of Kootenai County, Idaho Issue #46 Nov. 13th 2017Issue #13 March. 23rd 2020 of Kootenai County, Idaho
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TIDBITS® ENJOYS THUNDERSTORMS
by Janet Spencer As you read this, there are 2,000 thunderstorms in progress across the earth. Around 100 lightning strikes will hit the ground in the time it takes to read this sentence. Storms and lightning are an essential part of our ecosystem. Thunderstorms owe their existence to two scientific principles. First, warm air rises. Second, cool air cannot hold as much water as warm air can. HOT AIR • Hot air rises. That’s why smoke goes up a chimney and hot air balloons float. The sun warms the surfaces it falls upon, heating air above it. The hot air rises, creating a vacuum. Cool air flows in from the sides to replace it, and is also warmed. Soon there’s a steady column of hot air rising. • There is much water vapor in air. Warm air holds a greater amount of water than cold air does. When warm air cools, it drops the water, forming a cloud. (This is why you exhale little clouds on cold days.) • Cold air sinks. When the rising air has cooled, it falls and forms a downdraft. After sinking, it heats up again and is swept up in the updraft. The cloud continues to grow as more heated air rises into it, like a balloon being blown up. Now there are conflicting air currents inside the cloud. These currents frequently become unbelievably strong. (continued next page)
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TIDBITS of Kootenai County, Idaho Issue #13 March 23rd 2020
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THUNDERSTORMS (cont) • Tiny droplets combine until they become big enough to fall against the updrafts, creating a stronger downdraft. Soon the downdraft becomes so strong that it chokes off the updraft, and the storm abates. • Billions of particles of water and dust collide and shatter in the cloud’s violent winds. Electrons, the electrically charged particles that revolve around the nucleus of an atom, are knocked loose. Some atoms pick up extra electrons, and other atoms are short of electrons. Therefore, some atoms acquire a negative charge; some positive. The negatively charged particles drop to the lower level of the cloud and the positively charged particles are carried to the upper layers. The cloud has a negative charge on the bottom and a positive charge on top. The ground below the cloud has a positive charge. Lightning occurs when the opposite charges become too strong to keep away from each other any longer. Lightning is the electrical discharge from one region of charged particles to another region of oppositely charged particles. The light is the glow of atoms and molecules that are energized by this electrical discharge. SHOCKING FACTS • The small shock from static electricity after walking across a carpet or stroking a cat is identical to lightning, on a much smaller scale. • The core of lightning ranges in width from 1/10 of an inch to 2 inches, but the energized area can range from 3 to 20 feet wide. • Cloud to ground flashes are rarely over a mile long, but cloud to cloud bolts can travel over 100 miles, sometimes hitting the earth. This is known as a “bolt out of the blue.” • In Pittsburgh in July of 1947, one bolt was measured at 345,000 amperes. Normal household current is 15 amperes. • A flash may last from 1/500th of a second to 2 seconds. (cont)
• Turn on the hot water for three or four minutes to loosen debris on shower walls. It’s much easier to clean when the tile is warm and steamy. • Here’s a great storage solution: screw a metal magazine holder to the inside of a cabinet door. Do this in the bathroom to store a hair dryer or other hair tools. In the kitchen, it makes a wonderful holder for smaller pot lids or foil, wax paper, parchment, etc. • Manners check: “If you are getting into line at a shop, it’s time to end your call. When you try to continue your phone conversation, it means the cashier can’t effectively communicate with you and you risk holding up the line. If the call is that important, just wait until you end it to get in line. Thank you!” -M.R. in Virginia • When arranging your fridge, keep the better choices at eye level and easy to grab. • Get rid of smelly stains on your cutting board with a lemon. Use the cut side of a lemon to scrub your plastic or wood board. For a little extra scrub, sprinkle the lemon with salt. Rinse and air dry. • “To reach the highest cobweb or the lowest dust bunnies, get a yardstick and cover one end with an old tube sock. Use a rubber band to secure it to the stick and you can use it to swipe at the high corners of your rooms or slide it under the furniture. Works like a charm.” -- E.T. in Michigan Send your tips to Now Here’s a Tip, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803. • • (c) 2020 King Features Synd., Inc. •
TIDBITS of Kootenai County, Idaho Issue #13 March 23rd 2020 THUNDERSTORMS (cont) • A large thundercloud may hold 150,000 tons of water, which would be enough to fill a pond a mile long, 300 feet wide, and 5 feet deep. • During a heavy storm when 2 inches of rain falls, 90 lbs. of water fall on each square yard of earth, or more than 200 tons an acre. • Over 4 trillion gallons of water fall on the continental U.S. every day as precipitation. • The Rocky Mountain area gets about 50 to 70 thunderstorm days annually. Kampala, Uganda has about 242 thunderstorm days each year. Java, Indonesia, has about 223. In Arctic and Antarctic regions where air is cold and stable, there may be a thunderstorm once every ten years. In deserts there is plenty of heat but no moisture, and therefore few storms. In the U.S., Florida is the state with the most storms. In Florida, lightning strikes the average square mile of ground up to 46 times per year. THE RUMBLE OF THUNDER • The temperature of the air surrounding a lightning bolt heats up to about 27,000° F. Consider that the surface of the sun is only 10,000°! Thunder is caused when the air along the bolt expands with explosive violence, radiating pressure waves through the atmosphere. Thunder can usually be heard for seven miles clearly, but can sometimes be heard for 40, although it is seldom heard for more than 20. THE PURPOSE OF LIGHTNING • Lightning serves two purposes: it balances out the electrical charges between earth and sky, and it fertilizes the soil. • There are around eight million strikes per day. Each stroke carries about 250 kilowatt hours of electricity. Lightning is the only way to achieve electrical balance on earth. (cont)
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® of Idaho TIDBITS of Kootenai Issue #13 March 23rd 2020 TidbitsCounty, Dallas County THE PURPOSE OF LIGHTNING • Nitrogen is the world’s best fertilizer. It’s a vital element in the food chain for plants, animals, and humans. It is absorbed through the roots of a plant, and it returns to the atmosphere through decomposition. The air in our atmosphere is made of four parts nitrogen to one part oxygen. The heat from a bolt of lightning combines nitrogen chemically with rain. The rain brings the fixed nitrogen to earth where it can be absorbed by plants. About 100 million tons of nitrogen are washed down into the soil each year. That’s more than all the fertilizer plants in the world can manufacture. Life couldn’t exist without it. • A single strike can scorch an area as small as a spot or as large as 25 acres. In the U.S., lightning is the sixth most frequent cause of structural fire and accounts for 11 percent of annual fire losses. It is responsible for nearly half of all fires occurring in national forests. The largest dry lightning storm on record started 1,488 fires in the northern Rockies during a 10-day period in June of 1940. Between 1940 and 1975, around 230,000 lightning fires occurred on the national forests of the Western U.S. • The effect of lightning on a tree that is hit depends on how long it has been raining. If the tree is wet to the base, the electricity will follow the water film down the trunk to the ground, leaving the tree intact. If the tree is not wet to the ground, the lightning will follow the sap down the inside of the tree. The sap vaporizes, and because it’s confined to narrow channels, it blows the tree apart. Oak trees suffer from explosions more than other kinds of trees because they have rough barks that don’t carry water as well as smooth bark.
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By Lucie Winborne • In 1883, Bill Kinsman of Tombstone, Arizona, was the subject of a practical joke when the Tombstone Epitaph announced his intention to marry one May Woodman. The surprised future groom countered with a notice of his own that he had no such plans whatsoever -and was soon after shot to death by the deeply humiliated Ms. Woodman. • “Cenosillicaphobia” is the fear of an empty beer glass. (Use this one to impress your friends during Happy Hour.) • Turning back the giant hands on Big Ben’s four clock faces takes an astonishing total of five hours. • Alexandre Dumas, best known for “The Three Musketeers” and “The Count of Monte Cristo,” felt very strongly that all his works must be presented on colored paper. He wanted all his fiction presented on blue paper, his articles on pink paper and his poetry on yellow paper. • Golf balls were originally made from dried cow eyeballs. • The tea bag was an accidental invention. In 1908, tea merchant Thomas Sullivan distributed his samples in small silken sacks. His customers, not realizing they were samples, dunked them in hot water, and Sullivan soon found himself swamped with orders for his “tea bags”! • In his travels, Marco Polo believed at one point that he had stumbled across unicorns, writing that “They are very ugly brutes to look at. They are not at all such as we describe unicorns.” Not surprising, considering that he was actually viewing rhinoceroses. • Ancient Romans created black hair dye by fermenting leeches in vinegar. • The game of marbles is estimated to be about 5,000 years old. Through most of their history, the toys were made of stone, bone, clay or whatever material was available, with truly round marbles being both rare and expensive.
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Reach for thie crunchy snack the next time you have an attack of the munchies. 3 full cups honey graham cereal 1 cup miniature marshmallows 1/2 cup dry-roasted peanuts 1 cup raisins 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips In a large zip-lock storage bag, combine cereal, marshmallows, peanuts, raisins and chocolate chips. Seal bag and shake well to combine. Store mixture in an airtight container. Mix well before serving. Makes 8 (3/4 cup) servings. * Each serving equals: 201 calories, 5g fat, 3g protein, 36g carb., 150mg sodium, 2g fiber; Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Starch/Carb., 1 Fruit, 1 Fat. (c) 2020 King Features Syndicate, Inc.
10/10/19 5:25 PM
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TIDBITS ofTidbits Kootenai® County, Idaho Issue #13 March 23rd 2020 of Dallas County
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By Dr. Holly Carling
YOUR GALLBLADDER MATTERS
So often we are duped into believing that the gallbladder, appendix, uterus, tonsils and other organs don’t matter; that we can live “just as well” without them. Is that really true? I personally don’t believe that God made a mistake and gave us worthless organs. Every organ matters, and every organ is made to function until the end of our lives if we take care of them. But we don’t, and far too frequently, these “unneeded” organs get surgically removed and life is supposed to go on like nothing happened. All our organs do matter, and the gallbladder is no exception. The gallbladder functions as a holding chamber that collects the bile, then concentrates it so that when fat is consumed it releases a flood of it, drenching the fat with these important enzymes. The liver, where the bile is produced, also uses bile and the gallbladder to remove toxic waste. This is waste from natural biological processes and from the foods we eat. When the gallbladder is gone, the fat is no longer saturated with bile for proper emulsification, and the liver loses one of its two pathways of elimination. Production and release of bile still occurs drip by drip, handling some of the fat, but the main process is gone. There is no more concentration of bile, nor saturation of fat. Of the more than ½ million Americans annually that have their gallbladders removed, 40% still hatic, don’t even have gallstones.
ave the same symptoms that brought them to their doctors in the first place. Most people with gallstones never have symptoms their entire life, and many who are symptom 12% will have “Bile Dumping Syndrome” or chronic diarrhea after their gallbladder is removed. This is due to the sporadic release of bile into the intestines, now that the control mechanism, the Sphincter of Oddi, is gone along with the gallbladder. After the gallbladder is removed, you may have problems digesting fats (good and bad ones). Because the good fats are vital to making hormones, (especially the ones needed for brain function, sex hormones and others), are needed for calcium metabolism and for proper utilization of fat soluble Vitamins A, D, E & K, you could have a deficiency in these areas, causing a range of symptoms and problems. There are many reasons for gallbladder symptoms, some of which can be quite serious, but many of which are controllable via good dietary habits. While there are true gallbladder emergencies, if you are between events, there is much you can do to restore health to your gallbladder. If you’ve already had your gallbladder out, there are things you can do to support better fat utilization, but it will never be as good as the original thing. If you still have symptoms after gallbladder removal, there are several things at our disposal to help.
Dr. Holly Carling is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Licensed Acupuncturist, Doctor of Naturopathy, Clinical Nutritionist and Master Herbologist with over three decades of experience. Dr. Carling is currently accepting new patients and offers natural health care services and whole food nutritional supplements in her Coeur d’ Alene clinic. Visit Dr. Carling’s website at www.vitalhealthcda.com to learn more about Dr. Carling, view a list of upcoming health classes and read other informative articles. Dr. Carling can be reached at 208-7651994 and would be happy to answer any questions regarding this topic.
TIDBITS of Kootenai County, Issue505-0674 #13 March 23rd 2020 For Advertising CallIdaho (334)
VETERANS POST by Freddy Groves
Department of Defense Is Shortchanging Vets
The Inspector General for the Department of Defense has discovered that millions of dollars intended for service-disabled veteranowned small businesses didn’t go to eligible veterans. Instead the money went to businesses that didn’t qualify. The goal is for every department to set aside at least 3% of its contracts for servicedisabled veterans who own businesses. Each of those small businesses must be at least 51% owned by a service-disabled veteran who is hands-on with the business, directing daily operations and in control of management. Each business is allowed to subcontract a certain percentage of its work. The DOD failed. Out of 27 contracts valued at $827.8 million, it gave the money to 16 businesses that didn’t meet the requirements. The DOD expected those contractors to “selfcertify” and swear they qualified. Additionally, the DOD did not check compliance at the subcontracting level, handing out $164.7 million to three contractors who didn’t qualify. The DOD Inspector General report, of course, had recommendations ... coordinate this, implement that, etc. The acting director of the Office of Small Business Programs didn’t comment on the recommendations, said his office was not responsible and pointed to a different department. The DOD fired back, quoting the actual instruction manual, chapter and verse, that stated that the OSBP should oversee all smallbusiness activities. That left the whole mess as unresolved. No recommendations were resolved; no recommendations were closed. This is not a new problem. In 2012 the DOD Inspector General put out a report about the many millions of dollars handed out to veterans who did not qualify. The Department of Veterans Affairs keeps a registry for just this reason: so departments can verify a veteran’s status. It’s just a matter of looking them up. The OSBP handed out small-business contracts valued at $10.3 billion in 2018. How much of that went to people who didn’t qualify? (c) 2020 King Features Synd., Inc.
1. COMICS: In which comic-book series was the character of Wendy the Good Little Witch introduced? 2. GEOGRAPHY: Which is the flattest U.S. state? 3. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Which president installed the first telephone in the White House? 4. LITERATURE: Which attorney was introduced in the novel “The Case of the Velvet Claws”? 5. HISTORY: Who opened the first birth control clinic in the United States in 1916? 6. SCIENCE: Which element is graphite made entirely of? 7. MOVIES: Which movie featured the famous line, “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse”? 8. MUSIC: Which two country stars released a 1978 song called “You’re the Reason Our Kids Are Ugly”? 9. TELEVISION: What was the name of the inn on the “Newhart” comedy series? 10. MEASUREMENTS: Ten inches of snow generally equal how many inches of rain? Answers 1. “Casper the Friendly Ghost” 2. Florida 3. Rutherford B. Hayes 4. Perry Mason 5. Margaret Sanger 6. Carbon 7. “The Godfather,” Vito Corleone 8. Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty 9. The Stratford Inn 10. 1 inch (c) 2020 King Features Synd., Inc.
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ForofAdvertising 505-0674 TIDBITS Kootenai County,Call Idaho(334) Issue #13 March 23rd 2020 COUCH THEATER VIDEO/DVD PREVIEWS
PHOTO: Scene from “Spies in Disguise” Photo Credit: Twentieth Century Fox “Spies in Disguise” (PG) -- Will Smith and Tom Holland star in this sweet animated comedy about superspy Lance Sterling (Smith). When he is framed, his only resource is the plucky but weird inventor Walter Beckett (Holland), who was just fired from the agency for equipping Sterling with his brigade of sunshine weaponry -- nonlethal but effective gadgets. (The kitten bomb is brilliance.) Beckett is working on an untested invention that accidentally turns Sterling into a pigeon, and the two reluctantly pair up and must use newfound strengths to save the world and the agency operatives from a massive drone attack. It was delightful. “Uncut Gems” (R) -- Adam Sandler goes deep drama as Jewish-American jewelry dealer and gambling addict Howard Ratner in New York’s Diamond District. Smooth-talking and critically flawed, Ratner trades on an uncut black opal and a relationship with pro basketballer Kevin Garnett to bet away his considerable debts. While attempting to orchestrate a big win, he must manage his cold, estranged wife (Idina Menzel), his employee girlfriend Julia (Julia Fox) and his brother-in-law bookie Arno (Eric Bosogian), to whom he owes much cash. “Bombshell” (R) -- Ripped from the headlines of the news networks themselves, “Bombshell” exposes the top-down sexism of FOX News, told from three distinct perspectives of on-air personalities. Nicole Kidman plays Gretchen Carlson, who was fired after attempts to combat workplace harassment made her unpopular. She sued the network and made claims that she had been preyed upon by CEO Roger Ailes, igniting a hotbed of controversy. Charlize Theron impeccably apes Megyn Kelly, the reporter who was mocked by the president and not defended by FOX. Meanwhile, a young, beautiful producer -- a composite character played by Margot Robbie -- is mortified by the advances of Ailes (John Lithgow), offered as a tit for tat as she climbs her way up the newsroom ladder. “Charlie’s Angels” (PG-13) -- Imagine a brave new world with teams of Angels -- highly trained and effortlessly gorgeous operatives -- each with its own handler named Bosley. Such is the new iteration of the security agency of Charles “Charlie” Townsend, to which an engineer named Elena (Naomi Scott) turns to expose the weaponization of some serious technology she’s developing for her sinister boss -- tech that’s gone missing. She’s partnered with Angels’ Sabina (Kristen Stewart) and Jane (Ella Balinska). From there, it’s a globe-trotting girl-power action sequence. The problem is, there’s not much holding the sequences together -- no gripping back stories, no comical personal struggles. Yawn. Director Elizabeth Banks’ reimagining of the Charlie’s Angels universe, unfortunately, falls flat from lack of a compelling story. (c) 2020 King Features Synd., Inc.
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® ofIdaho TIDBITS of Kootenai County, Issue County #13 March 23rd 2020 Tidbits Dallas
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• On March 30, 1867, U.S. Secretary of State William Seward signs a treaty with Russia to buy Alaska for $7 million. Despite the bargain price of roughly 2 cents an acre, the Alaskan purchase was ridiculed as “Seward’s Folly” and “Seward’s icebox.” • On March 31, 1889, the Eiffel Tower is dedicated in Paris in a ceremony presided over by Gustave Eiffel, its designer, and French Prime Minister Pierre Tirard. At 984 feet, the Eiffel Tower remained the world’s tallest man-made structure until the completion of the Chrysler Building in New York in 1930. • On April 2, 1902, the first American theater devoted solely to movies opens in Los Angeles. Housed in a circus tent, the venue was dubbed “The Electric Theater.” A ticket cost 10 cents for a one-hour show. • On April 4, 1913, Chicago bluesman Muddy Waters is born in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Born McKinley Morganfield, he wrote “Rollin’ Stone,” “Hoochie Coochie Man” and “Got My Mojo Working,” songs that would later inspire Bob Dylan. • On April 5, 1931, Fox Film Corp. drops John Wayne from its stable of actors after he failed to impress the studio in a series of bit parts. In 1939, Wayne had his breakthrough in “Stagecoach,” and 30 years later he would win an Oscar for “True Grit.” • On April 3, 1955, the American Civil Liberties Union announces it will defend Allen Ginsberg’s racy book “Howl” against obscenity charges after 520 copies of the book were seized entering the U.S. from England. American publisher Lawrence Ferlinghetti was later arrested and tried for promoting obscene material, but was found not guilty. • On April 1, 1970, President Richard Nixon signs legislation officially banning cigarette ads on television and radio. Nixon, who was an avid pipe smoker, supported the legislation at the increasing insistence of public health advocates. (c) 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved
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Medication
By Matilda Charles IRS Tax Form Designed With Seniors in Mind Thanks to The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, the Internal Revenue Service has come up with a tax filing form just for us: Form 1040-SR, the tax return for seniors. This is an alternative form for those of us who are age 65 or older and replaces the 1040EZ form. If you have a straightforward, uncomplicated tax situation, this could be the form for you. Compared to the 1040EZ form, however, this one allows reporting of more types of income, and there is no limit to interest income. You can list your Social Security income as well as interest, dividends, pensions and more. You don’t need to be retired to use this form, but you need to have turned 65 by the end of 2019 (born before Jan. 2, 1955). If you’ve already retired and receive Social Security, but are under age 65, you cannot use this form. But you can use it if you file jointly with a spouse, even if only one of you is age 65 or older. It looks generally like the standard Form 1040, but the print is bigger, the text boxes are bigger and there is more space between the lines of print. The instructions are the same as for Form 1040. You can take the standard deduction or itemize your deduction, and it uses the standard 1040 forms. If you have extra income, such as prize money, you need to add Schedule 1. If you’re going to owe other taxes, such as household employment or self-employment tax, you’ll need Schedule 2. Schedule 3 is new, for additional credits and payments. Remember that our standard deduction is larger this year. If you usually take advantage of free tax preparation by AARP volunteers, they’re sure to have these new forms already. (c) 2020 King Features Synd., Inc.
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(Marilynn Marchione, Associated Press, Posted Mar. 8, 2020 at 12:08 p.m.; Marilynn Marchione can be followed on Twitter: @MMarchioneAP) NEW YORK — Claire Dinneen’s daughters thought that worsening dementia was causing her growing confusion, but her doctor suspected something else. Dr. Pei Chen asked them to round up medicines in the 89-year-old woman’s home and they returned with a huge haul. There were 28 drugs ordered by various doctors for various ailments, plus over-the-counter medicines. Chen spent a year sorting out which ones were truly needed and trimmed a dozen. To her daughters’ surprise, Dinneen got better, able to remember more things and to offer advice on what to wear and how to raise their kids. Her symptoms were from “medication fog,” not her dementia getting worse, Chen told one daughter. About 91% of people over 65 take at least one prescription medicine and 41% use five or more -- what doctors call polypharmacy. The risk of side effects or interactions rises with the number of pills, and one doctor often is unaware of what others have already prescribed for the same patient. Dinneen, for example, had two prescriptions for the same drug at different doses from different pharmacies. “It’s very easy to miss medication side effects because they masquerade as all these other symptoms,” said Dr. Michael Steinman, another UCSF geriatrician. He recently helped update an American Geriatrics Society list of potentially inappropriate medicines for older adults that can mimic dementia or make symptoms worse. “Potentially” is the key word -- the drugs on the list don’t always pose a problem, and no one should stop using any medicine without first checking with a doctor because that could do serious harm, Steinman stressed. But some medicines don’t have a strong reason to be used and their risks may outweigh their benefits for older people, he and other doctors say. They often “de-prescribe” medicines that may no longer be needed or that once may have been OK but now may be causing problems. The list includes certain types of muscle relaxants, antihistamines, allergy medicines, stomach acid remedies, antidepressants, anti-anxiety medicines, pain relievers, sleep aids and other common treatments. Many of these drugs have anticholinergic effects -- that is, they reduce or interfere with a chemical messenger that’s key to healthy nerve function. That can cause drowsiness, confusion, blurred vision, dizziness and other symptoms that impair thinking skills. These drugs might be fine for a younger person, but “once someone is having even the tiniest difficulty with thinking and memory, then the effects of these drugs are just huge,” said Dr. Andrew Budson of Boston University’s Alzheimer’s disease center. Sometimes side effects appear right away but in other cases they only develop or show up with longer use. Patients may not make the connection between a drug they’ve used for many months and new symptoms. Age itself can be a culprit and make a long-used drug suddenly intolerable. “The drug hasn’t changed, the person has,” said Dr. Greg Jicha, a dementia specialist at the University of Kentucky. Family members will say, ”‘well, she was on that for 20 years,’ but her brain, kidney, liver were younger too. She’s no longer going to be able to metabolize that drug” like she used to, he said. Jicha recalled a case last year when he was asked to give a second opinion on a woman recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. He reviewed her medicines and “six jumped right out -- these are not good medications for someone over 65” let alone at the higher doses she was receiving, he said. Four turned out to be for problems she no longer had, and he was able to switch some others to safer alternatives. The woman’s score on a 38-point test of thinking skills rose from 18 before the medication changes to 33 after them, putting her at the low end of the normal range. Now she can drive, which was “an absolute no-no six months earlier,” Jicha said. “She clearly no longer meets criteria for dementia.” One of his colleagues, Dr. Daniela Moga, heads a study to see whether optimizing medicines can delay the start of dementia symptoms. At the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Los Angeles in July, she described the federally funded research, which involves people who are 65 or older and taking at least one medicine on the geriatrics society list. All have normal thinking skills although some showed signs on brain scans of possible dementia developing. Participants are given a sort of cognitive stress test -- they take exams for thinking skills while wearing a patch that oozes scopolamine, a motion sickness drug that has anticholinergic effects, and then four weeks later without the patch. If they do worse while on the patch, it means certain medicines might be harmful for them, Moga explained. “We want to see if we can identify a specific group that might benefit most” by carefully managing medication use and possibly delay the start of dementia symptoms, she said. To help avoid medication problems, doctors give these tips: Make sure you know all the medications someone is taking, including prescription, over-the-counter and vitamins or dietary supplements. Don’t assume that some are safe just because they don’t require a prescription. Keep a running list with the date each medicine is started and stopped and note any symptoms. The National Institute on Aging offers a worksheet for this. Review the total medication list with a doctor, a geriatrics specialist or a pharmacist. If you suspect a problem, bring it up and don’t wait for your doctor to ask. The American Geriatric Society’s Health in Aging Foundation has these tools and tips for finding alternatives to any medicines causing trouble. (The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.) Please call for a tour of our “HOMES,” for truly they are… And, if you would like to join our circle of caregivers or volunteers in one of our homes, please contact Linda at 208-755-3637 or linda@lodgeliving.net. And, we are delighted to schedule around school commitments for our employees and volunteers who are reaching ever upward. Call us!!
Linda Davis Director of building relationships. 208.457.3403 www.LodgeLiving.net
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® of Idaho TIDBITS of Kootenai County, IssueCounty #13 March 23rd 2020 Tidbits Dallas
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ARIES (March 21 to April 19) A pesky health problem should clear up soon. Meanwhile, travel -- both for personal as well as for business reasons -- is strong in the Aries aspect this week, and well into the next. TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) Look for Bovines to be on the move this week, whether it’s traveling for fun or for business. Other “moves” include workplace adjustments and, for some, relationship changes. GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) Geminis who have just gone through a hectic period involving job and/or family matters might want to take some well-earned time out to relax and restore those drained energy levels. CANCER (June 21 to July 22) A romantic situation seems to have stalled, just when the Moon Child was expecting it to go forward. Could that be a bad case of miscommunication going on. Talk it over openly and honestly. LEO (July 23 to August 22) Showing a genuine interest in something that’s important to a friend, family member or colleague could open a communication line that had been pretty much shut down for a while. VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) Making a potentially life-changing decision takes as much knowledge as you can gather, plus determination and patience. Take your time working it out. Don’t let anyone rush you. LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) You should be back on schedule and heading in the right direction after clearing up a misunderstanding. But there could still be some setbacks. If so, correct them immediately. SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) A business matter keeps you pretty busy, but try to squeeze in time to be with family as well as close friends. You need the good vibrations you get from people who care for you. SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Investing in an attractive prospect (business or personal) with little or no information can be risky. Avoid future problems by getting all the facts before you act. CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Someone close to you might have an unexpected reaction to a decision you feel you’re prepared to make. Listen to his or her point of view. It could prove to be surprisingly helpful. AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) Don’t give up yet. That once warm, personal relationship that seems to be cooling off fast could recover with some tender, loving care, and who better than you to provide it? PISCES (February 19 to March 20) Career matters are strong this week. You might want to enter a training program to enhance your skills. Also, consider getting professional help in preparing a brilliant resume.
BORN THIS WEEK:
You have a way of respecting the feelings of others, which is one reason people feel comfortable having you in their lives. (c) 2020 King Features Synd., Inc.
TIDBITS of Kootenai County, Idaho Issue #13 March 23rd 2020
Heritage Health to offer telehealth for its patients
Heritage Health is now offering telehealth for its medical, behavioral health and psychiatric patients in response to the coronavirus pandemic. This new option will allow Heritage Health’s 30,000 patients to address medical problems, both ongoing and new, says Heritage Health’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Peter Purrington. “This gives health care providers a vital tool to help our patients,” says Purrington. “It will help reduce the spread of the coronavirus and lessen the burden on our community’s health care systems. Patients concerned about having the coronavirus could speak with their doctor, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner virtually to learn about testing and what they should do next.” Using telehealth, patients can consult with a medical professional via phone and/or computer. Telehealth also gives patients with ongoing issues a mechanism to see their provider from the comfort of their own home. For example, a patient with diabetes wouldn’t have to postpone a regular follow-up visit with their provider. The patient could communicate with their provider via the phone or with many video platforms, such as Skype, Zoom or WhatsApp.
Medicare officials said on Tuesday that it will expand coverage for telemedicine across the country to help seniors with health problems stay at home to avoid contracting the coronavirus. Previously, Medicare patients were limited in their coverage when they used telehealth and would previously only receive coverage for routine services in certain circumstances, such as if they lived in a remote location. But the federal government said that Medicare would temporarily pay clinicians to provide telehealth services to its patients including mental health counseling, common office visits, and preventative health screenings. Patients using telehealth are normally required to fill out waivers before accessing telehealth, but those waivers can be done verbally and documented during your telehealth visit. “Your medical information will continue to be confidential,” said Purrington. “We want our patients and families to be confident that they can use telehealth as a trusted resource to communicate with their medical or behavioral health provider.”
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TIDBITS of Kootenai County, Idaho Issue #13 March 23rd 2020
YOUR GALLBLADDER MATTERS
So often we are duped into believing that the gallbladder, appendix, uterus, tonsils and other organs don’t matter; that we can live “just as well” without them. Is that really true? I personally don’t believe that God made a mistake and gave us worthless organs. Every organ matters, and every organ is made to function until the end of our lives if we take care of them. But we don’t, and far too frequently, these “unneeded” organs get surgically removed and life is supposed to go on like nothing happened. All our organs do matter, and the gallbladder is no exception. The gallbladder functions as a holding chamber that collects the bile, then concentrates it so that when fat is consumed it releases a flood of it, drenching the fat with these important enzymes. The liver, where the bile is produced, also uses bile and the gallbladder to remove toxic waste. This is waste from natural biological processes and from the foods we eat. When the gallbladder is gone, the fat is no longer saturated with bile for proper emulsification, and the liver loses one of its two pathways of elimination.
Production and release of bile still occurs drip by drip, handling some of the fat, but the main process is gone. There is no more concentration of bile, nor saturation of fat. Of the more than ½ million Americans annually that have their gallbladders removed, 40% still have the same symptoms that brought them to their doctors in the first place. Most people with gallstones never have symptoms their entire life, and many who are symptomatic, don’t even have gallstones. 12% will have “Bile Dumping Syndrome” or chronic diarrhea after their gallbladder is removed. This is due to the sporadic release of bile into the intestines, now that the control mechanism, the Sphincter of Oddi, is gone along with the gallbladder. After the gallbladder is removed, you may have problems digesting fats (good and bad ones). Because the good fats are vital to making hormones, (especially the ones needed for brain function, sex hormones and others), are needed for calcium metabolism and for proper utilization of fat soluble Vitamins A, D, E & K, you could have a deficiency in these areas, causing a range of symptoms and problems. There are many reasons for gallbladder symptoms, some of which can be quite serious, but many of which are controllable via good dietary habits. While there are true gallbladder emergencies, if you are between events, there is much you can do to restore health to your gallbladder. If you’ve already had your gallbladder out, there are things you can do to support better fat utilization, but it will never be as good as the original thing. If you still have symptoms after gallbladder removal, there are several things at our disposal to help.
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By Sam Mazzotta
Brushing Cat’s Teeth Is a Real Chore
DEAR PAW’S CORNER: My mom says I need to brush my kitten’s teeth every day. “Terry,” who is about four months old, doesn’t like this very much. Do I have to brush his teeth so often? -- Caitlin, via email DEAR CAITLIN: Brushing your pet’s teeth can be kind of tough at first, when they’re not used to it. The best way to do it is to make the experience a good one for Terry as much as possible. • -- Use toothpaste made specifically for pets, with a meat, poultry or dairy flavor. • If you don’t have one, get a finger brush designed for brushing small pets’ teeth. You also can use a soft cloth or cotton ball. • Hold Terry in your lap for a few minutes before starting the brushing routine, petting him until he is more relaxed. • Gently use your index finger to lift Terry’s lip on one side -- not very far, just enough to expose his fang and a couple of teeth. Dr Ashley is board certified in Family Medicine and in Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine. She provides a mix of • Quickly but gently swipe the finger brush traditional with alternative medicine and specializes in bio-identical hormones for both men and women. downward over Terry’s exposed teeth, and let go of his lip. • Repeat on the other side. In between each swipe, Terry will lick away the flavored toothpaste. Give him lots of praise and pats, and maybe let him lick a little toothpaste off of the brush. At first, Terry may only let you swipe each side once. That’s OK, since he’s getting used to the brushing process. If you are consistent and do the above routine every night, and focus on keeping him relaxed, he will gradually let you brush more of his teeth. Send your questions, comments or tips to ask@ pawscorner.com. (c) 2020 King Features Synd., Inc.
TIDBITS of Kootenai County, Idaho Issue #13 March 23rd 2020
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1. What music group appeared on the final episode of “The Ed Sullivan Show”? 2. Who sang the other half of the duet with Jennifer Warnes in the film “An Officer and a Gentleman”? 3. Name the group that got their start with the non-memorable name Atomic Mass. (Hint: The drummer only has one arm.) 4. “Hurts So Good” appeared on which John Cougar Mellencamp album? 5. Name the song that contains this lyric: “Since you’ve gone I been lost without a trace, I dream at night I can only see your face.” Answers 1. Gladys Knight and the Pips, in 1971. The variety show had been on the air for 23 years. 2. Joe Cocker. The song was “Up Where We Belong.” 3. Def Leppard, although they did first consider Deaf Leopard. Drummer Rick Allen lost his left arm in a car accident in 1984, but with a customized drum kit he kept on playing. 4. “American Fool,” in 1982. 5. “Every Breath You Take,” by the Police, in 1983. Recently it was determined to be the most played radio song in history. Rather than being a gentle love song, Sting has said that it’s a rather sinister song about jealousy. (c) 2020 King Features Synd., Inc.
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TIDBITS of Kootenai County, Idaho Issue #13 March 23rd 2020 MEMORABLE MOVIES LORD OF THE RINGS • The Lord of the Rings trilogy directed by Peter Jackson won a total of 17 Academy Awards. “The Return of the King” won every Oscar for which it was nominated, leaving it tied with “Titanic” (1997) and “Ben-Hur” (1959) for the most Oscars awarded to a film. Here are some lesser known facts about the films. • During filming, Viggo Mortensen was spending a day off surfing on the coast. After a bad wipe-out, half of his face was bruised so badly that make-up couldn’t hide the discoloration. That’s why when his character Aragorn finds the tomb in the mines of Moria, he is seen from only one side. • Christopher Lee, who played the evil wizard Saruman, was the only cast member who actually knew author J.R.R. Tolkien. • Sean Bean, who played Boromir, was afraid of flying in a helicopter and for some remote scenes chose to hike to the set – on top of a mountain – rather than ride in the chopper. • John Rhys-Davies played the dwarf Gimli and also provided the voice of the Ent named Treebeard. No special effects were needed for the voice; he just spoke in his deepest voice through a wooden megaphone. At 6’1” he was the tallest member of the cast, in spite of playing a dwarf. • It took 90 minutes for prosthetic Hobbit feet to be applied for the four main Hobbit actors before shooting could begin each day. • Viggo Mortensen bought the horse he rode for the films in his role as Aragorn. • Over 300 horses were used in the film and none of them were injured. • In an iconic scene when Bilbo Baggins drops the One Ring, the ring actually fell onto a magnetic floor so it would not bounce and would seem inordinately heavy. (cont)
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By Ryan A. Berenz 1. This winner of five career Grand Slam titles recently announced her retirement from tennis at the age of 32. Who is she? 2. Actor/wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson played on the defensive line for what college football team? 3. What player hit two home runs in his debut with the New York Yankees on Opening Day 2018? 4. Who is the only NCAA Division I basketball player -- male or female -- to record 2,000 points, 1,000 assists and 1,000 rebounds in a career? 5. What sport of ancient Gaelic origin uses a ball called a sliotar? 6. What Division I men’s basketball team has the most appearances in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16? 7. What NBA team broke the league record (previously held by the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors) for earliest playoff clinch?
Answers 1. Maria Sharapova. 2. The University of Miami Hurricanes. 3. Giancarlo Stanton. 4. Sabrina Ionescu of the University of Oregon Ducks. 5. Hurling. 6. The University of Kentucky Wildcats, with 44 as of 2019. 7. The 2019-20 Milwaukee Bucks, who recently clinched a playoff berth after 56 games.
TIDBITS of Kootenai County, Idaho Issue #13 March 23rd 2020 LORD OF THE RINGS (cont) • The great-grandson of J. R. R. Tolkien appeared in a cameo shot as a ranger at Osgiliath. • During the scene where Gollum is arguing with himself as the two sides of his personality struggle for control, “Treacherous Gollum” has narrow pupils but “Friendly Gollum” has wide pupils. • In the scene where Frodo is bitten by the Shelob the giant spider, actor Elijah Wood had two Alka-Seltzer tablets concealed under his tongue for the foaming-at-the-mouth look. • During the Council of Elrond, which takes place outdoors in the autumn (but was actually filmed in a studio), leaves are constantly drifting down from the trees. These leaves had been collected, preserved, and painted months prior, and then were gradually dropped from the ceiling above the set by six crew members. • Because Orcs have black blood, they couldn’t be seen with pink tongues and gums, so all Orcs were required to swish their mouths with licorice-based mouthwash before every scene to achieve the right look. • The scene for the location of Edoras was actually filmed in the middle of a national park in New Zealand, which was allowed on the condition that the area be returned to its original condition when the filming wrapped up. Gardeners meticulously dug up all of the vegetation in the area and stored everything in a greenhouse nursery for 18 months before returning everything to its original place. • Around 10,000 prosthetic facial appliances, over 3,500 pairs of Hobbit feet, 2,500 foam body suits, 1,200 suits of amour, 2,000 weapons, and 10,000 arrows were made for the Lord of The Rings trilogy. About 18,000 costumes were created from scratch, and between 30 and 40 of the same costume were created for each main character.
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By Candace Godwin
Gardening Tips for Early Spring Resist the Urge to Buy Plants Now
• Big-box home and garden centers are starting to fill with plants. No matter how spectacular they look, resist the temptation to buy! It’s too early to plant outside. • Our region’s last average day of frost is around May 15 th . Wait until then to purchase warmseason vegetables and hanging flower baskets. • Shop local producers or nurseries for bedding plants and vegetable starts in late spring for plants that are acclimated to our climate. Many big-box stores receive plant stock from other regions of the country that are not acclimated to our growing conditions. Candace Godwin and Goldie
Start Seeds Indoors Now
• Seed packets are less costly than plant starts and you’ll have more choices of plant varieties to grow. • With some seed-starting mix, a couple of yogurt containers, and a warm, sunny window you’ll be growing in no time! • Start vegetables like tomatoes, lettuce and basil about 8 weeks before transplanting outside. • Seeds started in late March will be ready to transplant around the end of May –perfect timing!
Make a Garden Plan
• Make a list of the plants you want to grow and take inventory of any remaining seed from last season. • Create a simple sketch of your garden layout. It will help you be more organized when planting time comes later in the spring.
The Dirt on Soil
• Avoid digging in wet soil, it will only compact the soil and create rock-hard mud balls! • Once the ground dries, use a spade or garden fork to gently turn the top layer of soil.
• There is no need for deep rototilling in established beds — doing so brings weed seeds to the surface where they will quickly germinate. • Rototilling can damage the soil integrity and destroy the good micro-organisms and worms living in your soil!
Weed It Out
• Get a jump on the weeds by pulling the out now – the soil is damp and roots come out easier. • If you choose to use a chemical herbicide (organic or synthetic), read and follow the instructions on the label.
Enjoy Gardening!
You don’t need a large space to garden – many plants are well suited to container growing. Start small with a window box of herbs, or grow a variety of vegetables, herbs, and flowers in containers on a sunny patio. Experiment and have fun! Candace Godwin is a Certified Master Gardener and owner of The Coeur d’Alene Coop. More gardening tips are online at thecoeurdalenecoop.com.
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TIDBITS of Kootenai County, Idaho Issue #13 March 23rd 2020 HAIL • Several conditions are required in the atmosphere in order for hailstorms to occur. First, towering cumulonimbus clouds must be present. These are the anvil or mushroom shaped clouds that reach heights of up to 65,000 feet. Second, there must be high concentrations of super-cooled water contained within the cloud. Third, there must be strong air currents rising and falling within the cloud. These updrafts and downdrafts tumble ice particles around within the cloud, adding successive layers of ice. • A newly formed hailstone is too light to fall to the ground, so it remains suspended in the thunderstorm by the updraft. Hailstones move through the thunderstorm like lottery balls mixing in a tumbler. The hailstone grows as it collects water on its surface and freezes, a process that forms ice in layers like an onion. • A hailstone the size of a golf ball requires winds of 60 mph (96 kph) to keep it elevated within the cloud. When winds begin to diminish, or when the hailstone becomes too heavy, it falls. When you cut a hailstone in half, you can see rings of ice. Some rings are milky white while others are clear. Counting the layers gives an indication of how many times the hailstone travelled to the top of the storm cloud. • An average of 5,000 hailstorms hit the U.S. every year. • The average size of a hailstone is 1/4 inch (6 cm) in diameter. Only one out of every 800 thunderstorms will produce walnut-sized hail. Hail the size of a grapefruit or larger accounted for just 0.5 percent of all the hail reported during the past 60 years. • The tiniest and softest hail pellets are called graupel and they are more like pellets of snow. The word “graupel” is the diminutive form of the German word “graupe” meaning “pearl barley.” (cont)
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TIDBITS of Kootenai County, Idaho Issue #13 March 23rd 2020
Sesame-Ginger Asparagus
Thin asparagus always makes an elegant side dish. Sprinkle it with a hint of red pepper flakes for an impressive presentation. This dish is lovely served with a fish main course. 1 1/2 pounds thin asparagus, trimmed and cut diagonally into 2-inch pieces 1 tablespoon canola oil 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and chopped 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1 teaspoon sesame seeds 1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil 1. In 12-inch skillet, heat 1 cup water to boiling over high heat. Add asparagus; heat to boiling. Reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook 4 to 5 minutes or until asparagus is tender-crisp. Drain asparagus in colander, then immediately plunge into large bowl of ice water to stop cooking; drain thoroughly. 2. Carefully wipe skillet dry with paper towels. Add canola oil; heat oil over high heat until hot. Add asparagus, ginger, soy sauce and crushed red pepper, and cook 1 to 2 minutes or just until asparagus is heated through. Remove skillet from heat; stir in sesame seeds and sesame oil. Serves 4. * Each serving: About 90 calories, 5g total fat (0.5g saturated), 160mg sodium, 8g total carbohydrate, 4g dietary fiber, 4g protein. For thousands of triple-tested recipes, visit our Web site at www.goodhousekeeping.com/ food-recipes/. (c) 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. All rights reserved
HAIL (cont) • Cheyenne, Wyoming gets more hail than any other place in the U.S., with about 10 hailstorms annually. About one thunderstorm in six is accompanied by hail in Cheyenne. In Miami, only one in 71 brings hail. • The states with the most severely damaging hailstorms are Texas, Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Oklahoma. • About 73 percent of all hailstorms occur between 2:00 pm and 9:00 pm. • July and August are the biggest months for hail in the western U.S. • It almost never hails in the tropics or in the Arctic. It never hails when the ground temperature is below freezing. • Large hailstones fall at speeds of up to 100 mph (160 kph). • An average of about 24 people get hurt from hail each year. • In Kansas, a 1959 hailstorm covered an area 9 miles long (14.5 km) and 6 miles wide (9.7 km) in hail to a depth of 18 inches (46 cm). • A hailstorm over Alberta, Canada in 1953 killed around 36,000 wildfowl. Four days later a second hailstorm killed 27,000 more. • After one hailstorm in Iowa in June of 1882, two small living frogs were found inside hailstones. They had probably been carried into the clouds by a tornado. • A deadly hailstorm in Moradabad, India, in 1888 killed more than 250 people. In 1986, a hailstorm in Gopalganj, Bangladesh, killed 92 people. The hailstones were reported to weigh up to a 2 pounds (1 kg).
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TIDBITS of Kootenai County, Idaho Issue #12 March 16th 2020
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TIDBITS of Kootenai County, Idaho Issue #13 March 23rd 2020
KOVELS: ANTIQUES AND COLLECTING BY Terry and Kim Kovel
Rammelsberg Furniture
If you never lived in Ohio you’ve probably never heard of Mitchell & Rammelsberg furniture. It was the largest furniture manufacturers of its time located in the Midwest, but not in Grand Rapids, where most of the furniture was made. (Lots of lumber and goods are transported from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River and then to the ocean and overseas.) The company started in either 1836 or 1847 in Cincinnati. It made top-quality Victorian furniture with hand carving and steam-driven woodworking machines making the parts. It became Robert Mitchell Furniture Co. in 1881 and didn’t close until 1940. Pieces often were marked “M & R,” or the inside of a drawer might be stamped “Mitchell & Rammelsberg.” Only a few pieces of a bedroom set were marked, so many pieces today are identified by the design and quality of the work. The company worked in many styles, from Classical to Egyptian Revival. It also made dining sets, desks, sofas, hall trees, occasional tables and other pieces. Buyers pay the most for mahogany and the least for walnut, but the design, carvings and trim also influence the price. A mahogany bedroom suite with bed, table, chairs and dressers sells for thousands of dollars today, but they are scarce. Q: I have a decorative porcelain dish marked “Not for food serving, may poison food.” I’m not sure if it’s an antique. Can you explain the marking?
A: The wording on your dish indicates it is not an antique. In 1971, the Food & Drug Administration set regulations on the amount of lead in glazes on ceramic dishes used for food. The standards have been revised since then and now also include regulations governing the amount of cadmium in the glaze. Cadmium is often used in bright red and orange glazes. The words marked on your dish are a label the FDA requires on dishes that contain unacceptable levels of these metals. Ceramic dishes made in Asia or Mexico, especially those with bright colors, are more likely to be unsafe than those made in Europe or the U.S. Acidic foods can cause the metals to leach out of the glaze if the dish hasn’t been fired properly and the glaze completely sealed. Enjoy your dish as a decorative piece, but don’t use it for food. There are some unlabeled antique dishes that have high lead or cadmium glaze. CURRENT PRICES Occupied Japan toy, dancing couple, windup, celluloid, pink, blue, original box, 5 inches, $50. Basalt bust, Shakespeare, collar, buttons, convex base, impressed Shakespeare, marked, 12 x 8 inches, $150. Snuff bottle, Peking glass, turtle, white opal glass, cobalt coiled snake, gilt stopper, 3 inches, $375. Ivory, card case, pierced, curved, people in garden, different scenes on reverse, 4 x 2 inches, $630. TIP: Put a piece of plastic jewelry under hot water and, when warm, smell it. Bakelite smells like formaldehyde; celluloid smells like camphor (mothballs); and Galalith, a 1920s plastic, smells like burnt milk. Lucite does not smell. For more collecting news, tips and resources, visit www.Kovels.com (c) 2020 King Features Synd., Inc.
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This Gothic Revival secretary bookcase was made by Mitchell & Rammelsberg of Cincinnati. It sold for $1,320 at a Cowan auction in Cincinnati.
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