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November 9-22, 2015 LightningBiz, Inc.

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Vol. I Issue No. 19 VCTidbits.com

SHOW CAR PIT STOP

Come see the official #88 Nationwide Chevy SS Show Car.

Wednesday, November 11, 2:00 PM - 8:00 PM At Simi Valley Chevrolet 1001 Cochran St, Simi Valley, CA 93065

TIDBITS® VISITS MONTANA

by Janet Spencer

Montana became the 41st state on November 8, 1889, so come along with Tidbits as we visit Montana!

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MONTANA WEATHER • The town of Browning, Montana near Glacier Park holds the national record for the greatest drop in temperature in 24 hours, for a 100 degree drop on January 23, 1916. It went from 44° to -56°F (7°C to -49°C) • On January 11, 1980, when Great Falls set a new national weather record for quickest temperature increase in the shortest time, it took just seven minutes to go from -32° to 15°F (-35°C to -15°C).

• Montana's record low is -70°F (-57°C) and the record high is 117°F (47°F), for a temperature range of 187 degrees. No state has a temperature ranger greater than that.

• Cooke City near Yellowstone National Park holds the state record for greatest snowfall in a single season, with 418 inches (10.6 m) for the winter of 1977-78.

However, the town of Summit near Glacier National Park holds the record for greatest snowfall in 24 hours; greatest snowfall in four days; greatest snowfall in five days; and the greatest snowfall in one month when 131 inches (3.3 m) of snow fell in January of 1972.

MONTANA SNOW • How long would it take to give a lift to the entire population of Montana in the state’s 65 ski lifts? About 13 hours at maximum capacity of 72,000 people per hour.

There are 15 ski areas in the state, with a combined area of 14,000 acres of skiing and 548 downhill runs.

• Martin City hosts the annual Barstool Races each February, where barstools must be mounted on skis to enter.

• Red Lodge Mountain hosts the Cardboard Cup Classic each winter, during which cardboard contraptions hit the slopes and are awarded prizes for the most creative.

• At Big Mountain near Whitefish each winter, they host the annual furniture race, where skis are attached to any snow-worthy item of furniture and ridden down the mountain.

• Showdown ski area hosts mannequin jumping, where decorated mannequins are attached to skis and sent down the mannequin ski jump.

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• The city of Missoula sponsors the Frost Fever Festival every February, featuring snow football, snow softball, and snow volleyball.

IT’S A FACT • Percent of avalanche victims in the U.S. who are men: 90% • Percent of Montana’s stream flow that originates from melting snow: 70%.

• Miles of interstate in Montana: 1,200 • Miles of groomed snowmobile trails in Montana: 4,000 MONTANA STATE FLOWER • The Montana state flower is the bitterroot.

It can live for over a year without water and can be revived even after being boiled, dried, or pressed. Its tenacity is reflected in its Latin name “Lewisia rediviva” with “Lewisia” being for Meriwether Lewis who cataloged it, and “rediviva” meaning “one who lives again.”

NAME THAT STATE • The only state that has more hiking trails than Montana’s 15,000 miles (24,140 km) of trails is California.

• The only states that have more pick-up trucks per capita than Montana’s 361 trucks for every 1,000 residents are North and South Dakota.

• The only state that has a higher rate of private airplane ownership than Montana is Alaska.

• The only state that has an average daily wind speed higher than Montana's 12.7 mph (20 km/hr) is Wyoming, averaging 12.9 mph.

• The only state that has more acres of land being farmed than Montana’s 58.6 million acres is Texas, with 129 million cultivated acres. After Montana come Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota.

Tidbits® of Ventura County troleum and Garfield, have only 0.3 people per square mile. The county seat of Garfield County is Jordan, known as the “lonesomest town in the world” because it’s the most isolated county seat in the contiguous U.S. The nearest airport is 175 miles (281 km) away, and it’s 115 miles (185 km) to the nearest railroad depot.

• About 80% of Montana communities have a population of 3,000 or fewer, and there are only seven cities in the state with populations of over 10,000. The population of the entire state is just over one million.

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MONTANA GOLD • When six prospectors dipped their gold pans in Alder Creek in 1863, leading to one of history’s richest placer gold discoveries, they were hoping to find just enough gold to pay for their tobacco.

Instead the $10 million worth of gold taken out of Alder Creek, which runs through Virginia City and Nevada City, would be worth about $2.5 billion today.

• Today Montana ranks 5th in production of gold, behind Nevada, California, Alaska, and South Dakota. The Montana state motto “Oro y Plata” is Latin for “gold and silver” and the state seal displays a pick, plow, and shovel.

• When a hotel was built in the state capital of Helena, enough gold was recovered from the excavation of the basement to pay for the construction of the entire building.

• At a nearby gulch, miners pulled 700 pounds (317 kg) of gold from a two acre plot in a single day.

• In the 1880s, Helena had more millionaires per capita than any other city in the nation, with 50.

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MONTANA FUN • The town of Drummond, Montana sponsors the annual Flapjack Race, where rules dictate that you must build a fire and cook an edible pancake, all while keeping your untied mule next to you at all times.

• Bearcreek’s 50 residents hold Pig Races each summer. Pigs are tended by “sowboys.”

• Missoula hosts the annual “Punkin’ Chuckin’ Contest” to see who can build a catapult to throw a pumpkin the farthest without using motors or explosives. The current record is nearly 4,000 feet (1,219 m).

• Reed Point’s answer to Pamplona’s Running of the Bulls is the annual Running of the Sheep, including the Sheep Roundup, the Sheep Beauty Contest, and sky-diving (plastic) sheep.

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MONTANA POPULATION: SPARSE • When Hillary Clinton visited the state in 1993, she described it as “hyper-rural.” Nationwide, about 25% of the population lives in rural areas, but in Montana, 48% do.

• The average population density across the state is 6.2 people per square mile. The only states more sparsely settled than that are Alaska and Wyoming. The national average is 75 people per square mile, and New York City has a density of 26,402 per square mile.

• Montana’s least populated counties, Pe-

News content in the Tidbits Paper is provided by both Tidbits Media, Inc. and other news sources considered to be reliable, but the accuracy of all information published cannot be guaranteed.

Tidbits of Ventura County does not accept political advertising or news matter of any nature submitted for publication. Publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising from any business, individual, or group for any reason deemed inappropriate or not in the Publisher’s best interest. Published news matter and advertising content does not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher of LightningBiz, Inc. Tidbits of Ventura County is not an adjudiciated publication and therefore cannot accept offical legal notices for publication. All copy, photos, and graphic illustrations submitted for advertising publication are subject to publisher’s approval. We do not offer mail subscription services.

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TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH By Keith Roach, M.D. Large Teratoma Found Near Heart DEAR DR. ROACH: I had a CT scan due to broken ribs from a very recent fall. The scan revealed a large teratoma near my heart. I am 69 and was previously unaware of this formation. No suggestion has been given to me regarding further investigation or treatment of the teratoma. I am assuming it may have been present at birth and does not cause any problem. But now I am wondering if it should be monitored. Can a teratoma grow or migrate in the body? Any information on teratoma will be appreciated. -- S.S. ANSWER: A teratoma is a type of tumor of germ cells -- the cells that become eggs or sperm. They can occur within the testis or ovary, but also can occur outside the gonads. When they do, they usually are found in the midline of the body. A frequent place is the anterior superior mediastinum, in between the lungs and below the breastbone. Teratomas usually are benign tumors, but some types can act like cancers. Your tumor is unlikely to have been there since birth. Nobody knows whether the germ cell that became a teratoma properly went into the gonads during development, or whether the cell left the gonad and then became a tumor.

It is clear, however, that men with teratoma outside the gonads are at higher risk for developing testicular cancer later on. Teratomas, being derived from germ cells, are capable of creating any tissue.

Teeth and hair are sometimes found inside teratomas. I am very surprised you haven’t been recommended for surgical removal.

Surgery is usually successful at curing teratoma. They certainly can grow, and occasionally become very large. I would certainly recommend seeing an oncologist (cancer specialist). Thoracic (chest) surgeons operate on this area. It may be that the position is difficult, but a surgeon should still evaluate you, in my opinion.

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DEAR DR. ROACH: How is it that, at age 67, I’d never heard about the abomination called scabies? Last year, I was rubbing cream onto my aged mother’s rash, and now I have this disgusting infestation on my body! Why haven’t people been advised of this scourge! -- Anon.

ANSWER: Scabies, sometimes just called, “the itch,” is caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei, and is very common, with an estimated 300 million people infected worldwide. It is transmitted person-to-person by direct contact. The major symptom of scabies is itching, often very severe and usually much worse at night. Itching begins about six weeks after the first infection, sooner if you have been infected before. Often, the hardest part is figuring out the diagnosis, because a lot of people don’t know about this condition. When the rash is classic in distribution (belt line, under the arms, wrists, genitals and especially in the finger web spaces), most regular doctors and any dermatologist can figure it out. Permethrin 5 percent cream (Elimite and others) over the entire body for eight to 14 hours is the standard treatment. Many physicians recommend a second treatment in one to two weeks. There is an oral medication as well. Clothing and bedding need to be disinfected, too. *** Dr. Roach regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but will incorporate them in the column whenever possible. Readers may email questions to ToYourGoodHealth@ med.cornell.edu. To view and order health pamphlets, visit www.rbmamall.com, or write to Good Health, 628 Virginia Drive Orlando, FL 32803. (c) 2015 North America Synd., Inc. All Rights Reserved

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Tidbits® of Ventura County

Pasta Quiz!

• In 1920, so the story goes, an Italian man named de Lelio was concerned because his pregnant wife had lost her appetite. He owned a restaurant in Rome, so he concocted a dish of egg noodles covered with a rich delicious sauce to tempt his wife’s appetite. History does not record whether or not she liked it, but the patrons of his restaurant did. He called the dish after himself and began to serve it regularly.

• Movie stars Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford were on their honeymoon in Rome and stopped in his restaurant for dinner nearly every night. They enjoyed his noodle dish so much that they presented him with a gold-plated fork and spoon with which to stir his famous sauce.

• Within a year the recipe was featured in a cookbook produced by the famous Rector’s Restaurant in New York, which helped popularize the dish in America. Hollywood movie stars continued to eat at di Lelio restaurant in Rome, and they insisted that their favorite chefs back home try their hand at the recipe as well.

• Today the noodle dish, with a sauce made from butter, cream and Parmesan cheese, is popular across the U.S. The restaurant started by di Lelio is still in business. What was his first name, now attached to his famous pasta recipe? Answer: Alfredo, who named Fettuccine Alfredo.

QUIZ: LUIZA’S PASTA • Luiza was born in Italy in 1871 and began singing at the age of three. She made her debut in opera in 1890 when the scheduled soprano failed to show up for a performance and Luiza stepped in, garnering immediate acclaim. She had a remarkable voice and toured the world. In 1905 she made her American debut in San Francisco, which became her favorite U.S. city.

• As she grew older and stouter, Luiza’s voice declined somewhat. One of her husbands stole her fortune and she died in 1940 after suffering years of ill health and poverty. She is remembered today, not so much for her astonishing voice, as for one of her favorite dishes that is thought to have been named after her by a chef at the San Francisco hotel where she stayed. The dish consists of bits of turkey or chicken, swimming in a sauce of cream and wine, served over noodles. Name it.

Answer: Turkey Tetrazzini, named for Luiza Tetrazzini.

HECTOR’S PASTA • Hector worked in restaurant kitchens near his home in Italy from the age of 11. His family came to the U.S. in 1915 when he was 17, and he soon got a job as a chef in the kitchens of the prestigious Plaza Hotel in New York City.

• In 1926 he opened his own Italian restaurant in Cleveland. His spaghetti sauce was so popular that diners often asked him for some to take home with them. As demand for his sauces continued to grow, he opened a spaghetti sauce factory next to the restaurant. Business was so brisk that in 1929, he started a company selling bottled spaghetti sauce.

• He wanted to name the company after himself, but his Italian surname had a difficult spelling. So he Americanized it. The label included a depiction of him, wearing his white chef’s hat. Chef Hector experimented with canning spaghetti, and when that turned out well, he added not only canned spaghetti but also canned ravioli to his product line. During World War II, the firm supplied American troops with rations of canned pasta. By the time Chef Hector died in 1985, his Americanized name was known throughout the world: Hector Boiardi, now Boyardee.

© 2015 King Features Synd., Inc.

“DEAR ELF, I HOPE YOU HAVE A NICE WINTER” is the greeting written with a blue crayon in big cap letters and tucked into the makeshift mailbag tacked to the side of the padlocked door at the base of a gnarly ash tree.

For more than 20 years in Minneapolis, young friends of the endearing Lake Harriet tree elf have crouched down by the little wooden door, nimbly unlatched it and left handwritten letters and drawings inside a hollow, carved space of the tree. Returning two or three days later to the path around the city lake, they come to the “elf house” to find a response on a small piece of paper, just to them.

Seasons change, and now eager children have to wait until next spring to open the miniature, magical door again. “I have moved home to my castle,” reads the engraved 1-inch sign above the threshold. Even elves close up their summer homes for the winter.

Maybe your family has already been scurrying around like busy elves getting ready for the impending arrival of winter — washing windows, raking leaves and storing baseball bats and mitts.

Here are more weekend activities you can do together to shift gears into cooler weather and the holidays.

• Make a “be prepared” kit filled with supplies to have on hand if lights go out during a winter storm. Cover a shoebox with paper, and decorate it with safety symbols, using markers and stickers. Fill it with a flashlight, candles and matches, battery-operat-

Donna Erickson’s award-winning series “Donna’s Day” is airing on public television nationwide. To find more of her creative family recipes and activities, visit www.donnasday.com and link to the NEW Donna’s Day Facebook fan page. Her latest book is “Donna Erickson’s Fabulous Funstuff for Families.” © 2015 Donna Erickson Distributed by King Features Synd.

King Features Weekly Service

Soups have always been one of my favorite foods, and fall has always been my favorite season. Stir up this “soup of the harvest” on a cool fall night, and let it warm you up with pleasure-pleasing taste!

1/2 cup chopped onion 1¾ cups (one 14 1/2-ounce can) beef broth 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can reducedfat tomato soup 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning 1½ cups peeled and chopped fresh tomatoes 1½ cups chopped, unpeeled zucchini 1. In a medium saucepan sprayed with olive oil-flavored cooking spray, saute onion for 6 minutes. Add beef broth, tomato soup and Italian seasoning. Mix well to combine. Stir in tomato and zucchini.

2. Bring mixture to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring often. Serves 4 (1 1/4 cups each).

• Each serving equals: 94 calories, 2g fat, 3g protein, 16g carb., 604mg sodium, 2g fiber; Diabetic Exchanges: 2 Vegetable, 1 Starch.

Get Ready for Winter

November 2, 2015

King Features Weekly Service

November 2, 2015

Chunky Tomato Soup

ed clock and radio, and entertainment such as cards or small board games.

• Update your family’s wallet photos by replacing old pictures with new school and informal photos. Send copies to proud grandparents, aunts and uncles. It’s a good time to take holiday card photos, too.

• Sort through closets and drawers.

Put on some music, and have your kids stage an impromptu outerwear “fashion show” to find out which sweaters, jackets and boots still fit and which don’t. Donate useable, clean clothing and drop it off together.

• Discuss ways you can volunteer and participate at your child’s school.

Many children thrive in school when parents get involved.

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CHECK YOUR ANSWERS ON BACK PAGE!!!

PAWS CORNER By: Sam Mazzotta

Why Cats Won’t Use Litter Box DEAR PAW’S CORNER: I read your column responding to the reader whose cats will not use the litter box. I have three cats and two litter boxes, and they’re doing just fine. Here’s what I use: I put a litter called “Feline Pine” in the boxes. It comes in pellets, which don’t weigh much, and you don’t have to use much, just cover the bottom of the pan. When the cats pee, the pellets turn into something like sawdust.

Also, if the reader scoops the boxes every day, or even twice a day, no one will even know he has cats! Trust me! -- Jean H., via email DEAR JEAN: Thanks for the tip! Trying a completely different type of cat litter can help in the case of litter box avoidance. Some cats are turned off by scented litter, while others have an aversion to a litter’s texture. And of course, diligent litter box cleaning makes every one in the household -- humans and cats -- much happier.

As I said in the previous article, owners whose cats are avoiding the box have to experiment a bit to find a solution. Using boxes with lids, or boxes without lids; replacing heavily soiled carpet and backing and treating with a “keep away” spray; increasing the number of litter boxes available; and observing the cats’ behavior for potential conflict or health issues.

Readers, if you have more suggestions for owners dealing with this problem, send them my way at ask@pawscorner.com. (c) 2015 King Features Synd., Inc.

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Tidbits® of Ventura County

Noteworthy Inventions WILLIAM PERKIN

• Born in England in 1838, William Perkin was supposed to grow up to be an architect, which is what his father wanted. However, a youthful chemistry experiment with soda and alum caused William to become far more interested in chemistry than architecture. As a result, he attended the City of London School, one of the first schools to teach chemistry as a standard subject. William excelled.

• In the mid-1800s malaria caused many deaths. The only remedy was quinine, painstakingly derived from the bark of the cinchona tree.

• After hearing a lecture on the difficulties of extracting quinine, Perkin decided to try to synthesize quinine. He started with aniline, made from distilling the indigo plant, because he thought the chemical structure was similar enough to quinine that he could alter it.

• After mixing in carbons and hydrogens extracted from coal tar, the result was a black sludge. Perkin threw it away, then washed his flasks out with water and alcohol but was interested to see that the sludge residue turned the water and alcohol purple.

• Experimenting further, Perkin extracted the substance that caused the color, and sent samples to a friend in the dye business. The purple substance was effective at dying cotton and silk.

• At the time, purple dye was obtained from mollusks and it took 12,000 mollusks to produce enough dye for a single dress, and it was not colorfast. Only royalty could afford purple clothing. Perkin’s dye was permanent, cheap, and easy.

• William, who was only 17 when he made his discovery, subsequently decided to go into the dye business. In 1856, the Patent Office granted Perkin a patent for ‘a new colouring matter for dyeing.’

• The dye was a hit in France, where they named it ‘malva’ for the mallow flower, which is the same color as the dye. Chemists later altered this French name slightly, giving the dye its common name: Mauve.

• William didn’t know anything about textiles or the large scale production of chemicals. However, 1857 the Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III, began to wear mauvecolored gowns. In 1858, Queen Victoria wore mauve to her daughter’s wedding. Suddenly mauve was in demand. Since he was the only person who knew how to produce the dye, his success was assured.

• William’s father invested his savings in order to build a factory, and the business was wildly successful. He continued his research, finding how to prevent cloth from being dyed unevenly by using a soap bath to ensure even application of the color. He found methods of creating light and dark shades of mauve. He figured out how to dye cloth in calico patterns.

• His contribution to dye chemistry happened just as the Industrial Revolution was taking place. Cotton fabric could be manufactured and dyed very cheaply, making it possible for common people to buy better and more colorful clothing.

• William became rich in short order, selling his factory and retiring from the business at the age of 36 to pursue other interests.

• His discovery revolutionized the dye industry and sparked the birth of the synthetic chemical industry. Coal tar had previously been thought of as a useless by-product of the gas industry, whose only known use was for waterproofing boots. Perkin’s discovery laid the foundations for an industry that found uses for coal tar ranging from pharmaceuticals to perfumes to Saccharine. As a result of Perkin’s discovery, over 700 new compounds were found.

* On Nov. 22, 1718, Edward Teach, also known as Blackbeard, is killed off North Carolina’s Outer Banks during a battle with a British navy force. Believed to be a native of England, Teach likely began his pirating career in 1713 on the Queen Anne’s Revenge. * On Nov. 20, 1923, the U.S. Patent Office grants Patent No. 1,475,074 to inventor and newspaperman Garrett Morgan for his three-position traffic signal. By having a third position besides just “Stop” and “Go,” it better regulated crossing vehicles. * On Nov. 21, 1916, the Britannic, sister ship to the Titanic, sinks in the Aegean Sea, killing 30 people. In the wake of the Titanic disaster in 1912, the White Star Line made modifications in the construction of the Britannic, but an explosion caused catastrophic damage. * On Nov. 19, 1969, Brazilian soccer great Pele scores his 1,000th professional goal in a game in Rio de Janeiro. It was a major milestone in a legendary career that included three World Cup championships. * On Nov. 18, 1978, Peoples Temple founder Jim Jones leads hundreds of his followers in a mass murder-suicide at their commune in a remote part of Guyana. Many of Jones’ followers willingly ingested a poisonlaced punch, while others were forced to do so at gunpoint. The final death toll at Jonestown that day was 909; a third of those were children. * On Nov. 16, 1988, in Pakistan, citizens vote in their first open election in more than a decade, choosing as prime minister the populist candidate Benazir Bhutto, daughter of former Pakistani leader Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

She was the first woman leader of a Muslim country in modern history. * On Nov. 17, 1998, DaimlerChrysler begins trading its shares on the New York Stock Exchange. The company had formed five days earlier, when the American Chrysler Corporation merged with the German conglomerate Daimler-Benz AG. (c) 2015 King Features Synd., Inc.

Military Retirees Can Fly on the Cheap --Space-A travel is one of the benefits of military service that can save you a lot of money. Eligibility requirements are tight, but if you qualify, you can literally see the world for a small amount of cash.

Space-A travel, short for Space Available Flight, is for active military and their families, as well as retirees. Seats on planes that might not be used are opened to qualified personnel.

Things to know: Potential passengers are prioritized and taken in order based on when they sign up for a flight. Travel for serious purposes rates a higher priority: attending to an ill relative ranks higher than vacations.

You can be bumped from your flight if higher priority people come in. You might need to continue your trip on commercial flights, and need to be prepared to do that. You can sign up 60 days in advance for a trip you’d like to take. Blue-card retirees (you’re getting retirement pay) are eligible for Space-A; a “Gray-Area” retiree (you haven’t reached age 60 and gotten a blue card) are eligible but with location limits. Gray-Area retirees cannot take family members.

To check whether your preferred destination and point of departure are Space-A terminals, check www.baseops.net/spaceatravel under Locations. You’ll find a list of phone and fax numbers.

For a list of FAQs about Space-A travel, see www.spacea.net. It has information about taking a grandchild or a pet, meals, bag limits and more. If you’ve never flown Space-A, start with the Basics page, especially the Category section to determine where on the priority list you’ll be placed. Retirees, unfortunately, fall in Cat VI, which is at the bottom of the pile.

However, Space-A travel can be an excellent, cheap way to travel as long as you’re flexible. (c) 2015 King Features Synd., Inc.

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Page 7

Game Changers

by Jason Jenkins

Soft Arms

Many golfers have a false belief that the lead arm must be straight or locked throughout the golf swing. In an attempt to keep the lead arm rigid, excessive tension in the hands and shoulders usually results. Some of the world’s best players have a bent lead arm in the backswing such as major champions Angel Cabrera, Darren Clarke, and Geoff Ogilvy. By allowing the lead arm to be “softer”, you’ll be able to create a freer swinging motion and more clubhead speed.

Hale Irwin used a simple drill with his feet together, partial swings, and an attempt to keep the arms soft as a staple in his practice routine.

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By keeping the feet together, it promotes more of an arm and hand swing with little concern for body weight shift. Try hitting balls with this set-up and be sure to: 1. Tee the ball up slightly like a par 3 tee shot.

Makes it easier to have contact success.

2. Use a lighter grip pressure than normal.

You can’t have soft arms with excessively tight grip pressure.

3. Allow the elbows to fold particularly on the finish. Too many amateurs stiffen up through impact causing poor shots.

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Jason Jenkins was a 16-year member of the Jim McLean Golf School teaching staff and was one of GOLF Magazine’s Top 100 Teacher Nominees 1999-2010. He was named one of the Golf Digest Top Teachers in California in 2011.

Contact Jason at 760-485-2452 or devgolfinstr@gmail.com

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America’s Team --If America has a team, it’s always going to be the best dressed. Or at least the one with the best color scheme.

For your consideration, I offer the Dallas Cowboys. When you first think “Dallas Cowboys,” what is the first image that comes into your mind? Don’t wait for the translation. Just answer. It’s that blue star in the middle of a silver helmet. Then it’s the white jersey -- played home and away when handled correctly -- and a few icons at running back and quarterback.

According to a new Harris Poll, the Dallas Cowboys are truly “America’s Team” once again. They are far and away the favorite among adults 30-64, Southerners, blacks and Hispanics. I never knew that they were not America’s team, but I can tell you that I know why they are.

Dallas is a great town. The Ticket, by the way, is the best sports-radio station in America, hands down. Any station that broadcasts “Michael Irvin’s School Closings” is far and away very very funny. Also, YouTube its Trump vs. Cuban debate. It only has a few thousand views, and that’s a shame. It’s an instant classic.

Dallas is like a lot of cities, but unlike any other. It’s as if Atlanta and Kansas City had a big baby. It’s everything you think Texas is and less. It’s big and boisterous, but kind of polite when needed. It is positive and can-do (not Kansas City), but it also is truthful to your face and confident (not Atlanta).

And it has the Cowboys. The Texas Rangers are not America’s team. The Dallas Stars aren’t even covered or discussed in San Antonio or Houston. The Dallas Mavericks are Germany’s favorite team, maybe. But the Cowboys regulate.

So I conducted my own poll. I asked my mom what she thought when she thought of the Cowboys. “Cheerleaders” was her reply. First answer on the board. Dad? “Staubach.” And he didn’t stop there. “They changed the name from ‘Dallas Cowgirls’ to ‘Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders.’ How stupid was that? The Dallas Cowgirls were on the ‘Love Boat’ every week!”

Equipped with the fact that the “Love Boat” was the highest attainment for anything, I called my sister. “I say Dallas Cowboys, you say what?” She says, “football.” I say, “OK, let’s try this again. Cowboys.” “Football,” she answers.

My sister is a smart person. She eventually mutters some stuff about cheerleaders. I let her off the hook.

Fine, America. If you want the Dallas Cowboys as your team, then know their heroes. “Dandy” Don Meredith, Roger Staubach, Drew Pearson, Tony Dorsett, “Too Tall” Jones, Terrapin Randy White, QB Danny White ... the Dallas Cowgirls ... Tom Landry.

And don’t kid yourself. That team that wears a green, orange or purple ensemble? It’s not America’s team. The matter of dress matters. Never forget that.

Mark Vasto is a veteran sportswriter who lives in New Jersey. (c) 2015 King Features Synd., Inc.

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Tidbits速 of Ventura County

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