Vol. 18: #49 • Shady Villians • (12-4-2022) Tidbits of Coachella Valley

TIDBITS SHEDS LIGHT ON SOME

Shady villains

by Kathy Wolfe

This week Tidbits inspects the evil arch enemies of heroes, the cloak and dagger variety of wicked scoundrels in literature and the big screen. Follow with us as we track down some of those infamous, nasty villains we love to hate.

• Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 literary work “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” told the story of London scientist Dr. Henry Jekyll, who was tormented by a consuming battle to repress the evil urges of his wicked dark side.

• Dr. Jekyll created a potion that would release the repressed evil in a person, which would quickly possess the hapless victim’s mind, body and soul. After committing heinous acts of evil, the person could drink the potion and be changed back into his original self.

• Jekyll himself would transform into a younger, vicious and cruel individual who committed dreadful, violent acts in the person of Edward Hyde, including the murder of a prestigeous member of Parliament, and with no remorse

1. MOVIES: Who was the voice of Genie in the animated version of “Aladdin” (1992)?

2. GEOGRAPHY: What river forms the northern border of Kentucky?

3. LITERATURE: Who wrote the short story “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”?

4. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What kind of dog was Toto in the book and movie “The Wizard of Oz”?

5. MYTHOLOGY: What is the name of the Greek god of sleep?

6. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Which presi dent earned the nickname “Silent Cal” for his quiet demeanor?

7. FOOD & DRINK: What is another name for Middle Eastern pocket bread?

8. HISTORY: What battle started the U.S. Civil War?

9. MEASUREMENTS: How many milliliters are in a teaspoon?

10. MATH: What is the Arabic equivalent for the Roman numerals MCMLXXXIV?

Orbiting the Earth at an altitude of 340 miles above its surface, the Hubble Telescope explores the universe. Here are the facts about this remarkable scientific instrument that has allowed us to peer into deep space with clarity that was never before possible.

• The Hubble Telescope was named in honor of astronomer Edwin Powell Hubble, a scientist during the 1920s who discovered that the distant clouds of light seen in space were actually comprised of many other galaxies. His studies revealed that the Milky Way itself is in fact just one of many thousands of other such galaxies. In 1929, Hubble also determined that the farther distant a galaxy is from Earth, the faster it appears to be moving away.

• The Hubble Telescope was launched into orbit aboard the space shuttle Discovery on April 24, 1990. It captured its first image about a month later, on May 20, that of Star cluster NGC 3532.

• Traveling at 17,000 mph, the Hubble completes an orbit of Earth every 95 minutes. Since its launch, the telescope has orbited the Earth close to 190,000 times. Although it doesn't leave its orbit to travel to any celestial objects -- stars, planets, or other galaxies -- it provides amazing photos of them that were never before possible.

atmosphere, which can distort light and block wavelengths, and far above clouds that can obstruct the view. The Hubble cannot capture images of Earth because its orbit is too fast for the camera’s exposure time.

• The Hubble is 43.5 feet in length, about the size of a long school bus, with a diameter of 14 feet. When it was launched, it weighed 24,000 lbs, but now weighs in the neighborhood of 27,000 lbs. Periodic service missions by astronauts keep the telescope in optimal working order. Existing equipment is updated, and new equipment is added to increase its capabilities and extend its life. There have been five such missions, beginning in 1993, with the most recent in 2009.

• The telescope’s primary mirror measures 94.5 inches in diameter and weighs 1,825 lbs. It collects its energy from two 25-foot solar panels, storing it in six nickel-hydrogen batteries, with a capacity equal to about two dozen 12-volt car batteries.

• The life expectancy of the Hubble was originally estimated at 15 years at the time of its launch. However, the periodic updates, new equipment and maintenence missions have proven so successful that they have kept the device in good operating condition beyond expectations. Continual operation of the telescope is now expected for at least another decade, and possibly longer.

Friday, 10/21/22

• Although the Hubble’s altitude is high above Earth’s surface, the ultra-thin atmosphere still creates a small degree of friction, a drag force that affects satellites that are in orbit. Consequently, the Hubble’s altitude is gradually decreasing, requiring its inevetible return to Earth, unless a propulsion module can boost it into a higher orbit.

Edgar Medina Mobile Massage Therapy 1/16th page, 4c, 26x October 30 - April 16, 2023

• The telescope’s views are clear and concise because it’s located above the Earth’s

• The Hubble is extremely accurate, able to lock onto an object with an equivalency of shining a laser on a human hair a mile away. Its farthest observation is that of the Galaxy GN-z11, about 13.4 billion light years away. Just how far is that? With a light-year equivalent to the distance light travels in one year, multiply that figure of about 6 trillion miles by 13.4 billion!

• Over the years, the Hubble has made close to 1.5 million observations. The cost of this mission has been about $16 billion since its initial inception doesn’t include the cost of its space shuttle launch or any of the

whatsoever. Jekyll became so obsessed with his dark side that after a time he was no longer able to control the process of returning to his original self, eventually becoming his evil counterpart of Mr. Hyde permanently. Stevenson’s novella entered our vernacular by introducing the nowfamiliar phrase describing someone as having “Jekyll and Hyde” personality; a person with a dual nature – good on the outside, but sometimes manifestin a lurking dark side.

• It is believed that Robert Louis Stevenson derived his inspiration for Mr. Hyde from a good friend, a respected college professor, who appeared to lead an upstanding life. The man poisoned his wife with opium, and was convicted and executed for her murder in 1878. The shocking event made a lasting impression on Stevenson, who wove it into his writings.

• The villain in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” was the cold and heartless Nurse Ratched, the tyrant of Salem State Hospital. She was introduced as Big Nurse in Ken Kesey’s 1962 novel, which was adapted into a 1975 film.

• As head administrative nurse at the mental institution, she maintained order amongst the patients through humiliation, revoking of privileges, daily necessities and other inhumane punishments, which delighted her cruel mindset.

• In the story, Ratched’s time as a World War II Army nurse contributed to her tyrannical demeanor. Kesey modeled the character after the head nurse of the night shift in a psychiatric ward in an Oregon facility where he once worked. Years later, Kesey bumped into the woman, and commented that she was “a whole lot more human” than he remembered. The American Film Institute ranks Nurse Ratched as the fifth

Tidbits of Coachella Valley

greatest movie villain of all time.

• Cruella de Vil was first introduced in British author Dodie Smith’s 1956 novel “The Hundred and One Dalmatians,” with the antagonist’s name a combination of the words “cruel” and “devil.” In the book, she is a spoiled, glamorous heiress and fashion designer. Cruella is married to an unnamed furrier, whose character was later removed in the 1961 Disney animated feature film, along with her pet cat.

• Cruella hatches a deceitful plan to steal Dalmatian puppies belonging to Anita and Roger Radcliffe, with the sinister intent of harvesting their skins to make fur coats. Cruella is disappointed and angry on the night of the pups’ birth, finding them utterly spotless. But she is reassured by Anita that spots don’t appear until puppies are a few weeks old. Actress Glenn Close portrayed Cruella in two live-action Dalmatian movies in 1996 and 2000, followed by Emma Stone in the role in 2021’s “Cruella.”

• DC Comics debuted Catwoman in Batman comics in the Spring of 1940, under the name “The Cat.” She was the arch enemy of Batman, and the alter ego of Selina Kyle, a Gotham City cat burglar and jewel thief. Selina had no superpowers, relying solely on her physical and intellectual gifts to commit her various and nefarious crimes. She was an accomplished acrobat, a martial arts expert, boxer, and streetfighter. The clever Catwoman was a master of disguise, and able to stealthly creep unnoticed upon groups of unsuspecting people with ease.

• Actress Lee Meriwether was the first to take Catwoman to the big screen in the first “Batman” film in 1966. However, Julie Newmar was Catwoman in the 1966-1967 television series, with Eartha Kitt taking over the role for the final season when Newmar exited the show. Michelle Pfeiffer starred in the role in 1992’s “Batman Returns,” followed by Halle Berry in “Catwoman” (2004), Anne Hathaway in 2012’s “The Dark Knight Rises,” and Zoe Kravitz in “The Batman” in 2022.

• In the comic books, Catwoman leaves her life of crime to help out Batman in 1951 and 1952, but was back to burglary in 1954 issues. She is ranked Number 11 on the “Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time.

• The villain in the 1964 film “Goldfinger” was Auric Goldfinger, a wealthy smuggling magnate obsessed with gold, and impassioned with plans to detonate a bomb in the U.S. Bullion The Joker first appeared in Batman comic books in April 1940. This criminal mastermind had no superpowers, but was an expert in chemicals, developing poisonous concoctions, acid-spraying lapel flowers, and razor-tipped playing cards. He was brought to life in the 1960s television series by actor Cesar Romero, and later on the big screen by Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger, and most recently by Joaquin Phoenix in 2019.

QUIZ BITS

1. Who starred in the role of Nurse Ratched in the 1975 film "One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest"?

2. What is the weapon used by Catwoman in the "Batman" comics?

Depository at Fort Knox and make off with the contents. “Goldfinger” was the third movie in the James Bond series, with Sean Connery in the role of the famous MI6 agent, a movie based on Ian Fleming’s seventh Bond novel, published in 1959.

By Lucie Winborne

* In the early 1990s, cyclists who doped at the Tour De France used so much erythropoietin that they had to exercise throughout the night to avoid having heart attacks in their sleep.

* Pringles once tried to evade a hefty tax payment by claiming their product wasn’t potato chips.

* Do bears appreciate beauty like us humans? Some wildlife experts think so, as there have been many sightings of the animals sitting at scenic points and star ing out at vistas of mountains, rivers, etc. They appear to have no other purpose there than enjoying the view!

* Humans are more likely to die at around 11 a.m. than any other time of day.

* Who needs Harry Potter? Not the city of Christchurch in New Zealand. Until 2021, the city paid Ian Brackenbury Channell $16,000 a year to act as a state-appoint ed wizard. His duties? To perform “acts of wizardry and other wizard-like services” for two decades.

* In the first few centuries of the Chris tian Era, controversy over whether or not Jesus was divine at birth created political and social unrest that frequently resulted in full-scale warfare.

* Some DVD copies of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” include a subtitle track called “Subtitles for People Who Don’t Like the Film,” comprised of lines from Shakespeare’s “Henry IV Part 2” that vaguely match what the actors are saying.

***

Thought for the Day: “Few people know how to take a walk. The qualifications are endurance, plain clothes, old shoes, an eye for nature, good humor, vast curiosity, good speech, good silence and nothing too much.” --

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Everyday CHEAPSKATE®

by Mary Hunt

Home Equity Scams

Homeowners beware. These days, home loan scam artists are lurking around every corner. They’re hungry, they’re determined and they’re coming after your equity.

Everyday CHEAPSKATE

ing foreclosure or other financial hardships and make false promises of relief.

Beware of anyone who pops up at what seems like the perfect time promising to let you cash in the equity you’ve built up without any consequences. Falling for this scam could end up with you losing your home and all of the eq uity you’ve accumulated.

Red flag: Any suggestion that you can qualify for a loan when you know the truth is you cannot reasonably make the payments.

BALLOON PAYMENT

by Mary Hunt

®

Unscrupulous loan peddlers are known as predatory lenders because of their uncanny resemblance to vultures. These loans encourage people to consolidate their debts and suggest this will prevent them from ever overspending and maxing out their credit cards again.

Predatory lenders deal in asset-based lending: They make the loans based solely on the amount of equity a borrower has in a prop erty rather than considering the borrower’s ability to repay the loan.

DECEPTIVE MARKETING

Victims of predatory lending frequently describe being subjected to a flood of phone calls and letters from brokers and lenders, en couraging them to take out a home equity loan.

Red flag: Lenders who engage in highpressure tactics, telemarketing, cold calling and other deceptive advertising campaigns.

EXCESSIVE FEES

Predatory lenders routinely charge bor rowers fees totaling as much as 15% to 20% of the loan amount. Fees alone can have a ruinous impact on a homeowner’s equity. But add them to prepayment penalties and you’re locked into a high-rate, financially disastrous loan.

Red flag: You inquire about fees and charges, but you can’t get the facts. They insist there are no “upfront” fees.

EQUITY STRIPPING

You need money. You don’t have enough coming in each month to cover your expenses. You have equity in your home. A lender tells you that you could get a loan. This is a big shock be cause you know you will have difficulty keeping up with the payments. The lender encourages you to “pad” your income on your loan applica tion to help get the loan approved.

Equity stripping is particularly danger ous for people who find themselves in financial trouble. Scammers target people who are fac

You’ve fallen behind in your mortgage payments. Another lender offers to save the day by refinancing your mortgage and lowering your monthly payments. But beware. The payments may be lower because the lender is offering a loan on which you repay only the interest each month.

Red flag: Unrealistically low payments.

LOAN CHURNING

Senior homeowners who are asset-rich but cash-poor are prime targets for this scam. A mortgage company contacts you offering to refinance your loan and throw in some extra cash along with it. The problem is, each time you refinance, the fees and interest rates are going up.

Red flag: Lenders that contact you with any suggestion that a loan is the way to get your equity to start “working” for you.

Not all lenders are predatory. The best way to protect yourself against those who are is to be keenly aware of their tactics and always on the lookout for the red flags.

If you need an explanation, talk to some one you can trust who has nothing to gain or to lose by the decision you make. Be careful how often you refinance your mortgage. Talk to a HUD-approved housing counselor (www. hud.gov/counseling) if you have questions or concerns about any mortgage loan transaction. Then consider all the costs of financing and repayment before you ever agree to a loan. * * *

Mary invites you to visit her at Everyday Cheapskate.com, where this column is archived complete with links and resources for all recommend ed products and services. Mary invites questions and comments at https://www.everydaycheapskate. com/contact/, “Ask Mary.” This column will answer questions of general interest, but letters cannot be answered individually. Mary Hunt is the founder of EverydayCheapskate.com, a frugal living blog, and the author of the book “Debt-Proof Living.”

This week Tidbits breathes in some facts on halitosis, a condition that affects about 25% of the population. What's halitosis? ...Bad breath!

• The makers of Listerine came up with the term halitosis in the early 1900s. The owner’s son combined the Latin word “halitus,” meaning “breath,” with the Greek suffix “osis,” intending the word to sound like a medical condition.

• The inventor of Listerine was Dr. Joseph Lawrence, a St. Louis doctor who admired the work of British doctor and surgeon, Dr. Joseph Lister, considered the founding father of antiseptics. Lister was the first surgeon

to perform an operation in an operating chamber sterilized with antiseptic, along with instruments cleansed with carbolic acid, resulting in a drastic reduction in postoperative infections. Dr. Lawrence developed an alcohol-based formula to use as a surgical antiseptic and named in Listerine in honor of Lister. Lawrence then licensed his product to a local pharmacist.

• Listerine was put forth to dentists in 1895, and was sold as the first over-the-counter mouthwash in America in 1914.

• Listerine claimed it killed “the germs found in the mouth,” and, indeed, the most common cause of halitosis is poor oral hygiene. The breakdown by bacteria of particles of food left in the mouth produces sulfur compounds, creating a foul odor. If you eat garlic, onions, or certain spices, as the body breaks down these compounds, they enter the bloodstream, and are carried to the lungs, and even your skin, which affects your breath.

• Tobacco users not only have a breath problem, they are more likely to have gum disease, another contributor to halitosis.

• There’s a fancy name for dry mouth xerostomia – a major factor in bad breath. Saliva helps cleanse your mouth, clearing food particles from the mouth and preventing unwanted bacteria. If you’re sufficiently hydrated, you’ll have healthy amounts of saliva. Reduced production can result from consuming dehydrating beverages such as coffee and alcohol. Certain medications can affect saliva production, such as antihistamines, diuretics, sedatives, and antidepressants. Sleeping with your mouth open dries out your mouth. We all know about the resulting morning breath!

• Infections from oral surgery, such as tooth removal, can cause halitosis, as can tooth decay, gum disease, or mouth sores. Inflamed tonsils and sinus infections can also contribute. Those undergoing chemotherapy for cancer can have a unique mouth odor as a result of the chemicals. Acid reflux disease can also produce an unpleasant breath odor.

• Although vitamin supplements can be a great way to boost your immune system, those who take them in large quantities are prone to bad breath. Frequent dieting, especially those focused on quick weight loss with an unbalanced diet, can lead your body to function abnormally, and contribute to bad breath.

• Americans spend about $660 million a year on products, such as gum, mints, and mouthwashes, to give them fresh breath. It’s the third most

by Dana Jackson

Q: Is Will Smith’s career over after he lost his temper and hit Chris Rock at the Oscars? I know he’s been banned from the awards ceremony, but will anyone hire him as an actor again? -- B.W.

A: Academy-Award-winning actor Will Smith has been banned from attending the Os cars for ten years, but he can still be nominated for an award. He actually has several projects in the works, but we’ll see if movie audiences still accept him as these projects are rolled out.

First up is “Emancipation,” which is based on a true story about a slave who escapes captivity during the Civil War. It will be available to watch on AppleTV+ starting Dec. 9, a week after its theatrical release.

Smith will also team up with Mar tin Lawrence in “Bad Boys 4.” Just to give you an indication of how high the bar is for this one to be a hit, the third “Bad Boys” film, “Bad Boys for Life,” generated more than $400 million at the box office in 2020. Sony producer Tom Rothman said that despite Smith’s violent outburst earlier this year, the movie is still on track to begin filming in the near future.

***

Q: Whatever happened to the actor who played “Napoleon Dynamite”? I haven’t seen him in years. --U.R.

A: Jon Heder will probably always be linked to his cult-comedy character Napoleon Dy namite. The indie comedy has endured as a cult classic, inspiring Halloween costumes for almost two decades since its premiere, but Heder has remained under the radar. After that success, he starred in silly comedy films “Blades of Glory” and “The Benchwarmers.”

In recent years, Heder starred in the Thanksgiving film “Funny Thing About Love” and voiced the character of Tybalt in the new animated film “Pinocchio: A True Story.” ***

Q: Whatever happened to Troy Landry from “Swamp People” and Duane and Beth Chapman from “Dog the Bounty Hunter”? -- S.W.

A: According to the History Channel’s bi ography on him, Troy Landry, otherwise known as “King of the Swamp,” is one of the most “fear less alligator hunters in the bayou.” Along with his sons, Jacob and Chase, “the Landry gang runs an armada of boats each season to help control the ga tor population.”

Jacob recently addressed the status of his father’s whereabouts in a Facebook Live video, saying that Troy was on the road to recovery after

having his prostate removed due to cancer, but that there would be a 14th season of “Swamp People” at some point.

As for Duane and Beth Chapman from “Dog the Bounty Hunter,” Duane was widowed af ter Beth passed away in 2019 from throat and lung cancer. The series ran from 2002 to 2012. He’s now married for the sixth time to widow Francie Frane, but he doesn’t currently have a reality show. The couple has been focusing on their charity group, The D.O.G. Foundation, which provides housing, counseling and life-skills training to human traf ficking victims.

Send me your questions at NewCelebrityEx tra@gmail.com, or write me at KFWS, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803.

(c) 2022 King Features Synd., Inc.

King Features News Syndicate

Good Recipes from

6 Tips for Better Grilled Chicken

1. Grease your grill: Chances are you won’t have a sticking problem if your chicken has skin, or if it’s marinated or rubbed with some oil. But play it safe. Before you light the grill, spray the rack with nonstick cooking spray or brush it with oil.

2. Close the top: If your grill has a cover, always cook your chicken with the cover down. It will make your grill more ovenlike, and your food will cook more evenly. Also, because the cover cuts off some of the oxygen, you’ll have fewer flare-ups.

3. Be patient: Resist the urge to continu ously move the chicken around while it cooks. The chicken will cook more evenly (and more quickly!) if you follow the recipe cooking instruc tions or turn it over only once, midway through grilling.

4. Use the right utensil: Use long-handled tongs or a wide metal spatula to move the chick en. Poking it with a fork will cause precious juices to escape.

5. Test for Doneness: Don’t risk serving undercooked chicken. When in doubt, make a small cut into the thickest part so you can be posi tive that it’s no longer pink inside. You also can use a meat thermometer to check if your meat has reached a safe internal temperature: 180 F

for whole chicken and 170 F for breasts.

6. Be sure to clean up: Scrape your grill rack after each use; otherwise, the chicken will pick up charred bits from your last barbecue. Chicken has a tendency to stick to a dirty grill.

Lemon-Dijon Potato Salad

This light, lemony potato salad uses Dijon mustard and tarragon to give it a greater depth of flavor.

3 pounds red potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks

1/4 cup white vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon peel Salt Pepper

1/3 cup mayonnaise or Miracle Whip

1/3 cup plain yogurt

3 stalks celery, sliced

1/3 cup chopped parsley 1 tablespoon chopped tarragon

1. In 5-quart saucepot, combine potatoes with 1 teaspoon salt and water to cover; heat to boiling on high, then cover and simmer 10 min utes or until tender.

2. In large bowl, whisk vinegar, oil, mus tard, lemon peel and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Drain potatoes; stir into bowl; cool.

3. In small bowl, whisk remaining ingre dients; stir into potatoes. Cover and refrigerate. Makes 10 cups.

* * *

For thousands of triple-tested recipes, visit our web site at www.goodhousekeeping.com/food-recipes/.

(c) 2022 Hearst Communications, Inc.

All rights reserved

My girlfriend took the batteries out of the carbon monoxide alarm because the constant beeping was making her sick and dizzy.

If tomatoes are technically a fruit, is ketchup a smoothie?

The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But it's still on my list.

NEST HEADS

By John Allen

DIAMOND

by Brett Koth

By Matthew Margolis Creators News

5:00 p.m..

A Whole Lotta Fighting Going On

There’s a whole lot of fighting going on out there. I’ve had four calls about dog aggression in the past week. Fighting outside the home, fighting inside the home, battling over toys, territory, food and other high-value resources, namely humans.

One caller told the familiar tale of her two female dogs who have taken to fighting. She brought this terrible twosome into her home when they were nine months old, and they spent their puppyhood peacefully playing together like loving sisters. As they grew older, the playing turned to competition and fighting. Now Mom spends her days breaking up dogfights and trying to avoid get ting bit in the process.

Let’s talk about that for a minute: breaking up dogfights. How do you do it without losing a hand? Answer: Don’t use your hands. Ever.

Most dogfights can be broken up with dis tractions. Throwing a blanket over the dogs is my preferred method. You could also bang pots and pans together or otherwise create a loud ruckus -but not with your voice. Yelling just serves to amp up an already intense situation. The noise should be something unfamiliar to the dogs. If a fight breaks out outside, spray the dueling hounds with a hose -- and use a strong spray. You aren’t cooling them down; you’re breaking it up.

But the best way to break up a dogfight is to prevent it. Learn to recognize the early signs, and put the brakes on then. Get to know the triggers, and manage them. If your dogs fight over food, don’t feed them together, and don’t leave bowls of food on the floor when it’s not feeding time. Ditto with bones, treats and toys if those are a source of contention.

If the triggers aren’t obvious and your dogs fight violently and for what appears to be no rea son, you’re going to need the help of a dog behav iorist who specializes in aggression. And if the situ ation is serious, you might need to rehome one of the dogs. It isn’t fair or decent to make them live together if they are a threat to each other.

Another caller has a 125-pound dog who, at seven months old, attacked a pup over a bone. The

SENIOR NEWS LINE

by Matilda Charles © King Features Synd., Inc.

Workout Goals for 2023?

We love our new exercise coach. This is the young student who used us as guinea pigs for a col lege class project. He's now graduated and has now been hired by the senior center as our permanent workout guru. It’s only been a month, and already we want to make him Employee of the Year.

Somehow he managed to convince the town officials to cough up an amazing amount of funds to outfit a space in the rec center dedicated to workout equipment for seniors. It's all the latest in equipment and very high quality, for which we are all amazed and grateful.

And, believe me, we haven’t just been turned loose with all that fancy new gear. Coach has required that each of us must first have a personal session with him wherein he instructs us on each machine and fills out our personal goal sheet with the weights, schedule and repetitions for each one. Periodically he will stalk through the room, moni tor to see that each person is using the equipment properly, instruct us on posture, scrutinize some one’s goal sheet and ensure the machine’s weight is set correctly. He's always encouraging us.

His sincere concern for each of us makes us all want to toe the line, and because his only goal is

to improve our strength and health, we all want to please him with our improvement.

As if this weren't enough, another bonus for us is that the cost per month is less than one-quarter the amount charged by the regular gyms in our area!

How about you? Is a gym workout in your plans for 2023? While you might not be fortunate enough to have a top-notch personal coach to spur you on and a brand-new dedicated-for-seniors ex ercise room at your rec center, you still might be able to join a gym near you. I definitely recommend you look into this.

Do you qualify for a low-cost SilverSneak ers fitness membership through your Medicare ad vantage or supplemental plan? (See silversneak ers.com) Many plans have this benefit (standard Medicare does not), and over 17,000 gyms across the country participate.

If you find a local gym (don’t forget about the YMCA), ask whether a fitness expert will show you how each machine works and to generate an exercise plan for you. It’s often included in the mem bership.

One bonus to signing up for a gym member ship at this time of year is that gyms frequently offer discounts at the start of the new year.

* * *

Matilda Charles regrets that she cannot personally answer reader questions, but will incorporate them into her column whenever possible. Send email to columnreply2@ gmail.com.

(c) KingFeaturesSyndicate

The Art of DESIGN

by Joseph Publillones

Stylish First Space

Celebrating a milestone occasion may also bring with it a new home. Perhaps it's your first dwelling where you're living alone, or it may be the first time you are sharing a home with a significant other or roommate. Just how should you start to furnish your new place so that it has style and can it endure changes over time?

Any time we are con fronted by a new interior design project, whether small or large, there are a few basic questions to be asked so that the project can adapt over time while still ul timately reflecting your own self-developed style. Of course, you don’t want it to look just like your parent’s home, but be conscious that our environ ment as we grow up tends to creep in whether we embrace it or not.

Most people will start with the selection of a sofa. This is a crucial piece of furniture that will determine the tone of your decor. Just think before you buy that burgundy leather sofa: Will it stand the test of time? Will you love the color two or three years down the road? Will it be a piece of furniture on that you can build a room around?

Our best advice is to select your first cou ple of upholstered pieces as basic and simple as they can be. Forgo the bold colors and noticeable

prints in favor of materials that are neutral in color and texture. This type of basic choice will allow you to change the feel of your room in the future and give you the freedom to select other smaller occasional furnishings that are trendier and de finitive in character and style.

Next in importance is the selection of case goods. Case goods are furniture -- be it a table, cabinet or desk -- made of wood or with wood as a principal component. The finish on any case good will start to define the character of a room. For example, a highly polished end table will set a for mal tone, while a coffee table made of bleached or cerused oak alludes to rusticity or a beach-like environment. Lighter finish es generally tend to read as casual, while darker finishes seem to dictate formality. Of course, to this, you must fac tor whether the finishes are high-gloss or matte. Highgloss finishes require more processes and maintenance therefore they’re considered a more luxurious finish than matte.

Starting to decorate your first place can be an intimidating process. Even in wall colors, I recommend keeping with a safe choice of white, off-white, linen, ivory or even a pale gray. As each day, week and month passes, you’ll be able to discern what you really like and in the long run end up with a stylish and personal place you'll be proud to show guests.

Joseph Pubillones is the owner of Joseph Pubillones Interiors, an award-winning interior design firm based in Palm Beach, Florida. His website is www. josephpubillones.com. To find out more about Joseph Pubillones and read features by other Creators Syndi cate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndi cate website at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2019 CREATORS.COM

Cody’s Corner (from page 9)

owner spent the next four years trying to desensi tize his dog by taking him to the park, giving him a bone and hoping he’d let the other dogs in the park pass near his treasured bone without incident. He’s still hoping. Recently, his dog attacked a dog in the park, resulting in 30 stitches for the other dog and a lawsuit for the caller.

Another caller’s four-year-old toy terrier is an escape artist who attacks dogs and their owners as they simply walk by the house.

These are bad scenes. This is the stuff of lawsuits, lost homeowners insurance, overwhelm ing vet bills and even the loss of your dog due to impoundment and euthanasia.

If the dog is young, the solutions are train ing and socialization.

If the dog is older, the solutions are train ing, socialization under the supervision of a profes sional and careful management of the dog’s envi ronment.

If an older dog never has gotten along with other animals, he probably never will. There are tools on the market -- specialized leashes, harness es and muzzles -- that enable an owner to walk such a dog in public spaces. And a professional trainer can work with the dog and owner to desensitize the dog’s reaction to other dogs, animals or people, and to teach the owner to redirect the dog’s attention at the early stages of an aggressive response. But the dog and his environment always will require care ful and intelligent management.

For those living in a dog--eat--dog world, knowledge, common sense and good judgment pack the biggest punch.

Woof! * * *

Dog trainer Matthew “Uncle Matty” Margolis is the co-author of 18 books about dogs, a behaviorist, a popular radio and television guest, and the host of the PBS series “WOOF! It’s a Dog’s Life!” Read all of Uncle Matty’s columns at www.creators.com, and visit him at www.unclematty.com.

YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY

by Tom Margenau

Give Thanks for Social Security

Around this year’s Thanksgiving holi day, I’m going to suggest that we Americans give thanks for the Social Security program. I know lots of people like to think that the “good old days” (before Social Security) were, well, good old days. But many times, they were not. And if you’d like to get a glimpse of what life was like before the Social Security program came along, I suggest you read a book called “Growing Up,” by former New York Times columnist Russell Baker.

In it, Baker tells the story of what it was like to grow up in the 1920s and 1930s. For most of us, the Great Depression is the stuff of history books and hard-luck stories revealed in an occa sional documentary about the era. But Russell Baker lived one of those stories and writes elo quently about his life and those times.

His book brings the era into focus for peo ple whose vision of history has been blurred by the good life. For me, it also illustrates the reason why we have and need a Social Security system in this country.

Many people have attempted to explain to me that America would be better off without Social Security. They point out that this nation was found ed on the principles of personal freedom and that our pioneer spirit encourages people to make it on their own without government interference. As one recent letter writer told me: “If people could make it on their own in the good old days before we had Social Security, they ought to be able to make it on their own now without the government’s help!”

The problem with that argument, of course, is that many people were not “making it” before So cial Security came into existence. And those “good old days” were very bad for very many people.

In his book, Baker describes the period just after his father’s death. His father left a widow and three small children, including Russell, who was then about 10. Russell’s youngest sister, Audrey, was 18 months old. His newly widowed mother de cided to leave their home in Virginia to move in with relatives in New Jersey. Immediately follow ing the funeral, she had many tough decisions to make. One of them was giving up Audrey!

“The giving up of Audrey was done in a time of shock and depression for my mother,” Bak er writes. “When the undertaker was paid, she was left with a few dollars of insurance money, a worth less Model T, several chairs, a table to eat from, a couple of mail-order beds, a crib, three small chil dren, no way to earn a living, and no prospects for the future.”

A few days later, Baker’s Uncle Tom and Aunt Goldie arrived to pick up his little sister. “My mother helped them carry out the crib and boxes packed with baby clothes. When the car was load ed, my mother bundled Audrey into blankets, car ried her outside, handed her to Aunt Goldie, and kissed her goodbye forever!”

That scene struck a nerve with me because my father also died when I was young. Like Baker’s father, my dad left a widow and small children. Also like Baker’s family, my mother was left with a little insurance, a few pieces of furniture and an old car. But unlike the Bakers, we had brighter prospects

for the future because my father left behind some thing else: Social Security survivors’ insurance.

My mother, brothers, sister and myself each received a monthly check from Social Secu rity based on my father’s earnings. My siblings and I were able to receive benefits up to the age of 22 if we stayed in school, and my mother received checks until my youngest brother turned 18. (The laws have changed slightly since I was a benefi ciary. Today, benefits to children are generally cut off at age 18, and a widowed mother’s checks stop when the youngest child turns 16.)

Survivor benefits are a very important part of Social Security. They have been paid since 1940. Yet even today, many young workers are not aware of this protection they are guaranteed through their Social Security tax deductions.

Most young people complain about the amount of Social Security taxes they pay. But I think if they really consider why our society pro vides a comprehensive Social Security program, they might be more inclined to accept Social Secu rity taxes so that no other young, widowed mother has to give up her little Audrey and “kiss her good bye forever.”

years cleaning floors in tenement houses to help take care of her family. And my mom worked all her life to help pay the rent and put food on our table. Oh well!

I also want to point out that someone read ing this column might conclude that Social Secu rity is unique to the United States. Just the opposite is true. The idea of Social Security is a worldwide phenomenon. Almost every country on the planet has a Social Security system in place for its citizens, and almost every one of those programs provides survivor benefits to widows, widowers and minor children. It’s just too bad our program came along too late to help Russell Baker’s mother and her chil dren. * * *

Final Changes

Here is a postscript to what I just wrote. I ran a column similar to this one several years ago. After that column ran, I heard from more than a few members of the government-bashing and Social Security-bashing crowd. I saved just one example. Here is what he wrote -- in part. (His rant went on for more than a page!)

“It’s the namby-pamby liberals like Baker and you who have ruined this country. Russell’s fa ther should have provided for his family, and your father should have provided for you. We don’t need the government to make up for slackers like your fathers. And don’t even get me started on widows’ benefits. These women should work and take care of themselves and not expect the government to show up each month with a widow’s dole!”

My goodness! I sure am glad I don’t live in that guy’s world. What a cold, uncaring and empa thy-starved place it must be! Maybe I should have pointed out to him that Baker’s mom spent many (Answers on page 16)

stores and online.

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If you have a Social Security question, Tom Margenau has two books with all the answers. One is called “Social Security -- Simple and Smart: 10 Easyto-Understand Fact Sheets That Will Answer All Your Questions About Social Security.” The other is “Social Security: 100 Myths and 100 Facts.” You can find the books at Amazon.com or other book outlets. To find out more about Tom Margenau and to read past columns and see features from other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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Decade-Long High Lymphocyte Count Not a Cause for Concern

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DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a female al most 75 years old. My vital signs are always normal and I am active, but slightly over weight. I get quarterly blood draws, and every reading is in the normal range except for the lymphocytes. That count is higher, just out side the normal range (the lab’s range is 850 to 3,900 cells/uL, and my absolute lympho cytes are 4,377 cells/uL).

This has occurred in the blood draws from the last two or three years, with the exception of one that was back in the normal range.

About 12 years ago, after several abnormal results, I saw a hematologist, who reported nothing wrong after doing more extensive blood work. No reason could be given for it. I am concerned, but not obsessing over it. Is there any reason you can give for the slightly high lymphocyte count? -- S.M.

ANSWER: Lymphocytes are one of the two major types of white blood cells found in the blood (the other are the granulocytes, the most common of which are the neutrophils). High levels of lymphocytes raise suspicion for serious blood disorders such as some leukemias, lym phomas and related blood diseases, but there are other causes. Acute stress can do it, but you have been living with this for many years. Not having a spleen causes high levels of lympho cytes, whether you are born without one or have it surgically removed. Chronic infection is another reason.

I suspect your hematologist did a more sophisticated set of tests looking for blood dis orders, and the fact that your level is the same after 12 years also supports my suspicion that this level is normal for you. Normal levels are generally defined as what is found in people without evidence of disease 95% of the time. So, by definition, 5% of normal people will have their result on any given lab fall outside of the normal range. Since yours is just outside of the normal range and, as I said, unchanged for years, I think you can relax your level of anxiety.

Periodic blood tests do seem prudent, however, and further testing would be recom mended in the event that the count starts getting higher or you develop any new symptoms. ***

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 67-year-old male in relatively good health. I exercise reg ularly (four times a week). I have been taking medication for hypertension, which is getting much better since I started a plant-based diet three months ago.

About every three months or so for the last five years, there are two half-dollarsized blood stains on my pillow coming from my right ear. I have no headaches, and my hearing is what it is for my age. My wife is concerned, but I am not. What do you think?

ANSWER: I think your wife is wise to be concerned. This is not something I commonly encounter, and the answer is very likely to be found inside your ear through a clinical exam. I do sometimes see small infections in the ear that may bleed, and there are benign tumors of the ear canal and eardrum that may sometimes bleed as well. I have read about a very rare con dition of an aneurysm bleeding from the ear. This has been going on a long time, so it’s definitely worth an evaluation.

VETERANS POST  

by Freddie Groves

DUE:

5:00 p.m..

Adaptive Sports

p.m..

The Department of Veterans Affairs has given out $16 million in grant money to organiza tions that provide adaptive sports opportunities to disabled veterans all over the country, thus reliev ing 13,000 veterans of the need to provide their own financing for their participation in the program. In the past eight years alone, that comes to $100 mil lion that’s been granted.

If you’re in physical therapy (and enrolled in VA health care), take a look at the Sports4Vets Throwdown at www.blogs.va.gov/nvspse/ throwdown. It’s a competition for veterans of all ages and abilities to improve their fitness. Go to the “Click here to access the 2022 workouts” link for videos of weeks of adaptive exercises, broken down by wheelchair, modified mobility, visually im paired and upper extremity. Ask your physician or therapist if any of those workouts would be appro priate for you to increase your fitness.

The program focuses on archery, rock climbing, skiing, hunting, sky diving and Paralym pic sports, with a bonus this year: CrossFit, sailing and scuba.

Property of AdVenture Media, Inc.

Property of AdVenture Media, Inc. Phone: 760.320.0997 Fax: 760.320.1630 valleybits@msn.com All Rights Reserved

And there’s more ... the National Veterans Wheelchair Games will be held in Portland, Ore gon, next July, and registration for it will be open from Feb. 1 to April 5, 2023. There will be more than 500 veterans competing in 22 sports. Get in formation at wheelchairgames.org. If you’re new to adaptive sports, scroll down and click on “Learn More” to see the list of benefits to becoming in volved. Among other reasons, they list maintaining body weight, sleeping better and reducing anxiety and depression. Those alone might be worth the effort of joining an adaptive sport, but they also list controlling Type 2 diabetes and hypertension.

If you’re age 55 or older, the National Veter ans Golden Age Games might be for you, with over a dozen different sports, such as air rifle, basket ball, golf, cycling and bowling.

If you do an online search for “@Sports 4Vets, you’ll find the VA’s adaptive sports and arts Facebook page, Instagram and Twitter. Pay special attention to Facebook, as they’ve listed a number of programs

Aspire to Inspire before you Expire!

M.D.

How to Buy Over-theCounter Hearing Aids

DEAR SAVVY SENIOR: I’m interested in learning more about the new over-thecounter hearing aids that just became available a few months ago. Can you offer any tips to help me with this? -- Straining to Hear

Dear Straining: The new FDA approved over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids that started rolling out this fall are a real game changer for the roughly 48 million Americans with hearing loss. Adults with impaired hearing can now walk in and buy hearing devices at a pharmacy, big box chain, consumer electronics store or online, without a prescription and without consulting a professional audiologist.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved this new class of hearing aids to lower prices and improve their availability.

About a third of people ages 65 to 74 and half of those over age 75 have hearing loss severe enough to affect their daily life. Yet about 80 percent of people who would benefit from hearing aids don’t wear them, according to the National Institutes of Health, primarily because of the hefty price tag.

Traditional hearing aids ordered through an audiologist cost anywhere from $1,000 to $7,000 a pair and are not covered by most pri vate insurers and traditional Medicare. The new OTC hearing aids range from $200 up to $3,000.

Who Should Get Them?

OTC hearing aids are specifically de signed for adults (18 and older) who have mild to moderate hearing loss. You don’t need a hearing exam or prescription to buy them, and they are designed so you can fit and tune them yourself.

Do you have mild to moderate hearing loss? The specific signs are having trouble hear ing or understanding conversations, especially in noisier environments, over the phone, or if you can’t see who’s talking. Or, if you need a higher volume of TV, radio or music than other people, or have to ask others to speak more slowly, louder or repeat what they said.

If, however, your hearing problem is more severe than that, for example, if you also have trouble hearing loud sounds such as power tools or motor vehicles, or if you struggle to hear conversations in quiet settings, then your hear ing loss is considered more significant than the over-the-counter aids are intended to address. In this case, a visit to a professional audiologist for a thorough exam is recommended.

To help you get at least a basic sense of your hearing problem, you can take an appbased test like Mimi (mimi.health) or Sonic Cloud (soniccloud.com).

If you find that your hearing loss is be yond the level that an OTC device can provide, you’ll need to work with an audiologist or a wellestablished and experienced hearing instrument specialist to find a hearing aid that is properly

suited for your needs.

What to Look For

To help you choose a good OTC hearing aid that meets your needs and preferences, here are some important points to keep in mind.

Return policy: It can take weeks for your brain to adjust to hearing louder sounds through a hearing aid, so be sure to choose a brand that offers at least a 30-day free trial period, or money back return policy. The FDA requires manufactures to print their return policy on the package.

Set up: Many OTC hearing aids require a smartphone or computer to adjust and operate the devices to your specific needs, while others have the controls on the device. This will also be labeled on the box. Choose one that fits your preference and comfort level.

Battery: The package also should tell you what kind of battery the device uses. Some of the older versions of hearing aids have replace able batteries, but many of the newer ones have rechargeable batteries that come in a charging case, where you charge them up every night.

Customer support: Some companies offer unlimited customer support to help you adjust or fine-tune your hearing aids, while others might limit support or charge extra. Be sure you check.

For more information, including product reviews, see the National Council on Aging’s OTC hearing aids buyer’s guide at NCOA.org/ adviser/hearing-aids/over-the-counter-hear ing-aids.

* * *

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior. org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

During the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period - if you’re already en rolled in Medicare coverage - you can:

• Switch from Original Medicare to Medicare Advantage (as long as you’re enrolled in both Medicare Part A and Part B, and you live in the Medicare Advantage plan’s service area).

• Switch from Medicare Advantage to Original Medicare (plus a Medicare Part D plan, and possibly a Medigap plan, although medical underwriting might be required for Medigap, depending on the state and the person’s circumstances).

• Switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another.

• Switch from one Medicare Part D pre scription drug plan to another.

• Enroll in a Medicare Part D plan if you didn’t enroll when you were first eligible for Medicare. If you haven’t maintained other creditable coverage, a late enroll ment penalty may apply.

It is always a wise idea to review your coverages annually during this time of year. For example, some plans such as Medicare drug plans (also called Part D Plans) might have covered your medica tions in 2022 but will not in 2023.

The 2023 Medicare Advantage marketplace is offering new and innovative ways to help new and current customers. This is your “open enrollment.” Use it to get the most you can from what is being offered in 2023.

Wright Health Insurance Agency is an independent broker, we are paid by the insurance company not by you. Our ser vice commitment is highly rated. We have several agents in Southern California to give you the personal service you deserve.

-- by Jim Miller

Krypton Code Key to Secret Messages

Q: This is a copy of a Superman of Ameri ca Letter of Membership that I sent for when I was a child. The Superman TV show offered a membership certificate that included a Super man button and the Superman Secret Kryp ton Code. I still have the envelope it came in and a special folder for keeping the Secret Key Codes in a safe place. I believe I was around six when I sent for the membership, but it’s hard to remember back that far. I’m 77 now!

I would like to know if my certificate has any collector value.

set of dinnerware that I have. It originally be longed to my great-grandmother. The dishes are decorated with multicolored floral bands against a white background. On the back of each dish are the words “Sunrise Dinner ware.”

Since I plan to pass the set down to my daughter, we would like to know more about its history, age and value. We would appreci ate any information you might provide.

Homer Laughlin China had factories in the U.S. in the early 1900s, and is still in business.

A: Homer Laughlin China Company made your dinnerware. They had factories in East Liv erpool, Ohio and Newell, W.V. The number “17 -- N” shows your set was made around 1907 at their Newell plant. Sunrise Dinnerware was sold through Sears and Montgomery Ward. Laughlin China is still in business.

If you had to replace or insure your service for eight set of dinnerware, its value would probably be $300 to $500.

* * *

Antiques expert and columnist Anne McCollam has recently retired and no longer receives inquiries nor answers reader letters. Due to the popularity of her col umn, this publication will continue to reprint previous col umns of interest to our readers.

To find out more about Anne McCollam and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoon ists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.

com

A: The Superman fan club was established in 1939 and continued until the 1960s. Each mem bership club packet arrived in an envelope that con tained the letter of membership certificate, a secret decoder sheet, a folder to store the decoder sheet and a tin button.

Armed with the Key Codes, kids could de code Superman’s Secret Messages that appeared in issues of Action Comics. Your Superman packet is definitely collectible. Depending upon condition, some have sold as high as $500 at auction.

* * *

Q: This mark is on a service for an eight-

Puzzle Solutions

When shaggy Tibetan beasts get together and talk nonstop, I would say they're yakking it up.

* On Dec. 10, 1768, the first part of the first edition of the Encyclopedia Britan nica, the oldest continuously published and revised work in the English language, was published and advertised for sale in Edin burgh, Scotland.

* On Dec. 8, 1854, Pope Pius IX pro claimed the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, in which he asserted that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was from the moment of her conception free from the effects of “original sin.”

* On Dec. 9, 1868, the world’s first traffic light was erected near Westminster Bridge in London. It didn’t have much of a chance to prove its worth, however, as it had to be removed just a month later following a gas leak that caused one of its lights to explode.

* On Dec. 6, 1933, U.S. federal judge John M. Woolsey announced that James Joyce’s novel “Ulysses” was not obscene in a legal sense but a work of merit. The ruling was hailed as a landmark and would open the door for greater freedoms in fu ture literary works.

* On Dec. 5, 1955, the Georgia board of regents rejected Gov. Marvin Griffin’s re quest that the Georgia Tech football team be barred from playing in the following month’s Sugar Bowl simply because the school’s opponent, the University of Pitts burgh, included a Black athlete.

* On Dec. 11, 1981, after an extraordi nary 21-year career in the ring and despite pleas that it was time for him to definitively retire, American boxer Muhammad Ali fought his last professional bout, losing to Trevor Berbick in a match that would be nicknamed “Drama in the Bahamas.”

* On Dec. 7, 2020, American aviator Chuck Yeager, who in 1947 became the first person to exceed the speed of sound in flight, which was approximately 662 miles per hour at his altitude of 40,000 feet, died at the age of 97.

(c) 2022 King Features Synd., Inc.

"OK, so you've showed you can make yourself stay off the golf course for two straight weeks. But I was hoping you'd at least pick up macramé or some kind of constructive hobby."

• Fleming derived the name from an architect named Erno Goldfinger, who had designed Fleming’s Hampstead, England home. The role of Goldfinger was played by German actor Gert Fröbe. Fröbe spoke very little English; consequently, his lines were dubbed by British television actor Michael Collins. Fröbe was originally a violinist who gave it up for theater work as a stage actor. In his later years, he had roles in Mercedes Benz commercials.

• Agatha Trunchbull is the evil and tyrannical headmistress of Crunchem Hall Primary School in Roald Dahl’s 1988 novel “Matilda,” which was adapted into a 1996 film. It’s an unlikely profession for someone who despises children, She doles out excessive punishment, and torments them regularly, including grabbing girls by their pigtails and hurling them to the ground or into a flower bed. In the story, her strength is due to her large size and past history as a shot putter and javelin thrower in the Munich Olympics. Dahl based the character on the “mean and loathsome” owner of the sweetshop he regularly visited as a child in Wales. The wicked Ms. Trunchbull finally meets her match in the six-year-old student Matilda, who is capable of telekinesis, and with the help of the other children ultimately drives the villainess out of the school.

• American author L. Frank Baum’s 1900 children’s novel “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” describes the castle of the Wicked Witch of the West as a beautiful yellow castle, with long hallways carpeted in yellow velvet and windows covered in yellow silk. This scenario is far from the creepy fortress depicted in the classic 1939 Oz film. In the book, the Witch is an old lady with three pigtails and an eyepatch, while the film featured a stern and frightening old hag with a screechy voice, ruddy skin and a creepy green pallor.

• The Wicked Witch of the West was not the sister of the Wicked Witch of the East in the Baum novel. In the original version, the only desire of the Western Witch was to obtain the magic silver shoes, which would increase her power. In the film, the shoes, of course, were the ruby slippers, which were changed to red to show off the industry’s newly-introduced Technicolor process. Silver shoes just weren’t as exciting as bright red ones. □

STAN SMITH’S TENNIS CLASS

Game Changers

by

Driving Funk

Fred Funk led the tour in driving accuracy for years with a swing secret that may benefit hundreds of golfers who don’t play as frequently as some. When you don’t have time to hit hundreds of drives on the range, or play three to four times a week, Fred’s Flat Wristed system should be great for you.

A good finish should have the left leg straight, the right thigh up close to the left leg, the right foot up on the toe, and the upper body arching back slightly. The trick is that the hips are now “tucked under” the upper body or the stomach is pushed forward. Many beginners, or players who don’t have good core strength, will finish with their hips pushed out behind their upper body. Learn to correct the finish by tucking the hips under or pushing your belt buckle forward in order to feel the correct position. Good leg work will assist in correct hip positioning as well.

With a slightly strong left hand grip and a little press of the driver, Fred favors having a potentially closed clubface at the top of the swing.

Upon reaching the top, his left wrist has flattened along with a fairly flat left arm position relative to his shoulders.

of beginning to in termediate players, the finish position requires extra attention. The body is contorting into an unusual position and needs to be balanced to be effective. Advanced players take the finish position for granted, especially when it comes to the small arch in the lower back.

Tuck It Under

By trying to copy Funk’s flat wristed, closed clubface position at the top, the forward swing requires little timing or thought in hitting it with a slight draw. Inaccurate drivers tend to have an open clubface that they are trying to square or close though impact.

Fred Funk never had to worry about that!

member

Jason Jenkins

Who was the voice of Genie in the animated version of “Aladdin” (1992)?