Arts & Entertainment

Tom Caruso
Favorite quote: ‘Sometimes I do get to places just when God’s ready to have somebody click the shutter.’ — Ansel Adams

FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHER: Tom Caruso

Hometown: Smithtown

Day job: Professional Software Engineer/Development Manager, Broadridge Financial Solutions

Photographer: I developed an interest in photography at an early age, influenced by greats like Ansel Adams. My parents gave me my first 35mm camera in 1972 and my life was forever changed.

Favorite camera: The Nikon D850. I purchased it in December, 2018, and it’s an amazing camera with an incredible sensor.

Favorite lenses: I presently own two lenses for the D850. My walking around lens is an AF-S Nikkor 24-120mm 1:4 G ED and I found this to be a great workhorse giving me the flexibility I need for most shots. When I need tack-sharp images for macros or in dark settings I switch to my AF-S Nikkor 50mm 1:1.4 G prime lens. Both lenses were refurbished by Nikon when I purchased them.

Favorite locations: I am fortunate to have several beautiful places near my Smithtown home and I visit them frequently to catch them at various times of day and different seasons. These places include Caleb Smith State Park Preserve, Long Beach, Short Beach, Blydenburgh County Park, The David Weld Sanctuary, Stony Brook Harbor, Stony Brook Duck Pond, Kings Park Psychiatric Center and Nissequogue River State Park.

Have you entered any photo contests? My first photo contest was the 2020 Friends of Caleb Smith State Park Preserve The Beauty of Caleb Smith State Park Preserve My image “Deer in Snowstorm” won Honorable Mention in the adult division. I also entered the 2020 Gurwin photo contest. The winners will be announced later this year.

Favorite aspect about taking photos: Landscape and nature photography gives me the opportunity to be outdoors. I love communing with nature and I am happiest when I am wandering in the woods with my camera in hand on a beautiful autumn day. Another aspect of photography I enjoy is knowing that my images bring happiness to others.

Best advice to get that perfect shot: There are a lot of photographic rules that we are told make a great photograph. I sometimes adhere to them but I shoot more on instinct. I know a great shot when I see it whether or not it follows the rules. Always keep your eyes wide open and moving when on a shoot. When in the wild with your camera you have to engage all your senses to find your next capture, not just sight. A faint sound of a crunching leaf turned out to be a snake which lead to one of the photos in this essay. The enormity of a forest can be intimidating but you have to see everything from the largest to the smallest subjects, from a mighty tree to a delicate spider web and all things in between. It is not enough to see the image for what it is but you have to visualize what it could become when post processing. If you do these things you don’t have to look for the perfect shot: it will find you. 

See more of Tom’s photos at www.tomcarusophotography.com.

Nancy Reich. Photo from SBU

By Daniel Dunaief

Even as pharmaceutical companies are working furiously to produce a vaccine for COVID-19, scientists are taking other approaches that might lead to treatment for this disease or for other viruses that might threaten public health.

Nancy Reich, a Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, and several colleagues at SBU recently received a $450,000 grant from the G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Foundation to pursue the laboratory study of two possible interventions.

Reich and her colleagues plan to investigate the use of interferon-lambda, which is in clinical trials for Hepatitis D virus, and an inhibitor for bradykinin called icatibant, which is approved for angioedema.

“Although we are very hopeful for a vaccine in the near future, vaccines can take months or years” to develop and use, Reich said. “The likelihood is that there will be more emerging diseases” which increases the need for broad spectrum first line defense therapeutics that might provide relief and save lives.

A few months ago, several faculty in microbiology and immunology got together on a Zoom call to discuss what they could do to combat COVID-19. The group was “very enthusiastic” about interferon, which is a natural hormone and is the only cytokine that’s antiviral. It has the ability to prevent the spread of the virus by reducing replication.

Reich will work with Patrick Hearing and Erich Mackow, who are both professors in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, on the molecular aspects of COVID-19. Associate Professor Janet Hearing and Assistant Professor Hwan Kim are certified to work in high containment biosafety laboratories.

COVID-19 seems to have figured out how to block the action or production of interferon, Reich said, although the lower levels of the hormone haven’t been confirmed yet.

Other researchers are testing how the virus that has caused the pandemic has blocked the production of this defense mechanism. The Reich-led group is also planning to test this process.

To get protection from interferon, people would likely need an increased amount of the antiviral molecule early in the infection process, Reich said. She and her team are focusing on interferon lambda, which is a specific type that primarily affect epithelial cells, which are the type of cells that line the respiratory and digestive systems.

Interferon alpha and beta cause systemic problems, which can trigger an overactive immune system to cause a cytokine storm. This can lead to severe symptoms, if the body’s reaction is strong enough.

“Because interferon lambda is more specialized in the targets it hits, it doesn’t cause this crazy, global effect in your body,” Reich said.

At this point, Reich is looking to use a pre-clinical animal model of COVID-19 to understand the processes involved with the virus and its reaction to different concentrations of this hormone at different times after infection.

Reich has reached out to a company called EIGR Pharmaceuticals, which is the only company that produces a pegylated version of interferon lambda. By adding polyethlylene glycol, or PEG, EIGR can extend the time that the drug remains in the body, reducing the need for new doses.

The interferon lambda receptors are prevalent in hepatocytes, or liver cells. The liver is particularly important in capturing bacteria, viruses and macromolecules that might otherwise cause harm in the human body. The interest in the liver and interferon is mainly because of hepatitis viruses.

Interferon lambda’s higher specificity reduces potential side effects that other interferons trigger in the blood or in the central nervous system. EIGR has created this interferon to treat Hepatitis D.

“I have contacted [EIGR] to do some COVID work and now they are,” Reich said. “They have some clinical trials going on in the United States, Israel and Australia.” In addition to their research work with interferon lambda, the group will also study the effects of bradykinin, which is a small peptide hormone that the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (or ACE2) receptor inactivates.

The group is exploring the use of inhibitors for bradykinin, hoping to reduce a molecular trigger that exacerbates symptoms of the disease.

“We are taking two approaches; one is more about the symptoms, through bradykinin inhibition, and the other is trying to block virus replication,” said Reich.

In their research with interferon and inhibitors to bradykinin, Reich is hoping to generate data that will be ready within several months.

If both of the approaches proves effective independently, Reich said the next steps could involve combining them.

If the combination works better than either of the treatments alone, the researchers, and, down the road, the doctors, who might use this approach could use a lower dose of both drugs, which could reduce any potential side effects.

Reich said this research is possible at Stony Brook because it has a Biosafety Level 3.“We are able to do these experiments that others may not be able to do,” she said.

The animal facility that will house the mice for her studies is still not accepting new animals. Reich hopes they start to accept them in June.

Reich appreciated the speed at which the Mathers Charitable Foundation reacted to their request for funds.

The Foundation, which was created by a Santa Barbara, California couple who donated their wealth to research in 1983, made a decision within weeks, reflecting the urgency that the public health crisis triggered by COVID-19 has created.

Many foundations typically take six to eight months to decide on funding.

Reich appreciates that she and her colleagues will have a chance to contribute to a growing body of research about a virus that has caused close to 100,000 deaths in the United States and has disrupted billions of lives around the world.

“Everybody realizes the urgency,” Reich said.

Seniors from The Stony Brook School celebrated graduation last week with a car processional. Photo from The Stony Brook School

By Fr. Francis Pizzarelli

Father Frank Pizzarelli

A new day and a new way! The world as we know it is changed forever. Hopefully, as we slowly begin to embrace the new normal life, lessons learned will not be lost in the fragmented world.

Education on every level has changed. Time will tell if it’s for the better. Families have reclaimed and/or rediscovered the value of family life and being together. A new appreciation for the sacredness of life has emerged.

People seem to value human connecting on a whole different level, valuing intimacy over superficiality. Gratitude is much more present in big and small ways. People say thank you and express appreciation for the simple things people seem to take for granted.

This year our seniors will graduate from our high schools. Their graduation will be like no other. All the social trappings and traditions will be missing, but still we will profoundly celebrate their academic achievements. They will lead us tomorrow and hopefully change the world for the better.

During this pandemic, they have demonstrated heroic acts of kindness and compassion. They have done simple things that have made a profound difference in our community.

Seniors, as you graduate, continue to show compassion and understanding rooted in social justice. It is more important than any science formula or social platform. Remember the sunshine when the storm seems unending; teach love to those who only know hate; let that love embrace you as you continue in the world. It is the content and quality of your character that is important not merely the actions you take.

Don’t judge a book by its cover or stop at the introduction. Read it through, seeking meaning and value; everyone’s life is sacred; even those who are different from you or whom you do not like. Be more inclusive than exclusive. Don’t be blinded by those who tend to use shame, blame, and guilt to shackle people down and divide them. Set people free with your respect and nonjudgmental way.

Seniors, as you take leave, may your moral compass be grounded in integrity and respect for all human beings, no matter what their color, their race, their creed and/or their sexual orientation. May your moral compass guide you on a path that is committed to working for peace and social justice. As Gandhi once said, “be the change you hope for this world.”

Congratulations graduating class of 2020. Thanks for making our world a little richer, a little brighter and a little bit more hopeful place to be!

Fr. Pizzarelli, SMM, LCSW-R, ACSW, DCSW, is the director of Hope House Ministries in Port Jefferson.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel

Anthony Sciarratta’s The Letter (Post Hill Press) is a romance that examines both the power of faith and the strength of love. 

Author Anthony Sciarratta

Victor Esposito is a novelist who came to success in this thirties with each work featuring a very distinct female protagonist. His readers are unaware that she is not solely (or wholly) a creation of fiction: She is based on Eva Abrams, a vibrant and quirky individual he met by chance at concert just over a decade before. Eva, married with three children, was as drawn to Victor as he is to her. The two embarked on an intense but painfully platonic affair that lasted about year. “How could you see someone you know is perfect for you and never act on your feelings?”

After meeting two and three times a week, Eva broke it off with no explanation. During the ensuing years, the two had no contact. But she continued to be his muse, fueling his creative process: “To write a book about someone, to capture every groove of their face, curve of their body, and thought in their head, takes a great deal of studying … It was a special bond they shared that no person would ever come to understand.”  

Now in his forties, Victor is a successful writer living in a luxurious Manhattan apartment. One night, he is shot during a bodega hold-up while saving a mother and child, resulting in his ending up in a coma. When Eva learns of this, she immediately leaves her Long Island home to be at his bedside. His mother, Barbara, immediately recognizes who this woman must be: “Victor has no children, no wife. You’re the only mark he left on this world. His life’s work is because of you.”

While sitting vigil, Eva examines the choices that have brought her to this juncture. Coming from an abusive and unstable childhood, Eva gave up her dreams of being a musician for the constancy of domestic life, married to the steady but disconnected Stanley. While being a mother gave her great joy, the marriage was never fulfilling resulting in a gnawing sense of loss.  

Meanwhile, Victor does not regain consciousness. He is transported to a limbo where he, too, examines his life choices, in particular his brief relationship with Eva that motivated the change in his career from carpenter to writer. In this netherworld, he is guided by the enigmatic Benedict, who turns out to be someone from Victor’s earlier life.  This half-world becomes populated with important figures of his and Eva’s histories.

Throughout, the characters are revealed in all their humanity, wearing their scars just below the surface. Sciarratta is not afraid to show confrontation or petty jealousies. These moments lend further dimension and texture.  

The cover of ‘The Letter’

Also present is the shadowy figure of Louis, who appears just before the bodega incident, and then returns in the book’s final chapters. He is the dark angel that lurks in the mind’s shadows: “I bet you have a lot of regrets now. You had everything: Money, health, and a great career. Being a good guy isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, huh, buddy?” He is a chilling figure that offers temptation and relief. This emissary of worst fears adds further conflict to the final road in Victor’s journey.  

While the book is primarily a romance, it has elements of mystery as Sciarratta unravels his lead characters narratives.  

His lovers’ consummation is unusual — if not unique — in its setting. It is both ardent and detailed.  However, this does not in any way obscure the romantic force of the novel. Eva is his “North Star, guiding him through a depression by showing him what unconditional love feels like. She had looked past his sadness, despair, and anger to find a man with a beautiful soul …” A pair of socks given at a candlelit lunch in the park become a particularly compelling totem, representing a deeper caring than even the most fervid caress can show.

The story also nods to the solace drawn from belief: “Eva protected those she loved with a shroud of prayer, hoping that God would bless the lives that meant so much to her.” It is this mix of the spiritual and the visceral that are the foundations of both the story and the relationship. Whether drawn from religion or from nature, they find their way. In a touching episode, Victor sees himself in a wounded bird that he gently cradles in his hands; knowing that it wants to live but also accepting that death is part of the plane of human existence.  

Ultimately, The Letter addresses the issue of soul mates. This is seeded at the outset and blooms in its epilogue. It is about the alchemy of love and its power to heal wounds, whether psychological or physical. It is a bold statement in a book that tells its story with straightforward passion and wide-eyed honesty.  

The Letter is available at bookrevue.com, barnesandnoble.com and amazon.com.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel

Author Talia Carner

Talia Carner’s The Third Daughter (William-Morrow and Company) is one of the most intriguing and riveting books published in the last year. Batya is the third of poor Russian milkman Koppel’s four daughters. The Third Daughter begins in 1889 as the family flee their ravaged shtetel of Komarinoe. If this seems a nod towards Sholom Aleichim’s Tevye, it is not unintentional.  In essence, Carner is using the end of those stories as a place to begin her narrative but in no way does it attempt to be a sequel. The Third Daughter is wholly original. In the prologue, with a few simple strokes of place and time, she is able to evoke the horror of the pogrom. This sets the tone and style for the rest of Batya’s grim  journey. It is told vividly but with never a wasted word or thought.  

The family’s goal is to travel to America.  “God wasn’t here [in Europe], where His Jews were being tortured and exiled, if not murdered.  Maybe he was in the Holy Land — but more likely He was in America, where everyone prospered and ate chicken every day.” Koppel’s brother — with whom he has had no contact for many years — lives in Pittsburgh; this becomes the golden dream. 

With no money or way to travel to the United States, they are forced to live in conditions worse than they endured in Komarinoe. There is a shabbat meal with a cobbler’s family that distills the grueling and grinding poverty of eastern Europe. Unlike many portrayals of these small villages, Carner never glamourizes. This is a hallmark of the entire book.

Enter Yitizk Moskowitz, a prosperous businessman, who takes a shine to the fourteen year-old Batya. He makes a deal with Koppel for Batya’s hand in marriage.  Initially, he agrees that he will come back for Batya in two years but then changes his mind, saying that he will take her now, and she will live with his sister until she is sixteen and of age. Koppel readily agrees.  

This begins the dark heart of the book. Moskowitz is not the businessman he claims but, instead, a procurer. (Another nod towards Aleichem, this time his short story The Man from Buenos Aires.)  Later, Moskowitz describes himself:  “‘My hands never get dirty in menial work,’ he liked to say when he delegated the beatings and cigarette burnings to others.” He assaults Batya; her violation in essence brands her. “‘You are mine now,’ said Reb Moskowitz.  ‘Forever.’” He then turns her over to a thug who transports her to a ship where she is further abused. Finally, she lands in Buenos Aires.  

Batya enters a realm of torture and debasement, a world devoid of humanity: the legal brothels of this Argentinian city. There, she is sent to Freda, Moskowitz’s equally pitiless sister, who runs the house for him.  

Carner has done her research and her depiction of Zwi Migdal, the far-reaching union of pimps, is as ugly as it is accurate. This ruthless organization rules through physical violence, bribes, and corruption. Buenos Aires is shown as a community that is just as poor as the one Batya escaped with the difference that this South American hell is a glimpse of Sodom and Gomorrah. 

The anti-Semitism of the Old Country is replaced by an equally appalling existence in the New World. Carner’s ability to make the reader feel Batya’s shame and fear is extraordinary; even among her own people, Batya is an outcast, as shown by a scene in which her humiliation is furthered as she is driven from the synagogue. Carner never lets us forget that Bayta is a child, an innocent thrust into a nightmare. There is one heart-rending moment where the girl creates a doll out of a pillowcase, attempting to give herself a moment of solace. Batya, whose name means “daughter of God,” is paradoxically given the name Esperanza, which translates as “hope.”

There are occasional odd acts of kindness.  Freda allows Batya to sit shiva (the ritual seven day period of mourning) for her mother. The prostitutes form a quick female minion, the group of ten that is the sole province of men, to pray with her in her loss. The laying to rest of a prostitute who has committed slow suicide shows a kindness underneath the day-to-day suffering.  Another time, Batya is taken to a café where she encounters girls from another house: “She caught the eyes of a sister across the table and smiled.  She didn’t know the woman’s name, and they couldn’t chat over the men’s conversation, but the bond of shared tragic history was a fine spiderweb that tied them together.”

Carner never allows sentimentality to overtake the reality. Batya’s wondrous visit to an opera house is rightly juxtaposed with the hideous persecution of an abducted girl who refused to become a prostitute. Her subsequent descent into insanity and the knowledge of her eventual fate cuts through any joy.  

Batya is introduced to the tango, which becomes both thematic and pivotal to what ensues. She is given context by Nettie, another prostitute: “This is what happens to sadness once it reaches Argentina. We can either cry about the past or laugh about the future. So we drown out the old pain in dance.” This is particularly germane to the final quarter of the book which involves Batya’s attempts to both bring her family over and to free herself from her bondage. It is as page-turning and tense as any thriller, with many complications that build the relentless suspense. Batya is forced to make life-altering choices, each with possibly calamitous repercussions.  

Talia Carner’s The Third Daughter is an epic work that is rooted in a deep sense of truth. While it deals with a cruel and terrifying chapter of history, the novel is also a celebration of the ability of great writing to transport and enlighten. It is a work of art, of craft, but, above all, humanity.  

The Third Daughter is available at bookrevue.com, barnesandnoble.com and amazon.com.

The bride and groom pose for a photo in the front yard of the couple's home

“A sense of love, family and community could never be taken away by a virus!”

His and her face masks worn during the wedding

In the last few months many couples have decided to postpone their wedding plans due to COVID-19, but one Stony Brook University Hospital (SBUH) employee decided she wouldn’t let the situation stop her from marrying the love of her life.

Kristie Golden, PhD, LMHC, CRC, Executive Administrator and Associate Director of Operations, Stony Brook Medicine had planned a dinner celebration with friends and family at a local restaurant for their May 17 wedding until the establishment was forced to close due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“It would have been easy to just postpone everything but we decided that we would not let the circumstances stop us,” said Dr. Golden.

A sign that was displayed on the front lawn of the couple’s home after the ceremony

Instead she and then fiance Greg Campo decided to get married in their Smithtown backyard complete with a wedding trellis, flowers, bubble machine and handmade face masks for the bride and groom. The only people in attendance were the couple’s children and six guests who all wore masks as well. Extended family and friends were able to watch via Zoom and Facebook Live. 

“Everyone’s participation in their own way brightened our world and we hope it did theirs as well,” said Dr. Golden. “The day was beautiful, the birds were chirping and the celebration was everything we had hoped. Our goal was to shine light on a difficult time by celebrating our love.”

By Barbara Beltrami

It’s spring! And that means getting out in the garden and planting things to please the palate as much as the eye. This year more than ever cultivating a garden has become a particularly popular pastime as we eagerly gravitate to the great outdoors after our long winter’s hibernation and isolation. There’s something so rewarding and satisfying about planting tiny seeds or sprouts and watching them grow into mature edibles. 

Early seasonals like spinach, peas and lettuce that don’t mind the cold weather are the first to gratify our efforts, and not far behind are herbs. Some are perennials and start peeking through the soil early on; a few are annuals and need to be replenished every year, but all are fragrant, flavorful and pretty edibles that keep on giving right into the fall and are welcome plants that can be used fresh or dried on their own or as additions and enhancements to other dishes.

Herbed Popcorn

Here’s something to happily crunch on while you’re binge-watching TV. You can even omit the butter and probably won’t even miss it.

YIELD: Makes about 4 quarts

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons vegetable or corn oil

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried basil

1 tablespoon dried dill

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup popcorn kernels

Finely ground sea salt to taste

1/4 cup melted unsalted butter

DIRECTIONS:

In a small skillet, heat the oil over medium heat for 30 to 45 seconds, until it starts to shimmer. Turn off heat, add herbs and pepper, stir and let sit about 20 minutes so the oil can absorb their flavors. Pop the popcorn in the microwave, an air popper or by your favorite method. Immediately transfer to a very large pot or bowl and combine it with the herb mixture, salt and melted butter. Serve immediately with soda, beer or wine.

Herb Salad I

Chop up some of these flavorful leaves for your next salad. Dress with a simple vinaigrette to enhance but not mask their flavors.

YIELD: Makes 4 to 6 servings.

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups mixture of dill, mint, parsley, lovage, and basil

3 cups mixed baby salad greens

1 carrot, shredded

4 radishes, washed, trimmed and very thinly sliced

1 scallion, trimmed and very thinly sliced

1 cup thinly sliced grape tomatoes

 DIRECTIONS: 

In large bowl toss ingredients with your favorite vinaigrette. Serve at room temperature with seafood, pasta, fish, poultry or meat.

Herb Salad II

Herb Salad II

YIELD: Makes 4 to 6 servings.

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups torn butter or Bibb lettuce

3 cups fresh flat leaf parsley leaves

3 cups fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup fresh snipped chives

1/2 cup fresh snipped garlic chives

1/2 cup fresh tarragon leaves

1 cup fresh chervil, chopped

1 cup fresh nasturtium leaves

2 cups diced fennel bulb with leaves

Nasturtium and chive flowers for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

In large bowl toss ingredients with vinaigrette. Just before serving, garnish with flowers. Serve immediately with seafood, fish, pasta, poultry or meat.

Mixed Herb Pesto

Herbed Pesto

If you like the traditional basil pesto, you’ll also like pestos made from other herbs. 

YIELD: Makes 3/4 to 1 cup.

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups mixed tender herbs such as basil, cilantro, parsley, tarragon or mint

1 cup fresh baby spinach

1 garlic clove, chopped

1/4 cup shelled almonds or pistachios

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

In bowl of electric food processor, puree all ingredients together to form a smooth paste. Serve at room temperature with pasta, meat, poultry, fish or seafood. 

Herbed Salt

Herbed Salt

Make this up in large batches so you’ll have some to give as gifts.

YIELD: Makes about 2 cups

INGREDIENTS: 

10 sprigs of a mixture of sage, oregano, rosemary and thyme

2 cups kosher salt

DIRECTIONS:

Remove thick stems, then coarsely chop remaining leaves and small stems. Place in bowl of food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer to medium bowl and thoroughly combine with salt. Transfer to airtight container. Store in a cool dry place. Serve with anything that requires salt.

stock photo

By Linda Toga, Esq.

Linda Toga, Esq.

THE FACTS: My father died in September, 2018. This April I received a check from the United States Treasury payable to my father in the amount of $1,200. The check reflects the Economic Impact Payment or stimulus check authorized for many citizens as part of the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security or CARES Act. My family could really use the money since I lost my job when the business I worked for closed in March but, I’m not sure if I should I cash the check.

THE QUESTION: Are deceased individuals or their families entitled to Economic Impact Payments?

THE ANSWER: There has been a great deal of confusion concerning stimulus checks that were sent to deceased individuals. I have received quite a few calls from clients asking whether they can cash checks sent to individuals who died recently, as well as individuals that died well before your father. 

Adding to the confusion is the fact that some of the checks in question include the notation “DECD”, short for deceased, on the payee line. This certainly suggests that the Treasury knowingly sent checks to deceased individuals and has lead a number of people to conclude that the checks can be cashed. Other callers have suggested that since their loved one either died from the coronavirus or suffered financially from the virus before passing that their estate should be entitled to the stimulus funds. Unfortunately for the families of the deceased check recipients, the government does not see it that way. 

On May 6, more than a month after checks were first mailed out, the IRS tried to clarify the situation by stating on its website that funds that were sent to deceased individuals should be returned. They provided instructions for how that should be done. 

However, rather than bringing clarity to the issue, the posting on the website added to the confusion. That’s because the posting states that if the payee died “before receipt of the payment,” the payment should be returned. If all payments were made by checks that were mailed to the recipients and delivery times throughout the country were the same, the IRS post may settle the question. 

However, since the time it takes for mail to be delivered to different places varies, and since some people received checks through the mail while others had the funds deposited directly into their bank accounts, a rule that relies on receipt of the payment rather than the date the payment was authorized inevitably favors those people with slow mail service. 

For example, if Mr. Smith’s check is mailed on April 11 and received on April 14 and Mr. Cooper’s account is credited on April 11, and both men die on April 12, the IRS post suggests that Mr. Smith’s estate can keep the money but, Mr. Cooper’s estate is expected to return the funds. It seems unlikely that the Congress intended the CARES Act to discriminate against people with direct deposit but, absent further clarification from the IRS, they will suffer that unintended consequence. 

Although it is clear that the Treasury expects checks payable to deceased individuals to be returned, some people point out that it may be premature to return funds to the IRS at this time. That is because Congress is debating additional relief packages that may provide that the families of deceased recipients of stimulus checks are entitled to retain the funds. 

Even if the family of an individual who died years ago and was not impacted by the coronavirus may not be entitled to a keep the stimulus check, provisions may be made to help the families of those who died from or suffered financially from the pandemic. There is precedence for such relief since the government did not require that funds payable to deceased individuals through the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 be returned. Then, as now, the goal of the stimulus checks was to stimulate spending and specifically to boost consumer spending.

At this time, it may be prudent to take a wait and see approach, especially with respect to checks that were sent to individuals who died recently. That is especially true since it is unclear how the government will get back the stimulus money that was given to deceased individuals. Collection efforts by the treasury cannot be started until death records are compared with the list of payees and the list of estates that already returned checks. That will take time. 

In addition, Congress may yet decide that the funds need not be returned. Considering the confusion surrounding the initial issuance of the stimulus checks, the prospect of getting a returned check reissued in the event Congress authorizes payments to deceased individuals is poor. That being said, once the question of eligibility is conclusively resolved, stimulus checks that were sent to deceased individuals who are found to be ineligible to receive the funds will have to be returned. 

As far as the check sent to your father is concerned, I would be surprised if Congress decided that your father or his estate is eligible for stimulus funds relating to the pandemic. However, I recommend that you monitor the situation closely so that you can make an informed decision as to whether you need to return the check. 

Linda M. Toga, Esq provides legal services in the areas of estate planning and administration, real estate, small business services and litigation. She is available for email and phone consultations. Call 631-444-5605 or email Ms. Toga at [email protected]. She will respond to messages and emails as quickly as possible. 

Studies show that modest wine consumption may reduce cardiovascular risks. METRO photo

By David Dunaief, M.D.

Dr. David Dunaief

By now, we have all likely heard that soda – with 39 grams of sugar per 12-ounce can – is associated with an increased risk of diabetes. Bur did you know that wine has a very low amount of sugar: about 1.2 grams of sugar in a five-ounce serving? Even more surprising, it may have benefits in reducing complications associated with diabetes.

Why is this important? The current rate of diabetes among the U.S. adult population is 12.2 percent, while another 84 million U.S. adults have prediabetes (HbA1C of 5.7-6.4 percent) (1).

For those with diabetes, cardiovascular risk and severity may not be equal between the sexes. In two trials, women with type 2 diabetes had greater cardiovascular risk than men. In one retrospective study, women with diabetes were hospitalized due to heart attacks at a more significant rate than men, though both had substantial increases in risk, 162 percent and 96 percent, respectively (2).

What may reduce risks of disease and/or complications? Fortunately, we are not without options. These include timing of blood pressure medications, lifestyle modifications (diet and exercise) and, yes, wine.

Diet vs. metformin for prevention

All too often in the medical community, we are guilty of reaching for drugs and either overlooking lifestyle modifications or expecting that patients will fail with them. This is not only disappointing, but it is a disservice; lifestyle changes may be more effective in preventing this disease. In a head-to-head comparison study (Diabetes Prevention Program), diet plus exercise bests metformin for diabetes prevention (3). This study was performed over 15 years of duration in 2,776 participants who were at high risk for diabetes because they were overweight or obese and had elevated sugars.

There were three groups in the study: those receiving a low-fat, low-calorie diet with 15 minutes of moderate cardiovascular exercise; those taking metformin 875 mg twice a day; and a placebo group. Diet and exercise reduced the risk of diabetes by 27 percent, while metformin reduced it by 18 percent over the placebo, both reaching statistical significance. Note that, while these are impressive results that speak to the use of lifestyle modification and to metformin, this is not an optimal diabetes diet.

I’ll drink to that!

Alcohol in general has mixed results. Wine is no exception. However, the CASCADE trial, a randomized controlled trial, considered the gold standard of studies, shows wine may have heart benefits in well-controlled patients with type 2 diabetes by altering the lipid (cholesterol) profile (4).

Patients were randomized into three groups, each receiving a drink with dinner nightly; one group received five ounces of red wine, another five ounces of white wine, and the control group drank five ounces of water. Those who drank the red wine saw a significant increase in their “good cholesterol” HDL levels, an increase in apolipoprotein A1 (the primary component in HDL) and a decrease in the ratio of total cholesterol-to-HDL levels compared to the water-drinking control arm. In other words, there were significant beneficial cardiometabolic changes.

White wine also had beneficial cardiometabolic effects, but not as great as red wine. However, white wine did improve glycemic (sugar) control significantly compared to water, whereas red wine did not. Also, slow metabolizers of alcohol in a combined red and white wine group analysis had better glycemic control than those who drank water. This study had a two-year duration and involved 224 patients. All participants were instructed to follow a Mediterranean-type diet.

Does this mean diabetes patients should start drinking wine? Not necessarily, because this is a small, though well-designed, study. Wine does have calories, and these were also well-controlled type 2 diabetes patients who generally were nondrinkers.

Blood pressure medications’ surprising results

Interestingly, taking blood pressure medications at night has an odd benefit, lowering the risk of diabetes (5). In a study, there was a 57 percent reduction in the risk of developing diabetes in those who took blood pressure medications at night rather than in the morning.

It seems that controlling sleep-time blood pressure is more predictive of risk for diabetes than morning or 48-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. This study had a long duration of almost six years with about 2,000 participants.

The blood pressure medications used in the trial were ACE inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and beta blockers. The first two medications have their effect on the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) of the kidneys. According to the researchers, the drugs that blocked RAAS in the kidneys had the most powerful effect on preventing diabetes. Furthermore, when sleep systolic (top number) blood pressure was elevated one standard deviation above the mean, there was a 30 percent increased risk of type 2 diabetes. Interestingly, the RAAS-blocking drugs are the same drugs that protect kidney function when patients have diabetes.

We need to reverse the trend toward higher diabetes prevalence. Diet and exercise are the first line for prevention. Even a good, but nonideal, diet had better results, in comparison to medication. A modest amount of wine, especially red, may have effects that reduce cardiovascular risk. Blood pressure medications taken at night, especially those that block RAAS in the kidneys, may help significantly to prevent diabetes.

References:

(1) cdc.gov. (4) Journal of Diabetes and Its Complications 2015;29(5):713-717. (3) Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. Online Sept. 11, 2015. (4) Ann Intern Med. 2015;163(8):569-579. (5) Diabetologia. Online Sept. 23, 2015.

Dr. David Dunaief is a speaker, author and local lifestyle medicine physician focusing on the integration of medicine, nutrition, fitness and stress management. For further information, visit www.medicalcompassmd.com.