Known best for its original prints, body hugging silhouettes and unique construction throughout hundreds of its swimwear styles, Luli Fama has been on the swimwear scene for nearly 15 years. Between its two Miami flagship locations in Doral and Coral Gables’ The Shops at Merrick Park in the magic city - and hundreds of international retailers - the brand is back with an all new, Italian inspired collection before its legendary show on the catwalk at Miami Swim Week. From solid colored suits to ribbed textures - Luli Fama has something for everyone. “Inspired by the magic of Capri and the Amalfi Coast in Italy. The bright and bold colors are inspired by the coast, the lemons, the florals and all things that transport you to a seaside villa on holiday to this magical region.” says Founder and Designer of Luli Fama, Lourdes Hanimian. Luli Fama will unveil its Resort and Cruise 2023 collection including a new category for the brand, Ready-to-Wear. A line of dresses, caftans, and other pieces that can be worn from a brunch to a dinner - or an evening sailing through the Amalfi! The swim and resort collections will be available for purchase immediately following the runway show for its myriad of “Luli Babes” who have flocked to the brand for over a decade. Smooth and ribbed lycra swimsuits will be presented in one and two piece styles alongside many metallic styles and strong jewel tones to channel an era of retrofitted suits in the Italian-inspired runway show. The family-owned brand prides itself in crafting original prints and designs from start to finish. “Fit is so important to us and pieces are meticulously made to fit correctly on our Luli babes in a range of sizes from XS-XL. We own our factory in Colombia and employ over 300 women who have worked for Luli Fama for many years - these women (our real Luli Babes) are nearly all heads of their households and we couldn’t do the work we do, without them” continues Hanimian. Luli Fama has been spotted on celebrities including Camila Cabello, Gabrielle Union, Sabrina Claudio, Alessandra Ambrosio, Britney Spears, Natty Natasha, Paloma Mami, Lele Pons, Larsa Pippen and Adriana Lima. The runway show is slated for Saturday, July 16th at 8PM at the Paraiso Miami Beach Tent at Collins Park (2100 Collins Avenue) for what will surely be the most popular show of Swim Week. By ML Staff Images Courtesy of Luli Fama

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, part of world leading hospitality group Accor, in partnership with leading Miami developer Gregg Covin, have announced the first luxury private branded residential offering in the Blue Ridge Mountain region of North Carolina - Fairmont Heritage Place - The Cedars, Hendersonville. Set to debut in 2025, the residences will build upon The Cedars’ legacy as a significant landmark while ushering in a new era of contemporary design, outstanding amenities and engaging service infused with local culture and premier hospitality. Fairmont Heritage Place - The Cedars, Hendersonville will join an exclusive collection of extraordinary Fairmont-branded residences worldwide, offering private ownership with the option to participate in a rental program. Owners will enjoy all the benefits of owning a home with singular access to luxurious amenities and world-class services at Fairmont’s legendary hotels and resorts. “We are pleased to announce the addition of Fairmont Heritage Place - The Cedars, Hendersonville, the first Fairmont-branded residences in North Carolina. For over a century, Fairmont has been intrinsically tied to the communities the brand calls home and committed to the stewardship of landmark hotels, restoring and preserving historic buildings with great care,” said Heather McCrory, CEO, Accor North & Central America. “A rare opportunity to own a piece of one of the Blue Ridge Mountain region’s most celebrated national buildings, The Cedars will be the most luxurious branded residential offering in the state. We are proud to add The Cedars iconic landmark to our rapidly growing luxury portfolio and continue its legacy for years to come.” Fairmont Heritage Place – The Cedars, Hendersonville, a 127-unit luxury residential community, is set to transform the mountain city that has become the preferred second-home destination for generations of South Floridians and Northeasterners, due to its central East Coast setting and friendly outdoor culture. The 3.55-acre development includes a magnificent restoration of the original Antebellum grand hotel, which sits on the National Register of Historic Places, as the focal point. Two new six-story, mid-rise buildings will be comprised of studios, 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom units and stunning penthouses, all with sprawling terraces and impressive mountain views. Prices are expected to range from USD $400,000 to USD $3.8 million. The property will bring a new level of luxury, unforgettable experiences and outstanding service to the Blue Ridge Mountain region known for its beautiful scenery, rich culture and history, and welcoming community. Situated two blocks from the historic Main Street, the residences will be the new home to many of the area’s five-star amenities, offering an exceptional cuisine and beverage program appealing to owners, guests and locals, including a signature restaurant, a lobby bar and a specialty café. Additional property features will include flexible meeting and events space; an expansive wellness center with spa, multiple swimming pools and fitness center; a cooking school; a multifunctional family room; and retail space. Residents and guests have access to nearby private club with Tom Fazio designed Champion Hills Golf Club. All of the area’s popular destinations are located within a 30 minute radius of Hendersonville, including Downtown Asheville, The Biltmore Mansion, the Asheville Regional Airport, the Blue Ridge Parkway and both Pisgah National and Dupont State Forests. In addition to onsite privileges, Fairmont-branded residence owners are invited to join the Accor Ownership Benefits Program, presenting them with an invitation to join Diamond status in ALL-Accor Live Limitless - one of the most appealing lifestyle loyalty programs in the world - access to a VIP reservation desk, and special residence owner rates at more than 5,000 Accor hotels and resorts worldwide. The Cedars hotel was originally built in 1914 in Neo-Classical Revival style for Jeannie Bailey, whose husband, railroad tycoon J.W. Bailey, headed Southern Railway at the time. Just a few years prior, Theresa Fair Oelrichs and her sister, Virginia Fair Vanderbilt, debuted the first Fairmont hotel in San Francisco in honor of Nevada Senator and mining magnate, James Graham Fair. The historic similarities made for a harmonious union between The Cedars and Fairmont brand. In 1976, the property was acquired by Clifton Shipman, great grandfather of Gregg Covin’s children. Covin began exploring the property’s potential in 2018 and has since partnered with the Shipman family and Brian M. Gaines to make his vision a reality. “My family grew up at The Cedars and there is no better time to welcome the next generation to discover and feel at home in Hendersonville. Fairmont brings decades of experience restoring historic properties to their former grandeur and will deliver a level of sophistication the market has been waiting for while complementing the region’s inviting culture,” said Gregg Covin, developer behind projects including Miami’s iconic One Thousand Museum, that redefined the downtown skyline. “Fairmont Heritage Place - The Cedars responds to increasing desires for second-home ownership in Western North Carolina. Market studies show less than two months’ supply of available housing inventory, with demand outnumbering supply”. Established in 1907, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has built beacons of hospitality, magnificent architecture and service in extraordinary destinations; playing a significant role in shaping the social fabric of each location. Renowned for creating unforgettable grand hotels and residences in the heart of each destination, Fairmont was a natural match to continue the next era in The Cedars’ longstanding history. With more than 80 locations around the globe, and several under development, the Fairmont brand boasts some of the most renowned hotel and residential addresses in the world, such as The Plaza, a Fairmont Managed Hotel in New York City, The Savoy in London, Fairmont San Francisco,Fairmont Banff Springs in Canada, Fairmont Heritage Place Mayakoba in Mexico, and the recently reimagined Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles, among others. By ML Staff. Images courtesy of Fairmont Hotels and Resorts

What is the difference between a neurosurgeon and a neurologist? If you are suffering from a condition of the nervous system, brain, or spinal cord, you may be searching for the best doctor to treat you. However, you may be unsure as to whether the specialist you need to find would be a neurologist or a neurosurgeon in Miami. Read on to find out precisely the difference between these two medical specialties and which one you might need to help with your issues. The Main Difference Between a Neurosurgeon and a Neurologist The main difference between these two medical specialties is that while a neurosurgeon works in the operating room, a neurologist does not perform any type of surgery. This means that a neurologist would be the specialist to see for understanding conditions such as neurodevelopmental disorders, learning impairments, disorders of the central nervous system, and others. On the other hand, a neurosurgeon is a highly-trained healthcare professional who specializes in performing surgery. When should you schedule an appointment with a neurologist? If you are having headaches, weariness, chronic dizziness, emotional confusion, difficulty with balance, and a generalized feeling of heaviness in the brain, you should schedule a consultation with a neurologist. During the first appointment, your doctor will get your medical history, and you may be sent to get an MRI or other diagnostic tests. What are neurological disorders? Neurological disorders can be either short-term or chronic conditions that affect the spine, the brain, and the central or peripheral nervous system. Over 600 neurological conditions have been identified so far. Among the most common conditions that neurologists treat are: Multiple sclerosis Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) Epilepsy Parkinson’s Alzheimer’s and other memory disorders Chiari malignancies Aneurysms Brain malformations Strokes Neuropathies Neuralgia These conditions present a variety of symptoms that range from numbness and muscle weakness in arms and legs to problems with vision, coordination, concentration, or sensation. Unexplained seizures, pain, and paralysis are also attended to by a neurologist. How are neurological conditions treated? Neurological disorders can be treated via various methods which may include physical therapy, medications, and surgery. Patients start their journey by visiting a family or primary care doctor who then refers them to a neurologist for diagnosis and treatment. Getting a clear diagnosis requires several tests, such as lab work for blood and urine. Also imaging procedures like X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, angiography, electroencephalograms (EEG), or ultrasound might need to be performed. Once diagnosed, these conditions generally do not require surgery, although some, like epilepsy, may require the collaboration between a neurologist and a neurosurgeon. When should you see a neurosurgeon? If you suffer from conditions such as congenital impairments, need an aneurysm repair, a craniotomy, disc removal, a lumbar puncture, or endovascular repair, a neurosurgeon is a specialist you need. Those are just some of the procedures that these specialists handle. What do neurosurgeons do? These medical specialists diagnose and treat diseases of the nervous system, spine, and brain. They have at their disposal both surgical and non-surgical tools, which they apply based on the type of disease or injury. Although they are trained to perform extremely complex operations, it does not mean that this is their first approach. Many times, they look for a non-surgical treatment before deciding on surgery. If surgery is considered to be the most viable option, they will use minimally invasive techniques whenever possible. They may also be called in to assist in surgeries when the patient has an injury to the brain or spinal cord. They may treat conditions like brain cysts and tumors, headaches, astrocytoma, acoustic neuromas, and more. By ML Staff. Images courtesy of Unsplash

Careyes is a luxury private estate resort located in the southwestern coast of Jalisco, Mexico. Not your typical resort-style property, Careyes is more of an exclusive hideaway which has earned a renowned reputation for its upscale yet unpretentious Mediterranean-style community. Dotted with surrealist cliffside ocean castles, vibrantly colorful casitas, and large-scale cosmic art installations - all of which are surrounded by a lush jungle forest - Careyes is a visual show-stopper and truly a thing of dreams. An approximate 3 hour drive from Puerto Vallarta International Airport, or 90 minute drive from Playa de Oro International Airport in Manzanillo, Careyes is relatively off the beaten path and has in kind remained a well-kept secret amongst the international jet set (glitterati guests have included Cindy Crawford, Robert DeNiro, Heidi Klum, Kylie and Kendall Jenner, to name a few). Since its inception, Careyes became a magical enclave attracting a distinguished crowd of wealthy bohemians and creative powerhouses from around the world: most being lovers of nature who value peace, seclusion and privacy. THE SETTING Founded by Italian entrepreneur and visionary Gian Franco Brignone in 1968, the 20,000 acre parcel of coastal jungle land forms part of the Chamela-Cuixmala Biosphere Reserve, boasts an impressive 9 miles of pristine coastline, and is a protected area brimming with hundreds of wildlife species. Deliberate on not overdeveloping the terrain - 93% of the land will always remain protected - Careyes is home to 65 extraordinary private villas, 40 picturesque casitas, and the newly renovated “El Careyes Club & Residences” (an affordable hotel replete with five infinity pools and 50 ocean-front suites). Since Gian Franco’s recent passing in early 2022, the property is now managed by the remaining Careyes founding family members: Gian Franco’s three children Filippo, Giorgio and Emanuela. They continue the family legacy of managing this property with a lot of thought, vision and heart into every aspect of its maintenance and sustainable development. ACTIVITIES While visitors and residents naturally feel at peace in Careyes, easily being fulfilled in simply basking within such stunning surroundings, there are also an array of indoor and outdoor activities to choose from while staying there, including partaking in Careyes’ budding wellness program. Delight in snorkeling and scuba diving adventures, seasonal dolphin and whale watching, turtle conservation tours, horseback riding at sunset on Playa Teopa, paddle boarding, ocean kayaking, fishing, polo lessons, tennis, mountain biking and hiking, yoga and pilates classes, birdwatching, as well as boat tours to the nearby virgin beaches and islands. A central social gathering place for all is Careyes’ own town square: the “Plaza de los Caballeros del Sol”, an homage to the communal plaza of a traditional Mexican village. Here you will find an art museum, cinema, clothing and jewelry shops, two restaurants, a small hospital, and the non-profit Careyes Foundation. The Careyes Foundation is a recent addition to the Careyes conception and one close to its heart and soul. Brignone’s youngest son Filipo strove to make it paramount for the Careyes community to give back to and uplift the neighboring Mexican communities of the area, thereby creating the Careyes Foundation. The Foundation is run by donations and focuses on educating children from over 10 local villages. It grants employment opportunities, offers language lessons, provides vocational training, a music school, hosts movie nights, recreational biking, art projects, leads sea turtle and environmental conservation efforts, and more. It notably counts with a consistent influx of new teaching staff members by exceptional volunteers from around the world. CULINARY SITES At Careyes there are 7 al fresco restaurants in which to eat, drink and socialize. Playa Rosa Beach Club is a casual yet stylish beachfront dining space which offers Mediterranean Mexican cuisine. La Duna is the poolside restaurant of El Careyes Club & Residences, offering healthy cuisine and locally-sourced products. Pueblo 25 is globally inspired cuisine whose menu-less servings change every day based on what the fishermen bring in and what’s freshly picked from local organic and hydroponic farms. Casa de Nada is a cozy, rustic, elevated beach shack with a striking view of Playa Teopa. It offers Mediterranean, Mexican and vegetarian tapas-style dishes, all homemade, organic, fresh and healthy. Punto Como is a trattoria wine bar located in Careyes town square that specializes in Italian dishes with a Mexican flair. La Coscolina is a cafe and terrace lounge also located along Careyes town square that offers delicatessen specialties, vegetarian-friendly cuisine, local coffee, fresh smoothies and juices, as well as an evening wine scene. Notable A landmark that cannot go without mention and that will be permanently imprinted into your cells’ memory banks upon visiting is the behemoth and otherworldly “Copa Del Sol,” which could easily be mistaken for one of the wonders of the world. A monumental concrete hemispheric shell that stands at the edge of an ocean cliff overlooking Playa Teopa, the majestic Copa Del Sol is used for sound healings, meditation and mystical communions with the cosmos and Mother Nature, materializing into somewhat of an energetic tattoo of your visit to Careyes. Another rarity of this masterfully curated property experience is the Costa Careyes Polo Club, the pride and joy of creator Giorgio Brignone. Inaugurated in 1990, the club has 2 regulation Bermuda-grass fields and stables for 150 horses. It hosts the professional Agua Alta Polo Cup in April and houses 60 ponies for every level of play. EVENTS The Chinese New Year Celebration is based on the lunar calendar and is celebrated on the first new moon of spring. In Careyes, a Mexican poncho made by artisans and symbolizing the fortune of the Chinese zodiac animal of the year is given as a present to the guests attending the event born in the years of that specific animal. The Arte Careyes Film Festival is a Mexican and Latin American film festival which includes music and contemporary art. It is a by-invitation only event and is hosted annually (although due to the COVID-19 health outbreak, the date for the next festival is currently postponed). Ondalinda is an art, music, culture and wellness festival held annually and is also a by-invitation-only event. Touted to be a Careyes version of Burning Man (with five-star accommodations), it is a tribal gathering of creative minds and hearts. Copa Agua Alta is the popular polo tournament held at the Costa Careyes Polo Club that brings players from all over the world to Mexico and is one of the most renowned polo events in Mexico. It takes place annually during Easter. WHEN TO VISIT The weather in Careyes seems too good to be true. Blue skies and sunny days, not a cloud in sight, for days on end. Warm enough to don a bikini, cool enough to have no need for air conditioning, its geographical coordinates seem blessed. Careyes weather is mild all year round, with an average annual temperature of 22° and 27°C (72° - 80° F). Its dry season runs from November - June (an abundance of sun-kissed, blue sky days), and the rainy season from June - October. CONTACT INFORMATION Carr. Melaque - Pto. Vallarta Km. 53.5 Careyes , Jalisco, México 48894 + 52 (315) 351 0320 | (315) 351 0322 www.careyes.com Words by Adriana Garuolis.. Images courtesy of Careyes.

“Flying for someone like me is especially sweet,” said Clayton Smeltz, the world’s first type-rated Vision Jet pilot with paraplegia. Watch the video to learn how Clayton is making personal aviation more accessible than ever before. To learn more about the Vision Jet, visit cirrusaircraft.com/aircraft/vision-jet. By ML Staff. Images courtesy of Cirrus Aircraft

As the days get longer, the mercury starts rising on the thermometer, and Villa Azur — Miami Beach's elegant European restaurant and culinary destination — is shaking up the summer by bringing the French Apéro from France to Florida. From July 6 through September 30, Villa Azur is presenting its summertime series, L’été en Or (“The Golden Summer”), an exclusive take on the traditional French Apéro. The weekly series takes place every Wednesday through Sunday from 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. Within the supper club's romantic dining rooms and lush open-air courtyard, guests can choose from tasteful pairings of rosé wine with oysters and/or caviar. Live entertainment and sound by DJ Yez and Stephan M will set the tone to whisk visitors away to the French Riviera as they rest and relax under the setting summer sun. To bring the exclusive experience to life, Villa Azur is proudly serving the vibrant and expressive Château Minuty rosé, which is 100% sourced from the original estate vineyard in Saint-Tropez, as well as Petrossian, the world’s finest caviar made with a handmade and haute couture spirit. Villa Azur’s L’été en Or offers guests two different yet equally exciting experiences to choose from: FRESH & FLIRTY Minuty Rose et Or + 12 Oysters = $145 (serves 4 pax) Magnum Minuty Or + 18 Oysters = $260 (serves 6 pax and up) LE SOMPTUEUX Minuty Or + 12 Oysters + .70 oz Royal Ossetra Caviar = $270 (serves 4 pax) Magnum Minuty Or + 18 Oysters + .70 oz Royal Ossetra Caviar = $385 (serves 6 pax and up) For reservations or more information, please contact Reservations@villaazurmiami.com or call (305) 763-8688. Villa Azur is open from 6:30 p.m. until midnight and is located at 309 23rd St, Miami Beach. By ML Staff. Images courtesy of Villa Azur.

Comedian, actress and writer Catherine Cohen is throwback to the likes of musical comedy acts like Carol Burnett, Bette Midler, but add in a twist of ultra-femininity, glamour and unabashed self-love. Cohen spent years cultivating an impeCatherineable musical comedy act that made its way from intimate cabaret theatres in New York’s West Village and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in London to our television screens as part of a new comedy boom being championed by Netflix, with her hit comedy special, Catherine Cohen: The Twist…? She’s Gorgeous. For audiences, the twist, it seems, is that a one-woman musical cabaret act can be laugh out loud funny with the right comedienne at the helm. In 2019, Catherine won the coveted title of Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She’s the co-host of the popular podcast Seek Treatment and author of GOD I FEEL MODERN TONIGHT: Poems From A Gal About Town. Currently filming the hour-long dramady series, While You Were Breeding for the Freeform Network, Catherine took time out of her busy schedule to chat with me about her unique approach to comedy and what she is currently developing for her next act. Allison Kugel: Your Netflix special, Catherine Cohen: The Twist…? She’s Gorgeous, that title grabbed me so hard when I was thumbing through Netflix. Catherine Cohen: Thank you very much. I’m so glad. Allison: How did you come up with such an in your face, ironic, and amazing title? Not ironic in the sense that you’re not beautiful (laugh)… Catherine: Yeah, I’m thinking, “Okay Allison, are we fighting right off the bat?” (Laughs) The title came from a tweet I did a million years ago. I feel like I will often tweet things, and then if I’m trying to come up with material for a show I’ll go through old tweets and look at [my] thoughts that I’ve had. I was just thinking about movies like She’s All That or just that classic kind of romcom tropes where at the end the nerd is really hot. It’s like, “Yeah, they were hot the whole time. I was kind of playing with that trope, and in my work, I’m always trying to be hyper-confident, deciding I’m hot and mAllisoning everyone else believe it, because I believe it. It felt in line with that (laugh). Allison: Love it! So, tell me, how does one get a Netflix special? Walk me through that… Catherine: I’m sure it is different for everyone, but this was a show that I was doing on my own for five years in New York. I did m show for the first time in 2017 at The Duplex [piano bar] in the West Village, along with [music composer] Henry Koperski, who plays piano and helped me write all the songs. Then we did it at Joe’s Pub in New York. I wanted to tAllisone it to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and right before I was going to do that, I got a message on Facebook from Steve Brill, who directed the Netflix special. I thought, “Is this spam?” He said, “Hey, I just directed Adam Sandler’s special, and I really want to do another one. Is that something you are interested in?” I thought, “Duh!” But then I thought, “This feels too good to be true.” We ended up meeting for coffee and just totally vibed and had the same vision, so I said, “Let’s totally do it!” Having Steve Brill on my team really helped a lot. He had a relationship with Netflix, so he helped me mAllisone it happen. We had a bunch of meetings with them. Robbie Praw, who works at Netflix, came to see my Edinburgh show. I remember the next day we went for a long walk, and we talked about what it could be and what my dreams were, and what would mAllisone sense for the platform. Then I got the offer to do the show as a Netflix special in 2019, and we were going to shoot it in 2020… LOL. Now this has become a very long boring story… Allison: (Laugh). No, no, no! Go ahead… Catherine: We finally got to shoot it September 2021, and it just came out in March 2022. We shot it in Joe’s Pub, which was nice because that was a place where we had done early versions of the show and I felt really comfortable. It was a total dream come true. I’m so happy it is out in the world. It’s been many years in the mAllisoning. Allison: Amazing. What is so incredible about your story is that this is a show you have been cultivating and working on for so long, so it was completely organic. It’s not like you got this Netflix offer and then you are writing material for a standup special. And I love the fact that it was done in an intimate setting. It was very different from your typical Netflix standup special for so many reasons. Catherine: Thank you so much. I was actually just talking to a friend who said, “Don’t wait to get a book deal. Just write a book, you’ll have it, and at the right time someone will publish it.” I didn’t ever think when I started doing this show, “Obviously, it should be a special.” But it wasn’t like, “Oh, time to scramble and come up with an hour of material.” It was very much a labor of love and came very naturally. Allison: You are super smart. You went to Princeton, right? Catherine: Yes, I did go there. I don’t feel super smart these days, but I guess I did well enough in school to get there, yes. Allison: That is incredible to me, because I got through school by the skin of my teeth. Catherine: It’s a very bizarre skillset; it almost has no reflection on your intelligence. It’s just like, are you obsessive? Uptight? Really hard on yourself and a fast reader? Allison: Oh my God! My son is going straight to the Ivy League, because you just described him (laugh). Catherine: You just have to memorize a bunch of stuff, be absolutely psychotic, and evil towards yourself, and then maybe you can get in (laugh). Allison: Your comedy has a musical element. Do you consider yourself a stand-up, or more of a cabaret performer who is also really funny? Catherine: I think I’m a comedienne, an actor, a writer… I do it all. I’m a singer, but yes, I definitely think I’m a stand-up who does a cabaret show. The jokes in between the songs, I will do those around town as just normal stand-up shows, and stuff like that. I like to do it all. Allison: When you were putting this show together in the beginning, were you working out your comedy set and then you decided to add the music? How did this very unique show come together? Catherine: I had been doing improv and sketch comedy at UCB (Upright Citizens Brigade) in New York, and saw people doing stand-up and I thought, “This looks fun, but I’m scared.” I started doing it and really enjoyed it, but I really missed singing because I grew up doing musical theater. So, I thought, “Is there a way to write a comedy song that isn’t really embarrassing?” I met this amazingly talented pianist Henry Koperski and said, “Can we get together? I want to try to write a song, and I want to run some ideas by you.” Pretty much as soon as we got together, it felt very magical. It felt natural, and we just started writing a bunch of songs together and I said, “I think I have enough to do a full show. Will you play with me for a full show?” We’ve been on that journey ever since. Allison: You have an interesting background. Your dad is Jewish, your mom is Catholic, and you grew up in Houston, Texas? For starters, are there many Jewish people in Houston? Catherine: (Laugh) I think there are, but I did not meet very many of them because, as you said, my mom is Catholic, and we were all confirmed Catholic. We went to very religious private schools where everyone was very evangelical, and it was totally damaging and creepy. Thankfully, I went to college and met a bunch of Jewish people and thought, “These are my friends. This is my vibe. I forgot I had this side.” Allison: So, you felt more of a kinship with the Jewish part of yourself? Catherine: Definitely. I just hated all the arbitrary rules, the way the Evangelical church teaches woman to be so ashamed of everything; to hide their bodies, their personalities, and be submissive to their partners. It was just so against everything I had ever felt, and everything my parents had taught me. My parents didn’t teach me any of that. At one point I did get really into it, because it was intoxicating. You’re going on ski trips, meeting boys from different schools, so it was like, “Church is cool. Church is fun.” Then you realized you were kind of brainwashed into believing things you didn’t stand for. Allison: How does your mom feel about that? If she sent you to Catholic school, I would imagine that she was all in. Catherine: I think her mother was very religious, and she did it because it meant a lot to her mother. I think my parents were always supportive of whatever I wanted to do, whatever I believed, which was very lucky, obviously. Allison: Nowadays it is very common to have mixed religious households or people celebrating Christmas and Chanukah, as they say. So, generally speAllisoning, people don’t think very much of a mixed religious household because it is so common now. But from the perspective of a kid growing up in a home where you have a Jewish parent and you have a Catholic parent, what does that feel like from the perspective of a child? Catherine: I think it felt like my dad wasn’t very religious and we were just doing what my mom wanted to do, which would sometimes result in us saying, “Dad, please don’t mAllisone us go. Why do we have to go?” He would say, “Because you have to go.” I would say, “This doesn’t mAllisone any sense.” I remember one time we were all waiting in line for Communion, which my dad wasn’t going to tAllisone, because he hadn’t been Baptized or had his first Communion, and he snuck it. My mom got really mad. My dad then said, “This is so ridiculous. I deserve this. Everyone deserves the spirit of Christ.” He took Communion even though my mom was mad at him. They are both very smart, funny, supportive, and open minded, so I feel like when I was younger it was a big deal, but eventually we weren’t forced to go to church. One of my brothers got really into exploring our Jewish side one year and wanted to learn all of the Hannukah prayers. But I feel like I got a taste of both. It’s nice. Allison: Do you consider yourself to be a spiritual person at all. Catherine: Definitely. I believe in God. I don’t know what God is, but to me there is a God. I’m endlessly feeling aware of synchronicities, and I believe everything happens for a reason, and that the universe is tAllisoning care of us. All of that kind of stuff I love. My friend just got me a tarot card deck for my birthday, and I’ve been tAllisoning some quiet time to draw a tarot card in the morning and journal and think, “What is going on with the planets.” Honestly, I will believe anything anyone tells me. Allison: (Laugh) Catherine: Literally, I say, “Okay, that sounds great.” How stupid. I feel like it’s so insane when someone says, “That’s definitely not real.” I think, “How do you know anything, babe?” Allison: Same. I think it is the height of arrogance when someone says that something is definitely not real. We are limited by our five senses and there is so much more in the universe. How can you possibly say with assurance that something is not real? You can say that you don’t know. That mAllisones sense. But you can’t say it is not real. If you could travel back in time and have an effect on any famous historical event, or even just bear witness to it, where would you go and what would you attempt to change or bear witness to? Catherine: I’m laughing, because I’m actively not trying to change the world. I’m just trying to enjoy my life and have a good time. I actually did past life regression therapy, recently. Have you done that? Allison: I did get hypnotized and do that once. Catherine: In my first past life I was an ugly old lady who made bread, and she wasn’t allowed to go to the ball unless she brought a loaf of bread. I would actually go back in time to that first life and say, “Girl, you deserve to go to the ball, and you don’t have to bring bread. Just bring yourself.” That is where I would go. In my other past life, I was this big warrior soldier caring for my blonde wife, which is interesting because I’m not usually into blondes. Then I had a past life where I was a nurse caring for a soldier in a war who was actually my boyfriend in real life. Allison: So, you would go back and alter your own past lives… Catherine: And I would have to say this… I don’t think about the past much besides thinking about the fashion. I think about going back to the 1970s or dancing at Studio54. Sometimes I wish I was part of that era, before social media, where you can just be an artist and a little freAllison. Just dance around and not have everything documented and measured against the suCatherineess of your peers. I’m sure people throughout history have been very hard on themselves, but I feel like it is especially hard these days, being constantly bombarded with the aCatherineomplishments of everyone you’ve ever met, or even ever heard of. It is exhausting. Allison: I can definitely say the same thing about my coming-of-age decade, which was the 1990s. I’m 47. It was so much freer in that way. Catherine: You look so young. What is your secret? Allison: I work hard at it. That is my secret. Skincare is my religion (laughs). And lots of nutrition. Tons of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, water and sunscreen! Catherine: I know. I finally started doing daily sunscreen. For so long I was so bad about it, but now I’m 30. There is no time and I have very fair skin. Allison: Also, no drinking, no drugs, no smoking cigarettes. No nothing. Sorry! Catherine: Have you always been totally sober? Allison: Yes, pretty much. I don’t touch alcohol or drugs. Catherine: I definitely like a little bit of that stuff (laugh). I definitely enjoy that stuff sometimes. I actually, just last night, started the process of freezing my eggs. I just started the medications, so I’m feeling [weird]. First of all, I’m not drinking and I’m drinking lots of water, but I can’t exercise. I can only walk, and I’m feeling out of my body, but sort of a beautiful human experience, I guess. Allison: So, when freezing your eggs, you can’t be extremely physically active during the process at all? Catherine: Yes, which I didn’t expect. You’re getting your ovaries huge, for lack of better scientific terminology, and so there is danger of twisting or damaging them because they are so big. I’d been trying to spend more time at the gym, but now I’m just going on slow strolls, and I’ll think about the spiritual questions that you’re asking me. Allison: You’ll come up with a better answer tomorrow and you’ll be kicking yourself, but don’t. Don’t beat yourself up (laughs). Catherine: I’m sure. I’m sure. Allison: If you don’t mind me asking, how old are you and why have you opted to freeze your eggs? Catherine: I’m 30. I have polycystic ovarian syndrome, so my cycle is very irregular. I don’t get regular periods and I have been told it might be difficult in the future to get pregnant. I’m definitely not ready at all, so I figured I have some time this summer. I have some money saved, so why not do it. Then I can just not have it on my mind and enjoy the next five years of my life and revisit the matter at a later date. Allison: Let’s talk about your show some more. Are you still touring? Catherine: No, I’m not. As soon as the [Netflix] special came out, I was done with that material. I’m doing all new stuff. I did some shows in London. I did some shows in Austin and LA, and now I’m just working on new [material]. I’m going back to the UK this summer. I’m going to do some dates at the Edinburgh Festival, and I think I might do an encore performance of The Twist. But emotionally, I’m ready to move on creatively. Allison: What is your creative process? Catherine: I was just sitting down this morning thinking, “Okay, girl. You’re so all over the place.” I think what is so hard is that any kind of creative work requires slots of time, and it requires getting bored and reflecting. It is so difficult to do that when we are constantly bombarded with emails, calls, and obligations. I do a weekly show in the East Village where I will try out new material every week. It’s a great way of mAllisoning sure I’m trying out some ideas. With songs, I’ll usually sit down with Henry or another musician. I’ll come in with lyrics or a melody and we will try to throw something together. It’s a lot of improvising, and then with jokes, it’s just a lot of talking, looking at tweets, and seeing what sticks. Allison: Do you find that your greatest ideas come to you when you are not trying to come up with material? Catherine: Absolutely. Allison: Okay, so give me an example of something that you would be doing when an idea strikes; something PG-rated. Catherine: (Laugh) I was just thinking, everything I say is so disgusting. Allison: (Laugh) Catherine: I’m very big on the idea that you can’t force it. I have a new song called, “Blame it on the Moon,” about blaming all my problems on astrology and saying it’s not my fault at all. I’m a mess or I’m rude or whatever, because of the planets. I think that phrase popped into my head when I was just lying in bed one night, and so I wrote it down. If I wAllisone up at 4am or 6am and I’m lying in bed, my mind starts racing and I’m like a genius, and then it all goes away. Allison: Those genius moments, I feel like they’re not inside you, they come through you. It’s like you channel something inadvertently and then you better record or put it down on paper, because just as fast as it came through you, it can evaporate if you don’t put it down. Catherine: I totally agree. With everything I do I think I’m literally so talented and a genius, but I think that is just because of luck. It’s not mine. Things just come to me. It’s what’s in my heart at the moment. I didn’t put it there. Who knows who did? Life is all completely random, and it’s like a balance of being confident and realizing I have nothing to do with any of this. Allison: There is a wisdom in knowing that it didn’t come from you. It came through you and having a healthy respect for that. Once you made the deal with Netflix, do they micro-manage everything, or do they just have you do your thing, and then they air it on their platform? Catherine: I’m sure it is different for everyone. In my experience, the show was already done, and they had seen it. The director and I had the same vision, so they just gave us a budget, we had a production company come on board, and we just shot the show. That was pretty much it. I got to be in the editing room. I was one of the producers, so I got to mAllisone all the calls and I felt very supported and lucky. Steve is such an amazing director. He aCatherineomplished visually what I was seeing in my mind but lacked the skillset to do on my own. It was a seamless process, because as you said, it had just been an organic thing of, I had this piece I was ready to share and then it was just capturing it for the camera. Allison: Will you do another comedy special for Netflix at some point? Catherine: I hope so, if they ask. Who knows? I don’t know how this works. I would love to do another one. We will see what the universe brings my way. I very much feel like with any of this showbiz stuff, no one knows until you’re doing it, because no one tells you and there are no rules. You work on things that disappear, or you do something like this where you made this [show] and all of a sudden, it’s on Netflix, so you never know. Allison: I used to always say that I never know why people say no, and I never know why people say yes. So, I just don’t analyze it. Catherine: That is a good way to be. It is hard to do. Allison: That is what I’ve done. It’s like “Oh, you want to do this? Great.” Or “Oh, you don’t? Okay.” Catherine: Exactly. I feel very strong. I was just pitching a project and got a lot of “No’s,” and I felt like, “Okay, this has nothing to do with me, ultimately. It’s out of my control.” Allison: From what I’ve studied and all the people I have interviewed, one thing that everybody has in common is that they were all so set on a vision that nothing could interrupt that vision. There might be a little blip here or there, but otherwise it was like tunnel vision. Catherine: I definitely connect with that. I think, “Of course I’m going to mAllisone a fabulous TV show, movie, or whatever. I don’t know when or how, but of course.” Allison: You should watch the TV show, The Food That Built America. I believe you can watch it on The History Channel or Hulu. Catherine: What is that about? Allison: It goes into how the guys that made Heinz ketchup, Hershey’s chocolate, Kellogg’s cereal, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Birds Eye Frozen Foods invented their brands. Nothing was getting in their way. I was floored, because I’m like you went broke several times, this or that didn’t work, your factory burned down, and you kept going? It’s amazing. Catherine: I don’t know where the belief comes from, but it is definitely there. It has to be there. Allison: That’s what it tAllisones. Netflix has this new brand called Netflix Is A Joke. Catherine: That is their comedy arm. They just did a big festival in LA, which was super fun. I did a bunch of shows. It was like two weeks ago, and it was great. Allison: I love that they are supporting the artform of comedy, and that they created that division. Catherine: It is amazing. I feel so lucky they gave their huge platform to something that I do, which has been described as very niche, though I think it is universal. Allison: The style of your show feels niche and extremely unique to you, although I think it has universal appeal. Apart from you, the only other name that comes to mind would be Carol Burnett. Catherine: Love it… Allison: The way that she would sing a little, dance a little, and do jokes. Catherine: Thank you. I think when you are doing it all the time, it feels different to you. Allison: What is the greatest advice you have ever received? Catherine: There are so many good ones. One that I think about a lot is that you can only control yourself. I think about it a lot in terms of romantic relationships. You can’t force someone to love you, and it’s the same with creative partnerships. If it’s not working, it’s not working. Just trusting that you can only do what you want to do, and you can’t really concern yourself with or tAllisone personally why other people do what they do. It is very difficult, because I tAllisone everything personally. Allison: Who gave you that advice? Catherine: My friend’s mom. Shout out to her (laugh). I think whatever you are worried about, if it involves someone else, it has nothing to do with you. Allison: What is something about yourself that continues to be a work in progress? Catherine: (Laugh) Everything. Literally, everything. The main thing that I haven’t begun to deal with and don’t even know how, is that the way I talk to myself is so mean, and I would never talk to my friends this way. I don’t know how to begin unlearning it, but I don’t know how life would be if I wasn’t constantly telling myself I wasn’t enough. Allison: Do you think that is a driving force that propelled you to getting where you are so far? Catherine: Yes, definitely. I’m constantly convinced that if I wasn’t suCatherineessful, I would be inherently unworthy. My boyfriend told me I wasn’t allowed to use the word “loser” anymore. I would say, “They are a loser,” or “I’m a loser.” He says, “What are you even saying? Don’t use the word loser anymore.” I’m constantly convinced that I have to be the most suCatherineessful person in the world, or I’m a loser. It’s a very Princeton mentality. I actually just went to my college reunion last weekend. I was just thinking about how hard on myself I’ve been for so long. It does often yield results, though it’s tAllisoning a toll, so I’m trying to figure out how to be productive without losing my mind. Allison: Do you think, “If I stop being hard on myself, I may not continue to suCatherineeed,” so it’s almost like a superstition? Catherine: Absolutely. Since the [Netflix] special came out, I’ve been trying to rest, refocus, and figure out what I want to do, which mAllisones sense, but I feel guilty. Like, I haven’t done anything today. I’m just looking at my phone, but then I try to remind myself that the way I got to mAllisoning the first show was sitting around on my phone being bored, and I had some kind of creative spark. Allison: What do you think you came into this life as Catherine Cohen to learn, and what do you think you came here to teach? Catherine: Wow, these are really getting into it! I came here to learn, I don’t know, to chill out? To slow down, chill out, and that it is just for fun. It’s just a game, so enjoy it. To teach? Literally, to teach everyone that they are absolutely fabulous. You’re deserving of everything. You should laugh, you should live. You deserve all of the extravagant things that you want. Every day should be glamourous and fabulous, and don’t tAllisone “No” for an answer. I sound like a total hedonist, but maybe I am. Allison: No. So even the wardrobe, the set, and everything in your Netflix special is very girly girl, frilly, pink, and over the top glam. I’m guessing it’s an extension of your personal philosophy and how you see the world. Catherine: Yes. Clothes are so important to me. The way people dress and decorate their rooms, and the way we choose to express ourselves visually, I’m obsessed. I’ve always been drawn to very elaborate over-the-top fashion and styles. I’m also hyper-feminine, which I feel like I hadn’t seen a ton of with standup [comedy]. You see a lot of jeans or hoodies, and obviously, I’m wearing something incredible. Allison: It is so funny that you say that, because I had this really stupid thought in my twenties that I could either be funny or pretty, but not both, so I chose pretty (laugh). It’s stupid. I don’t know why I thought that. What is that about? Catherine: I think it’s what we are told. I think because I was not considered pretty, or because, like I sing in my special, “Boys never wanted to kiss me,” I thought, “Well, I better be funny to get attention.” We are raised in this world where we are supposed to pick a lane, and I think I, and many other women, are saying that is absurd. Look at us LOLing and looking absolutely gorgeous. Allison: And by the way, you are very pretty. I don’t know where you got the idea that you weren’t. Catherine: I don’t know. I think everyone has their insecurities, especially when your younger sense of self-worth was so directly tied to male attention and affection, and I didn’t get any of it. Thank God! I would be so boring if I had just decided to worry about that stuff instead of myself. Allison: I hear you have a TV show coming out for Freeform Network. Tell me about it… Catherine: Yes, I’m so excited. I shot this pilot. This amazing TV writer named Kristin Newman wrote this memoir a few years ago called, “What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding,” about her decision to end a long-term relationship and travel the world as all of her friends were settling down. Allison: And having kids. Catherine: Exactly, breeding. She has turned the memoir into a TV show. We shot the pilot in the fall, and we just found out that it got picked up, so we are going to do a full season of it for Freeform and we start shooting sometime later this year. I play the lead girl’s best friend and the lead character is played by Chelsea Frye, who is so funny and talented, and we’ve become totally obsessed with each other. I feel really lucky to get to work with her for a few months, instead of shooting something and never seeing each other again. Stream Catherine Cohen: The Twist…? She’s Gorgeous on Netflix and follow Catherine Cohen @catCatherineohen and Catherine-Cohen.com. Watch or listen to the extended interview with Catherine Cohen on the Allison Interviews podcast @ YouTube, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Follow Allison Kugel on Instagram @theallisonkugel and AllisonInterviews.com.

After many years of departing from Port Canaveral, starting this June, the Dream has a new home—Miami. The Disney Dream is Disney’s Cruise Line (DCL) third ship, and it’s no surprise why they named it that. Afterall, the experience onboard will feel like a dream come true. Jump aboard this luxury cruise and get ready to relax by the pool, indulge in amazing food, and believe in the magic of Disney. Although the Dream has a new home, the experience on board will remain as magnificent as ever. Upon boarding, its 1930’s style will transport you to another time, a magical world. Walking throughout this luxurious ship is unlike any other experience. When you board, you’ll enter the ship at the beautiful three-floor atrium where staff is ready to welcome you—a beautiful chandelier hangs from the top, Minnie and Mickey wave from the balcony, and there is a Donald statue at the bottom of the decadent stairway—this is where it begins. The atrium is also home to cruise events and character interaction—here is where you will meet the princesses, Daisy and Pluto, and maybe even catch a glimpse of Mickey Mouse. Onboard the Dream, there is a picture-perfect moment around every corner. On the way to your stateroom, you’ll pass murals of Disney’s classic tales. There are four different types of staterooms available, Concierge, Verandah, Oceanview, and Inside. The staterooms have a luxurious nautical feel, with comfortable beds, TVs loaded with entertainment, and breathtaking views—the balcony makes it hard to leave your own private oasis. Relax on the patio furniture and enjoy the endless ocean views. Even the Inside staterooms offer real-time sea views through the Magical Porthole. If you’re sharing your stateroom with multiple family members, the heavy privacy curtains will come in handy. Additionally, every room on DCL comes with turn-down service. Every night your stateroom host will leave chocolates on the bed, and lightly pickup and organize your belongings to keep the room as neat as possible. If you’re traveling with a little one, you can also request a crib or pack-and-play. After settling into your stateroom, put on your bathing suit and head over to the 11th deck for some fun. This is the deck where a lot of the action happens. The Donald Pool and the Mickey Pool—which is shaped like the head of the iconic Mickey Mouse—is where children can make a big splash. For younger children not yet potty-trained, Nemo Reef is the perfect place for babies to cool off. This splash deck features fountains, bubblers, and pop jets. Children can interact with the most famous characters from Pixar’s Finding Nemo—Dory and Nemo spray water and surprise kids every time. There is a soft wet-deck surface for safe-play and a slide designed in the shape of Mr. Ray. For older dare devils, you can’t miss the AquaDuck. This elevated water-coaster takes you all over the ship; wave to family members below before the next drop comes. And for the adults looking for some peace, Quiet Cove Pool is a refuge exclusively for adults over 18. There is a walk-up bar, a plunge pool, and a shallower option for sunbathing. These are all heated if the temperature drops below 75 degrees. For maximum relaxation, couples can enjoy a quiet time at the whirlpool spa which features a glass bottom and breathtaking views of the ocean—very romantic. Also, on the 11th deck there is a big screen that plays Disney content—movies like Moana, Cruella, Little Mermaid—it’s directly in front of the kids’ pools. There is also trivia, and during the Sail Away Deck Party, you might even catch yourself dancing on the big screen. There is some activity or event always scheduled, and it’s essential to download the Disney Cruise Line Navigator app. This app holds the key to your dream experience. Manage your reservation, check-in online, book activities, access dining details, view the entire entertainment schedule, and chat with your fellow cruisers once you’re on board and without cell service. With the app you can see the day-to-day itinerary and the ports of call that you’ll be visiting. The Dream anchors in some of the most magical places. The Dream will be docking in the Bahamas and Castaway Cay—Disney’s own private island. There are a variety of Port Adventures to select from while visiting the Bahamas. Schedule a snorkel trip, visit Atlantis, or have a perfect beach day at Blue Lagoon Island—the private ferry through Nassau Harbor takes visitors from the ship to the island, and back. Designed exclusively for DCL guests, Castaway Cay offers everyone a magical experience. Grab towels on the way out and use the key card to make any purchase on the island—food and fun are all included. There are umbrellas and beach chairs along the shores of the crystal-clear water. Snorkeling is a key activity, underwater you can find the hidden Mickey! Take the Bike trail and discover Castaway Cay at your own pace. Visit the Pelican Plunge and master the floating platform or ride the two twisting water slides. There is a selection of bars scattered throughout the island, as well as ice-cream stands, and servers ready to take your order from the comfort of your beach chair. Mickey and friends will also be visiting Castaway Cay, in their beach perfect attire. On your way back from a glorious day sunbathing on the Caribbean shores, you’ll notice the Dream’s main horn plays Disney’s classic tunes upon disembarking—in fact, you’ll hear these melodies as you pull in or out of any port. After a quick stop in your stateroom, it’s time to experience one of the Dream’s themed restaurants. Throughout the Disney Dream you’ll find a variety of food options—from pool side snacks to 24-hour room service—all included in the price of your ticket. Cabanas is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The food is made fresh, and the service is splendid. For breakfast the French toast and Mickey-shaped waffles are a must-have. Did someone say made-to-order-omelets? Grab a table by the floor to ceiling windows and enjoy the view. For lunch, Cabanas offers classics like burgers, pizza, and sandwiches—perfect to grab and take to-the-go. While Cabanas is also available for dinner, DCL has a unique dining experience onboard. There are three distinctly themed restaurants—Enchanted Garden, Royal Palace, and Animator’s Palate—each night guests will experience each one unique menu. What makes this dining experience truly magical is the “rotating” service. What this means is that as you visit each restaurant, your same servers will also be accompanying you during every meal. This makes for a personalized experience, and an opportunity for them to get to know your food preferences better. If you’re traveling with an infant, your server might offer a variety of purees, and will remember to bring the infant’s favorite the next day. The Enchanted Gardens has a colorful motif and was inspired by the gardens of Versailles. The dynamic ceilings will change throughout the course of the meal—from a light blue to a sun setting red, and finally transforming into nighttime with twinkling stars. At the center, there is a beautiful cascading fountain featuring Mickey Mouse. Don’t forget about the light fixtures in the shape of flowers, which bloom and change colors. Finally, Mickey and friends might pay a visit during dinner—what could be better than that! The Royal Palace gives you a little taste of what it would be like to dine at one of the princesses’ famous castles. French inspired, Royal Palace is the most formal of all three main restaurants. Dinners will notice many of the princesses’ iconic references throughout, including hand painted portraits of Aurora, Cinderella, Snow White, and Belle. The princesses walk throughout the restaurant during dinner, and wave to guests—it’s a nice little surprise for everyone. If you pay close attention, the circular design, columns, and iron railings all resemble Cinderella’s ballroom. The Animator’s Palate features maquettes on the shelves, gigantic brushes and pencils as columns throughout the restaurant, a gigantic artist’s palate for the ceiling, and fun Mickey chairs. There are multiple digital screens that line the restaurant with character sketches, but throughout dinner these screens change, and some of your favorite Finding Nemo friends will pay a visit and immerse you in the underwater world. It’s like dining inside an animator’s studio—it’s filled with creativity, color, and magic! For guests looking for a luxury dining experience—away from the little ones—Palo offers adult-exclusive dining with Italian inspired menus and décor. Northern Italian cooking with a twist! The entertainment never stops, every night there is something planned. When you’re not dinning at one of the themed restaurants be sure to catch Beauty and the Beast at the Walt Disney Theater. Despite being performed at sea, this renowned theatrical production has all the bells and whistles that you’d expect in a Broadway show. Stages magically transform in front of you in the blink of an eye. Disney’s Believe is also an impressive production featuring 300 costumes, 7 classic Disney songs, and an original story about father who needs a little help believing in magic. Watch Genie, from Aladdin, save the day and take everyone on a magical ride through Disney’s most famous musicals. You can also head over to the Buena Vista Theater to catch the latest Disney releases on the big screen. Each day there will be a different movie playing throughout the day. And finally, DCL will light up the sky with an impressive firework show followed by a dance party. Don’t forget to visit Disney’s Oceaneer Lab and Club. Here kids ages 3-12 can play, interact with characters, and enjoy from storytelling—they have a unique space created just for them. There are multiple stations one can visit. Grab the wheel and dock the ship in the Explorers Room, play video games at the Wheelhouse station, find your inner artist at the Animators Studio, or get creative at Craft Studio. The Oceaneer Club has three different themed worlds, Andy’s Room, Pixie Hallow, and Star Wars Millennium Falcon—here kids can play with Andy’s toys, explore Pixie Hallow, and see all the Millennium Falcon has to offer. The Disney Dream boasts of sparkling finishes that run through its entirety—from the shiny atrium, down every hallway and through all 14 decks. The Dream is impeccable, luxurious, and offers the ultimate getaway. Schedule your next voyage today! For more information, visit: https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/ My ML Staff, Claudia Paredes. Images courtesy of Disney Cruise

Anyone who has suffered from jet lag or struggled after turning the clock forward or back an hour for daylight saving time knows all about what researchers call your biological clock, or circadian rhythm – the “master pacemaker” that synchronizes how your body responds to the passing of one day to the next. Your body has an internal clock that helps keep it in working order. This “clock” is made up of about 20,000 neurons in the hypothalamus, the area near the center of the brain that coordinates your body’s unconscious functions, like breathing and blood pressure. Humans aren’t the only beings that have an internal clock system: All vertebrates – or mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish – have biological clocks, as do plants, fungi and bacteria. Biological clocks are why cats are most active at dawn and dusk, and why flowers bloom at certain times of day. Circadian rhythms are also essential to health and well-being. They govern your body’s physical, mental and behavioral changes over each 24-hour cycle in response to environmental cues like light and food. They’re why more heart attacks and strokes occur early in the morning. They’re also why mice that are missing their biological clocks age faster and have shorter lifespans, and people with a mutation in their circadian clock genes have abnormal sleep patterns. Chronic misalignment of your circadian rhythm with external cues, as seen in night-shift workers, can lead to a wide range of physical and mental disorders, including obesity, Type 2 diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular diseases. In short, there is ample evidence that your biological clock is critical to your health. And chronobiologists like me are studying how the day-night cycle affects your body to better understand how you can modify your behaviors to use your internal clock to your advantage. How biological rhythms affect your health Your biological clock affects your health by regulating your sleep-wake cycles and fluctuations in blood pressure and body temperature. It does this primarily by syncing your endocrine system to environmental light-dark cycles so that certain hormones are released in certain amounts at certain times of day. Your hormones fluctuate rhythmically over the course of the day. The stress hormone cortisol typically peaks in the morning, while the sleep hormone melatonin typically peaks in the night. The pineal grand in your brain, for example, produces melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate sleep in response to darkness. Doctors advise reducing exposure to artificial blue light from electronic devices before bedtime because it can disrupt melatonin secretion and sleep quality. Your circadian rhythm also affects your metabolism. Among other things, sleep helps you regulate leptin, a hormone that controls appetite. Your leptin levels fluctuate throughout the day according to a rhythm set by your circadian clock. Insufficient or irregular sleep can disrupt leptin production, which can make us hungrier and lead to weight gain. In recent years, researchers have discovered even more ways your circadian clock can affect your health. For example, there is now research suggesting that eating at set times of day, or time-restricted feeding, can prevent obesity and metabolic diseases. Depression and other mood disorders may also be linked to dysfunctional circadian control that lead to changes in how your genes are expressed. The time of day when you take your medicine can also affect how well it works and how severe any side effects might be. Likewise, your biological clock is a potential target for cancer chemotherapies and anti-obesity treatments. And finally, even your personality might be shaped by whether your internal clock make you a “morning person” or a “night person.” Getting the most out of exercise Circadian clocks also provide a potential answer to when is the best time of day to maximize the benefits of physical exercise. The best time of day to exercise might be the time when you feel you perform best. To study this, my colleagues and I collected blood and tissue samples from the brains, hearts, muscles, livers and fat of mice that exercised either before breakfast in the early morning or after dinner in the late evening. We used a tool called a mass spectrometer to detect approximately 600 to 900 molecules each organ produced. These metabolites served as real-time snapshots of how the mice responded to exercise at specific times of day. We stitched these snapshots together to create a map of how exercise in the morning versus evening affected each of the mice’s different organ systems – what we called an atlas of exercise metabolism. Using this atlas, we saw that time of day affects how each organ uses energy during exercise. For instance, we found that early morning exercise reduced blood glucose levels more than late evening exercise. Exercise in the late evening, however, allowed the mice to benefit from energy they stored from their meals and increased their endurance. Of course, mice and humans have many differences along with their similarities. For one, mice are more active at night than during the day. Still, we believe that our findings could help researchers better understand how exercise affects your health and, if timed appropriately, can be optimized based on time of day to meet your personal health goals. Getting along with your biological clock I believe that the field of chronobiology is growing, and we will produce even more research providing practical applications and insights into health and well-being in the future. In my own work, for example, a better understanding of how exercising at different times of day affects your body could help tailor exercise plans to maximize specific benefits for patients with obesity, Type 2 diabetes and other diseases. There is still much to learn about how your circadian clock works. But in the meantime, there are some tried and true ways people can synchronize their internal clocks for better health. These include regular exposure to sunlight to trigger the endocrine system to produce vitamin D, staying active during the day so you fall asleep more easily at night and avoiding caffeine and reducing your exposure to artificial light before bedtime. Words by Shogo Sato Assistant Professor of Biology, Texas A&M University. Special thanks to The Conversation for reprint rights. Images courtesy of Getty Images.

Here is what awaits you at Miami Beach Botanical Garden for this Summer and Fall. Summer Art Classes for Kids (Free!) Wednesdays • July 6–August 3 • 10 am–1 pm Miami Beach Botanical Garden and Sunflower Society announce the return of free summer art classes for kids! Sunflower Society teachers Winsome Bolt and Denise Marlow will guide young artists as they create their masterpieces using objects from nature. Students will work with mixed media to create their colorful art. This year’s theme is Insects & Flowers. An art exhibition to display student work will be Wednesday, August 3, 4pm–6pm. DETAILS • Classes are for kids ages 5–12 • Younger kids must be accompanied by parent/guardian • Limited to 35 kids per class • Class is free but please register in advance to attend • Our instructors and staff have been vaccinated • If anyone becomes ill we ask that you do not attend class Classes are free but you must register to attend here. Donations are accepted to help cover the costs of supplies. SECOND SATURDAY SEMINAR Rain Barrel/Water Conservation Workshop Saturday • July 9 • 10:30am–12pm The rainy season is here, catch the rain now and save it for dry conditions! Please join us for July’s Second Saturday Seminar at the Garden as the UF/IFAS Extension at University of Florida teaches us about rain barrels and water conservation. Learn how to save rainwater, safely use it, and many more water conservation tips for inside and outside your home. UF/IFAS Extension will once again be bringing Florida-friendly landscaping plants grown in their shade house to share with all participants. Class is free - please RSVP here. Full Moon Candlelit Yoga & Sound Bath Meditation Wednesday • July 13 • 6:30 pm–7:45 pm Enjoy a gentle all-levels yoga class followed by a deeply relaxing sound bath meditation as the moon begins to rise. Doors will open at 6pm so that you can experience the Garden in the peacefully quiet after hours while experiencing the flower aromas coming to life. Our resident yoga teacher, Franci, will guide a restoring and centering candle lit yoga class with modifications for all postures in order to accommodate all levels of practice. You will have the perfect setting to let go of what is no longer serving you and be bathed in the moonlight. We will practice on the main lawn by the Ylang Ylang tree. If raining, we will move under the awning in front of the large ballroom. Practice is from 6:30-7:45 and will be finishing with a 30 minute Sound Bath Journey Savasana Meditation. Listening to a harmonic set of crystal sound bowls and instruments allows for a deeper sense of joy and wellness because their soundwaves are so soothing on the body. There are a few mats available if needed. Please bring yoga blocks if you'd like a more restorative experience. We will have incense and bug repellants, but if you are very sensitive to insects please bring additional protection. (Deet-free bug spray is available at the Garden gift shop.) Cost: $25 • Purchase tickets here. SECOND SATURDAY SEMINAR Water Issues in Our Landscapes, Gardens, and Parks Saturday • August 13 • 10:30am–12pm Learn all about water and flooding issues in South Florida in this seminar presented by UF IFAS Miami Dade Urban Horticulture Program. Along with Sea Level Rise, increased rainfall events coupled with paved and non-porous surfaces challenge our daily lives and pose additional threats to our South Florida environment. This seminar will look at increasing rainfall trends and explore solutions already in play around the world from China’s Sponge Cities to our own Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Bioswale Remediation grant funded project at Arcola Lakes Park. We will also look at the plants that will work in our environment to soak up excess rainfall. Class is free - please RSVP here. Native Orchids of South Florida: The Photography of Drew Mullin ON DISPLAY THROUGH SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 • BUTTERFLY GALLERY GARDEN AFTER DARK The French Horn Collective Thursday • September 29 • 7 pm doors/8 pm show Join us for an evening on the Great Lawn for The French Horn Collective – one of South Florida’s most popular bands. This special night will feature past members and special guests, all under the stars on the Great Lawn. The French Horn Collective performs a high-energy fusion of gypsy jazz, hot swing, and original French music. Led by Parisian multi-instrumentalist, composer, singer and songwriter Vincent Raffard, the diverse international group features singer Shira Lee and a rotating cast of highly talented musicians. Let The French Horn Collective's authentic sound transport your soul to the streets of Montmartre in Paris. Our Botanical Bar will be serving light bites and cocktails -- no outside food or beverages permitted. Limited seating, please bring a blanket or lawn chair. Cost: $35 non-members, $25 members. (Members call for discount code) Get tix here. SUNDAY MORNINGS AT THE GARDEN WITH FRANCI Sound Bath Meditation (9:30 am-10 am) Vinyasa Yoga (10:30 am-11:45 am) About Vinyasa Yoga Prepare for the week ahead with a Vinyasa/Hatha style Yoga class. Relieve stress by connecting your breath to your movements with the beautiful Garden as your backdrop. The class can be modified for beginners, but is filled with deep stretches, twists, balancing poses and incorporates breath work that will assist in feeling resilient to stress throughout your week. About Sound Bath Meditation This all-levels practice will guide you to find and connect with a sense of calm that will allow you to feel more resilient to stressors and help you respond, instead of react to, your challenges. We will use crystal sound bowls to begin to slow down the revolutions of the mind and support your journey inward. Each class begins with a short introduction to the technique and we practice for 15-20 minutes. South Bath Meditation • Cost $10 • Tix here Vinyasa Yoga • Cost $15 • Tix here By ML Staff. Images courtesy of Miami Beach Botanical Garden

When you think of the Bellagio Fountain in Las Vegas, a few things probably come to mind — scenes from your favorite Hollywood hits (read: Ocean’s Eleven, The Hangover), blocks and boardwalks lined with casinos, or the sheer extravagance that is Sin City. Radinn & Rock Band Imagine Dragons Make a Match in Music Video heaven. You don’t often think of surfing or electric jetboards. And that is exactly what our feature in Imagine Dragons’ newest music video, Sharks, is all about. How the Imagine Dragons lead vocalist ended up surfing alongside the Bellagio Water Show on a Radinn jetboard is a story that evolved as fluidly as the fountains themselves. First things first, check out our feature in Sharks below. Then, read on to learn how Radinn came to be involved with the multi-platinum rock band, and why our collab is a match made in music video heaven. What happens in Vegas When a close acquaintance of Imagine Dragons became a Radinn customer some time back, the band reached out to learn more about our boards. At the time, storyboarding for the Sharks music video was well underway, and it didn’t take long for the pieces to fall into place. Not just anybody gets permission to enter the Bellagio Fountain, let alone ride a jetboard over it. What better way to showcase Imagine Dragons’ maverick mentality than by riding a jetboard across the famed Las Vegas attraction, named the number one U.S. landmark in Trip Advisor’s first-ever Travelers’ Choice awards? With our scrappy origins and “Make waves” motto, it’s a mentality that resonates with Radinn well. As the world’s first commercial jetboard company, we too are proud to be disruptors in our industry, re-defining the future of water mobility. The flexibility of the Freeride The jetboard seen in the Sharks music video is the Radinn Freeride, and there’s a reason the final scene looks as epic as it does. The Freeride is easy to master, and even more fun to ride. It holds the perfect balance between agility and stability, and while simple to get started on, it’s responsive enough for serious speed and playful riding. The jetboard seen in the music video is the Freeride Element. In fact, the production crew originally brought in a stunt double to perform the surfing scene, but thanks to the Freeride’s low learning threshold, the Imagine Dragons lead vocalist picked up the hang of it in no time. Once the crew saw the jetboard in action, they even extended the shoot two hours to accommodate more time on the water—giving the stunt double the day off, and Imagine Dragons the surfing spotlight. By ML Staff. Images courtesy of Radinn

In September, the Guggenheim Museum in New York acquired Maurizio Cattelan’s Comedian by anonymous donation. The work – a banana duct-taped to a wall — was first shown and sold at the Art Basel fair in Miami Beach in the autumn of 2019 where it generated attention, derision and innumerable memes. Social media was, for a brief time, overflowing with images of just about anything duct-taped to walls: tamales, beer cans, cabbage, a durian fruit, a sandal, someone’s cat. Companies quickly countered with online ads where their products, from deodorants to French fries, were shown duct-taped to the wall with a modest price tag. Comedian reignited a set of questions that seem to flare up with some regularity: what makes something a high-priced artwork when another, seemingly identical, object is not? Since the work was shown at an art fair, it is relevant to consider what exactly is being bought when acquiring an artwork like Comedian. The original banana had to be replaced several times during the course of the fair, once after it was eaten as a stunt by another artist. Maurizio Cattelan. REGINA KUEHNE/EPA The collectors who bought and subsequently donated the work to the Guggenheim did not receive an actual banana or a piece of duct tape. Instead, what they got was a document, a so-called certificate of authenticity that granted them the right to recreate the work and instructions of how to do so. It stipulated, among other things, that the banana should be hung 175cm above ground and that it should be replaced every seven to ten days. A banana is a banana is a banana Although the art world has accepted the idea of ready-made everyday objects as art, at least since the mid-20th century, Cattelan’s artwork invited a collective focus on the structure of evaluation of artworks. If anyone can tape anything to the wall — as many did — what is the point of a document granting the legal right to do the same? Let’s compare Comedian to another fruit-based artwork: Zoe Leonard’s Strange Fruit (1992-1997), a large installation of fruit peels, carefully stitched together by the artist. It was made during the Aids crisis and functioned as a ritualised act of mourning and memorialising. After closely working with a conservator who developed a method of halting material decay at a particular point, Leonard decided that it was more in line with the work’s idea to have it turn slowly into dust. In contrast to Comedian, replacing the fruit peels was not an option since the specific acts of stitching as mourning was key to the work’s meaning. The material manifestation of Leonard’s organic objects is far from stable – time passes and they change – but it is crucial that it is these precise pieces of fruit that undergo that transformation. Conceptual artists in the 1960s argued that an artwork’s identity is not to be found in its physical manifestation but in the artist’s idea. That idea can, but does not have to, take material form. Following that logic, the material object is a manifestation of an idea, and it is the idea that is bought and sold on the art market. When the object is reproducible or immaterial, the certificate of authenticity ensures the artwork’s identity as an artwork. Comedian is not dependent on a specific banana, any banana could be used without altering the meaning of the work. That, however, is very different from saying that any banana and piece of duct tape is an artwork by Maurizio Cattelan. Poking fun at the market Even though the US$120,000 (£92,000) price tag for Comedian was by contemporary art standards fairly moderate, it is obviously a huge mark-up for the act of combining two very cheap and readily available materials. The work’s title hints that it is aware of the comedic absurdity of its own evaluation on the art market. Also, the banana’s upward curve on the wall recalls a stylised smiling face, and the banana peel, as we know, is involved in the most basic of slapstick skits. Comedian was in fact not the first time Cattelan poked fun at the market, art dealers and their place within this system. In 1995, he made his dealer Emmanuel Perrotin (in whose booth at Art Basel Comedian was shown) dress up as a giant pink penis-shaped bunny for the duration of his exhibition at Perrotin’s Paris gallery. The piece was called “Errotin le vrai lapin (Errotin the true rabbit). By making Perrotin wear a ridiculous and humiliating phallic costume while carrying out his day-to-day work as a commercial gallery owner, the spectacle of the art market came into sharp view. Comedian is not the only of Cattelan’s works that has drawn attention to the Guggenheim in recent years. In 2016, the artist installed the work America in one of the lavatories of the museum. The 18-karat gold toilet is a tongue-in-cheek commentary on the excesses of America’s rich; a piece of satirical participatory art that welcomes people to actually use it. It has reverberations of Marcel Duchamp and Sherrie Levine’s lavatorial works. It could have been President Trump’s after he requested to borrow a Van Gogh from the Guggenheim but was offered America instead – he declined. It then was taken in by Blenheim Palace in Oxford in 2019 where art critic Jonathan Jones commented: How does it feel to urinate on gold? Much like peeing on porcelain. But here, among all the photos of young Winston, it also feels like pissing on British history. Soon after, it was stolen. Its whereabouts remain unknown. Cattelan’s works — like other pieces — must be considered in relation to other artworks and the structures in which it operates. The questions they raise are relevant but in part unanswerable: are we to take Comedian seriously, or is it an elaborate joke? And if it is a joke, who is in on it and who, or what, is mocked? By Sara Callahan. Postdoctoral Research Associate in Culture and Aesthetics, Stockholm University. Special thanks to The Conversation for this story and images. You can support the independent network which provides news by donating today.