Vol. 19: #5 • Disney Princesses • (1-29-2023) Tidbits of Coachella Valley

TIDBITS PAYS TRIBUTE TO Disney

by Kathy Wolfe

“Someday my Prince will come” is a common phrase voiced by many, but especially by the Disney princesses! This week Tidbits invites you to join us for some of the interesting behind-the-scenes facts about these enchanting Disney creations.

• There are 13 “official” Disney princesses, ranging in date from 1937 to 2022. The first princess was, of course, Snow White, in the classic technicolor film released more than 85 years ago. Walt Disney hired 750 artists to draw nearly two million sketches for the movie, a monumental project that took three years to complete.

• For every one second of animation in Snow White, twelve to twenty-four drawings were required. Skilled animators painstakingly handdrew every movement and expression of each character, slightly changing each one with successive sheets of animation paper.

• The initial estimated budget for the undertaking was $250,000, but as production progressed it

TRIVIA NEWSFRONT

(Answers on page 16)

Gillette has been a household word for more than 125 years, but how much do you know about the ingenious inventor who started the company? Follow along as Tidbits brings readers an account of this corporation’s founder.

• King Camp Gillette came by his creative temperament naturally, with a father who was a patent agent and a seasoned mechanical tinkerer. His mother, after years of experimenting and devising her own recipes, wrote a cookbook in 1887 that remained in print for 100 years.

• When Gillette was 16, his family’s possessions were lost in Chicago’s Great Fire of 1871, and the young man was compelled to go to work. He took a job as a traveling salesman, selling hardware items, all the while continuing to experiment with inventions. By 1890, he had been awarded four patents.

• During the 1890s, Gillette was working for the Crown Cork and Seal Company selling corks for bottles, noting that their product was discarded after use. When the company president learned of Gillette’s inventive genius, he asked if he could create “a product that would be used and then thrown away,” ensuring repeated purchases by consumers.

• After years of being on the road, Gillette was well familiar with shaving with a heavy straight edge razor with a wooden handle. The blade dulled quickly and had to be sharpened every day on a leather strop, eventually becoming too worn to sharpen. In 1895, Gillette took his employer’s advice and conceived the idea of a thin, inexpensive blade that could be thrown away and easily replaced once it grew dull.

First year sales were only 51 razors and 168 blades, increasing the following year to 90,000 razors and 12.4 million blades. Although the company earned a huge profit that year, Gillette actually sold the razors at a loss, making the profits on the blades. The razor handle was a one-time purchase with a spendy price tag of $5, about half a week’s pay for the average worker. The blades were sold in packaged multiples.

• By 1908, there were Gillette factories in the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, France, and Germany. King Gillette’s face was a familiar one, featured on the packaging, making him an internationally recognized figure.

• Blade sales in 1915 were 70 million units. In 1917, in the midst of World War I, Gillette issued all American soldiers a field razor set, financed by the U.S. Government.

• The stock market crash of 1929 left King Gillette nearly bankrupt and the value of his corporate shares plummeted. He had also spent much of his fortune on property, and was embroiled in patent battles.

• The company survived the financial crisis and continued to thrive after Gillette’s death in 1932. They added Foamy shaving cream to their line-up in 1953 and Right Guard deodorant in 1960. King Gillette would have been gratified to know his company was sold to Procter & Gamble in 2005 for $57 billion. □

1. MUSIC: Which band sang the theme song to TV’s “Friends”?

2. ANATOMY: What is the only bone in the human body that isn’t attached to another bone nearby?

3. LITERATURE: What is the setting for the “Anne of Green Gables” novel series?

4. TELEVISION: Who plays the lead role in the sitcom “Mr. Mayor”?

5. GEOGRAPHY: Where are the Spanish Steps located?

6. HISTORY: How long did the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin, orbit the planet?

7. AD SLOGANS: Which restaurant chain advises customers to “eat fresh”?

8. SCIENCE: What is the only form of energy that can be seen with the human eye?

9. ANIMAL KINGDOM: With which animal do humans share 98.8% of their DNA?

10. MOVIES: Which movie features the famous line, “I see dead people”? Answers

1. The Rembrandts (“I’ll Be There for You”).

2. The hyoid bone.

Bill LeGrave

• Gillette’s idea was to use a small strip of very thin steel with a sharp double edge, and secure it between two smooth plates held together by a screw-on “T” handle. But he was quickly informed by metallurgists that it would be impossible to manufacture such a blade since thin, cheap steel was too difficult to sharpen. It took Gillette six years to find an MITeducated engineer who finally found a way of transforming his idea into the mass-produced thin sheet metal blades he envisioned.

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• Gillette Safety Razor Company was founded in 1901, but production didn’t begin until 1903.

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People often decide to be Rolfed because of pain in the muscular-skeletal system, often in the back, shoulders and neck. While Rolfing® is not designed as a system of treatment for illness, it can often be helpful in these situations as it brings the body into better alignment. A Rolfed body is more vertically balanced, with the leg more directly under the torso for better support, the pelvis less tipped forward, the chest lifted and symmetrical, and the head sitting directly over the neck and shoulders. In this alignment, chronic aches and pains often clear up as the body is positioned and moves in the most comfortable way.

Call to schedule an appointment or for a free consultation:

3. Prince Edward Island.

1.What’s

Week of January 29, 2023

swelled to $1.5 million, requiring Disney to take out a mortgage on his home to help cover it. Although 25 songs were composed for the movie, only seven were actually used.

• Eighteen-year-old Adriana Caselotti was chosen over 150 other hopefuls to voice Snow White. She received $20 a day for her efforts, a total of $970 for the role, about $20,000 in today’s dollars. The studio required Caselotti to sign a contract forbidding her from taking any other voice work, because Walt Disney wanted to “own” the voice of Snow White, not wanting to “spoil the illusion of Snow White.” This, along with her name not being listed in the credits, wiped out any hopes of making a career in films for the young woman.

• Adriana Caselotti pursued opera for a time, then settled into real estate sales. In her later years, she autographed letters and photographs to supplement her income.

• Thirteen years passed before another princess film hit the theaters. “Cinderella” was released in 1950, with upwards of 300 young women auditioning for the voice. The role was awarded to Ilene Woods, whose songwriter friends had called her to record three of the film’s songs. They presented the demo recordings to Walt Disney, who called Woods two days later with the offer of “Cinderella.” Walt’s all-time favorite animation scene of all of his movies was when Cinderella’s dress transformed from her shabby garments to the beautiful blue ball gown.

• Cinderella lost her shoe not once, not twice, but three times in the 1950 film. The first is when she delivers breakfast trays to her stepmother and stepsisters, the second is as she runs away from the ball, and the third is as she walks down the steps at her wedding to the prince. Her actual shoe size is 4 ½, which explains why

the other maidens in the kingdom had so much trouble squeezing into it!

• It shouldn’t be surprising that the Princess known for her sleeping is the most silent of them all. Aurora from 1959’s “Sleeping Beauty” has just 18 lines of dialogue and 18 minutes of screen time in the entire movie. Even when she is awakened by the Prince’s kiss, she doesn’t speak!

• The story is based on the Brothers Grimm tale called “Briar Rose,” a name used by Aurora while she lived with her three fairy godmothers. She was the last princess created before Walt Disney’s death in 1966. The film was the only princess film that was a commercial failure at its debut. With a budget of $6 million, “Sleeping Beauty” earned just $5.3 million at its debut.

The most iconic scene in Sleeping Beauty is the “Once Upon a Dream” sequence (called “Sequence 8” in development) where Aurora meets Prince Phillip for the first time. Walt Disney rejected the scene over and over again, nearly bankrupting the studio trying to get it right.

• After a 30-year drought of princesses, “The Little Mermaid” premiered in 1989, introducing the red-haired Ariel. The film’s animation was another monumental task, and due to a shortage of manpower at Disney, the company hired a Chinese animation studio to draw over a million bubbles by hand. And so marked the end of an era in which Disney films were created in the traditional method of hand-painting frames.

• After “The Little Mermaid,” digital animation became the modern practice. Of all the Disney characters, Ariel was the one who has sung more songs than any other. She was voiced by actress Jodi Benson, who also voiced the film’s character Vanessa, who was Ursula the Sea Witch in disguise.

• “The Little Mermaid” film collected $84 million for its debut, and another $27 million at its theater re-release eight years later. Its lifetime gross worldwide is $235 million on a budget of $40 million. Two Oscars were awarded for the film’s musical score and best song.

• Disney’s 1991 story of “Beauty and the Beast” was loosely based on a French fairy tale, “La Belle et la Bete.” Screenwriter for the film, Linda Woolverton, says that her interpretation of Belle was inspired by Katharine Hepburn’s performance as Jo March in the 1933 film “Little Women.” The idea for Belle’s yellow ball gown was borrowed from Audrey Hepburn’s gown in the 1953 movie “Roman Holiday.”

NUGGETS OF KNOWLEDGE

Singer/actress Mandy

Moore captured the role for the voice of "Tangled's" Rapunzel. Both Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel auditioned for the role, but were eliminated. However, the two were selected for the Disney film "Frozen" three years later, with Bell voicing Anna and Menzel in the role of Elsa.

• Careful viewers will notice that Belle is the only person in her village to wear the color blue, symbolic of her being an outsider among the townspeople. When production of the animated feature ran behind schedule, the studio re-used

the animation from the dance between Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip in “Sleeping Beauty” for Belle’s dance with Prince Adam.

• Disney Studios released “Pocahontas” on June 23, 1995, the 400th birthday of the real

Disney: Turn to page 15

QUIZ BITS

1. What was the name of Snow White's prince?

2. What Disney princess fell in love with Prince Eric?

2.What

Disney: (from page one) 1.VERNALEQUINOX 2.CROCUS

By Lucie Winborne

* During World War II, the Lay-Z-Boy company had to stop producing recliners because of the war effort. Instead, they used their production facility to mass produce (we hope much more comfortable) seats for tanks and other military vehicles.

* The only people guaranteed to get Super Bowl rings, regardless of a game’s outcome, are the referees, though their rings aren’t nearly as large or valuable as that of the players.

* In the 1880s, a railroad signalman named James Edwin Wide taught a South African baboon to perform his job by recognizing the whistles that indicated a train was about to change tracks. Dubbed “Signalman Jack,” the animal performed his duties so well that not only was he formally hired at a salary of 20 cents per day and half a bottle of beer per week, he carried on for nine years until his death from tuberculosis in 1890.

* Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury’s overbite resulted from four extra teeth in his upper jaw. He refused to have them removed, however, for fear the surgery would affect his voice and vocal range.

* In the 2015 film “Jurassic World,” Chris Pratt’s character carries a stainless Marlin 1895 -- the only firearm on Marlin’s website that’s rated for a T-Rex.

* Two churches in Vrontados, Greece, have a particularly unconventional way of marking the Easter holiday: They fire rockets at each other! While they used to use cannons, those were outlawed. The tradition has been carried out for at least four centuries.

Thought for the Day: “The heart of man is very much like the sea, it has its storms, it has its tides and in its depths it has its pearls too.” --Vincent

Van Gogh

(c) 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.

by Mary Hunt

Saving Time Gives Peace of Mind

Any time I can eliminate or lower my stress level when traveling, I’m a happy camper. I am always on the lookout for travel tips and tricks. Now I can’t wait for my next flight so I can try today’s first great reader tip!

by Mary Hunt

ARRIVALS FOR DEPARTURES

Dear Mary: I travel a lot, and sometimes if I’m in a time crunch getting to the airport, I pull into the arrivals instead of the departures to reach my terminal. This saves a lot of time, even though I may have to take my luggage up the elevator. I figure this is a viable option if the only other choice I have is to miss my flight. -- Gary

HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE SQUARES

Dear Mary: Instead of buying expensive baker’s chocolate squares, I mix 3 tablespoons of baking cocoa with 1 tablespoon of oil. Doing this gives me homemade chocolate squares. And since most recipes call for the squares to be melted, not only have I saved money; I’ve saved time, too. -- Helen

ABSORBENT TUB BACKREST

Dear Mary: I have the best tub backrest. It’s more comfortable than the inflatable ones, and it’s cheaper than the ones designed for spas. It’s a baby bath sponge! Designed for laying a baby on its back, it’s large enough for my entire back. It sticks to the tub and stays warm as long as the water does. I toss the sponge in the washer periodically to freshen. -- Lauren

HANGING SPACE

Dear Mary: My laundry room is long and narrow. I put up a tension shower rod, and now I have the perfect place to hang clothes immediately after I pull them from the dryer. -- Betsey

CRYSTAL-CLEAN WINDOWS

Dear Mary: I discovered the best window cleaner. I add 1 tablespoon of Cascade automatic dishwasher rinse agent to 2 gallons of water. I apply this with a new sponge that has no soap

residue. Now my windows shine with no spots. When I first started doing this, my windows were really dirty and it took two applications to get rid of the grime. No more! -- Debbie

KEEP A SPARE

Dear Mary: One year after living through my first hurricane season, I decided to pay closer attention to essential nonperishable items for our home. We make sure we always keep at least one spare of the following in our stockpile: toilet paper, feminine products, dry pet food, paper and ink for our printer, essential school supplies and an emergency cash stash. -- Maggie

PRACTICAL MOVING MATERIAL

Dear Mary: We’re a military family, and we have moved several times in the last few years. After my first move, where I purchased bubble wrap and saved stacks of newspapers, I got smart. Now I pull out sheets, towels, tablecloths and T-shirts. I use them to wrap dishes, knickknacks and other fragile items. Everything is clean to begin with, so I just fold the linens and towels after I’ve unpacked. -- Janice

ADVERTISING

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.”

• The 13 Disney Princesses are divided into three eras. The Golden Era includes the first three, Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty, the gentle, kind-hearted princesses. Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, and Mulan belong to the second era, the Renaissance Era, those intelligent, independent, and selfreliant ones searching for adventure. The Modern Era princesses are Tiana, Rapunzel, Moana, Merida and Raya, those who work hard to achieve their dreams.

• Although “The Princess and the Frog” used digital effects, 2010’s “Tangled” was the first completely computer-animated princess movie. Based on the Brothers Grimm story of Rapunzel, who was locked in a tower

in the middle of the woods by a sorceress, the movie was six years in production, and carried a price tag of $260 million, the most expensive animated film in history. More than 30 animators and engineers worked to animate the 100,000 strands of Rapunzel’s 70-foot long hair. This was the first princess film to receive a PG rating.

• Princess Merida of DunBroch was introduced in the 2012 film “Brave,” the first Disney princess created by Pixar. Merida was also the first princess to be uninterested in going to balls and finding her prince. In fact, the 16-year-old princess with the fiery red hair spent her time fighting against a betrothal to a prince she had no desire to marry. Pixar generated 111,700 hairs for Merida’s curly hairdo.

• Nine of the princesses are of royal birth. Pocahontas was the daughter of a Native American chieftain, Moana was the daughter of a Polynesian village chief in that 2016 film, and Raya was the daughter of a South East Asian chieftan, thus qualifying each of them as princesses from royal families.

• There are certain qualifications that must be met in order to be classified as a Disney Princess. She must be royal, marry into royalty, or perform a dramatic act of heroism. Mulan (1998) was not born into royalty and did not marry into it. Based on a legendary sixth-century Chinese female warrior, Hua Mulan, it’s the story of a daughter who disguised herself as a man to fight in a war in place of her father. An ancient Chinese ballad tells the story of her 12 years of brave and daring service in the Chinese army. More than 700 animators worked for five years to create the Disney classic.

• In the wardrobe department, Jasmine, Raya and Mulan are the only princesses who wear pants. Pocahontas is the only one with no costume changes. Tiana has 11 costume changes. Princess Merida in 2012’s “Brave” had 22 different costumes and five different hairstyles.

• In addition to the official Princesses, there are more than 40 “unofficial” ones, known

SOLAR PANEL DOCTORS

as Disney Heroines. These include Elsa and Anna from 2013’s “Frozen,” Alice from 1951’s “Alice in Wonderland,” “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” character Esmeralda, and “Peter Pan” fairy Tinkerbell. □

Tidbits of Coachella Valley

by Dana Jackson

Q: What is Bryan Cranston’s new show “Your Honor” about? Does he play a judge? Where can I stream it? -- L.J.

A: Yes, Bryan Cranston does play a judge in Showtime’s “Your Honor,” but it’s not your typical courtroom drama. It’s about a father who must confront his deepest convictions after his son is involved in a hit-and-run accident and becomes the target of a crime family. In addition to the four-timeEmmy-winning Cranston (“Breaking Bad”), “Your Honor” boasts a stellar cast that also includes Oscar nominee Rosie Perez (“Fearless”) as an assistant U.S. attorney.

Season two premiered this January on Showtime, which can also be streamed as an addon service through existing streamers like Hulu, Prime Video, Paramount+ and AppleTV+. ***

Q: When is “The Mandalorian” returning with new episodes? I vaguely remember the season two finale having a very younglooking Luke Skywalker. How did they make Mark Hamill appear so young? -- D.A.

A: It’s been more than two years since the second chapter of the Disney+ Star Wars saga “The Mandalorian” concluded. Mark Hamill, who has played Luke Skywalker since the first “Star Wars” movie wowed audiences in theaters during the summer of 1978, made a surprise cameo in the season two finale. Richard Bluff, industrial light and magic VFX supervisor, explained to IndieWire.com that they tried to recreate Luke as he looked in “Return of the Jedi,” and they used both Hamill as well as a younger body double.

They then used Lola Visual Effect’s 2.5D process and compiled photographs and scenes of Hamill from “Return of the Jedi,” using Lola’s Photoshop-like technique involving skin smoothing and shape warping through 2D compositing. The

end result was an astonishingly believable likeness of a young Luke Skywalker.

Season three of “The Mandalorian” premieres on Disney+ March 1. ***

Q: I was so upset when they canceled “Good Girls.” What are the three female stars doing now that it ended? -- W.C.

A: Christina Hendricks, Retta and Mae Whitman reportedly agreed to take pay cuts if NBC renewed their series, “Good Girls,” for a fifth season, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough for the show to avoid the ax. It’s been rumored that failed negotiations with Manny Montana, who played fan favorite Rio on the show, were what ultimately ended any chances of another season. Apparently, there was no love lost between Hendricks and Montana either, but Hendricks was disappointed in the show’s cancellation.

Up next for Whitman is “Up Here,” a new musical comedy series premiering on Hulu in March, co-starring Carlos Valdes (“The Flash”). And Hendricks has joined the cast of an upcoming series on AppleTV+ based on Edith Wharton’s unfinished final novel, “The Buccaneers.”

Retta signed a talent-holding deal with NBCUniversal to find projects for her to headline. In the meantime, she’s been hosting “Ugliest House

in America” on HGTV and is filming the upcoming film “Hitman,” co-starring Glen Powell (“Top Gun: Maverick”).

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

(c) 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.

1. Split ................................ (PG-13) James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy

1. Avatar: The Way of Water (PG-13) Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana

2. Rings ............................... (PG-13) Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz, Alex Roe

2. M3GAN (PG-13) Allison Williams, Violet McGraw

3. A Dog’s Purpose ..................(PG) Josh Gad, Dennis Quaid

4. Hidden Figures ....................(PG) Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer

3. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (PG) Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek

5. La La Land .................... (PG-13) Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone

4. A Man Called Otto (PG-13) Tom Hanks, John Higgins

6. Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (R) Milla Jovovich, Iain Glen

5. Plane (R) Gerard Butler, Daniella Pineda

6. House Party (R) Andrew Santino, Tosin Cole

7. Sing (PG) animated

8. Lion (PG-13) Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman

7. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (PG-13) Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o

8. The Whale (R) Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink

9. The Space Between Us (PG-13) Gary Oldman, Asa Butterfield

9. Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (PG-13) Naomi Ackie, Stanley Tucci

10. xXx: Return of Xander Cage (PG-13) Vin Diesel, Donnie Yen

10. Waltair Veerayya (NR) Chiranjeevi, Ravi Teja

© 2017 King Features Synd., Inc.

© 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.

Good Recipes from

Irish Stout Skillet Pie

A store-bought crust makes this one-pan beef pie even easier, and the hearty filling is sure to make for a family favorite.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound lean ground beef

4 ounces small shiitake mushrooms

Kosher salt

Pepper

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1/2 cup frozen pearl onions

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

3 tablespoon all-purpose flour

8 ounces stout (we used Guinness)

2 cup frozen butternut squash pieces

1 cup frozen peas

1 refrigerated rolled pie crust

1 large egg

1. Heat oven to 375 F. Heat the oil in a

9-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the beef, mushrooms and 3/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper, and cook, breaking up the beef with a spoon, until browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Spoon off and discard any fat.

2. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in the onions and thyme, then sprinkle with the flour and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.

3. Add the stout and simmer until the liquid has thickened, about 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup water and bring to a simmer. Add the squash and peas, return to a simmer, then remove from heat. (This whole step takes only 2 to 3 minutes total.)

4. Unroll the pastry on a cutting board, brush with the egg, then cut a cross in the center. Lay the dough on top of the beef mixture (eggside up), gently pressing the edges around the inside of the skillet. Bake until golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Makes 4 servings.

Chocolate Pudding Cake

1 cup all-purpose baking mix with buttermilk

1/3 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

4 tablespoons butter or margarine

1/2 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whipped cream (optional)

1. Heat oven to 350 F. In 1-quart saucepan or tea kettle, heat 1 3/4 cups water to boiling over high heat.

2. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, combine baking mix, granulated sugar and 1/2 cup cocoa. In small bowl, combine brown sugar and remaining 1/4 cup cocoa.

3. In small microwave-safe bowl, heat butter in microwave oven on High 45 seconds or just until butter melts, stirring once. Stir butter, milk and vanilla into baking mix mixture until blended. Pour batter into ungreased 8-inch by 8-inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with brown-sugar mixture. Pour boiling water evenly over mixture in baking dish.

4. Bake 30 minutes (batter will separate into cake and pudding layers). Cool on wire rack 5 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream if you like. Makes 6 servings.

Each serving: About 265 calories, 13 g total fat (7 g saturated), 4 g protein, 39 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 23 mg cholesterol, 360 mg sodium.

* * *

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

(c) 2023 Hearst Communications, Inc. All rights reserved

Donald

Dog Talk with Uncle Matty

By Matthew Margolis

Personality Is Everything

When it comes to a modeling career, looks are everything. When it comes to a dog, personality is everything.

Getting a dog is like getting married. You don’t date a dog -- get together once or twice a week for a few months until you decide to take it to the next level. You don’t break up with a dog, telling him it’s not him, it’s you. A dog is -- hopefully -- the only relationship where you invite your special friend back to your place on the first date, and he or she never leaves.

In light of the uniqueness of the relationship, it’s a good idea to know what you’re looking for and how to find it.

But we’re talking about dogs, right? How do you know what a dog’s personality is like before you even bring him home?

Believer it or not, it’s possible.

There are five simple tests virtually anyone can administer to get a pretty good feel for a dog’s personality. These tests measure a dog’s reaction to the following:

--your presence

--your voice

--the movement of your hand near his head and face

--the sound of foreign objects (e.g., car keys tossed to the ground)

--your touch (via the application of varying degrees of pressure to different parts of the body, including and especially sensitive parts of the body such as the paws, tail, back and hips, to determine pain tolerance.)

These are simple tests, but they reveal a lot. A dog who reacts to your presence by jumping all over you is a very different dog from the one who saunters up to you in his own good time. A dog who shies away or ducks as your hand approaches his face requires a different approach from a dog who views the presence of your hand as a game. A dog with a low tolerance for pain warrants more careful and sensitive play and handling than a dog with

SENIOR NEWS LINE

by Matilda Charles

Covid ... Yes, It’s Still Here

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of Covid cases has steadily risen since December. Earlier in the fall, Covid took a short break while the flu and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) made it to center stage. Those illnesses are now waning a bit, and here come the Covid reports again.

It doesn’t help that we have a new variant -- an offshoot of Omicron, the XBB.1.5 -- taking off around the country. By Christmas nearly half the cases of Covid were that new variant, so this shows that it’s growing.

Seniors, as usual, are being hit with those in the age 70+ range being the largest group affected, followed by ages 60-69.

If you’re hesitant to go back to being extremely careful, we’re experiencing what some doctors are calling the Senior Wave. It means the numbers on a graph show that the largest group

The Art of DESIGN

by Joseph Publillones

Design Destination: Vicenza

No, let’s not confuse Vicenza with Venezia. The latter is a beautiful, world-renowned Italian waterfront town, and Vicenza is the quiet and refined hometown of the architect of all architects, Andrea Palladio. In the northeastern lands of the Veneto region, about a 30-minute train ride from Venice, lies the lesser-known, less touristy town of Vicenza. An interesting thing is that this town is a place of convergence, where Byzantine-influenced Venetian architecture meets the pure and simple classical designs of the master Palladio. For those willing to go to the road less traveled, an architectural education awaits in Vicenza.

Vicenza is filled with beautiful piazzas, galleries, churches and Renaissance palaces. In each of these categories, you will surely find Palladio’s hand and vision shaping the landscape and urban envelope. What is remarkable about Palladio is his economy of means to design grand architecture. He was quite the master of buildings constructed with bricks and plaster made to emulate ancient buildings constructed of stone and marble. He was as adept in designing a small infill townhouse, Casa Cogollo, as he was in designing the elegant and majestic Palazzo Chiericati and Palazzo Barbaran da Porto, where the Palladio Museum is housed.

Architects and architecture aficionados will always associate Palladio’s work with the five grand rural villas that dot the Venetian flatlands: the Villa La Rotonda, Villa Malcontenta, Villa Emo, Villa Barbaro and Villa Cornaro. These villas are living lessons in proportion, scale and geometry. However, in the city of Vicenza, at the Basilica

affected with hospitalizations are seniors.

Which means it’s still not time to completely let down our guard. If anything, it means remaining cautious in our efforts to stay safe. Frequent handwashing, wearing a mask in the store, even if you’re the only one who is, trying to minimize our exposure to large groups ... we know how to do this.

And like it or not, we should. The growing number of seniors being hospitalized or dying due to Covid should make us all aware that the nasty bug is still around us.

Another, and possibly even more accurate, statistic for the spread of Covid is the wastewater. This is where municipalities test the sewage for Covid. People can hide their exposure and illness by using the at-home tests we all received in the mail, thereby skewing the “official” numbers, but the sewage in an area is sure to be more accurate.

To see the wastewater data by county, go online to CDC.gov and search for “National Wastewater Surveillance System” (NWSS).

Cody’s Corner (from page 9) very high pain tolerance.

None of these reactions is wrong or right, but they are telling. Your job is to know the reaction you’re looking for and correctly interpret the reaction you get.

To learn more about the five personality tests and how to properly administer them, read “When Good Dogs Do Bad Things,” and visit the “affection training” section of unclematty.com to learn about the connection between temperament testing and successful training.

And it you need help finding the right dog for you, know that there are professional dog trainers and behaviorists who provide this service -- who ask you questions to get you thinking about your lifestyle, your energy, your wants and needs, who go with you to the shelter, who administer these tests, who interpret the results and who make a recommendation.

Ultimately, the decision is yours and the decision is big -- so do everything you can to get it right.

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.

COPYRIGHT 2012 CREATORS.COM

Palladiana, the lessons are about preservation and reuse. It is in this work where he takes older Venetian fabrics on a side of a piazza and wraps them in a marble veil of his iconic arch flanked by rectangular openings and topped with a copper roof for a monumental gesture. To this day, the combination of the arch and rectangular openings is referred to as a Palladian window, whether glazed or open.

Needless to say, Palladio’s last work, Teatro Olimpico, was a masterwork -- an indoor amphitheater carved out amid a cluster of medieval buildings reminiscent of Roman times. This work shows off the High Renaissance architecture featuring the feeling of the outdoors -- a theme that continues to this day in theater design. The stage set behind the arches is the work of Vicente Scamozzi and is a highlight for those who love interior design.

Vicenza flourished as a city trading in gold. Today, it is one of Italy’s most industrial areas, home to great furniture manufacturers such as Mattei, Trabaldo, Prodital and SITIA. These companies take pride in the production and manufacturing of the highest-quality goods and partake in the Made In Vicenza workshops put together by the Vicenza Chamber of Commerce.

If you’re looking for a place to stay, right across from the Teatro Olimpico is the G Boutique Hotel, which is theatrical from the moment you walk in past the heavy velvet drapes. The G no doubt stands for “glam.” Sparkling chandeliers and silver candleholders shine against the chic black-lacquered walls of the lobby. A long communal table for 24 is the designated breakfast and dining area. Rooms are taupe and well appointed. I wouldn’t stay anywhere else!

* * *

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 Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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.

YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY

by Tom Margenau

The Problems With Running a Disability Program

Several readers recently sent me copies of a news story that appeared in papers around the country. The author of that piece criticized the Social Security Administration for not updating a listing of jobs that benefit applicants might be able to do instead of going on the government dole collecting disability benefits. (The law says that a person must be unable to do any kind of work to be eligible for such payments.)

I’m sure those job listings will eventually be updated, but here is a point I need to make. I worked for the Social Security Administration for 32 years, and in almost every one of those years, Congress passed laws designed to “fix” the disability program. Also, in each and every one of those years, there were internal SSA studies and commissions that resulted in proposals also intended to make the disability process more fair, more streamlined and at the same time, less prone to fraud and abuse.

So, what’s going on with that? Why is the disability program apparently always under scrutiny and constantly subject to congressional and administrative and media meddling?

The answer to that question is what this column is all about.

Here is the bottom line: any disability program is an absolute mess to manage. And the Social Security disability system is even more prone to administrative nightmares because it is, by far, the biggest such program in the country.

And why is a disability program such a mess? Because it is so subjective. For example, compare it to the Social Security retirement program. The eligibility rules for retirement are relatively cut and dried. You contact the SSA, show them a birth certificate to prove you are old enough for benefits, answer a few questions and meet a few other eligibility requirements, and you qualify for benefits. No muss, no fuss.

But it’s a completely different story for the disability program, and that’s because it is hard to get people to agree on the answer to this question: How disabled does someone have to be to get disability benefits? One person’s disabling condition is another person’s relatively minor inconvenience. Think of this in practical day-to-day terms to which anyone can relate. We all know fellow workers who call in sick because they have a case of the sniffles. On the other hand, we also know of co-workers who will show up at the workplace even though they look like they are knocking on death’s door! In other words, we all have different interpretations of what should keep a person from being able to work.

Here is another example. I’ve got a neighbor who has a 35-year-old son with multiple sclerosis. The son uses a wheelchair and needs other forms of help. Yet, he still goes to work every day at a local Target store. At the same time, I’ve encountered thousands of people over the years who claim to be disabled because they have a bad back or sore knees. Is my neighbor’s son “disabled”?

How about the guy with the bad back?

The government tries to make the Social Security disability program as objective as possible with a handbook full of regulations to help SSA ad-

judicators decide who is legally disabled and who isn’t. Teams of medical professionals are also involved in the process.

Yet, it always comes down to the fact that some government bureaucrat, after reviewing the medical evidence, consulting the professionals and employing the guidelines, will have to make a subjective decision about a person’s eligibility for disability benefits.

Let’s take that guy with the bad back. I’ll call him Frank. And we’ll say that Frank actually has some painful spinal damage. How severe should it be to qualify for disability? He had a job that required heavy lifting. He is certainly too disabled to do that kind of work anymore. But perhaps there are other less-strenuous jobs Frank can be trained to do. Should he qualify for Social Security disability if he can do those other jobs? (The media report I began this column with was alleging this listing of potential jobs Frank might be able to do is outdated).

Let’s assume Frank filed for Social Security disability and was told his spinal condition was not severe enough to get benefits. But then he mentions that he also has high blood pressure and some hearing problems. Neither one of those conditions by itself is legally disabling -- but how about all three of them together? Do they make the guy disabled?

Following this scenario, let’s assume that the initial person adjudicating Frank’s claim says no and decides he is not disabled enough according to law.

Frank is upset because he is convinced he is disabled. So, he files an appeal. And after about a yearlong wait, (because there are tens of thousands of other people who are also filing appeals), he eventually meets with a judge who interprets the disability rules a bit differently than the first adjudicator did, and he approves Frank’s claim. Frank has mixed emotions. He’s happy his claim has been finally approved. But he’s upset it took so long. So, he writes his member of Congress and demands that something be done to improve the process. The representative agrees that the program is too

strict and co-sponsors a bill with language demanding that SSA “fix” the disability program.

But is the process broken? Was the first adjudicator wrong, or was the judge too lenient? Different people will have different opinions. That’s just the nature of a subjective process.

Let’s follow Frank’s case a little further. Six months after he starts getting disability benefits, a neighbor sees him out on a ladder cleaning his gutters. It took a lot of effort, but Frank managed to do it. The neighbor has always been a little suspicious of Frank’s disability allegations and seeing this put him over the edge. So, he contacts Social Security’s fraud department and alleges Frank is cheating the system. He says, “This guy claims to have a bad back and can’t work, and yet I saw him up on a ladder working on his house. How can this be?”

This call triggers a fraud investigation. More SSA adjudicators examine Frank’s claim. After interviewing Frank and obtaining updated medical records, they decide he is still legally disabled. This upsets the neighbor even more. So, he writes his representative in Congress claiming that “the incompetent government is wasting taxpayer money by sending monthly checks to a guy who is clearly not disabled.” The sympathetic representative agrees that the program is too lenient and sponsors a bill with language demanding that SSA “fix” the disability program. And on and on it goes! By the way, the Frank example (with the name changed) is a true story. It’s a case I was involved in about 25 years ago while working for the SSA. *

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.

COPYRIGHT 2023 CREATORS.COM

1. The book of Nahum is in the a) Old testament b) New testament c) Neither

2. From Leviticus 19:25, the fruit of a newly planted tree must not be eaten until which year? a) 3rd b) 4th c) 5th d) 6th

Final

3. What was Bathsheba doing on the roof when David first saw her? a) Bathing b) Praying c) Singing d) Weeping

4. Samson's strength was correlated with what part of his body? a) Heart b) Legs c) Hair d) Chest

5. Job suffered from what physical affliction? a) Blindness b) Boils c) Crippled hip d) Deafness

6. Who was the mate of Esther? a) Jehu b) Haman c) Darius d) Xerxes

Sharpen your understanding of scripture with Wilson Casey's latest book, "Test Your Bible Knowledge," now available in stores and online.

(Answers on page 16)

For comments or more Bible Trivia go to www.TriviaGuy.com

© 2019 King Features Synd., Inc. © 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.

M.D.

Chalazions Continue to Develop in Both Eyelids

DEAR DR. ROACH: Are oral antibiotics ever prescribed to treat chalazions, in addition to eye drops and ointment? I have had two this year for seemingly no reason. They were treated with tobramycin eye drops, ointment and warm compresses. The first one didn’t resolve with those meds and was excised surgically. That eyelid then became infected without a chalazion and was treated with a second round of antibiotic drops. It remains a bit puffy and pinkish in color, which I chalked up to the new normal appearance.

Now, a chalazion has developed in the other eyelid. I don’t wear eye makeup and use an eyelid cleanser recommended by my ophthalmologist. I am an otherwise healthy 76-year-old woman. Could there be a systemic bacterial or viral infection causing chalazions to keep developing? -- M.W.

ANSWER: The terms for different types of eyelid lesions can be a bit confusing. Most people are familiar with a stye, which is a localized inflammation of the upper or lower eyelid, most commonly caused by an infection of one of the glands of the external eye, usually by the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus. A stye is also called a hordeolum. An external hordeolum is in the eyelash follicle or the lid margin, whereas an internal hordeolum is inflammation in the meibomian glands, the ones that secrete mucous to help keep the eyes lubricated.

ing if these visions I am experiencing could be yet another form of epilepsy. -- S.G.

ANSWER: Although epilepsy can certainly cause visual hallucinations, they usually last only seconds and are not normally as complex as what you describe. Rather, I think this is more likely to be Charles Bonnet syndrome, which is associated with visual loss (that does not have to be complete). These visions are usually colored and may stay still or move, and hallucinations of animals and people are well-described.

Moving the eyes toward and away from the hallucinations rapidly may suppress them. There are available medications to make them go away, which some people want and others do not.

* * *

Dr. Roach regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but will incorporate them in the column whenever possible. Readers may email questions to ToYourGoodHealth@med.cornell.edu. (c)

ADVERTISING PROOF

by Freddie Groves

Scammers Nabbed in False Claims Cases

It’s not the brightest of individuals who try to con the Department of Veterans Affairs out of goods, services and money. They eventually get caught.

A Pennsylvania company has been fined $44 million for allegations about services they didn’t provide. In this false claims case, the service they allegedly provided was cardiac monitoring. Instead of doing what they’d been contracted to do, when they got “busy,” they farmed out the services to India. The diagnostic testing and monitoring, as well as other services, were done by personnel in India who weren’t qualified. Patients getting health care via the VA, TRICARE, Medicare and the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program, and likely their physicians, had no idea.

To their credit, it was some former company employees who blew the whistle and brought the whole thing to light. (They’ll be getting $8.3 million as a reward.) The company, meanwhile, was fined and denied access to any further government business, right?

Final Changes DUE: 5:00

Wrong. Per the press release, the company was put under a five-year agreement to do assessment and internal review to pinpoint compliance risk.

Please review carefully. Double check:  Phone Number(s)  Spelling  Prices  Hours

Contact your Tidbits representative immediately with changes or corrections.

Office: 760-320-0997 valleybits@msn.com Fax: 760-320-1630

In another false claims case, a New York man is going to prison for 20 years for crimes involving investment fraud and the sale of nonexistent N95 masks. Over the years, in a long-term Ponzi scheme, he continued to solicit money, using new money to fund new acquisitions and a fancy lifestyle.

ADVERTISING PROOF

Makeup can block these glands and predispose someone to hordeola. Hordeola are treated with warm compresses and sometimes by an eye specialist, with a combination of antibiotic drops and topical steroids. Drainage by an ophthalmologist is necessary if it doesn’t get better within one to two weeks. If the infection gets into the skin around the eye, it may need oral antibiotics.

Final Changes DUE: 5:00 p.m..

Please review carefully. Double check:  Phone Number(s)  Spelling  Prices  Hours

Contact your Tidbits representative immediately with changes or corrections.

Office: 760-320-0997 email: valleybits@msn.com Fax: 760-320-1630

A chalazion is not an infection. It’s a usually painless rubbery mass in the eyelid. A chalazion can be a complication of a hordeolum, since the glands are blocked by inflammation, leading to thickened secretions from the gland.

Since it’s not an infection, neither oral nor topical eye antibiotics are useful. These also usually get better with warm compresses over weeks to months. People with recurrent chalazia should be considered for biopsy, since they can turn out to be tumors in rare circumstances. ***

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 72-year-old female with numerous health issues, including three types of epilepsy. About two years ago, I experienced watching my pillow turn into bubbles and ants marching across my bedroom ceiling. They remained there and did not join me in bed, thankfully. After some time, they went away -- until this week. I am awake and alert when I see them, and it always happens at night.

Due to a staphyloma, I only have vision in one eye. I was also born with cataracts and had those, along with age-related ones, removed at age 69 and 70. I am wonder-

by van Monday thru Friday to the VA

in Loma Linda for Coachella Valley veterans. Pick up locations are in Palm Springs and Cathedral City. Medical appointments must be scheduled for mornings only as the return trip leaves Loma Linda at noon. Transportation reservations must be made in advance. Call for more information.

Enter the pandemic and the need for masks and personal protective gear in hospitals and clinics. Pretending to have a direct pipeline to U.S. factories that could provide those items, he conned $7.4 million out of medical supply companies that believed they were buying the hard-to-get gear. It didn’t help that the criminal attempted to con the VA out of $3 million in upfront money for 125 million masks, in what would have been a $750 million deal. Besides the 20 years in prison, he’ll also be paying back $106 million in money he stole from investors.

* * *

Freddy Groves regrets that he cannot personally answer reader questions, but will incorporate them into his column whenever possible. Send email to columnreply2@gmail.com.

-- by Jim Miller

What Happens if You Work While Receiving Social Security?

DEAR SAVVY SENIOR: I started drawing my Social Security retirement benefits back in 2021 when I was forced to retire early, but I’m now interested going back to work part-time. Will this affect my benefits, and if so, how much?

-- Rejoining the Workforce

Dear Rejoining: You can collect Social Security retirement benefits and work at the same time but depending on how old you are and how much you earn, some or all of your benefits could be temporarily withheld. Here’s how it works:

SSA Earning Rules

Social Security says that if you’re under your full retirement age and are collecting benefits, then you can earn up to $21,240 in 2023 without jeopardizing any of your Social Security if you don’t reach your full retirement age this year. But if you earn more than the $21,240 limit, you’ll lose $1 in benefits for every $2 over that amount.

Full retirement age is 66 for those born between 1943 and 1954, but it rises in two-month increments every birth year to age 67 for those born in 1960 and later. You can find your full retirement age at SSA.gov/ benefits/retirement/planner/ageincrease. html.

In the year you reach your full retirement age, a less stringent rule applies. If that happens in 2023, you can earn up to $56,520 from January to the month of your birthday with no penalty. But if you earn more than $56,520 during that time, you’ll lose $1 in benefits for every $3 over that limit. And once your birthday passes, you can earn any amount by working without your benefits being reduced at all.

Wages, bonuses, commissions, and vacation pay all count toward the income limits, but pensions, annuities, investment earnings, interest, capital gains and government or military retirement benefits do not. To figure out how much your specific earnings will affect your benefits, see the Social Security Retirement Earnings Test Calculator at SSA.gov/OACT/COLA/RTeffect.html

It’s also important to know that if you do lose some or all of your Social Security benefits because of the earning limits, they aren’t lost forever. When you reach full retirement age, your benefits will be recalculated to a higher amount to make up for what was withheld.

you could pay on up to 85 percent, which is the highest portion of Social Security that is taxable. About a third of all people who get Social Security have to pay income taxes on their benefits.

For information, call the IRS at 800829-3676 and ask them to mail you a free copy of publication 915 “Social Security and Equivalent Railroad Retirement Benefits,” or you can see it online at IRS.gov/pub/irspdf/p915.pdf

ADVERTISING PROOF

Final Changes DUE: 5:00

For more information on how working can affect your Social Security benefits see SSA.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/ whileworking.html

Be Mindful of Taxes Too

In addition to the Social Security rules, you need to factor in Uncle Sam too. Because working increases your income, it might make your Social Security benefits taxable.

Here’s how it works. If the sum of your adjusted gross income, nontaxable interest, and half of your Social Security benefits is between $25,000 and $34,000 for individuals ($32,000 and $44,000 for couples), you have to pay tax on up to 50 percent of your benefits. Above $34,000 ($44,000 for couples),

In addition to the federal government, 12 states – Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont and West Virginia – tax Social Security benefits to some extent too. If you live in one of these states, you’ll need to check with your state tax agency for details.

by Anne McCollam

Fantasia Pattern Is a Splendid Design

Q: This is a photo of a set of porcelain dinnerware that I gave my mother around 1952. I was in the Army and stationed in Germany from 1952 to 1954. The set was made by Rosenthal Glass and China Company in Germany and is a service for 12.

In addition to the usual place settings, it contains various serving pieces for a total of 106 dishes. A brochure that came with the set describes the china as decorated with delicate grey soft yellow and splendid greens against a pure white body. The edges are trimmed with applied coin gold. The design is called “Fantasia” and is in very good condition. The photo shows an example of a dinner plate, cup and saucer.

The set is now in my possession and your estimate of the value of this set would be very much appreciated.

Q: This mark is on the bottom of a pitcher with a lid and four cups and four saucers. They are decorated with small pink roses against a white background that shades to aqua. The handles are ornate and scrolled and the base of the cups is scalloped. They are trimmed in gold and in excellent condition.

The set belonged to my wife who passed away two years ago, and I have no idea what the set is, or what it was used for, or if it has any value.

Any information you can furnish would be greatly appreciated.

* On Jan. 31, 2000, family practitioner Dr. Harold Shipman, who apparently never read or didn’t believe in the Hippocratic Oath, was jailed for life for murdering 15 of his patients. He was also suspected of killing more than 100 others, but did not confess to them. Shipman remains Britain’s most prolific convicted serial killer.

* On Jan. 30, 1661, Oliver Cromwell was ritually executed. That is, his corpse was. The former Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England was posthumously convicted of high treason and his remains hanged and beheaded, two years after his actual demise.

A: The container is not a pitcher. You have a late Victorian coffee set It was made by Moritz Adekauer in Austria. They were in business from 1884 to around 1945.

Based on your description of the design of your set, it was made around the turn of the 20th century. It would probably be worth $75 to $125.

* * *

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

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

* On Feb. 1, 1953, winds from some of the strongest storms on record battered the east coast of Britain from Yorkshire to Kent, resulting in up to 150 fatalities, while thousands were forced to abandon their homes due to flooding. Passengers on the Princess Victoria ferry, from Scotland to Ireland, were also forced to flee the ship in the Irish Sea due to high waves.

* On Feb. 2, 1937, it was reported that the White House roof was leaking, a matter of special concern since additional rain and snow was expected. The matter of repairs was complicated by the fact that Congress was still engaged in a debate over whether to spend the necessary $400 to effect them.

* On Feb. 3, 2009, Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling was made a knight of the Legion of Honour, France’s highest civilian award. Rowling’s great-grandfather was French, and she was given the honorary title by President Nicolas Sarkozy at a ceremony in Paris, where she apologized for giving Potter’s archnemesis a French name, as well as the quality of her French accent.

* On Feb. 4, 1789, George Washington was unanimously elected as the first president of the United States. His campaign cost nothing, as he did no public campaigning, since he didn’t really want to take office. He was also the only U.S. president to be inaugurated in two cities (New York and Philadelphia).

A: Rosenthal Porcelain factory was founded in Selb, Germany in 1880. They have a solid reputation for producing exceptional quality tableware and decorative pieces and limited edition items. They were sold to Waterford, Wedgwood Group in 1998 and subsequently bought by Samonet Paderno Industries in Italy in 2009. Rosenthal still makes porcelain in Bavaria.

Mid 20th-century sets of china are not selling well on the secondary market currently. Having said that, your set should be insured for at least $1500.

Puzzle Solutions

Why are trowels, hoes and spades common items in novels and movies? They're plot devices.

GO FIGURE

SOLUTION

* On Feb. 5, 1931, Maxine Dunlap became the first woman to be issued a glider pilot license. Two years earlier, her 50-second, 980-foot flight beat the previous record of 17 seconds that had been established by Amelia Earhart.

(c) 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.

“The only thing that stupid club will do is make you walk further to find out where that wicked slice of yours landed.”

Moritz Adekauer was located in Austria.

Rosenthal Glass and China Company was founded in Germany in 1880.

Disney (from page 3)

Pocahontas. She was the first Disney princess to be based on an actual historical character. The name Pocahontas is believed to be a nickname for Chief Powhatan’s daughter, meaning “playful one.” The young woman’s given name was Amonute, but she used the name Matoaka.

• Historians claim that her tribe concealed her name from the English out of “superstitious fear,” concerned that the colonists could do her harm if they had knowledge of her real name. In the Disney interpretation, Pocahontas was the first of the studio’s princesses to have a human best friend.

• The year 2009 brought “The Princess and the Frog” to the big screen with Princess Tiana, the only Disney princess to work an actual job. Although other princesses performed plenty of chores, none were paid for their employment, as was Tiana, who worked as a waitress in 1920s New Orleans while saving to open her own restaurant.

• The plot deviates from the usual frog becoming a prince. Tiana herself turned into a frog after kissing a frog prince, and embarked on a plan to turn back into a human. Her name comes from the Greek word meaning “princess,” which she becomes when she marries Prince Naveen of Maldonia. “The Princess and the Frog” was the first Disney princess movie to employ digital effects.

• Live-action remakes of the Disney animated films began in 2015 with “Cinderella,” followed by “Beauty and the Beast” in 2017, and “Mulan” in 2020. Still to come are the planned liveaction versions of “Little Mermaid,” “Snow White,” and “Aladdin.” □

STAN SMITH’S TENNIS CLASS

Game Changers

by Jason Jenkins

PonderBits

I wonder if common sense will ever make a comeback.

When I watched the Wizard of Oz as a kid I wondered how someone could talk if they didn't have a brain. Then I got Facebook.

Man

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.

Steely Dan spoke of the “expanding man” in Deacon Blues as one who is “thinking of all the possibilities of life”. Golf, on the other hand, has another version of the expanding man. This refers to the change of distances in the arms and body as forces are pulling the club out away from them through impact. Golfers start in a given distance from the ball, yet by impact may feel the arms “expanding away” from them.

Centrifugal forces in golf are attempting to pull the club away from the body into impact. Players can combat this force in several common ways:

1. Start with the ball on the toe end of the club like Zach Johnson and others.

2. Back away from the ball through impact by standing up or away from the ball.

3. Try feeling the club swing through a space interior of the ball by impact.

Usually players prefer ideas one and three, but many golfers do back away from their address posture/position in order to hit the ball more centrally on the clubface. The key is understanding these forces are normal, and if you suffer heel hits, it’s a concern to address.

When I work with a lot of beginning to intermediate 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

Game Changers

WE ARE EXPERIENCING A CRITICAL BLOOD SHORTAGE.

LifeStream is experiencing a major blood shortage. Our shelves are almost empty. We are measuring our blood supply in hours instead of days.

1. MUSIC: Which band sang the theme song to TV’s “Friends”?

2. ANATOMY: What is the only bone in the human body that isn’t attached to another bone nearby?

We need our community members to help us now by donating blood or surgeries will be cancelled.

3. LITERATURE: What is the setting for the “Anne of Green Gables” novel series?

4. TELEVISION: Who plays the lead role in the sitcom “Mr. Mayor”?

We are running out of blood and we are the only supplier of blood products to hospitals and medical facilities in the Coachella Valley.

5. GEOGRAPHY: Where are the Spanish Steps located?

Please give blood. We can’t save lives without you.

6. HISTORY: How long did the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin, orbit the planet?

7. AD SLOGANS: Which restaurant chain advises customers to “eat fresh”?

Call LifeStream Blood Bank at 800-TRY-GIVING or visit LStream.org .

8. SCIENCE: What is the only form of energy that can be seen with the human eye?

9. ANIMAL KINGDOM: With which animal do humans share 98.8% of their DNA?

GO FIGURE!

10. MOVIES: Which movie features the famous line, “I see dead people”? Answers

TEST Answers Answers

The idea of Go Figure is to arrive at the figures given at the bottom and right-hand columns of the diagram by following the arithmetic signs in the order they are given (that is, from left to right and top to bottom). Use only the numbers below the diagram to complete its blank squares and use each of the nine numbers only once.

by Linda Thistle

Games

October 23-29, 2006

1. The Rembrandts (“I’ll Be There for You”).

2. The hyoid bone.

3. Prince Edward Island.

4. Ted Danson. 5. Rome, Italy. 6. 108 minutes. 7. Subway Restaurants.