36 Hours in Palm Beach, Fla.

PALM BEACHERS may have tightened their Gucci belts in the wake of the Bernard Madoff scandal. The Ponzi scheme cleaned out some local bank accounts, and the recession curtailed the lust for Limoges and other such items. Still, judging by the perfectly clipped hedges that envelop the manicured mansions, residents may be doing with less, but not much less. The tiny island, north of Fort Lauderdale on Florida’s east coast, still boasts some of the country’s dreamiest estates, where the staff lives better than many Americans, cashmere sweaters in trademark pastel greens and pinks go for $800, and Rolls-Royces show up at Publix with regularity in a town where more is never quite enough.

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Snow brought zoo more than flakes

The Riverbanks Zoo giraffe factory keeps popping ‘em out. A male born during the Feb. 12-13 snowstorm is the third baby giraffe for the zoo in the past year and brings Riverbanks’ giraffe population to seven. The little guy, whose name will be decided in an online auction, is allowed out into the public exhibit on days when temperatures near 60 degrees.

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Even His Red Squeak Toy Can’t Get First Sgt. Gunner, USMC, to Fight

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan—When the Marines cry “Havoc!” and let slip the dogs of war, one remains in his kennel. Quivering.

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