Gulf Coast Life

The Marco Island Historical Society is hosting a retrospective exhibition of works by Naples-based impressionist painter Paul Arsenault titled, “Reflections of South Florida: A 50-Year Art Adventure,” through Feb. 15, 2025. We listen back to our conversation with Arsenault ahead of the opening reception about his work, his storied career, and his advocacy for protection of our natural world.

While using nuclear fission has been well established and used commercially for decades to generate electricity, nuclear fusion has remained out of reach because of the extremely complicated engineering, and extraordinary power and resource needs required. There’s another branch of fusion research known as 'cold fusion’ which takes a different approach to fuse atoms together that does not require huge amounts of energy and resources. Our guest is working on his own approach to cold fusion and has achieved interesting, early results that have now been published in the May, 2024 edition of the journal Nature Scientific Reports.

Research shows that suppressing melatonin production through excessive night lighting, especially blue light, leads health effects including an increase in certain endocrine-related carcinomas. It is now well known that circadian disturbance causes a 20–30% increase in breast cancer rates, and a similar increase in prostate cancers. We discuss the nexus between light pollution and human health, the environment, and public safety with part-time Naples resident, Dr. Mario Motta.

Here in Southwest Florida about 30% of the population is 60 and older. That translates to about 1.3 million people, and this population and percentage is growing. Demographic trends show an expected 38% increase in adults over 60 by 2040 and a 62% increase in adults over 70 by that same year. While southwest Florida has been a destination for older people when they retire for decades, this area’s aging population is chronically underserved. We learn about the work being done to address the need at Florida Gulf Coast University’s still relatively new Shady Rest Institute on Positive Aging.

Arts of the Inland Gallery in LaBelle will host a juried exhibition of works by artist members on Saturday, Nov. 16. We’ll learn more about the gallery’s efforts to extend visual, literary, and performing arts offerings into Southwest Florida’s more rural inland communities in a conversation with gallery president Stella Luckey and Board of Directors member Brandon Jett.

We get some insight into the world of dementia caregiver support — and we we learn about a relatively rare form of dementia called Frontotemporal Degeneration (FTD). It’s a type of dementia that affects the areas that control behavior, personality, language, and decision-making. People with FTD might start acting differently, like becoming rude or impulsive, or they may have trouble speaking and understanding language. It usually appears in people younger than 65, and unlike other forms of dementia, memory problems aren't usually the first sign, but instead changes in behavior or communication skills are more noticeable early on.

The United Nations 2024 global climate conference, COP 29, kicked off in Baku, Azerbaijan on Monday, Nov. 11 and runs until Friday, Nov. 22. It's a chance for leaders and delegates from nearly 200 countries to talk about, and make plans for action around, the global climate crisis. Timed to coincide with COP 29, Florida Gulf Coast University and The Water School have kicked off “Two Weeks of Climate Change.” It's a series of events that explore local and global challenges, and solutions for our changing climate. We get preview of it, and a chance to better understand what happens at these global COP conferences.

Veterans Day is a federal holiday honoring all U.S. military veterans who have served in the nation's armed forces. It was originally known as Armistice Day commemorating the end of World War I, which formally concluded 106 years ago today on Nov. 11, 1918. We meet a Gulf War Veteran-turned professional photographer who visited the overseas cemeteries where soldiers — and others — who served in World War I and World War II were laid to rest.

Tuesday’s election marks an historic red wave here in Florida from the Presidential race to constitutional amendment proposals, down to local political contests. WGCU Southwest Florida in Focus host Sandra Viktorova provides some post-election analysis in a conversation with FGCU political scientist Dr. Sandra Pavekla and WGCU host/reporter John Davis.

On this episode of the GCL Book Club, we hear from prolific author Caroline Leavitt about her page-turner of a book, Days of Wonder, about justice, guilt, forgiveness, and reinvention.