Vol. 19: #8 • Close Calls • (2-19-2023) Tidbits of Coachella Valley

by Janet Spencer

The dictionary defines the term ‘close call’ as “a barely successful escape from a difficult or dangerous situation.” We think the hairy scenarios in the accounts that follow definitely fit that description, and we're pretty sure you'll agree. Read on and see...

AIR SHOW STOPPERS

• Arthur Lapham was a wing-walker demonstrating his skills over Staten Island, New York in 1913 when he lost his foothold and fell over 300 feet. He somehow landed feet first in the soft mud of the salt flats near Prince’s Bay, and was buried up to his armpits in the gooey tidal marsh. He was quickly extracted from the mire, and although dirty, slimy and shaken, he was basically unhurt. Spectators cheered him on, thinking it was all part of the daring aerial act!

• At an air show in the 1920s, Al Wilson was hanging from the wing of the lead plane without a parachute while he waited for the second pilot to fly under him in a “plane-change” stunt. But he lost his grip and fell. The pilot of the second plane

PEOPLE WORTH REMEMBERING

TRIVIA NEWSFRONT

(Answers on page 16)

• Fritz Haber was born to a Jewish family in Germany in 1868. He excelled at chemistry, and wrote two technical textbooks on the subject that were used in college courses. In 1898, he became a professor of chemistry. Along the way, he served in the German army and received honors.

• In his research Haber discovered how to extract nitrogen from the air and put it into soil. Nitrogen is vitally essential for plant growth, but although the atmosphere is 78% nitrogen, plants are unable to absorb it. They must absorb it into their roots through the soil.

inside bombs that could be launched

• He was in attendance when it was first tried at Ypres, Belgium, in April of 1915. Thousands of steel cylinders containing chlorine gas had been transported to German positions. Haber calculated the best distribution system was the prevailing winds in Belgium—strong enough to carry the gas away from the German troops, but not so strong they would dissipate the gas.

• The Germans released more than 168 tons of chlorine gas from nearly 6,000 canisters at sunrise on April 22. A sickly cloud drifted toward the French trenches. The cloud settled over some 10,000 troops. More than half died by asphyxiation within minutes. Chlorine was used again at the Second Battle of Ypres where around 67,000 allied troops died. The next day, Haber’s wife committed suicide in protest.

1. TELEVISION: What was the name of the saloon in the 1960s series “Gunsmoke”?

2. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: To date, how many people have walked on the moon?

3. GEOGRAPHY: What is the capital of the Canadian province Nova Scotia?

4. MOVIES: How many “Police Academy” movies have been produced?

5. U.S. STATES: Why is Indiana known as “The Hoosier State”?

6. FOOD & DRINK: What percentage of a cucumber is water?

7. HISTORY: Which company published its first mail-order catalog in 1872?

8. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What does the armadillo’s name mean in English?

9. LITERATURE: What is author Mark Twain’s real name?

10. CELEBRITIES: What is one of singer/actor Frank Sinatra’s famous nicknames, based on a physical attribute?

• The only way to get nitrogen into dirt naturally is through lightning strikes, by growing legumes, or by processing nitrates found in bat guano and bird droppings. At the time, Germany was importing all their nitrates from South America.

Final Changes

• Haber was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1918 amid much controversy because, although he had saved many lives by producing fertilizer in large amounts, he had also launched the world into chemical warfare. Haber defended himself, saying that he thought his invention would hasten the end of the war. He reasoned that soldiers die equally tragic deaths whether they’re killed by a bayonet, a bomb, a bullet or a cloud of gas.

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• Haber found that by using heat, pressure, and a catalyst, he could turn both atmospheric nitrogen and hydrogen into ammonia. Plants can easily convert ammonia to nitrates.

• Haber’s brother-in-law, also a chemist, figured out how to do this on an industrial scale. It’s called the Haber-Bosch process a method still used today. This discovery, dubbed “bread from the air,” is considered one of the most important technological advances of the 20th century.

• Haber’s breakthrough enabled mass production of fertilizers and led to a massive increase in crops worldwide. It sustains the food base for half the world’s population today.

• In 1911 the first ammonia plant was built in Germany, and by 1913 it was producing over 30 tons of fixed nitrogen per day. Haber’s discovery helped Germany during WWI by increasing crop yields, especially when embargos halted the flow of nitrates from South America.

• He was crushed that Germany lost the war, and became angry and despondent when Nazis began their terrible rise, targeting Jews, including Haber himself. When asked to fire all of his Jewish employees, he resigned his position in protest and secretly fled to England, deeply remorseful that he had contributed so much to the Nazi regime in a cause that he later realized was evil. Haber died of heart failure in 1934 at the age of 65. □

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• Nitrates are also used to make explosives from gunpowder to bombs. To help his home country, Haber put his mind to producing better explosives. What he discovered changed the course of warfare.

Contact your Tidbits representative immediately with changes or corrections.

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

Contact your Tidbits representative immediately with changes or corrections.

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

Bill LeGrave

Rolfing in the Desert (4 of 6) 1/8 pg BW 6x disc.

January 22, 2023 Vol. 19 - No. 4

• By tweaking the Haber-Bosch process, he was able to turn out massive amounts of poisonous chlorine gas. He figured out how to transport the gas first in canisters and then in containers

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● Slouching, even when you remember to stand straight.

● Shoulders rounded forward, always have to pull them back

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The Rolfing® process of structural integration can improve your posture in a dramatic and lasting way by actually shifting your body’s alignment so that it is naturally more lifted and more balanced. This is accomplished in 10 sessions of

Week of February 19, 2023

immediately nosed into a power dive and pulled up underneath Wilson’s plummeting body. Wilson went head first through the wing of the plane and stuck fast, managing to hang on to the bent wing spars until the plane landed safely.

• Famed stunt pilot Bob Hoover was performing low altitude aerial acrobatics when the engine suddenly quit, leaving him without enough altitude to get safely back to the runway. As he sank toward the airport it appeared he would surely hit the chain link fence on the airport perimeter. At the last moment a large truck happened to be passing by on the frontage road. To the applause of the crowd of spectators, Hoover managed to careen off the top of the truck with his main wheels, giving him just enough bounce to clear the fence and land safely on the runway threshold.

SUBMARINE SNAFUS

their astonishment, the torpedo, which had been speeding along on the surface, hit a large wave, skipped out of the water, bounced off their deck, and splashed down on the other side, continuing harmlessly on its way.

• U.S. Naval Captain Charles “Swede” Momsen was commander of a submarine when its steering mechanism jammed and plunged the vessel to the sea bottom in the middle of the Caribbean. The bow was buried and stuck fast in the mud, and it looked like the sub and its crew were doomed. Momsen solved the problem by flooding the torpedo tubes, then blasting the water out of them with compressed air. The sub popped back freeing themselves, and the crew was able to fix the steering problem.

Paratrooper Tom Spencer was making a training jump in 1942. His jump immediately followed a chute carrying heavy ground equipment, but his chute failed to deploy. Falling to certain death, he suddenly found himself tangled in the

• In 1956, Linda Morgan was asleep in her cabin aboard the Italian ocean liner the Andrea Doria when the Swedish-American ship, the MS Stockholm, accidentally rammed it. The Stockholm’s bow crushed the Andrea Doria broadside. When the two ships separated, the Stockholm carried pieces of the Andrea Doria with it -- including the bed that the terrified Linda Morgan was still clinging to. She had gone to sleep on the Andrea Doria and awoke on the Stockholm.

Close Calls: (from page one) by

1.What’s

• In 1868, the flat-bottomed gunboat USS Wateree was stationed on the coast of Peru, when a massive earthquake shook the entire area. Immediately afterward the sea abruptly receded

Close Calls: Turn to page 15

QUIZ BITS

1. This queen suirvived seven assassination attempts and reigned for 63 years.

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MIRACLES AT SEA

• In 1827, three sailors were aboard a schooner when a sudden rogue wave washed all of them overboard. As they desperately paddled in the water they were hit by another huge wave, and a moment later all three startled men found themselves back onboard the schooner's deck.

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

• During World War I, a U.S. submarine spotted a German sub and quickly launched two torpedoes at it, one after another. Soon there was a huge explosion, yet the German sub continued on its way completely unharmed. Amazingly, the second torpedo had been travelling a little faster than the first one following the same trajectory. Number two rammed number one, exploding both of them, and miraculously giving the German sub the chance to escape unscathed.

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2. Which U.S. president was saved from an assassin's bullet by his thickly folded speech in his breast pocket?

(Answers page 16)

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Final Changes

• Two German officers were standing on the observation deck of their surfaced submarine during World War I when they suddenly saw the periscope of an enemy sub nearby. Before they could react they both saw a torpedo speeding directly at them. It was approaching so fast they stood there frozen in fear, bracing themselves for the impact and explosion. To

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

• In 1834, two Maori women were the only survivors after their small boat sank far off the coast of New Zealand. As they were growing weak from treading water, a dead whale floated by with the harpoon still stuck in its side. They grabbed the line from the harpoon and managed to pull themselves onto the bloated and stinking carcass, which they rode for several days as it floated them some 80 miles to safety.

• Adolphe Pons was in a motor boat with his assistant eight miles off the coast of New Caledonia, a tiny archipelago in the South Pacific, when he tripped and fell overboard. As his assistant reached out to pull him back in, he lost balance and also tumbled overboard. The now-unmanned boat continued heading out to sea, still under power and with no one on board. Fortunately the boat’s steering wheel remained slightly turned, enough so that the boat began a wide, slow circle back to the stranded men, who managed to grab hold of a dangling rope and climb back onboard.

NUGGETS OF KNOWLEDGE

When a large buzz saw blade tore loose from its moorings in a Florida sawmill, the blade went ripping through the side of the building, then buzzed its way through the side of a house next door. It ripped the kitchen table in half before tearing through the other side of the house. The bewildered resident who was having her breakfast at the table sat unharmed, trying to comprehend what had just happened.

1.VERNALEQUINOX

2.CROCUS

By Lucie Winborne

* Garbage collectors in Turkey have filled their own library entirely from books thrown away by residents. Originally destined for landfills, around 6,000 tomes are now safely housed on shelves, waiting to be reread -- or discovered -- by the public.

* Gray cats are frequently the result of a diluted black fur gene.

* The World’s Largest Collection of the World’s Smallest Versions of the World’s Largest Things is a museum in Lucas, Kansas, created by Erika Nelson. It consists of miniatures created from photos of the world’s largest objects.

* On May 9, 1945, reports that Nazi Germany had surrendered to the USSR triggered a 22-hour celebration that caused the country to temporarily run out of vodka!

* An Arizona man didn’t realize he was a big winner at a Las Vegas slot machine because its lights and buzzers never went on. Fortunately, an investigation by the Nevada Gaming Control Board resulted in a happy ending and the bestowal of the gentleman’s $230,000.

* Not only can you be right-handed or left-handed, you can be right or left eared and eyed.

* “Tartle” is a Scottish word referring to the feeling of hesitation or panic you experience when unable to recall another person’s name.

Thought for the Day: “Management is about persuading people to do things they do not want to do, while leadership is about inspiring people to do things they never thought they could.” -- Steve Jobs

(c) 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.

by Mary Hunt

some fast, easy money we’ll abandon all reason, and sometimes our own common sense to do this. They'll pressure us to “act now! Get in on the ground floor! Who knows how long this will last?” -- and so on.

Always remember this: If it sounds too good to be true - it is!

3

Simple Steps To Make Sure You Don’t Fall for Investment Fraud

Time is your greatest asset in investing; haste is your worst enemy.

NO. 2: CHECK THE REGISTRATION

While particular forms of fraud may be undetectable, most will present tell-tale indicators if we're careful to look for them.

Reportedly, billionaire oil tycoon Robert Belfer has been impacted by investment fraud in three major scandals: Enron’s corruption, Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme and now the collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX.

by Mary Hunt

Belfer, 87, has survived multiple financial frauds, including losses of tens of millions from Madoff and billions from Kenneth Lay’s energy company. As reported by the Entrepreneur, Belfer is now at risk of losing a total of $34.5 million in Sam Bankman-Fried’s cryptocurrency company.

This begs the question: If even wealthy investors with teams of advisors can become victims of fraud, what chance do everyday people have to do any better?

The answer is to manage our own personal finances. That doesn’t mean we should never seek professional guidance. It means we should never assume we as unprofessionals are not capable of participation and making decisions on our own behalf.

Here are three strategies to follow so you don’t fall prey to investment fraud.

NO. 1: NO HASTY MOVES

Even seasoned investors can fall for the “fear of missing out.” FTX reeled in many individuals who had no idea how cryptocurrencies operate. They assumed if the big cats were all in, it had to be legit.

If you feel concerned that an investment is not in your area of expertise, that’s a positive sign. It’s a clear indicator that you should steer clear

Here’s my personal rule of thumb: If I cannot explain an investment in 50 words or less, I don’t have sufficient information to make a rational, reasoned decision.

Scam artists skillfully appeal to our wishes to get rich, and in our eagerness to make

Before making any investment, inquire with which financial institution it is registered. Next, go to that state’s official website to verify and determine if this is legitimate.

It is also crucial to verify if an individual or company has a license to sell investments, which is mandatory in most states.

If you need assistance verifying a company or person offering an investment, you can easily contact the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy.

NO. 3: GET IT IN WRITING

For all legitimate investment opportunities, you should take your time, review the documentation and thoroughly educate yourself on the product. Don’t make any decisions based on verbal descriptions, explanations and promises. Get it all in writing

The documentation should be readily available, clear and understandable if a company aims to attract investors. Exercise caution if you are puzzled or detect unrealistic, unbelievable claims that you cannot independently verify. Fraud salespeople count on exploiting your emotions, not guiding you through rational thought.

One last thing: Always remember that no credible equity investment ever guarantees a profit.

* * *

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 2023 CREATORS.COM

SOLAR PANEL DOCTORS

This ensures optimal health and maintains low energy bills

DOG BISCUITS

There are some unusual observances in the world, and perhaps one of the strangest is Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day on February 23. We thought it appropriate this week to “bone” up on a different kind of "tidbits" -- the tasty type that rewards our furry friends for their "sit-up," "speak," and "roll over" performances!

• Believe it or not, the history of dog biscuits dates back to the era of the Roman Empire. Dogs were given “bad bread,” bakery rejects that were low quality and not desired by the public. Bread for dogs was called “parruna,” and was made from bran. This was the practice until the 1800s, when a dog food made of vegetables mixed with grain came onto the scene.

• A Brit by the name of “Mr. Smith” sold dog food in the area of Maidenhead in 1827. It consisted of oats, potatoes, carrots, and parsnips, and according to an 1828 publication, the factory was producing sales of five tons of the product every week.

• In 1860, James Spratt, an Ohio electrician

traveled to London to sell his new invention, lightning rods. While standing along the harbor upon arriving in London, he observed several mongrel dogs fighting over chunks of hardtack that had been discarded by sailors. They were the dry and tough biscuits that seamen would have to eat while on long ocean voyages.

• Seeing how the dogs eagerly devoured the hardtack, Spratt was fascinated with the idea of developing some sort of biscuit just for dogs. He began experimenting, and before long he had a product ready for patent. His creation consisted of a mixture of grains, beetroot, vegetables, and gelatinous beef parts and beef blood. He marketed his product as “Spratt’s Meat Fibrine Dog Cakes.”

• It was immediately successful, and soon others jumped on the bandwagon with similar products. Among them were Dr. A.C. Daniels’ Medicated Dog Bread, and Slater’s Meat Biscuit for Dogs, who boasted that his product contained “vegetable substances and 25% of prepared meat products.” All claimed their biscuits would “give dogs endurance” and “keep them in fine healthful condition.”

• Spratt’s product led the pack until 1907, when an American inventor, Carleton Ellis, developed a milk-based dog biscuit. Ellis had already invented a type of margarine, along with varnish and paint remover. His dog biscuit was made with a good recipe, but the real success came in 1908, when Ellis changed his baked biscuits into the shape of a bone.

• Ellis partnered with the F H. Bennett Biscuit Company, a bakery on New York’s Lower East Side, that produced the product. Each biscuit was sealed and packaged individually to guarantee freshness. Because of the high milk content, the biscuits were named Maltoid MilkBones, and were an immediate success. Soon a number of different flavors were added, and his advertising touted not only the great flavor, but cleaner teeth and better breath for dogs as well.

• The Bennett products dominated the industry for decades, and in 1931, the company was sold to Nabisco. Then in 1940, Nabisco expanded the line to include not only different flavors but different sizes for dogs of varying sizes, small, medium, and large.

• During the 1950s, Milk-Bone was the sponsor of television’s “The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin,” strategically targeting dog-loving viewers nationwide. It was the heartwarming story of Rusty, a young orphan being raised by soldiers at Fort Apache, along with Rusty’s faithful German Shepherd companion.

• Milk-Bone introduced their Flavor Snacks in 1963, with six flavors – milk, meat, vegetable, cheese, bone, and liver. Their tartar control rawhide strips were later added in 1989. Two new innovations came along in 2016 – peanut butter dog biscuits, and Pill Pouches, an item designed to help pets take their pills.

• Now owned by the J.M. Smucker Company, Milk-Bones are made exclusively in Buffalo, New York, and remain as the leader in product quality and sales to the millions of dog owners across the nation. □

by Dana Jackson

Q: I saw that Natasha Lyonne has a new show on Peacock. Does this mean “Russian Doll” has been canceled? -- Y.B.

A: With so many networks and streaming platforms available now, actors aren’t limited to just one show anymore. Look at Adam Scott, for example. He had major roles on three shows in the past year (“Severance,” “Loot” and the upcoming third season of “Party Down”).

Lyonne has been just as busy since she had a career resurgence playing an inmate on Netflix’s “Orange Is the New Black.” She followed that up with the Emmynominated “Russian Doll,” and while a third season is still in limbo, Lyonne has gone on to film another series, “Poker Face.” Hopefully she can juggle both shows if Netflix comes calling again.

Q: My 90-year-old mother’s favorite drama is “Chicago Med.” She especially loves the handsome actor who plays Dr. Marcel. Can you tell us what else he’s been in? -- A.K.

A: Dominic Rains plays Dr. Crockett Marcel on the hit series “Chicago Med,” which airs on NBC on Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. ET. (It’s part of what’s billed as the One Chicago lineup, followed by “Chicago Fire” at 9 p.m. and “Chicago P.D.” at 10 p.m.) He joined the ensemble cast as the trauma surgeon in its fifth season.

Rains, 40, was born in Tehran, Iran, but grew up in a Dallas suburb called The Colony. His first role on camera was in the TV movie “Saving Jessica Lynch.” He went on to play Dr. Leo Julian on the daytime soap “General Hospital” as well as its spin-off “General Hospital: Night Shift.” He’s had a slew of primetime guest-star appearances on shows like “NCIS” and “24” before landing a recurring role as a character named Kasius on “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”

Rains was born Amin Nazemzadeh, but didn’t change his name until he got the role on “GH.” His brother, Ethan, got him into acting in the first place, and the two both had roles on the shortlived Heather Locklear series “LAX.”

***

“Yellowstone” originally began as a summer series on the Paramount Network, and the latter half of season five will air sometime during the summer of 2023. No official air date has been announced yet, however. Joining the cast this past season is actress Dawn Olivieri, who played Claire Dutton in the “Yellowstone” prequel series “1883.” Her new character, Sarah Atwood, is a complete 180 from Claire. Look for her to continue to stir things up in Montana.

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.

Final Changes

Q: What happened to “Yellowstone”? I keep waiting for more new episodes, but the last one was in early January. Is it done for the season? -- M.M.

A: According to “TV Guide,” “Yellowstone” decided to split season five into two parts, with the remaining six episodes to come. Viewers have been on the edge of their seats during the first half, as a “civil war has broken out among the Duttons, with Jamie (Wes Bentley) and Beth (Kelly Reilly) at each other’s throats.” Kevin Costner’s character, John Dutton, is also at risk of being impeached as governor.

1. Knock at the Cabin (R) Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff

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

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

2. 80 for Brady (PG-13) Rita Moreno, Sally Field

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

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

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

4. BTS: Yet to Come in Cinemas (NR) BTS

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

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

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

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

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

7. Sing (PG) animated

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

8. Missing (PG-13) Tim Griffin, Ava Zaria Lee

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

9. Sustenance (NR) Giavani Cairo,

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

Good News. Anywhere. Anytime.

© 2017 King Features Synd., Inc.

Shahar Isaac

10. Pathaan (NR) Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone

Good Recipes from Oven-Roasted Onions

These delectable onions complement steak, roast beef or burgers equally well.

5 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

5 jumbo red or white onions (1 1/4 pounds each), cut into 3/4-inch-thick rounds

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1. Heat oven to 400 F. Grease two jellyroll pans with 2 tablespoons oil.

2. Arrange onions in single layer in prepared pans. Brush with 2 tablespoons oil, then sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Place pans on separate oven racks and roast 45 minutes.

3. Turn onions; brush with remaining 1 tablespoon oil, then sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Rotate pans between upper and lower racks, and roast until tender and golden, about 30 minutes longer.

4. In cup, combine brown sugar and vinegar. Brush onions with vinegar mixture and

roast 5 minutes longer. Makes 12 accompaniment servings.

 Each serving: About 93 calories, 1g protein, 10g carbohydrate, 6g total fat (1g saturated), 0mg cholesterol, 106mg sodium.

Crumb-Topped Onions

Prepare as directed but omit vinegar mixture. In small bowl, combine 1 cup fresh bread crumbs (about 2 slices bread), 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Top each onion slice with rounded tablespoon of crumb mixture. Roast until crisp, about 10 minutes longer.

Chicken Breasts with Brussels Sprouts

1 container (10 ounces) Brussels sprouts

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 medium skinless, boneless chickenbreast halves (about 1 1/4 pounds)

2 cups cranberries

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1. Heat oven to 450 F. Trim Brussels sprouts; cut lengthwise into thin slices. In 15 1/2-by-10 1/2-inch jelly-roll pan, toss sprouts with 1 tablespoon oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper to coat. Spread evenly in

pan; roast 15 to 20 minutes or until tender and browned at edges.

2. Meanwhile, in nonstick 12-inch skillet, heat remaining oil over medium-high heat until hot. On waxed paper, combine flour and remaining salt and pepper; use to coat chicken.

3. Add chicken to skillet and cook 6 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; turn chicken over and cook 6 to 8 minutes longer or until juices run clean when thickest part of breast is pierced with tip of knife. Transfer chicken to platter; keep warm.

4. To skillet, add cranberries, sugar, vinegar and 3/4 cup water; heat to boiling over medium-high heat. Cook until sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Serve chicken with sauce and Brussels sprouts. Makes 4 main-dish servings.

* * *

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

The future looks bright

Donald Duck by Walt

Tidbits Word Search

"Dodging Danger"

Cody’s

Corner

Dog Talk with Uncle Matty

By Matthew Margolis

Komm Hier!

Creators

When it comes to getting our dogs to come to us, some of us have some pretty funny ideas. Over the years, I’ve worked with a multitude of dog owners who are bewildered that their rendition of “come” -- ranging from harsh to downright terrifying -- has the opposite effect of actually driving their dogs away.

Listening to these folks try to get their dogs to come to them reminds me of the rhyme from “101 Dalmatians”:

Cruella De Vil, Cruella De Vil. If she doesn’t scare you, no evil thing will...

But what often happens next borders on the absurd.

Frustrated by their failed efforts to get their own dog to come anywhere near them, they go after him. That’s right -- the chase is on! Through the house, over the couch, ‘round and ‘round the coffee table and then the mad dash under the bed where the now-exhausted dog collapses just out of reach.

There are a couple of things going on here that you might not realize and you probably don’t want.

1) Your dog is afraid to come to you because of the tone of voice you’re using.

2) Your dog then learns that if he doesn’t come to you, you’ll chase him, and what dog doesn’t love a good game of chase?

There are a few easy changes you can make to get out of this cycle, should this scene sound a little too familiar.

First, pay attention to the tone you use whenever you say your dog’s name. Use a happy, positive, loving tone of voice every time you utter his blessed name.

Second, it’s time to issue the “come” command in the manner most likely to yield results. Some trainers use the word “come.” Some prefer the word “here.” Still others prefer the German words “Hier” or “Komm,” which sound pretty much the same as their English equivalents. What matters isn’t so much the word, but the tone. For the most part, you’ll want to use a bright tone of

Cody's Corner: Turn to Page 10

SENIOR NEWS LINE

by Matilda Charles

Are There Recalled Foods in Your Freezer?

How many food items in your freezer, refrigerator or kitchen cabinet are on recall lists? Have you ever checked?

I spotted a food recall alert on the news, but I only heard part of the announcement. So on to the internet I went, looking for the information. And sure enough, for the first time ever, I learned I actually had a recalled food item in my freezer! It was a bit unnerving to realize that I hadn’t been reading all the recall alerts I get in my email inbox.

While looking for more sites that provide alerts, I came across one I hadn’t known about: FoodManufacturing.com. Just in the past few weeks, they’ve put out alerts for a certain soup because of an error on the label, several brands of Vienna sausages, hot chocolate K-cups (it might contain peanut products), a pot roast meal, sprouts, frozen chicken entrees, popcorn, frozen manicotti, diced beef ... and more.

To look at their list, go to the site and click on the “Recalls/Alerts” tab.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service arm of the Department of Agriculture issues alerts as well at www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls. Note the advanced search feature on the left side of the screen where you can filter by cause, risk level, states and more.

Food Safety (www.foodsafety.gov) provides information on the safe handling and storage of food.

Recalls.gov is another good site for recall notices. Click on the “Food” tab to see your online choices.

And what should I do with that recalled product I found in my freezer? I’m going to take it back to the store for a refund, of course.

On a sad note, did you see the Consumer Reports research on the amount of lead and cadmium in our favorite dark chocolate bars? Go to ConsumerReports.org and put “Lead and Cadmium Could Be in Your Dark Chocolate” in the search box.

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

(c) KingFeaturesSyndicate

Overwhelmingly, the test group rejected the ugly room. The average room and the beautiful room were tied as the preferred room. When asked to describe the rooms, the test group was best able to describe the beautiful room.

by Joseph Publillones

Are Your Home Decorating Efforts Depressing You?

From time to time, at a cocktail party or when visiting a friend, someone will corner me and confess to me that they are depressed. As if I were a member of the clergy, they whisper in sotto voce that they believe their decorating is making them sick. I sometimes want to chuckle, but as I listen closer, they tell me that their interiors are not at all to their liking because of the choices made by their spouse, a friend or their own misguided decorating experiments.

Is it possible for their environment to make them feel sick? As I think about it more and more, yes, it is possible for design to alter moods.

In the mid-1950s, Norbett Mintz, a researcher at Brandeis University, and his mentor, the renowned psychologist Abraham Maslow, decided to conduct research about the effects of “beauty” on behavior. Mintz had already conducted experiments about the effects of color on human behavior and concluded that color selection has a palpable effect on personal behavior.

In their experiment about beauty, they designed three rooms. The first was the ugly room, replete with clashing colors and patterns, disorganization and too much furniture for the size of the space. The second was the average room, arranged with a monochromatic scheme, basic furniture pieces and subtly colored nondescript art. The third was the beautiful room, decorated with quality casegoods and fashionable fabrics and colors.

As a designer, this is not news to me. There are rooms, especially those that I like, that I can describe with remarkable detail. Although our notion of beauty itself cannot be quantified because what is beautiful varies from person to person, it can be said that beautiful design is more memorable. In that instance, we can deduce that each person prefers the beautiful.

From the time we are born, there are foods that are preferred -- some love sweets, and others prefer more savory flavors. Over time, our taste buds evolve, and what was once a favorite food can come to nauseate you. The same stands true for interior design. Over time, everyone develops preferences in what we eat, how we dress and what makes us feel comfortable and at home.

When I hear that someone’s home is making them depressed, I am most concerned, because home should be a place of comfort and respite from the world’s chaos. I usually suggest they take action immediately and change what bothers them the most.

A feeling of discomfort at home for a prolonged time can have health consequences. If it is a wall color, well, a painting party is overdue. If what bothers them is furniture, I ask them to consider slipcovers or new upholstery. And for those who are too timid to tackle the problems head-on, I suggest they hire a professional interior designer.

Cody’s Corner (from page 9) voice, one that commands attention in a positive way.

When practicing the “come” command initially, you’ll want to use a long lead. The goal is to get your dog to come to you at the first issuance of the command. When you’re starting out, you’ll need the help of the lead to get that to happen. It’s counterproductive to say “come” over and over. The dog gets the idea that he doesn’t need to respond to the first command; he can mosey on over whenever he’s ready.

When your dog is learning the “come” command, it’s important to basically throw him a party with your voice the instant he responds to your command. That initial response could be turning his head to look at you, perking his ears while staring at you, wagging his tail while looking in your direction or a full-on run straight for you. You want him to want to come to you. You want him to believe you are the greatest place in the world to be.

Finally, if you brighten your tone and practice issuing the command and rewarding the response, but you still aren’t getting the complete behavior, consult a training book, buy a training video or call a professional. Don’t chase your dog. It’s essentially teaching your dog to run away from you, which is a dangerous habit to foster.

For more details on teaching your dog to come to you, visit unclematty.com.

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

The Art of DESIGN

SOCIAL SECURITY

by Tom Margenau

How Retirement Benefits Are Figured

After doing this column for so many years (more than a quarter century now), I’ve learned there are two kinds of potential Social Security beneficiaries. The vast majority are those who just want a general idea of how their benefits will be figured. But there are more than a few people out there who want to know exactly how the government comes up with their retirement benefit calculation.

I’ll start today’s column addressing the first group. In a nutshell, a Social Security retirement benefit is a percentage of your average monthly income using your highest 35 years of inflationadjusted earnings.

When you file for retirement benefits, the Social Security Administration will look at your earnings history and pull out your highest 35 years. They don’t have to be consecutive. If you don’t have 35 years of earnings, the SSA must plug in an annual salary of “zero” for every year you did not work, until the 35-year base is reached.

However, before they add up those “high 35,” they index each year of past earnings for inflation, which is where the formula starts to get messy. That’s because there is a different adjustment factor for each year of earnings, and each year’s adjustment factor is different based on your year of birth.

Here is a quick example. If you were born in 1960 and earned $20,000 in 1990, they would multiply those earnings by an inflation adjustment factor of 2.6, meaning they would actually use $52,000 as your 1990 earnings. But if you were born in 1955 and earned that same $20,000 in 1990, they would use an inflation factor of 2.2, resulting in $44,000, as the 1990 earnings used in your Social Security computation.

You can find a complete breakdown of those inflation adjustment factors for each year of birth at the Social Security Administration’s website: www.socialsecurity.gov. If you have a hard time negotiating that website, just Google “Social Security indexing factors” and it will lead you to the right place.

The next step in the retirement computation formula is to add up your highest 35 years of inflation-adjusted earnings. Then you divide by 420 -- that’s the number of months in 35 years -- to get your average inflation-adjusted monthly income.

The final step brings us to the “social” part of Social Security. The percentage of your average monthly income that comes back to you in the form of a Social Security benefit depends on your income. In a nutshell, the lower your average wage, the higher percentage rate of return you get. Once again, the actual formula is messy and varies depending on your year of birth. As an example, here is the formula for someone born in 1960. You take the first $1,024 of average monthly income and multiply it by 90%. You take the next $5,148 of your average monthly income and multiply that by 32%. And you take any remainder and multiply it by 15%.

You can find a complete breakdown of those computation “bend points” at www.socialsecurity.gov, or just do a Google search using the phrase “Social Security bend points” to find several sites that should help you.

Believe it or not, that was the “simple” explanation for those who just want some kind of idea of how their Social Security retirement benefit will be figured. To summarize, it is a percentage of your average monthly income using your highest 35 years of inflation-adjusted earnings. If this was a college course, think of it as Social Security Benefit Computation 101.

But now I’m going to get into a little more of an advanced version of retirement benefit calculations for those who want to know the nitty-gritty of the process.

I’ll start by introducing this term: the “primary insurance amount,” or PIA. The PIA is your basic retirement benefit upon which all future calculations will be based. The “raw PIA” is actually calculated at age 62. In other words, when the SSA pulls out your highest 35 years of earnings, they only use earnings up to age 62. Then that raw PIA gets “cooked,” or increased, to take into account any earnings you had after age 62 and to include any cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) that were authorized for Social Security benefits after the year you reached age 62.

But it gets a little tricky when SSA does the recomputation for any earnings you have after age 62. If you worked full time until age 66, for example, you would normally assume that those earnings between age 62 and 66 would increase your PIA. After all, you figure, they are some of your highest earning years so they will become part of that “high 35.”

they got back at age 62. Their current benefit estimate includes the COLA increases, but either little or no bump for their post-62 earnings. The reason why is that lack of inflation indexing after age 60.

As you can see, the Social Security retirement benefit formula is pretty messy. But for most of you, I would say: “Don’t worry about it.” Just let the SSA do it for you. Go to www.socialsecurity.gov, and click on the “Plan for Retirement” icon on the homepage. It will walk you through the process of finding out what your Social Security benefit will be. * * *

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

But not necessarily, and here is why. For reasons I can’t take the time to explain in this short column, earnings after age 60 are not indexed for inflation. They get calculated at current dollar value only. So, if your “raw PIA” was based on a full 35-year history of high inflation-adjusted earnings, your current earnings may not be high enough to become part of your “high 35,” so they won’t increase your benefit. They possibly might bump up the PIA, but not by much.

Final

In fact, I hear from readers all the time who tell me that they are confused because the benefit estimate they are getting from the SSA now (at age 66, let’s say) is not much more than the estimate

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

2. From 1 John 3:18, "Let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in ..."? a) Earnestness b) Truth c) Silence

d) Prayer

3. In Proverbs 10:12, "Hatred stirreth up strifes; but love covereth all ..."? a) Sins b) People c) Creation d) Enemies

4. Which Old Testament book reads like a love story? a) Ruth b) Job c) Esther d) Song of Solomon

5. Where does one find the phrase, "God is love"? a) Genesis b) Matthew c) Job d) 1 John

6. Who was the mother of Joseph and Benjamin? a) Sarah b) Hagar c) Rachel d) Zipporah

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

Inc.

Statins Do Not Increase Risk of Death by Suicide in Men Over 60

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have read that there is a correlation between the use of statins and suicide in men over 60, especially if they have suffered from chronic depression. Can you tell me if this has been studied more? -- K.M.

ANSWER: This concern has been studied extensively.

An older class of cholesterol medication, the fibrates, was associated with a small increased risk of suicide and violent deaths, in several large studies.

However, a very large study published in 2020 showed no increase in risk of death by suicide among those taking statin drugs. In fact, that study, as well as several others, have shown a decrease in depression risk among statin users. Statins have even been found to be (modestly) effective in treatment of drug-resistant depression.

Men over 60 are certainly at a higher risk from death by suicide, but statin drugs do not appear to increase that risk. Anyone with thoughts of hurting themselves should seek care from their doctor, a mental health professional, or the suicide and crisis lifeline at 988 in the U.S. and 833-456-4566 in most Canadian provinces. ***

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am 74. I have always been described as small-boned. I am on a statin, but otherwise, I’m healthy.

I was recently diagnosed with osteopenia. I do not eat dairy, but I do take vitamin D. I am vegetarian and eat lots of tofu. I am very concerned about taking any additional medicines. Suggestions, please? -- F.M.D.

ANSWER: Osteopenia, or low bone density, is analogous to borderline diabetes or elevated blood pressure. It’s not a disease in itself, but it puts you in a range between the healthiest condition and one that can put you at risk.

In the case of osteopenia, you are at a higher risk for developing osteoporosis, which, in turn, puts you at a high risk for a fracture, especially one of the spine or the hip.

We do not normally treat low bone density with medicine. Lifestyle interventions to help slow loss of bone density include not only the calcium and vitamin D you are taking, but I especially recommend exercise. Weight-bearing, muscle-strengthening and posture exercises are proven to help. Smokers should quit.

You should have gotten a T-score on your report, which compares your bone density for a given bone to a healthy young adult. The worse the T-score, the closer you are to osteoporosis, which is a T score below -2.5.

Depending on how close you are to osteoporosis, the sooner your bone density test should be repeated. People with osteoporosis should be considered for medication. I understand your concern about taking more medicine than you need, but you really don’t want a hip

fracture to occur.

DR. ROACH WRITES: In a recent column on glaucoma, I described it as a disease of the retina. Several eye physicians wrote to clarify that it is actually a disease of the optic nerve.

Eye professionals look in the back of the eye at the optic nerve for “cupping,” which is an increase in the size of the optic cup related to the loss of nerve cells in the retina. But the site of the damage is in the optic nerve, where there is a difference between the eye pressure and blood pressure, either from high pressure inside the eye or from very low blood pressure.

VETERANS POST  

by Freddie Groves

$30 Million for Homeless Veterans Grants

ADVERTISING PROOF

Many people with glaucoma who have normal pressures inside the eye have low blood pressure. Reducing pressure inside the eye remains the preferred treatment. I appreciate the clarifications, especially from Dr. Peter Libre at Columbia University.

* * *

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.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is gearing up to award $30 million to organizations to hire case managers across the country to support homeless veterans for two years beginning this October. Those 150 case managers will assist with searching for and obtaining permanent housing and troubleshooting any barriers to keeping that housing.

Those barriers to finding and keeping housing can range from having a poor credit history, to being behind in rent, to having legal problems and more.

2022 Flag Days

Jan. 1 - New Year’s Day

The VA goes by the Housing First philosophy: The veteran needs the stability of housing before taking additional steps to improve quality of life. Once the veteran is in permanent housing, the rest of the work starts -- job training, mental health care, education assistance, medical care ... whatever it takes to keep them in their home.

Jan. 17 - MLK Jr. Day

Feb. 12 - Lincoln’s B-day

Feb. 21 - Presidents Day

The Housing First model was tested early on, and the results were promising: In a test of the first 177 homeless veterans, the program reduced the waiting time for housing placement from 235 days to 35.

March 29 - Nat’l Vietnam War Veterans Day

April 17 - Easter Sunday

May 21 - Armed Forces Day

May 30 - Memorial Day

June 6 - D-Day

June 14 - Flag Day

If you’re a homeless veteran or know someone who is, call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-4AID-VET (877-424-3838) or see www.va.gov/homeless. If you know that you’re likely to be homeless soon, don’t wait until the last minute. Reach out for help now. There are resources to help you with health care, employment, housing and much more. You can also go to your closest VA medical center. While you’re there, ask about Community Resource and Referral Centers (CRRCs) and their list of contacts who have the resources to help.

July 4 - Independence Day

July 27 - Nat’l Korean War Veterans Armistice Day

If your community group works to assist homeless veterans, take a look at the Housing First information at www.va.gov/HOMELESS/ nchav/resources/housing-programs/housingfirst.asp

Sept. 5 - Labor Day

Sept. 11 - Patriot Day

Sept. 17 - Constitution Day

Oct. 10 - Columbus Day

Applications for the Case Management Grants must be received by May 4, 2023. See the notice in the Federal Register at https://tinyurl. com/27x3djay. If you have questions, contact the Grant and Per Diem Program at GPDGrants@ va.gov.

* * *

Oct. 27 - Navy Day

Nov. 11 - Veterans Day

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.

Nov. 24 - Thanksgiving Day

Dec. 7 - Pearl Harbor Day

Dec. 25 - Christmas Day

-- by Jim Miller

Retiring Abroad?

Tips and tools to help you make an informed decision

DEAR SAVVY SENIOR: What are the key factors to consider when contemplating retiring abroad? My husband and I will soon be retiring and are interested in moving overseas to a country that’s cheaper and warmer than the U.S., but we don't want to take a major step like this before doing our homework. -- Looking Ahead

Dear Looking: Whatever your reasons for aspiring to retire abroad – a lower cost of living, a better climate or a desire for adventure – you are wise to first do your homework and learn everything you can about the country you’re interested in because it’s not an easy move. Here are some different tips and tools to help you make an informed decision.

Researching Tools

If you’re in the decision-making process of where to retire, InternationalLiving. com and LiveAndInvestOverseas.com are two excellent websites that provide articles, information and lists of the top retirement destinations abroad based on cost of living, climate, health care, housing, visas, infrastructure and more.

Once you pick a country or two that interest you, a smart move is to talk or network with some expats who have already made the move you’re thinking about making. They can give you tips and suggestions on many issues, as well as the advantages and disadvantages and day-to-day reality of living in a particular country. Facebook is a good resource for locating expat groups.

But before committing, experts recommend visiting multiple times during different seasons to see whether you can envision yourself living there as a resident and not just exploring the place as a tourist. Here are some other factors you need to look into:

Cost of living:

Retiring abroad used to be seen as a surefire way to live beyond your means, and for many countries it still is. But depending on where you move, the U.S. dollar may not stretch as far as you think. To compare the cost of living in hundreds of cities and countries use Numbeo.com

Visa requirements:

If you want to spend just part of the year living abroad or are willing to move from country to country, most countries offer a three or six-month tourist visa, which is easy to get. But if you want to set up permanent residence abroad you might have to jump over a few more hurdles depending on where you want to retire. To research visa requirements in the countries that interest you, visit VisaGuide.World

Health care:

Most U.S. health insurance companies do not provide coverage outside the U.S., and neither does Medicare. Check with the embassy (see USembassy.gov) of your destination country to see how you can be covered as a foreign resident.

Many countries provide governmentsponsored health care that’s inexpensive, accessible and just as good as what you get in the states, or you may want to buy a policy through Medibroker.com or BupaGlobal. com

Also know that most people who retire abroad eventually return to the U.S., so experts recommend paying your Medicare Part B premiums. If you drop and resume Part B, or delay initial enrollment, you’ll pay a 10 percent premium penalty for every 12-month period you weren’t enrolled.

Housing:

Buying a home in a foreign country can be complicated, so it’s almost always better to rent first until you’re sure you want to permanently reside there.

Money matters:

Opening or maintaining a bank account abroad can also be difficult. You may have to establish a checking account with an institution that has international reach like Citibank or maintain a U.S. bank account that you can access online. Claiming your Social Security benefits, however, should not be a problem as they offer direct deposit to almost every country in the world. See SSA.gov/international/payments.html

Tax considerations:

You also need to research tax rules in your prospective countries and be aware that even if you’re living in another country, as a U.S. citizen you’ll still most likely need to file an annual U.S. tax return – see IRS. gov/pub/irs-pdf/p54.pdf

by Anne McCollam

World’s Fair Potato Flask is a Hot Collectible

Q: Enclosed is a photo of an item that is in my possession. It is a glass flask in the shape of a potato. The measurements are approximately 5 inches long by 3 inches wide. This brown flask is embossed and has a screw-on cap. One side says “World’s Fair,” while the other side is labeled with “1893.” It’s in mint condition.

I would appreciate learning more about my flask.

A: You have a very nice souvenir from the Chicago Columbian World’s Fair of 1892-1893. The Columbian Exposition was a celebration of Columbus and the 400th anniversary of his discovery of America.

Your potato flask is a hot collectible and would probably be worth $200 to $250. ***

Q: I still have a tin windup roller coaster toy that was given to me for my birthday in the early 1950s. It has the original two cars and box. The frame is decorated with scenes of children playing arcade games. On the side of the roller coaster, there is a shield with the words: “J. Chein -- Made in U.S.A.” It is in excellent condition and the colors are bright.

What can you tell me about my toy?

Puzzle Solutions

A: J. Chein & Co. was located in Burlington, N.J., from 1900 to 1970. They were one of the leading manufacturers of tin windups, pull toys, banks and friction toys. The roller coaster was also available in a ski ride version.

Your tin lithograph toy and its box are extremely collectible and would probably sell in the range of $350 to $500, depending on condition.

Q: This mark is on my porcelain punch bowl, which sits on a matching pedestal. It comes with 12 footed cups. Embellished with gold, each piece is decorated with green grapes, white grapes, green leaves and tendrils. The artist signed it as “Reed.”

Because the set is a family heirloom, I would never sell it, but I would like to know what it is worth.

Tressemanes and Vogt Porcelain Factory is located in Limoges, France.

A: Tressemanes and Vogt Porcelain Factory used this mark. They have produced porcelain in Limoges, France, since 1883. Based on your information, your set was painted by an amateur artist on china blanks made by Tressemanes and Vogt. China painting was a popular hobby around the turn of the 20th century.

Your punch bowl set would probably be worth $3,000 to $3,500.

Antiques expert and columnist Anne McCollam has recently retired and no longer receives inquiries nor answers reader letters. Due to the popularity of her 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

COPYRIGHT 2022 CREATORS.COM

● On Feb. 19, 1473, Nicolaus Copernicus is born in Torun, Poland, on the Vistula River. Revered as the father of modern astronomy, Copernicus was the first European scientist to propose that Earth and other planets revolve around the sun.

● On Feb. 22, 1819, Spanish minister Do Luis de Onis and U.S. Secretary of State John Quincy Adams sign the Florida Purchase Treaty, in which Spain agrees to cede the remainder of its old province of Florida to the United States. The Treaty put Florida into U.S. hands at no cost beyond the U.S. assumption of $5 million in claims by U.S. citizens against Spain.

● On Feb. 21, 1926, glamorous Swedish actress Greta Garbo makes her U.S. screen debut in "The Torrent." Unlike many of her contemporaries, the Nordic beauty successfully made the transition to sound after becoming a star during the silent film era.

● On Feb. 18, 1964, the United States cuts off military assistance to Britain, France and Yugoslavia in retaliation for their continuing trade with communist Cuba. The action was chiefly symbolic, but represented the continued U.S. effort to destabilize the Cuban regime of Fidel Castro.

● On Feb. 20, 1974, Reg Murphy, an editor of The Atlanta Constitution, is kidnapped. Kidnapper William Williams drove Murphy around the city, stopping to phone in ransom demands to the newspaper. Managing editor G. James Minter delivered the money to Williams, and Murphy was released. After being caught, Williams was sentenced to 40 years for kidnapping and extortion.

● On Feb. 16, 1984, Bill Johnson becomes the first American man to win an Olympic gold medal in downhill skiing, a sport long dominated by European athletes. Johnson quickly became a national hero, though his fame was short-lived and he never again competed in the Olympics.

● On Feb. 17, 1996, in the final game of a six-game match, world chess champion Garry Kasparov triumphs over Deep Blue, IBM's chess-playing computer, and wins the match, 4-2. However, Deep Blue would go on to defeat Kasparov in a rematch the following year.

© 2015 King Features Synd., Inc.

What would you call a group of certain small flatfish that start a company together?

Co-flounders.

"Of all the places in the world to have a romantic picnic together, you have to choose a driving range!!"

This potato flask is a souvenir from the 1893 Chicago Columbian World’s Fair.

leaving every boat in the harbor resting on the sea bottom. All the other boats with V-shaped hulls ended up lying on their sides, while the flat-bottomed Wateree sat comfortably upright on the mud. Soon the sea rushed back as a large tsunami wave. All the ships were suddenly thrashed around, rolling over and breaking up, but the Wateree remained upright and rode the tide inland, scraping the tops of the city’s trees and rooftops until it was deposited, unharmed, in a residential neighborhood almost two miles inland.

MORE MIRACLES

• In 1952, an Air Force captain was in a cargo plane over Korea when he accidentally fell out of the open rear cargo door. Just as he was trying to pull the ripcord on his parachute, the plane hit a sudden strong downdraft and dropped rapidly. The free-falling captain tumbled back into the plane through the same door he had just fallen out of.

• During the bombing of London in World War II, a pretty young lady was taking a bath when her home was directly hit by a bomb. The bathtub was thrown in the air and landed upside-down in the yard with the girl trapped underneath, sheltering her from falling debris and collapsing rubble. Later, rescuers later digging through the ruins looking for survivors were quite startled to discover a naked girl, shivering but basically unharmed, under the bathtub.

• Shigeyoshi Morimoto lived in Nagasaki, Japan but was working at a job in Hiroshima. He was in a store less than 900 yards from ground zero when the first atomic bomb exploded over Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. The building's thick stone walls offered him shelter from the ensuing heat blast and immense shockwave. He quickly left the devastated city and hurried to his home in Nagasaki, arriving three days later. As he was describing his terrifying bomb experience to his wife, to his horror he saw another bright flash out the window. He quickly shoved his family into the cellar, only seconds before the enormous blast leveled his home. Incredibly, Morimoto had survived the devastation of two atomic bomb blasts! �

STAN SMITH’S TENNIS CLASS

Game Changers

by Jason Jenkins

Bunker Blues

We’ve all had that experience of getting into a deep greenside bunker, only to spend two to three swings before finally expelling the ball onto the green. It usually starts with a poor lie, or sometimes stems from an uncertainty of the texture of the sand.

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.

For many seasonal golfers who play northern courses in the summer, this may be especially true. But a lot of amateurs simply hit too far behind the ball where all of the clubhead speed is absorbed by the extra sand. They think they’re hitting two inches behind the ball, but unfortunately are entering more like four to five inches instead.

Many times I’ve coached golfers to try to feel like they are going to hit right behind the ball on a downward blow. Their eyes should pick a spot perhaps even at the back end of the ball. The reality is that even though they’re trying to hit that visual spot, the club really enters the sand one to two inches behind the ball.

In practice, make a mark near the ball’s posi tion in the sand and compare where your club really hit relative to that mark. When you can consistently hit two to three inches behind the mark, you’re bunker game will dramatically improve!

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

by Jason Jenkins

Jenkins was a 16-year member of the Jim McLean Golf School teaching staff. He was

1. TELEVISION: What was the name of the saloon in the 1960s series “Gunsmoke”?

2. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: To date, how many people have walked

3. GEOGRAPHY: What is the cap ital of the Canadian province Nova

4. MOVIES: How many “Police Academy” movies have been pro-

5. U.S. STATES: Why is Indiana known as “The Hoosier State”?

6. FOOD & DRINK: What percent-

7. HISTORY: Which company published its first mail-order catalog in

8. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What does the armadillo’s name mean in English?

9. LITERATURE: What is author Mark Twain’s real name?

Games

October 23-29, 2006

GO FIGURE!

10. CELEBRITIES: What is one of singer/actor Frank Sinatra’s famous nicknames, based on a physical attribute?

by

Linda Thistle

Answer peekers' names and photos posted on Facebook

1. Long

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.

DIFFICULTY:

1. Queen Victoria

2. Teddy Roosevelt, in 1912