TRIVIA NEWSFRONT
(Answers on page 16)
1. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: What year was the first Barbie doll released?
2. MOVIES: What is the name of the island in the “Jurassic Park” film?
3. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What are baby rabbits called?
4. U.S. STATES: Which state is the home of Mount Rushmore?
5. INVENTIONS: When were emojis invented?
6. TELEVISION: In the TV series “The Walking Dead,” what was the character Rick Grimes’ profession previously?
7. CHEMISTRY: Which element is also known as quicksilver?
8. SCIENCE: What is the name for the pivot on which a lever turns?
9. GEOGRAPHY: Which country is home to the ancient city of Petra?
10. MUSIC: Which of Taylor Swift’s songs was first to appear on the Billboard Hot 100?
(Trivia Test answers page 16)
• Jackie Mitchell was born in 1913 in Tennessee. Her father took her to the local ball field as soon as she could walk. Their neighbor, Dazzy Vance, taught her all his tricks at a time when he was on track for the Baseball Hall of Fame. Even as a kid, it was obvious this young, left-handed south-paw pitcher was a natural.
• The first all-female baseball teams were organized in 1860. Generally, they played just for the entertainment value. However, the Class AA minor-league team, the Chattanooga Lookouts, formed in 1908, was different. They were in it for the sporting challenge.
• In 1930, Joe Engle bought the team. Joe was a pitcher for the Washington Senators who became a baseball scout before becoming a promoter. When he saw Jackie Mitchell pitching at a training camp, he signed her on the spot, awarding her the first professional baseball contract ever given to a woman.
• Engle had a flare for publicity and promotions. He signed Jackie on March 25, 1931, and quickly lined up a very clever publicity stunt, with Jackie as the center of attention. On April 1, 1931, just a week after he had signed her on, he arranged an exhibition game between the Lookouts and the New York Yankees, since he knew the team was passing through Chattanooga on their way home from spring training. It was a publicity coup: the little girls vs. the big boys.
• The prospect of a 17-year-old girl facing the mighty Yankees generated considerable publicity. One reporter wrote, “She swings a mean lipstick!” As Jackie posed for pictures, she whipped out a mirror and powdered her nose.
• The game got rained out on the appointed day, so it was April 2, 1931, when Jackie made headlines. She walked up to the mound that day in front of a crowd of 4,000 paying spectators.
• Babe Ruth stepped up to the plate. The first pitch was a ball. And then, one right after the other, Jackie Mitchell pitched a strike, another strike, and a third strike. The crowd roared. Babe cursed. Next up was Lou Gehrig, and he swung through the next three pitches: one, two, three strikes, and he was out!
• Although the Yankees won 14-4, the story became a Depression-era sensation.
• Ruth, however, was quoted as saying that women “will never make good” in baseball because “they are too delicate. It would kill them to play ball every day.” Despite her impressive performance, the baseball commissioner soon voided her contract, deeming baseball “too strenuous” for women as full-time professionals.
• Some news reports claimed that Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig struck out on purpose; others conjectured that it had all been a big April Fool’s Day prank.
• Jackie Mitchell went on to play for barnstorming teams. She scored another feat when she pitched against the major-league St. Louis Cardinals and her team won 8 to 6.
• She retired in 1937, but she had paved the way.
• In 1943, the first All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was formed. It was later featured in the 1992 movie “A League of Their Own.” Jackie Mitchell was asked to join, but turned down the invitation.
• Major League Baseball officially banned women in 1952. The ban was lifted in 1992 when the Chicago White Sox drafted Carey Schueler for the 1993 season.
• In the 1970s, a lawsuit won girls entry into Little League.
• In 1982, Mitchell threw out the ceremonial first pitch for the Chattanooga Lookouts on their opening day.
• Jackie Mitchell died in 1987 and was buried in Forest Hills Cemetery in Chattanooga. Her story is a testament to breaking barriers.
Week of February 2, 2025
Deep: (from page one)
to more than 7 miles straight down and is the deepest natural point on earth. How deep is that, exactly? Here are some facts and figures to put it all in perspective.
LAYERS OF DEPTH
• A column of water reaching from the ocean surface down to the sea bottom is made up of five basic zones: The sunlight zone (epipelagic), the twilight zone (mesopelagic), the midnight zone (bathypelagic), the abyssal zone (abyssopelagic), and the hadal zone (trenches).
Sunlight Zone: Surface to approx 650 ft (200 m).
• The upper layer allows enough sunlit photosynthesis for aquatic plant life to grow.
• 131 feet (40 m): is the average depth of most pearl divers.
• 330 feet (100.6 m): is the average hunting depth of a blue whale.
Twilight Zone: 660' to 3,300' (200 - 1,000 m)
• The point at which light fades and the ocean becomes darker.
• 700 feet (213 m): Average traveling depth of the USS Triton, the first submarine to circumnavigate the oceans, in 1960.
• 831 feet (253 m): Deepest single-breath free dive in history, set by Herbert Nitsch in 2012.
• 990 feet (300 m): Maximum depth ever recorded of a bottlenose dolphin, a dive made by Tuffy, a dolphin trained by the US Navy. Most dolphins remain in the shallows where their prey is found.
• 1,090 feet (332 m): Deepest dive by a scuba diver, set by Ahmed Gabr in 2014 after training for four years. It took him 12 minutes to go down and 15 hours to come back up in order to avoid the bends.
• 1,755 feet (535 m): Maximum depth of an emperor penguin, the largest of all penguins.
They can remain underwater for 18 minutes and never get the bends. They have solid bones to help them sink, unlike the hollow bones of birds that fly.
• 1,968 feet (600 m): Maximum depth of the Weddel seal, which lives most of its life underwater and can remain submerged for an hour due to iron-rich oxygen-binding proteins in its muscles that store oxygen.
• 2,723 feet (830 m): The deepest dive of the largest operational submarine ever built, “Project 949A Antey,” which was constructed by the military for research purposes.
Midnight Zone: 3,300' to 9,800 ft. (1,000 m3,900 m)
• Perpetual darkness. This is the deepest dives of pilot whales, the largest dolphin species. They get their name because they travel in pods with a single leader out in front. They dive to this depth in search of squid.
• 4,200 feet (1,280 m): Deepest depth of leatherback turtles, the 4th heaviest reptile on earth. They dive to follow the daily migration of jellyfish. They come out of the water only to lay eggs.
• 4,200 feet (1,280 m): Maximum depth most commercial fishing nets reach.
• 7,835 feet (2,388 m): The deepest depth of the elephant seal, which can hold its breath for over 100 minutes. They can stay submerged due to the high level of myoglobin (oxygen-storing protein) in their blood. Their blubber protects them from the cold.
Abyssal Zone: 9,842 ft to 21,325 ft (4,000 m6,500 m)
• Maximum depth of the Cuvier’s beaked whale, which can function in complete darkness at crushing pressure levels. They can stay underwater for 2 hours and 17 minutes, making them the deepest and longest marine divers on the planet. They dive for squid and other deepwater fish, and are challenging to study because they tend to remain at depth and shy away from boats. They have high levels of both myoglobin and hemoglobin in their blood and muscles, making their blood so deeply crimson that it appears black. They also have a foldable rib cage that adjusts the size of air pockets in their chest, which regulates buoyancy.
• 12,139 feet (3,700 m): Average depth of the oceans worldwide.
• 12,467 feet (3,800 m): Depth of the wreck of
the “unsinkable” Titanic, which was discovered by accident when Dr. Robert Ballard was on a top-secret military mission to find two wrecked nuclear submarines. Research has revealed 28 different species of sea creatures living within the wreck. The iron infrastructure of the ship is covered with a newly discovered rust-eating bacteria now named Halomonas titanicae which is Greek taxonomy for “salt-tolerant microbe of
1. What percent of all life on Earth lives in the water?
2. What percent of all aquatic ocean species live in ocean water no deeper than 650 feet (200 m), within the reach of sunlight?
Because the planet bulges at the
and is flattened at the poles, and because the
is close to the equator, the ocean floor at both the North and South Pole is about 15.5 miles (25 km) closer to the center of the Earth than the bottom of the Mariana trench.
equator
Mariana Trench
By Lucie Winborne
* Medical students in 18th-century Scotland could pay their tuition fees in corpses.
* Jimi Hendrix served as a paratrooper in the U.S. Army’s elite 101st Airborne division, though an ankle injury allowed him to leave the service with a welcomed honorable discharge after one year of the three he’d signed up for.
* A statement in the ending credits of the movie “Frozen” claims that Disney does not support the consumption of boogers.
* After Playboy founder Hugh Hefner funded some research in the 1980s that identified a subspecies of rabbit living in the Florida Keys, it was named for him: sylvilagus palustris hefneri.
* An IKEA in the Netherlands had to cancel its one-euro breakfast special because it attracted too many customers and caused highway traffic jams.
* Rolex replaced, without charge, all the watches that had been seized by the Germans from shot-down Allied pilots during World War II.
* In its lifetime, the International Space Station will be hit by 100,000 meteoroids.
* During the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, two 20-pound propane bombs that were planted in the cafeteria failed to detonate. If they had, it is estimated that up to 488 students would have been seriously injured or killed.
* The U.S. Embassy in Kathmandu, Nepal, has guidelines on what to do if you should stumble across a yeti (and no, we are not talking about the cup!).
***
Thought for the Day: “In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.” -- Albert Schweitzer
by Mary Hunt
Got Debt? Do Something About It!
Doing something about consumer debt is good for your finances -- and just about every other area of your life.
HEALTH
by Mary Hunt
Experts say there’s no question that carrying a lot of debt can be stressful, causing all kinds of health issues. It can result in worry, sleeplessness, communication breakdown, depression and anxiety. Credit card debt takes a terrible toll on our health. Our bodies bear the consequences of the heavy loads our minds carry when we place our lives in financial jeopardy. Do something about your debt today and you’ll be doing something good for your health, too.
JOB
Being in a job you hate is an awful place to be. Every time you think about leaving, you realize you can’t afford to right now because you have too much debt to pay off. Get started today doing something about your debt to get unstuck from your unhappy situation.
RELATIONSHIPS
I’m not proud of this, but it is the truth: Loads of debt prompted me to lie to my husband. I resented him for not making more money; he learned he couldn’t trust me. The No. 1 killer of marriages is unresolved conflicts. And what do couples argue about the most? The number one area of conflict is money. Divorce is expensive. If strengthening your marriage were the only reason to debt-proof your life, it would be reason enough. Want to lessen the stress at home? Do something about your debt. You’ll be amazed.
FUTURE
Carrying credit card debt keeps you in the past. Think about it: You’re now legally obligated to pay for stuff you don’t even remember buying with money you haven’t earned yet. Reducing debt has the opposite effect. It frees up money to save for the future. Looking forward and planning for the future will improve your life and get you unstuck from the past. Doing something about your debt will seriously improve your outlook on life.
PEACE OF MIND
Creating a plan to methodically pay off debt brings a sense of peace, joy and calm. Even if you have to start small, that’s fine. The key is to get started right away. It will never be easier than it is right now. And remember this: As long as you’re headed in the right direction, even the baby steps count. Just keep going, don’t stop and don’t give up!
Convinced? Are you ready to get serious about getting out of debt and then staying that way? I can help with my book, “Debt-Proof Living: How to Get out of Debt and Stay That Way.” In it I share the simple money management plan that got me out of more than $100,000 of unsecured debt (translates to something close to $300,000 in today’s dollars and, yes, we are still 100% debt free!) and has helped thousands of others to do the same.
Mark today on your calendar as the day that you decided to do something about your debt -- and you meant it. I know you can do this, and I’d be honored to walk with you all the way to paying off that last dollar of the debt that’s been keeping you in financial bondage. I know you can do this!
Mary invites you to visit her at EverydayCheapskate.com, where this column is archived complete with links and resources for all recommended 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.”
COPYRIGHT
• The existence of viruses was proven in the year 1892. Russian botanist Dmitri Iwanowski was performing experiments on tobacco plants when he noted that some sub-microscopic agent had passed through a filter that was so microscopically dense that it trapped virtually all bacteria. Yet somehow, the plants got infected with something far smaller than bacteria, and the disease subsequently spread to all his previously healthy plants.
• Other scientists followed up, and by 1900, the existence of viruses was accepted throughout the scientific community even though they were too small to see. An actual virus would not be seen until the electron microscope was invented in 1931. The first virus ever seen was Iwanowski’s “tobacco mosaic virus” which was isolated and identified in 1939.
• If a virus were the size of a tennis ball, a bacteria would be the size of a beach ball, and a human would be about 500 miles tall.
• It was found that virus cannot reproduce on its own. To replicate itself, it first attaches itself to the membrane of a cell in the body. Then it penetrates the membrane and enters the cell, injecting its own genetic material and reprograming the cell to make copies of the virus. When the cell is so packed with virus copies that it can’t hold any more, the cell bursts open, releasing the virus into the bloodstream where it spreads throughout the body, repeating the process over and over.
• Coughing, speaking, and sneezing spew the virus into the air where they are either inhaled, or land on a surface that another person might touch, then transferring the virus to the mouth, nose, or eyes.
• The virus that causes the common cold can remain active on a doorknob for about three days.
• The flu virus can survive on paper money for up to two and a half weeks if it’s covered by a microscopic blob of protective mucus like the ones spread through the air by a sneeze.
• The body fights the virus by creating antibodies, which attack and destroy the virus. Once the
body has been under attack by a certain virus, that antibodies have defeated, those antibodies remain in the bloodstream for many years, ready to attack that virus if it ever returns. This is the basic fact behind the effectiveness of vaccines, where a small sample of dead or weakened virus is injected into the bloodstream. Antibodies form quickly and remain in circulation.
• The influenza virus mutates frequently, which is why a new flu shot is recommended each year. Even so, the annual flu vaccine might be only 60 to 70% effective. However, when people who received a flu shot get the flu, they tend to have milder symptoms than those who never had the specific vaccine for that strain of flu.
• Many species of animals can get the flu, including
chickens, horses, and pigs.
• There are hundreds of thousands of different strains of viruses, but only 586 have been known to infect animals. Of those, only 263 affect humans. By far, the majority of viruses infect only bacteria.
• The word “influenza” is Italian, meaning “influence” because they thought that the heavens influenced the illness.
• The word “virus” was invented by a Dutch botanist in the year 1900. It’s Latin for “toxin.”
• A virus discovered in Siberia which had been frozen in permafrost for over 30,000 years sprang to life when thawed out and was injected into an amoeba.
by Dana Jackson
Q: Is Mark Wahlberg really bald in his new movie “Flight Risk,” or is he wearing a bald cap? He looks like George Costanza from “Seinfeld.” -- N.W.
A: That’s no bald cap or special effects. Mark Walhberg really did shave off the top of his hair for his latest movie role as a pilot who transports a prisoner (Topher Grace) cross-country to testify against a mafia group. It was Walhberg’s idea to fully commit to the role with daily shavings and leaving “the horseshoe around the sides.”
Walhberg told People magazine that the best part about his temporary look was seeing his wife’s face the first time he took off his hat.
The movie, which was directed by Mel Gibson and also stars Michelle Dockery (“Downton Abbey”), was originally set for release in 2024 but got moved back to Jan. 24.
Q: I saw an ad for a new show that looks really good. It’s about prisoners breaking free, but I can’t recall the name of it. When does it come out? -- B.F.
A: You’re thinking of the upcoming NBC drama “The Hunting Party,” which premiered on Jan. 19. The premise follows a group of prisoners who escape after their underground top-secret prison (known as The Pit) blows up. The hunters
in this case are a small team of investigators assembled to “capture the most dangerous killers our country has ever seen.”
The search team includes a former FBI profiler played by Melissa Roxburgh (“Manifest”), a prison guard played by Josh McKenzie (“La Brea”), and a CIA agent played by Patrick Sabongui (“The Flash”).
Among the deadly escapees are a serial killer played by Tobias Jelinek (“Stranger Things”), who Roxburgh’s character initially helped put away for his crimes.
JJ Bailey, one of the show’s creators, explains that there’s enough plot besides escaped prisoners to engage viewers for several seasons. He claims that by the end of the season, it “turns out there’s much more going on.”
He further explains, “We talk a lot about what was going on at the Pit as being sort of ... this octopus with many tentacles. In the end of season 1, we sort of chop one off only to realize there’s more, and there definitely is someone behind the explosion at the Pit with an ulterior motive that
we’ll uncover hopefully seasons ... down the road.” ***
Q: Will there be some kind of benefit concert to help the victims of the California Wildfires? -- K.K.
A: Yes, there is a concert in the works that is expected to air live on Jan. 30 at 6 p.m. PT (3 p.m. ET) from two different venues: the Kia Forum and the Intuit Dome. Details can be found at FireAidLA.org, but artists who are scheduled to perform include Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, No Doubt, P!nk, Sting, Stevie Nicks, Rod Stewart, Joni Mitchell, Lady Gaga, Jelly Roll, Earth, Wind & Fire, plus many more! * * *
Send me your questions at NewCelebrityExtra@gmail.com, or write me at KFWS, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803.
Mandarin Orange Salad
Almond Brittle
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Raspberry Vinaigrette
1/4 cup raspberry vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Salad
1/2 medium head iceberg lettuce, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 romaine heart, cut crosswise into 1/2inch pieces
2 large stalks celery, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices
3 green onions, chopped
1 can (11 ounces) Mandarin orange segments, drained
1. Prepare almond brittle: Line cookie sheet or jelly-roll pan with parchment paper. In 1-quart saucepan, heat sugar over medium heat 3 to 5 minutes or until melted and light amber in color, swirling pan occasionally. Remove saucepan from heat; add almonds and stir until coated. Spread almond mixture on parchment-lined cookie sheet; cool completely. When cool, break into 1/2-inch pieces.
2. Meanwhile, prepare raspberry vinaigrette: In small bowl, with wire whisk, mix vinegar, sugar, parsley, salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce. In thin, steady stream, whisk in oil until blended.
3. Prepare salad: In large salad bowl, combine iceberg, romaine, celery, green onions and Mandarin orange segments.
4. To serve, gently toss lettuce mixture with vinaigrette. Sprinkle with brittle pieces.
Each serving: About 105 calories, 7g total fat (1g saturated), 110mg sodium, 10g total carbohydrate, 1g dietary fiber, 2g protein.
Micro-Baked Apples
A quick and easy update on an old favorite -- baked apples.
4 large apples such as Fuji or Gala (about 8 ounces each)
4 teaspoons margarine or butter 1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup maple syrup
1. Remove cores from apples but don’t cut through to bottom. Beginning at stem end, peel apples one-third of way down. Stand apples in 8-by-8 inch glass baking dish. Fill each apple with 1 teaspoon margarine and 1 tablespoon
cranberries. Pour maple syrup over and around apples.
2. Cover with vented plastic wrap and cook on Medium-High (70 percent power) 10 to 11 minutes or until apples are very tender. Let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Makes 4 servings.
Each serving: About 235 calories, 5g total fat (1g saturated, 1g protein, 51g carb., 6g fiber, 55mg sodium.
* * *
For hundreds of triple-tested recipes, visit our website at www.goodhousekeeping.com/recipes/. (c) 2025 Hearst Communications, Inc. All rights reserved
By John Allen
DIAMOND LIL
by Brett Koth
Donald
NEXT WEEK IN
TIDBITS PERUSES A FEW
Answering Questions From Widows
I hope there is nothing in the air that is causing old goats like me to keel over. For some reason, I’ve been getting a lot of questions from widows lately. Here are some of them.
Q: I am 90 years old and getting widow’s benefits from my first husband who died a long time ago. I also have my own Social Security, but I’m not getting it because my widow’s benefits pay more. I married another man about two years ago. He is 83. His Social Security is smaller than even my own Social Security. Assuming I die before he does, I want him to be able to get widower’s benefits on my account. Do I have to switch to my own so he’ll get mine when I die?
A: No, you don’t have to do that. In fact, it is likely that you are already getting your own benefits, at least on the Social Security Administration’s books. That’s because they usually pay your own benefit first and then supplement with any additional widow’s benefits you are due. For example, let’s say your own benefit is $2,000 per month and your widow’s rate is $3,800 per month. You are getting a monthly check of $3,800, but on the SSA books, you are getting $2,000 from your account and $1,800 from your deceased husband’s account.
Q: I am 70 years old, and I am working part time. But throughout our 40-year marriage, I was a stay-at-home mom for much of the time. My husband, who was a lawyer, died four years ago. I get widow’s benefits and not my own. But every year, I get a letter telling me my own retirement benefit went up. But my check never increases. Can you explain this?
A: As I said in the prior answer, I’m sure that on the SSA’s books, you are getting your own small Social Security benefit that is supplemented with higher widow’s benefits. So as you work, your own benefit gradually increases every year. But it will probably never reach the point where it exceeds your widow’s rate, and that’s why nothing changes.
Here’s an example. Let’s say your own Social Security retirement benefit is $800 per month and your widow’s benefit is $3,400 per month. So on the SSA’s books, you are getting your own $800,
And now let’s say your earnings increase your own retirement benefit to $830 per month. That means on paper, your widow’s supplement goes down to $2,570 because you are still due a total of $3,400 per month.
Q: My husband and I are both in our late 70s. We were both real estate agents most of our lives. I’m still in the business. Because of poor health, my husband isn’t. My Social Security is $2,990. He gets $2,540. If he dies, what will I get in widow’s benefits?
A: I’m sorry, but you won’t get anything -other than the small one-time death benefit of $255. When you are potentially due two benefits, you only get the one that pays the higher rate, unless you are due your own benefit, in which case you get that one supplemented up to the higher benefit. Your own benefit is more than your potential widow’s benefit. So that’s all you’ll get.
On the other hand, if you should die first, he would get $450 in widower’s benefits to take his $2,540 retirement rate up to your $2,990 level.
Q: My husband and I both took our Social Security at 62. We are now in our 80s. My husband’s benefit is much higher than mine. If he dies first, will I start getting what he was getting at the time of death?
A: In your situation, you’ll actually get a little bit more. Because your husband took benefits at 62, that means he is getting a reduced retirement benefit that equals 75% of his full retirement age rate. But there is a law that says a woman of your age is guaranteed a widow’s rate of 82% of her husband’s full rate. So you’ll get that extra 7% added to your widow’s benefits after he dies.
Q: I am about to turn 62. I’m thinking of retiring. My husband died 10 years ago, and I never remarried. I called Social Security, and they said I must now choose between his benefit or my own, and that once I make
1. The book of Joseph is found in the a) Old Testament b) New Testament c) Neither
2. Who led the Israelites across dry land through the parted River Jordan after they set out from Shittim? a) Moses b) Joshua c) Aaron d) Elijah
3. Which Psalm begins, "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee"? a) 33 b) 47 c) 63 d) 105
4. From Proverbs 22, what is foolishness bound in the heart of? a) Unbeliever b) Child c) Proud d) Drunkard
5. What was the name of Samson's father? a) Agamemnon b) Jesse c) Levi d) Manoah
6. Who wrote the book of Proverbs? a) Solomon b) Manesseh c) Obadiah d) Samuel
(Answers on page 16)
comments or more Bible
that choice, I’m locked out of the other benefit. But your book says something about a “widow’s option.”
A: What you were told by the Social Security rep is absolutely wrong. Let me make this very clear: Widows and widowers have the option of taking reduced benefits on one record and later switching to higher benefits on another record. This would actually seem to contradict a rule I’ve mentioned many times in this column, the “deemed filing rule.” That rule says that when you are filing for one Social Security benefit, you are automatically filing for any and all other benefits you are due. It almost always comes into play for spousal benefits where the other spouse is still living. In other words, if your husband were still alive, you could not file for spousal benefits on his record at age 62 and later switch to higher benefits on your own account.
But that rule goes out the window for widows and widowers. You could file for reduced retirement benefits now and then at full retirement age, switch to full widow’s benefits. Or, depending on the amounts involved, it might be to your advantage to file for reduced widow’s benefits now and at full retirement age, switch to 100% of your own benefit. Or you could even wait until 70 and at that age, switch to 130% of your retirement benefit.
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 Easy-to-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. Or you can send him an email at thomas.margenau@comcast.net. 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.
COPYRIGHT 2025 CREATORS.COM
DMSO Isn’t Recommended
Based on Potential Harm
DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m interested in consuming dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). I’ve read that it will destroy the root of cancer and hasten the healing of broken bones, ligaments and strained muscles. My question is whether it is OK to consume the suggested amount of DMSO?
My aortic valve was replaced with a mechanical valve three years ago. After 12 months of follow-up exams, I was informed that the valve had sealed perfectly and was told to enjoy life. --
W.H.
ANSWER: DMSO is indicated by the Food and Drug Administration for the symptomatic relief of interstitial cystitis, a chronic and painful bladder condition. It is instilled directly in the bladder and is sometimes used for other urinary conditions, although there is no evidence of its usefulness.
DMSO is often used topically for musculoskeletal injuries, and some people do note pain relief. Numerous studies on rheumatological conditions (such as rheumatoid arthritis) failed to show a benefit, although a study from Germany in 1995 showed that DMSO gel with a 25% concentration reduced pain when applied to joints. Other studies were unable to confirm this.
For cancer, there are no convincing studies that show benefit, and some studies have shown an increase in breast cancer cell growth with DMSO.
Based on studies showing minimal benefit and potential harm, I don’t recommend the use of DMSO. What’s more important is that the studies have been done with medical-grade DMSO, which is only available with a prescription. When you buy DMSO at a hardware store, you are getting industrial-grade DMSO, which is potentially contaminated with industrial toxins and is not intended for human use.
In addition, DMSO is very good at bringing other substances with it into the skin. This is useful as a drug-delivery system but dangerous when the DMSO you use is contaminated with chemicals or if you get those chemicals on your skin.
* * * Dr. Roach regrets that he is unable to answer individual questions, but will incorporate them in the column whenever possible. Readers may email questions to ToYourGoodHealth@med.cornell.edu.
(c) 2025 North America Synd., Inc.
Driving with Dementia and Knowing When to Stop
DEAR SAVVY SENIOR: When should someone with dementia stop driving? My 83-year-old father has some dementia issues but still drives himself around town. He does pretty well, but I worry about him. -- Concerned Daughter
Dear Concerned: Most doctors agree that people with moderate to severe dementia should never get behind the wheel, but in the early stages of Alzheimer’s or other types of dementia, driving performance should be the determining factor of when to stop driving, not the disease itself.
With that said, it’s also important to realize that as your dad’s driving skills deteriorate over time from the disease, he might not recognize he has a problem. So, it’s very important that you work closely with his doctor to monitor his driving and help him stop when it is no longer safe for him to drive. Here are some additional tips that can help you.
Watch for Warning Signs
The best way to keep tabs on your dad’s driving abilities is to take frequent rides with him and be alert for warning signs. For example: Does he have trouble remembering routes to familiar places? Does he drive at inappropriate speeds, tailgate, drift between lanes or fail to observe traffic signs? Are his reactions delayed? Does he make poor driving decisions? Also, has your dad had any fender benders or tickets lately, or have you noticed any dents or scrapes on his vehicle? All of these are red flags.
If you need some assessment help, hire a driver rehabilitation specialist who’s trained to evaluate older drivers. See Myaota.aota.org/ driver_search or Aded.net to locate one in your area.
Transition Tips
Through your assessments, if you believe it’s still safe for your dad to drive, you should start recommending some simple adjustments to ensure his safety. For example, driving only in daylight and on familiar routes, and avoiding busy roads and bad weather. Also, get him to sign a dementia “driving contract” that designates someone to tell him when it’s no longer safe to drive. Go to Alz.org/driving and click on the “Download” button to print one.
You may also want to consider getting a GPS car tracking device (like Bouncie.com or MotoSafety.com) to help you monitor him. These devices will let you track where he’s driving and allow you to set up zones and speed limits that will send alerts to your smartphone when he exits an area. It will also show if he’s driving too fast or slow, or having to brake frequently.
Time to Quit
When your dad’s driving gets to the point that he can no longer drive safely, you’ll need to talk to him. It’s best to start having these conversations in the early stages of the disease, before he needs to quit driving so he can prepare himself.
You also need to have a plan for alternative transportation (including a list of family, friends and local transportation options) that will help him get around after he stops driving.
For tips on how to talk to your dad about this sensitive subject, the Hartford Center for Mature Market Excellence offers a helpful guide called “At the Crossroads: Family Conversations About Alzheimer’s Disease, Dementia and Driving” that you can download at TheHartford.com/ Publications-on-Aging
Refuses to Quit
If your dad refuses to quit, you have several options. First, suggest a visit to his doctor who can give him a medical evaluation, and prescribe that he stops driving. Older people will
often listen to their doctor before they will listen to their own family.
If he still refuses, contact your local Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to see if they can help. Some states will automatically revoke a license when a person is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or dementia, while many others require retaking a driving test.
If these fail, consider hiding his keys or you may need to take them away. You could also disable his vehicle by disconnecting the battery, park it in another location so he can’t see it or have access to it, or sell it.
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.
Deep: from page 3
the titanic.”
• The research crew of the Titan submersible died on June 18, 2023 when their deep-water craft imploded during a dive to view the Titanic wreckage, causing a catastrophic loss of pressure, instantly killing all five members onboard.
• 20,000 feet (6,096 m): Average depth at which transatlantic cable lines are laid.
• 22,621 feet (6,895 m): Depth at which the wreckage of the USS Samuel B. Roberts lies, the deepest known shipwreck. It was sunk in 1944 while trying to prevent the Japanese Navy from interfering with an amphibious invasion of a Philippine island.
Hadal Zone: 31,325' to 37,000' (6,000 - 11,500 m)
• 35,797 feet (10,911 m) is the depth that the bathy-scaphe “Trieste” achieved when piloted by oceanographer Jacques Piccard and US Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh in 1960. They stirred up so much silt they could barely see out of the porthole, but were astonished to see flatfish and shrimp near the very bottom of the Mariana Trench at a time when everyone thought the bottom of the sea was barren of life.
• The discoveries made by the “Trieste” led to a ban on dumping nuclear waste in the ocean. It took 4 hours and 47 minutes for the “Trieste” to descend and 3 hours and 15 minutes to resurface after the porthole window cracked under pressure.
• 35,787 feet (10,908 m): Maximum depth reached by James Cameron in the “Deepsea Challenger” submersible on a solo dive in 2012, some 52 years after the “Trieste.” Cameron took pictures, shot videos, and gathered samples from the sea floor, spending 3 hours at the bottom. His samples proved that many creatures live at the maximum depth of the ocean and that a living microbial mat covers much of the sea floor. When things started to malfunction, he resurfaced. It took two and a half hours to go down and 67 minutes to get back up.
• 35,835 feet (10,928 m, equal to 6.79 miles (or 10.9 km): The deepest depth ever reached by a human, accomplished by the extraordinary explorer Victor Vescovo in a deep submergence vehicle in 2019. While deep into the Mariana Trench, Vescovo recorded what was either a plastic trash bag or a plastic candy wrapper on a ledge.
by Jason Jenkins
