Roosevelt replied, "Shangri-La." Recently, in Fort Walton Beach , Florida , the surviving Doolittle Raiders gathered publicly for the last time.  They were among the most universally admired and revered men in the United States. There were 80 Raiders who, in April of 1942, just four months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, embarked on one of the most courageous and heart-stirring military operations in this nation's history. The mere mention of their unit's name, in those years, would bring tears to the eyes of grateful Americans.   After Japan 's sneak attack on Hawaii , with the United States still licking its wounds, something dramatic was needed to turn the war effort around.  Even though there were no friendly airfields close enough to Japan for the United States to retaliate, a daring plan was devised. Sixteen North American B-25s, twin-engine "Billy Mitchells," were modified so that they could take off from the deck of an aircraft carrier. This had never before been tried -- sending Army Air Corps medium bombers from the deck of a ship at sea. The 16 five-man crews, under the command of then Lt. Col. James Doolittle, (he retired as a brigadier general) who himself flew the lead plane off USS Hornet, knew that they would not be able to return to the carrier. They would have to hit Japan and then hope to make it to China for a safe landing.  On the day of the raid, the Japanese military caught wind of the plan. The Raiders were told that they would have to take off from much farther out in the Pacific Ocean (more than 600 miles) than they had counted on. They were told that because of this they would not have enough fuel to make it to safety. They went anyway.  They bombed Tokyo, then flew as far as they could. Four planes crash-landed in China ; 11 crews bailed out, and three Raiders died. Eight more were captured; three were executed.  Another died of starvation in a Japanese prison camp. One crew made it to Russia.  The Doolittle Raid sent a message from the United States to its enemies, and to the rest of the world: We will fight. And, no matter what it takes, we will win.  Of the 80 Raiders, 62 survived the war. They were celebrated as national heroes, models of bravery. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer produced a motion picture based on the raid. "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo ," starring Spencer Tracy and Van Johnson, was a patriotic and emotional box-office hit, and the phrase became part of the national lexicon. In the movie-theater previews for the film, MGM proclaimed that it was presenting the story "with supreme pride." Beginning in 1946, the surviving Raiders have held a reunion each April, to commemorate the mission. The reunion is in a different city each year. In 1959, the city of Tucson, Arizona, as a gesture of respect and gratitude, presented the Doolittle Raiders with a set of 80 silver goblets. Each goblet was engraved with the name of a Raider.  Every year, a wooden display case bearing all 80 goblets is transported to the reunion city. Each time a Raider passes away, his goblet is turned upside down in the case at the next reunion, as his old friends bear solemn witness.  Also in the wooden case is a bottle of 1896 Hennessy Very Special cognac. The year is not happenstance: It was Jimmy Doolittle's birth year. There has always been a plan: When there are only two surviving Raiders, they would open the bottle, at last drink from it, and toast their comrades who preceded them in death.  As 2013 began, there were five living Raiders.  Then, in February, Tom Griffin passed away at age 96.  What a man he was. After bailing out of his plane over a mountainous Chinese forest, he became ill with malaria and almost died. When he recovered, he was sent to Europe to fly more combat missions. He was shot down, captured, and spent 22 months in a German prisoner of war camp.  Out of the original 80, only four Raiders remain: Dick Cole (Doolittle's co-pilot on the raid), Robert Hite, Edward Saylor, and David Thatcher. All are in their 90s. They have decided that there are too few of them for the public reunions to continue. The men have decided that after this final public reunion they will wait until a later date -- sometime this year -- to get together once more, informally and in absolute privacy. That is when they will open the bottle of brandy. The years are flowing by too swiftly now; they are not going to wait until there are only two of them. They will fill the four remaining upturned goblets, and raise them in a toast to those who are gone. I received this historic footnote in an email... source unknown... it is worth passing on to my Readership.  MARILYN

RESOURCES FOR SENIORS - YOU MAY WANT TO SAVE THIS LIST

www.allianceforaging.org  Find answers about aging and eldercare services. Here is a good place to start

www.caremanager.org Can find you a geriatric care manager who can help find local resources for seniors.

www.nasmm.org  The National Association of Senior Move Managers can handle logistics when a senior wants to downsize – here you can find a Senior Move Manager.

www.naela.org can design a financial plan to take advantage of government assistance and handle estate planning.

www.palmbeachseniorplacement offers FREE service to help seniors find the best match for independent and assisted living facilities, including Alzheimer's/dementia care in Broward, Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie Counties.  We take you on tours, refer to resources for VA and Medicaid finnacing and more.  Contact Candy Cohn, 772-486-4914, candy@palmbeachseniorplacement.com

Readership: if you have a resource we can include please send the information to marilynfjacobs@gmail.com.  Thank you!

LEARN ABOUT THE SECRET NEGOTIATIONS FOR GILEAD SCHALIT'S RELEASE FROM THE PERSON RESPONSIBLE

Next  Luncheon Meeting: Monday Mar 3, 2014
BOGARTS, 3200 AIRPORT ROAD, BOCA RATON

Gershon Baskin, Ph.D., Author of The Secret Negotiations

Gershon Baskin, Ph.D., was the initiator and the person responsible for the secret back channel between Israel and the Hamas that successfully negotiated the release of Israeli abducted soldier Gilead Schalit.  His book on the secret negotiations was published in Hebrew in June 2013 (לשחרר את גלעד) and in English in October 2013 (The Negotiator – Freeing Gilad Schalit from Hamas – Toby Press)

 From 1988 – 2011, Dr. Baskin was the Israeli Co-Director and founder of the Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information (IPCRI) – a joint Israeli-Palestinian public policy think and “do”-tank located in Jerusalem.   Since January 2012 he is the Co-Chairman of IPCRI’s Board of Directors. He initiated the founding of IPCRI in 1988 following ten years of work in the field of Jewish-Arab relations within Israel, in Interns for Peace where he lived for two years in the Israeli-Palestinian village of Kufr Qara, the Ministry of Education and as Executive Director of the Institute for Education for Jewish-Arab Coexistence (established by the Israeli Ministry of Education and the Prime Minister’s Office at Baskin’s initiative).  

During the Premiership of the late Yitzhak Rabin, he served as an advisor on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process to a secret team of intelligence officers established by Mr. Rabin. Dr. Baskin was a member of the Jerusalem Experts Committee established by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office during the Final Status Negotiations in 2000-2001. 

Dr. Baskin holds a Ph.D. in International Affairs from University of Greenwich.  His dissertation was on Sovereignty and Territory in the Future of Jerusalem, parts of which were published as a bookJerusalem of Peace.  

He is a member of the steering committee of the Palestinian-Israeli Peace NGO Forum, a member of the Board of ALLMEP – the Alliance for Middle East Peace, a member of the Editorial Board of the Palestinian Israeli Journal, and a member of the Board of One Voice. Dr. Baskin is also a member of the Israeli Council for Peace and Security. He was a founding chairman of the progressive Synagogue Kehilat Kol Haneshama in Jerusalem where he served as Chairman for three years. 

He has a regular column in the Jerusalem Post Newspaper and was for two years a radio host on All for Peace Radio.  Dr. Baskin has now also begun writing a bi-weekly opinion piece on the Palestinian new web site Ma’an News.  Dr. Baskin has been awarded the Histadrut Prize for Peace in 1996, the Turkish Foreign Policy Institute Peace Prize in 2004, the Tribute of Honor and Courage from the World Movement for Democracy in 2004 and the Search for Common Ground Journalist Award for Middle East Journalism in 2005 and 2007 as well as the Ordine Della Stella Della Solidarieta Italiana. Dr. Baskin speaks Hebrew, English and Arabic. 

Since January 2012 Dr. Baskin is working to develop renewable energy projects around the Middle East focusing on Palestine and Egypt.  He is also a consultant to the USAID supported TRADE PROJECT run by Deloitte Consulting aimed at reducing the costs of Palestinian trade in the West Bank and Gaza. 

MEMBERS: $25 in advance; $35 at door
GUESTS: $35 in advance; $45 at door
To reserve register at www.goldcoasttigerbayclub.com

SELLING YOUR HOME? FOOD FOR THOUGHT HERE...

MY SON, DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AND I WERE ON OUR WAY TO WATCH MY GRANDDAUGHTER IN A PLAY AT DONNA KLEIN SCHOOL...

I tried to access the school the usual way, from the 95th Street entrance road, but there was a police car blocking the road.  There was construction going on at the entrance, and that appeared to be the reason we had no access.

Like others going to the school, I went around the corner to the other gate off 441 for school access.  There were police cars there and a big traffic jam at the Donna Klein Jewish Academy.

Saw a fellow walking with a cell phone and I yelled to him, while I was stuck in a big traffic jam, "What is happening?"  He yelled back, "School is on lockdown.  Bomb threat."

I managed to make my way close to the gate and park on the access road out of the way.  Stash, my son, saw me and came over.  Nobody knew anything.  This was about 12:30 pm.  The bomb squad had been there and police dogs. Nothing was found.  

Janice, my daughter-in-law, was in a nearby car.  They were letting the preschool children out at their regular time, and the parents were there to pick them up. 

About 2 pm, the Principal, Mrs.Feller, and others came over to be sure we were all calm, said the play Gabby (my granddaughter) was in was cancelled and soon they would let us in to get the children.

And so, we walked in and picked up Gabby and her brother Marty.  Later we were told that a threatening email had been received at the school early that morning, and taking no chances, "better safe than sorry," the lockdown proceeded.

A lot of prayers were said, and everyone did remain outwardly calm.

I hope none of you, my readership, goes through an experience like this.

Marilyn Jacobs, Editor

FISCAL CONDITION OF THE 50 STATES

Note that Florida came in #6, near the 

top of the list for fiscal conditions 

for all 50 states.

BOCA REGIONAL HOSPITAL GETS KUDOS

Healthgrades ranks Boca Regional Hospital in top 5% of hospitals for 10th year in a row for clinical performance. 

Out of 4500 hospitals in the United States, only 24 have earned such a consecutive distinction.  The hospital earned six 5-star ratings for

·       treatment of heart attack

·       treatment of heart failure

·       Colorectal Surgeries

·       treatment of GI bleed

·       treatment of Bowel obstruction

·       treatment of Sepsis.

 

Ranked nationally in the top 10% for:

·       Overall Cardiac Services

·       Overall Gastrointestinal Services

·       Overall General Surgery

Healthgrades estimates that if all hospitals performed at the level that Boca Regional does, a Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence, 156,036 lives could potentially have been served.

Boca Regional, an advanced tertiary medical center has 400 beds and more than 800 primary and specialty physicians on staff.  It is noted as a leader in oncology, cardiovascular disease and surgery, minimally invasive surgery, orthopedics, women’s health and emergency medicine and the neurosciences, all of which offer state-of-the-art diagnostic and imaging capabilities. The hospital is a designated Comprehensive Stroke Center, noted by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA). 

Boca Regional announced an agreement with North Shore-LIJ Health System, the largest integrated healthcare network in NY state, and one of the nation's largest healthcare systems which has 16 member hospitals throughout the NY metropolitan area.  It is the largest private employer in NY with 47,000 in its workforce, a medical school and research enterprise.  The affiliation will focus on clinical care programming.

NOW is the time to buy in Florida

before prices rise again

FLORIDA REAL ESTATE MARKET IS IN RECOVERY MODE....

HOW MUCH ARE HOME SALES UP?

Florida Realtors News reports single family home sale

closings are up 8.6% compared to Dec 2012.  National

Association of Realtors says prices and sales are

strongest in 7 years.  The number of listings is
increasing. Statewide consecutive gains began 
over two years ago. 

Generally, properties are closing faster with median 
days on market 50 days for single family homes and 
51 days for townhouses and condos.  Translation: 50% of homes on the Florida market sell in less than two months.  

While inventories are rising, cash sales are declining 
and there are fewer distressed properties on the market.  Investor activity is lower.

PAP CORPS POLO CLUB LUNCHEON GIVEN BY GREATER BOCA RATON CANCER CHAPTER A HUGE SUCCESS!

The Pap Corps' Greater Boca Raton Cancer Care Chapter held an UBER! UBER! 25th Anniversary luncheon on January 20, 2014 at Polo Club.  From the gorgeous (YES!) Basler fashions, to the songs and music, to the committee speeches, not to mention the fabulous meal Polo Club presented... it was OVER THE TOP.  Thanks to Jean Wyman, thru her connection as a friend and personal shopper, Brian Rennie and his team talked to us and showed us absolutely fabulous garments ("...we cut to a size 20...") on gorgeous models.  We had serenades by his friend, a handsome singer, and a wonderful female singer and band, Meshell & Co, played thruout.

Co-chairmen Naomi Prever (a PAP CORPS PAST PRESIDENT) and Bunnie Katz (A GBRCC past president) outdid themselves.  They truly left no stone unturned.  Marilyn Barry and Dorothy Halperin were honored as Silver Philanthropists.  There were many other contributors over and above the price of the luncheon.  Over $4000 was collected for a raffle with prizes of a Basler custom made outfit and a gorgeous watch from Gregory's Jewelers.  Many other raffle prizes were called out. 

Many Past Presidents of the Pap Corp attended including Marise Rudnick, who is the founder of the Pap Corp.

Current Pap Corps President Ronnie Browning and many others assisted by contributing their time, energy and savvy to make this a fabulous event.  Luncheon Coordinator was Margot Kravitz.  Current Pap Corps President, Joann Goldberg attended too.  A few of the men participated and gave out the raffle prizes as well as collecting money for raffle tickets. Everybody was there today, 475 reservations and a waiting list... were you there?

The Pap Corps are "Champions for Cancer Research," giving over 90% of funds collected by our dedicated membership, 55 chapters in southeast Florida, to the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Care facility for research.  

Sylvester is connected with the University of Miami and Miller School of Medicine.  We are the largest grassroots organization working to provide research funds for a cancer cure.  Come and join us... we put the FUN in FUNd raising!  Our goal is to keep working towards a cure for cancer.  We will get there!   See www.PapCorps.org for information about the group.