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STAR
PRESORTED STANDARD US POSTAGE PAID Desert Hot Springs, CA PERMIT NO 00005
W E E K L Y
Friday, September 11, 2020 Vol. 24 No. 72
CA Skies Turn Orange By Desert Star Staff California residents fear impending doom as wildfire smoke has shifted the skies to an ominous orange hue across the Bay Area hundreds of miles away. The wildfire smoke turned the skies a yellowish hue on Tuesday, but the skies
have since turned noticeably darker in color, shifting to an eerie orange worthy of a dystopian sci-fi thriller. Particles in the air are refracting sunlight, scattering the shorter wavelengths of blue and green light, allowing red and yellow to pass through,
causing the orange glow. UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain said that too dense and tall plumes of smoke from the surrounding wildfires were “almost completely blocking out the sun” while generating”nocturnal pyrocumulonimbus clouds”
or fire thunderstorms. Swain postulated that a hitherto unseen “smoke cyclone” may also be forming over the area. Falling ash was reported in some areas. The fire smoke drifts higher in the air before appearing over the Bay Area, allowing colder marine air
to float in, sparing residents from choking on toxic fumes but generating some truly ominous conditions. The Bay Area has experienced 25 straight days of “Spare the Air” alerts, the most extended period of Continues on Page 2
Manage Medical Conditions During COVID-19
Diabetes and heart disease are two preexisting medical conditions that researchers believe contribute to elevated risk of severe complications from COVID-19. In fact, patients with two or more pre-existing conditions have 4.5 times greater risk of needing treatment at a hospital if they contract COVID-19, according to estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
How Diabetes Affects Heart Health If you have diabetes, your body either makes too much or not enough insulin, which results in too much glucose
in your bloodstream. Over time, high blood glucose levels can increase damage to your organs, including your heart, brain and kidneys. Diabetes is associated with a buildup of plaque that can clog arteries, so the longer you live with type 2 diabetes, the higher your cardiovascular risk. At least one-third of people with heart failure have diabetes, and heart disease is the leading cause of death and a major cause of heart attacks, heart failure, strokes and disability for people living with type 2 diabetes. Managing high blood
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