Vol. 19: #41 • The World's Most Interesting Deserts • (10-8-23) Tidbits of Coachella Valley

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Vol. IXX Issue No. 41

TIDBITS EXPLORES SOME OF TIDBITS VISITS

THE WORLDʼS MOST

INTERESTING

DESERTS

ADV ADVERTISING PROOF AD Final Chan

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Property of 24 11,Loans 2023 Vol. 19 - No. CMG June Home

by Kathy Wolfe

CMG

Contact your Tidbits immediately withInc. changes or corrections.

Contact your T Julyrepresentative 2 “AdVenture “ Media, 27

c/o George Kouri Office: 760-320-0997 July 23email:“ valleybits@msn.com “ 30 Every continent on Earth is home to a desert. ThisPremium Property of Front Page CMG Home Aug. 13 Loans “ AdVenture “ Media, Inc. 33 week Tidbits travels the world to gather someMayc/o28, 2023 Vol. 22 36 George Sept.

3 Kouri “ 19 - No. “

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Office: 760-320 Fax: 760-320-1630

Premium Front Page Pr interesting facts that you likely never knew about CMG Property of Home Loans CM Phone: 760.320.0997 Fax: 760.320.1630 AdVenture Media, Inc. May 28, 2023 Vol. 19 No. 22 M valleybits@msn.com c/o George Kouri c/o these unique and arid ecosystems. So grab a map Premium Front Page Pre Phone: 760.320.0997 Fax: 760.320.1630 All- No. Rights and follow along as we learn that while many deserts May 28, 2023 Vol. 19 22 Reserved Ma valleybits@msn.com Phone: 760.320.0997 Fax: 760.320.1630 are hot, some are also record-breaking cold spots!

All Rights Reserved valleybits@msn.com GET RID of Your Mortgage • Although the word “desert” might bring to mind All Rights Reserved Payment and Stay in Your Home! vast expanses of vacant land, it may surprise you to learn that only about 20 percent of the Let me show simply a Reverse Mortgage will 76you0how -2home 75equity -5into 90 turn your hard-earned a regular 5 monthly worldʼs deserts are covered by sand.

70-6you 0still -2 27 7 income76 while own and in5 your home!

505 5-59 -5live 9 0 GEORGE KOURI • Deserts actually cover about one-fifth of the GEORGE KOURI GEORGE KOURI GEORGE KOURI Loan Officer GEORGE KOURI Call me Today!

GEORGE KOURI Loan Officer Earth’s land area, and contain one-sixth of the NMLS ID# 248717 248717 Loan Officer NMLS ID# NMLS ID# 248717 NMLS ID# ID# 248717 248717 760-275-5905 NMLS e: gkouri@cmghomeloans.com e: gkouri@cmghomeloans.com world’s population. In order to be classified as a e: e: gkouri@cmghomeloans.com gkouri@cmghomeloans.com w: www.gkouri.com w: www.gkouri.com e: gkouri@cmghomeloans.com e: gkouri@cmghomeloans.com ADVERTISING AD w:PROOF www.gkouri.com w: www.gkouri.com desert, an area must receive less than ten inches w: www.gkouri.com w: www.gkouri.com ADVERTISING PROOF PALM SPRINGS PALMBRANCH SPRINGS BRANCH ADV ADVERTISING PROOF AD PALM SPRINGS BRANCH Final Changes DUE: 12:00 NOON Final Cha 340 S. Farrell Dr., Ste A203 340 S. SPRINGS Farrell Dr.,BRANCH Ste A203 PALM of rain per year.

340 CA S. SPRINGS Farrell Dr.,BRANCH Ste A203 Palm Springs, 92262 PALM Please review carefully. Double check:  Phone Number(s)  Spelling  Prices Please review  Hours carefull Palm Springs, CA 92262 PalmID# CA 92262 Final Changes Final Chan 12:00 2475202 340 S.Springs, Farrell Dr.,Ste Ste A203 Final ChangesDUE: DUE: Branch NMLS Final 12:00 ChFN 340 S. Farrell Dr., A203 Branch NMLS ID# 2475202 Branch NMLS ID# 2475202 • There are two scientific categoriesPlease of deserts: Arid, George Kouri Palm Springs, CA 92262 Contact your Tidbits representative immediately with changes or corrections.

Contact your Tid Palm Springs, CA 92262 review carefully.

Double check: Number(s) Please review  Spelling carefully.  Pri Please review carefully.

Double check: Phone Phone Number(s) Please  Spelling review Please carefu Prices re Loan Officer Branch NMLS ID# 2475202 Branch NMLS ID# 2475202 Office: 760-320-0997 NMLS email: Office: 760-320-0 valleybits@msn.com Fax: 760-320-1630 receiving less than ten inches of precipitation ID# 248717 Con Contact Tidbits representativeimmediately immediately with changes Contact or or correctio your Ti Contact youryour Tidbits representative withContact changes your corre Tidbi per year, and semi-arid, which annually receive Offic Office: Office: 760-320-0997 email: valleybits@msn.com Fax: 760-320Office: 760-320-099 email: valleybits@msn.com Fax: 760-3 between ten and 20 inches of rain. Office: 760-320-0997 Property of AdVenture Media, Inc. • Although we think of deserts as hot, sandy expanses, there are cold deserts as well. These

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Loan Officer NMLS ID# 248717

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PALM SPRINGS BRANCH 340 S. Farrell Dr., Ste A203 Palm Springs, CA 92262 Branch NMLS ID# 2475202

Borrower is still responsible for taxes and insurance. This ad is not from HUD or the FHA and was not approved by HUD or any government agency.

CMG Mortgage, Inc. dba CMG Home Loans dba CMG Financial, NMLS# 1820, is an equal housing lender. Licensed by the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) under the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act No. 4150025. To verify our complete list of state licenses, please visit www.cmgfi.com/corporate/licensing and www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org.

Borrower is still responsible for taxes and insurance. This ad is not from HUD or the FHA and was not approved by HUD or any government agency.

CMG Mortgage, Inc. dba CMG Home Loans dba CMG Financial, NMLS# 1820, is an equal housing lender. Licensed by the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation under the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act No. 4150025.

To verify ourFHA complete list ofnot stateapproved licenses, by HUD or any government agency.

Borrower is (DFPI) still responsible for taxes and insurance.

This adis isnot not from HUD or and was Borrower is still responsible for taxes and insurance.

This ad from HUD orthe the FHA and was not approved by HUD or any government agency. please visit www.cmgfi.com/corporate/licensing and www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org.

CMG Mortgage, Inc. dba CMG Home Loans dba CMG Financial, NMLS# 1820, is an equal housing lender. Licensed by the Department of Financial CMG Mortgage, Inc. dba CMG Home Loans dba CMG Financial, NMLS# 1820, is an equal housing lender. Licensed by the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) under the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act No. 4150025. To verify our complete list of state licenses, Protection and Innovation (DFPI) under the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act No. 4150025. To verify our complete list of state licenses, please visit www.cmgfi.com/corporate/licensing and www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org.

please visit www.cmgfi.com/corporate/licensing and www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org.

Borrower is still responsible for taxes and insurance. This ad is not from HUD or the FHA and was not approved by HUD or any government agency.

Borrower is still responsible for taxes and insurance. This ad is not from HUD or the FHA and was not approved by HUD or any government agency.

CMG Mortgage, Inc. dba CMG Home Loans dba CMG Financial, NMLS# 1820, is an equal housing lender. Licensed by the Department of Financial

ProtectionInc. anddba Innovation (DFPI) Loans under the Residential Mortgage Lending Act No.housing 4150025.lender.

To verify our complete listDepartment of state licenses, CMG Mortgage, CMG Home dbaCalifornia CMG Financial, NMLS# 1820, is an equal Licensed by the of Financial please www.cmgfi.com/corporate/licensing and Residential www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org.

Protection andvisit Innovation (DFPI) under the California Mortgage Lending Act No. 4150025. To verify our complete list of state licenses, please visit www.cmgfi.com/corporate/licensing and www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org.

Deserts: Turn to page 3

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Page 2

a bacteria-killing substance. He first dubbed it “mold juice,” but later renamed his newly discovered antibiotic “penicillin.” Results of his work were published after his research demonstrated that penicillin killed the bacteria responsible for scarlet fever, pneumonia, meningitis, and diphtheria.

PEOPLE WORTH REMEMBERING

TRIVIA NEWSFRONT

One in a series

ALEXANDER FLEMING

• But Fleming faced the difficulty of separating the penicillin from the fungus, and then finding a way to produce it in high concentrations. He lacked the funding and the facilities to continue his research.

Where would the world be without the extraordinary efforts of Sir Alexander Fleming?

This week, Tidbits delves into the story of the man who discovered life-saving penicillin.

(Answers on page 16)

Vol. IXX Issue No. 41

• In 1940, a team of scientists from the University of Oxford followed up on Fleming’s discovery from 12 years earlier. Together they were able to isolate and purify penicillin. Led by pathologist Howard Florey and biochemist Ernst Chain, they also found a way to produce penicillin in large, concentrated quantities after developing a system of growing it. By 1943, it was being mass-produced.

• Although born to humble Scottish farmers in 1881, Alexander Fleming had high aspirations of becoming a doctor. His academic promise was noted when he was just 11 years old and he received a scholarship to Scotland’s Kilmarnock • The antibiotic was widely used during World War II on the battlefield, saving thousands of Academy. At age 20, he entered medical school soldierʼs lives. Its use transformed the control of hoping to become a surgeon. However, he was infection, with the U.S. Army administering an convinced by a noted British immunologist, ADVERTISING PROOF estimated two million doses per month.

Almroth Wright, to concentrate his efforts in MON., AUG. 28 bacteriology, and received the UniversityFinal of • Changes DUE: King George VI of the United Kingdom honored 12 London’s 1908 gold medal for Please top medical review carefully. check: him  Phone Spelling  FlemingDouble by knighting for hisNumber(s) research in1944, student. He became a lecturer at the school until and Fleming became Sir Alexander Fleming.

Contact your Tidbits representative immediately with changes or c 1914.

• In 1945, theemail: Nobelvalleybits@msn.com Prize in Physiology orFax: Office: 760-320-0997 • When World War I broke out in 1914, the Medicine was awarded jointly to Fleming and 33-year-old Fleming joined up to serve in the the two Oxford researchers, Florey and Chain Royal Army Medical Corps. While working in “for the discovery of penicillin and its curative field hospitals, he noted many soldiers dying effect in various infectious Property of diseases. In his Law Firm from infected wounds, even though the wounds J Arthur AdVenture Media, Inc. “I had a clue acceptance speech, Fleming stated, 12th pg 4C 13x had been cleansed with antiseptic agents. that here was something good, but I could not Sept. 3, 2023 Vol. 19 - No. 36 possibly know how good it was.”  • He improvised a lab in the field to study infection, and demonstrated that the antiseptics in use, Phone: 760.320.0997 Fax: 760.320.1630 such as carbolic acid, boric acid, and hydrogen valleybits@msn.com peroxide, could not kill bacteria deep in the All Rights Reserved wound. They were only effective in treating ● Wills superficial injuries, and were in fact doing more ● Trusts harm than good. These antiseptics were actually ● Power of Attorney diminishing the body’s natural resistance and ● Healthcare Directives immunity by killing the needed white blood and Living Wills cells. He devised a system of cleaning wounds ● New to California? with saline that proved effective.

Update your existing • Following the war, Fleming returned to the ADVERTISING PROOF NOON Estate Planning university, working tirelessly in the field TUES., OCT. 2 Changes 5:00 p.m..

Documents! of bacteriology.Final In 1928, he took DUE: a much-

Estate Planning Attorney

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1. TELEVISION: How many noble houses are mentioned in “Game of Thrones”?

2. MOVIES: What is the name of the high school in the musical film “Grease”?

3. GEOGRAPHY: Which southeast Asian country’s monetary unit is the ringgit?

4. MUSIC: The song “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’” is from which musical?

5. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Who was the first president to be impeached?

6. ANATOMY: What is considered the “master gland” of the human body?

7. PHYSICS: What does a newton measure?

8. HISTORY: Which founding father wanted the turkey to be the national symbol of America rather than the eagle?

9. SCIENCE: What is studied in mycology?

10. U.S. STATES: What is Alaska’s state animal?

Answers (Trivia Test answers page 16) 1. Nine.

2. Rydell High School.

3. Malaysia.

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Double  Phone Number(s)  Spelling  Prices  Law Hours Firm J.Fax: Arthur the lab, he review found had left out check: a Petri Office: he 760-320-0997 email:dish valleybits@msn.com 760-320-1630 777 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way of Staphylococcus culture, it had become Contact your Tidbitsand representative immediately with changes or corrections.

Suite 200 contaminated with a mold. Upon aemail: closervalleybits@msn.com look, ADVERTISING Office: 760-320-0997 Fax: 760-320-1630 PROOF Palm Springs, CA he noted that the colonies of bacteria surrounding Final Changes DUE: 12:0 Tel: (760) 201-3215 the fungus had been killed.

Bill LeGrave Please review carefully. Double  Phone Number(s)  Spelling  P Email:check: josh@jarthurlaw.com • Determining that the Rolfing in the Desert (4 ofmold 6) was part of the Web: www.JArthurLaw.com Penicillium genus, Fleming dedicatedContact himself your Tidbits representative immediately with changes or cor 1/8 pg BW 6x disc.  Licensed in California and Florida to growing more of the fungus that produced Office: 760-320-0997 email: valleybits@msn.com Fax: 760 October 8, 2023

Do You Have These Signs of Poor Posture? ● Slouching, even when you remember to stand straight.

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Tidbits of Coachella Valley

Week of October 8, 2023

Deserts (from page one) fall in the “less than ten inches” category. In fact, the world’s largest desert is on that list.

COLD DESERTS

animal species subsist in the Arctic Desert, as well as a large population of Inuit people, who have adapted their lives to the brutal conditions of the Arctic.

1. W s Page 3 m Andes Mountains. The Atacama Desert s receives an average precipitation of just 0.039 inches annually. Some parts of the Atacama have never received rainfall since records began. Experts believe that there was no2.

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• The Antarctic Desert, covering an area of 5.5 • Asia’s Gobi Desert takes its name from the t Mongolian word meaning “waterless place.”

Deserts: Turn to page 15 million square miles, is about 1.3 times larger As the world’s sixth-largest desert, it stretches than the European continent, and is itself an f 500,000 square miles across southern entire desert continent. Even though this desert s Mongolia and northern and northeastern receives some precipitation through snowfall and slight drizzles during the warmer months, e check:  Phone Number(s) SpellingChina.  Prices  Hours its annual precip is less than 20 inches.

• The Gobi receives an average of 7.6 inches 1. In what desert is Palm Springs, • Although the annual rainfall is not high, the of rain a year. Although the Gobi is classified California located? resentative immediately with changes or corrections. accumulated ice of the Antarctic Desert over as a cold desert, with average winter temps thousands of years contains about 90 percentFax:of 760-320-1630 about -6° F and the frequent occurrence of 2. What is the plural for email: valleybits@msn.com of the entire Earth’s fresh water, permanently -40° F, this desert does have warm summer cactus: Cactuses or frozen in its polar ice sheet.

ADVERTISING PROOF temperatures reaching as high as 81°F. Most cacti? of the Gobi’s topography is bare rock, with • The Russian research station Vostok sits on P.M. nal Changes DUE: MON., OCT 2 5:00 12:00 NOON (Answers page 16) about five percent covered by sand dunes that 2.3 miles of ice on the polar plateau and it was ew carefully. Double check:  Phone Number(s)  Spelling  Prices  Hours ADVERTISING PROOF n, Inc.here that the coldest temperature ever recorded are dusted with frost during the winter months.

Mon., July 24, 2023 5:00 ct your Tidbits representative immediately changes Final Changes DUE: CLIP AND SAVE onThomas Earth, -128.6°of F, was measuredwith in 1983.

Its or corrections.

Melanie Property 1. average winter temperature Please review carefully. Double check:  Phone Number(s)  Spelling  P 760-320-0997 email: valleybits@msn.com Fax: 760-320-1630 AdVenture Media, Inc. is -56.2° F. All desert animals have built-in features that

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W 26x • The world’s second-largest desert, the Arctic, er 8, 2023 - No. 41 is also aVol. polar 19 desert, encompassing an area of 62,300 square miles around the North Pole. Its Property of lowest recordedAdVenture temperature is -90.4°F Media, Inc.

Bgreen, Inc.the summer, the sun doesn’t set at all for • During

e: 760.320.0997 Fax:of 760.320.1630 c/o Melanie 60 days Ashe in this “Land the Midnight Sun,” and BZ valleybits@msn.com BW 26x is followed by a period when the sun doesn’t Oct. 8,rise 2023 Vol.Yet 19 - No. 41 760.320.0997 Fax: 760.320.1630 atPhone: all. about 700 plant species and 120 valleybits@msn.com All Rights Reserved All Rights Reserved

STOP CROSS-CONTAMINATION!

2.

Mike Pendley Construction 16th pg, BW, 6x July 30, 2023 • Vol. 19 - No. 31

• The Gobi desert is a treasure trove of fossils, and is renowned for the first discovery of dinosaur eggs during a 1923 expedition. Twenty-six eggs, averaging nine inches in length were uncovered along with the first known skull of a Protoceratops in the Mongolian desert.

HOT DESERTS

• Africa’s Sahara Desert is the world’s largest hot desert, and the third-largest desert overall.

ADVERTISING PROOFCovering much of North Africa, and part of 11 different countries, its area is about 3.6 million Final Changes DUE: 12:00 NOON square miles, almost the size of the entire Pruner Tool Treatment Spray view carefully. Double check:  Phone Number(s)  Spelling  Prices  Hours Available at Ace & True Value Hardware United States.

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tact your TidbitsVisit representative immediately with changes or corrections. us at: EZpruning.com

• Sand dunes cover 25 percent of the Sahara, with ce: 760-320-0997 email: valleybits@msn.com Fax: 760-320-1630 many reaching heights of over 590 feet. About 390,000 square miles of this desert in areas of Libya, Egypt, and Sudan receive no rainfall at all. The Sahara is considered the hottest place Property of on Earth, with continuous average temperatures AdVenture Media, Inc. le check:  Phone Number(s)  Spellingbetween  Prices 116° Hours 104° F and F. During the day, the temperature of the sand easily reaches 175° F. Sahara’s nighttime temperature is about 30 resentative immediately with changes orThe corrections. degrees cooler than the daytime.

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help them succeed in their difficult environContact ments. Some are nocturnal, some are bur- your Tidbits representative immediately with changes or cor rowing creatures to avoid the heat of Office: the sun. 760-320-0997 email: valleybits@msn.com Fax: 760 Most desert animals have special abilities that specifically help them reduce water loss.

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ne: 760.320.0997 Fax: The 760.320.1630 U.S. mainland's valleybits@msn.com highest point and lowest point are actually in close proximity All Rights Reserved to each other. Death Valley's Badwater Basin, the lowest point at 282 feet below sea level, is just 84.6 miles from Mt. Whitney, the highest point, standing 14,505 feet in elevation.

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Everyday CHEAPSKATE

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by Mary Hunt

By Lucie Winborne

* If you want to become a police officer in Norway, you’ll need a B.A. from the Police University College. The program includes theoretical studies in criminal law, ethics and social sciences, plus a year of practical field training. * Chloroform was once used in the treatment of asthma, cholera and gonorrhea, not to mention as a sweetener in medicines. * Folks around the world really do love their soda -- to the tune of about 6,700 cans per second, or enough to wrap around the earth every 17 hours. Be sure to recycle! * International animal rights organization PETA asked musical duo the Pet Shop Boys to change their name to Rescue Shelter Boys. (Obviously, they refused.) * During a Bulls vs. Jazz game in 1987, after basketball legend Michael Jordan dunked over John Stockton, a 6 foot, 1 inch guard, an upset fan yelled at him to “pick on someone your own size.”

In response, Jordan next dunked over the 6 foot, 11 inch Mel Turpin, turned to his heckler, and asked, “Was he big enough?” * If you measure it in terms of rainfall, a hurricane releases the force of 10,000 atomic bombs over an area about 413 miles wide. * The prevalence of syphilis in the 19th century led to a sharp increase in demand for sunglasses, as the disease causes intense sensitivity to light if left untreated. * Thousands of years ago, keys were made from wood. * During the “I smell a rat” scene in the Martin Scorsese flick “The Departed,” Jack Nicholson decided things didn’t feel quite intense enough, so he improvised by pulling a real gun on co-star Leonardo DiCaprio. *** Tell them you Thought for the Day: “I attribute my saw their ad success to this: I never gave or took any in Tidbits! excuse.”

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YOU SAW THEIR AD IN TIDBITS!

(Tidbits (You wouldn’t have Tidbits wouldn't be without them) possible without them)

Easy Ways To Boost Your Income Of all the people I know and love, I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t welcome a small income boost this month -- or any month, for that ® matter. Whether you’re between jobs, figuring out how to cover bill Hunt or hoping to stash more cash byaMary into savings, get your creative juices flowing with these ideas.

Everyday CHEAPSKATE

DON’T OVERINSURE You need term life insurance. The recommended is 8 to 10 times the annual income of the single breadwinner; in a two-income family, insure each spouse for 6 to 8 times their annual gross salary. But you can confidently cancel duplicate coverage.

The boost: Add up what you’re paying for credit card insurance, life insurance for your kids, mortgage insurance and accident insurance.

What was offered to you for just pennies a day is probably about $100 a month, or more, that you will save.

Caution: Get a term life policy first if you don’t have one, then cancel the duplicates. Don’t leave even the tiniest gap between coverage.

CALL YOUR AUTO INSURER Has your teenage driver brought home a great report card? Most auto insurance companies will knock about 10% off your premium if an insured teen maintains a 3.0 GPA. Is there an educator in the family? Mercury Insurance and other companies give discounts to credentialed teachers and educational administrators.

Discounts also apply if you have a bachelor’s degree in engineering or a science-related field.

Finally, insurers often give discounts of 20% or more when you insure all of your cars with one company.

Caution: Don’t assume that discounts are automatic -- you have to speak up. Ask to see a complete list, since companies offer different ones.

The boost: Compound discounts can really add up it for a big save.

You read in tidbits!

FATTEN YOUR PAYCHECK. If you receive a tax refund, rethink your initial urge to spend it. Save those bucks. Another way to look at it: You’re giving Uncle Sam an interest-free loan. To have less withheld from your paychecks, file a new W-4 with your employer and increase your number of allowances.

Caution: Don’t over-adjust your W-4, or you could end up owing the IRS next year. Pull out your last federal tax return for reference, and go to the IRS website to calculate how many allowances you should have.

The boost: If you’re getting a $2,000 tax refund, adjusting your withholding for next year will increase your net income by about $163 each month.

MOONLIGHT Taking a second job at a craft store made all the difference for one of my readers, Kathryn.

“It was challenging to go to my second job, but I boosted our income enough to get us through a

Vol. IXX Issue No. 41

rough patch,” says Kathryn. Typically, the food service industry, drugstores and retail stores offer part-time work.

Caution: Unless you’ve suffered a loss of income, taking on a second job could push you into a higher tax bracket. Run the numbers before moving forward.

The boost: Your earnings depend on the jobs available. Kathryn worked 10 to 20 hours a week at her second job, earning just over minimum wage per hour. This increased their household income by up to $400 monthly.

FREELANCE There are three websites you should visit to get a feel for a freelance gig that fits your talents and skills. Upwork an online freelancing platform where small businesses connect with qualified professionals. If you are a writer, programmer, graphic designer, marketer or have other skills to offer, you can bid on jobs and be contracted for doing what you do best. Fiverr is a global online marketplace offering tasks and services beginning at $5 per job performed -- from which the company gets its name.

TaskRabbit is an online and mobile marketplace that allows users to outsource small jobs and tasks to others in their neighborhood.

Users name the task and price they are willing to pay, and pre-approved contractors bid to win the job. Think of TaskRabbit is as eBay for real-world labor. The Internet is filled with reputable freelance companies in a multitude of industries.

Caution: Make sure your daytime employer has no restrictions on freelancing.

The Boost: Jobs at Upwork vary and can pay up to $500 per project for writers and $1,000 per project for programmers. Fiverr and TaskRabbit vary; Check them out for more information. * * * 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

Week of October 8, 2023

The MOJAVE DESERT

The 20 million acres of the Mojave Desert touch four U.S. states – California, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah – but at the same time it is North America’s smallest arid desert. Here's a look at this unique geographic feature, and some of the interesting facts surrounding it.

• Two national parks are contained within the

boundaries of the Mojave Desert – Death Valley National Park and Joshua Tree National Park, both established in 1994.

• More than 1.6 million tourists brave the heat every year to visit Death Valley. With 3.4 million acres, it’s the largest national park in the mainland United States. It is also the hottest and driest of all national parks, receiving less than two inches of rainfall a year. During the 24 year period from 1929 to 1953, Death Valley received absolutely no rainfall at all.

• In July 1913, the world’s hottest air temperature was recorded there, at 134° F. Ironically, Death Valley’s lowest temperature was also recorded, when it dipped to 15° F. earlier that same year, • Although sand dunes occupy less than one percent of the Mojave, the ones they do have rise more than 680 feet in height. Located in the remote Eureka Valley in the northwest corner of Death Valley, they extend for a distance of three miles and are one mile wide.

• The lowest point in North America, the Badwater Salt Pan in the midst of Death Valley, has an elevation of -282 feet below sea level. The vast salt flats cover nearly 200 square miles, comprised primarily of simple table salt, sodium chloride, with surface crusts several inches thick. Summer visitors to this geologic phenomenon are likely to experience

Tidbits of Coachella Valley

Page 5

temperatures exceeding 120° F. • The unusually-shaped Joshua Tree grows only in the Mojave Desert. These plants aren’t really trees at all, instead a species of yucca in the same subgroup as orchids. They grow very slowly, just 1 to 3 inches a year, but their lifespan reaches 150 years.

• The uncomfortable heat of the Mojave didn’t deter miners and prospectors from seeking their fortune there for more than 100 years.

Death Valley offered up deposits of gold, silver, copper, zinc, and lead beginning in the 1850s, until about 1915.

• But it was non-metallic minerals, such as borax, talc, salt, and sulfur that proved more profitable. The last active borax mine locked its doors in 2005. Remnants of several abandoned mine shafts and tunnels can be found by adventurous Death Valley explorers, along with the interesting California ghost towns of Calico, Oatman, and Kelso.

• About 2.5 million people live within the Mojave Desert’s borders, including Las Vegas, a portion of the Los Angeles’ metropolitan area, and the city of St. George, Utah. Death Valley lies just 130 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

complete Hoover Dam on the Colorado River between Nevada and Arizona. Accidents claimed the lives of 96 workers during construction.

• In 1977, film director George Lucas used Death Valley as the location of the fictional planet Tatooine in his megahit “Star Wars.” 

• In the midst of the Mojave Desert lies the community of Baker, California, population 600, where you can view the world’s largest thermometer. Standing 134 feet tall, the thermometer was built in 1991 to honor Death Valley’s world record temperature of 134° F in 1913.

• Between 1931 and 1935, 5,000 men worked around the clock in the Mojave Desert to

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by Dana Jackson King Features News Syndicate

Q: I know it’s not even Halloween yet, but when will the Hallmark Christmas movies begin airing? I hope they’re not being postponed because of the strikes. -- L.E. A: It appears filming was already com-

A: Back in July, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce attended Taylor Swift’s concert as a fan, but also with the hope of meeting her in person backstage. He reportedly made her a friendship bracelet with his phone number on it, but still didn’t get to meet the pop star in person.

Fast forward a couple months, and rumors began swirling that the two did eventually connect and are, in fact, dating. It wasn’t until Swift attended a Chiefs game in person, cheering him on next to his mom, Donna, that the rumor was confirmed to be true.

If you didn’t get a ticket to Swift’s live concert tour this past year, you can see her on screen in “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” at your local movie house beginning Oct. 13. *** Q: Is it true that Mark Wahlberg is quitting acting? When will his last movie be?

-- K.J.

A: In a candid interview with Cigar Aficio-

nado, 52-year-old movie star Mark Wahlberg recently admitted that his days of acting “at the pace I am now” will end sooner rather than later. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s retiring completely, but he does want to spend more time with his wife and four kids, who now live in Nevada instead of Los Angeles.

Wahlberg’s already starting to transition to an off-camera role in show business as a producer and hopes to begin directing, but still has several starring roles on the horizon, including “The Six Billion Dollar Man.”

* * * 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.

Depositphotos

pleted before the writers’ and actors’ strikes began.

According to Entertainment Weekly, the Hallmark Channel, the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries network, and the streaming service Hallmark Movies Now will air a combined 42 new holiday movies starting this October -- Oct. 20 to be exact.

One of the most anticipated is a “Party of Five” reunion with Lacey Chabert and Scott Wolf in “A Merry Scottish Christmas.”

The actors played siblings in the late1990s series and will once again star as brother and sister -but as different charLacey Chabert acters.

(Upcoming in “ Both are A Merry Scottish Christmas”) veterans of the Hallmark Channel, but this is the first time they’ve teamed up in decades. Chabert told Variety that the two have talked for years about doing another project together.

The screenplay for “A Merry Scottish Christmas” was written by “Dateline” correspondent Andrea Canning and author Audrey Schulman. The film follows two siblings who reunite in Scotland with their mother at Christmas where “a big family secret is revealed.” The movie premieres

on the original Hallmark Channel on Nov. 18 at 8 p.m. ET. In addition to Chabert and Wolf, other returning Hallmark favorites include Catherine Bell, Jonathan Bennett, James Denton, Ryan Paevey, Bethany Joy Lenz and Victor Webster. Be sure to visit EW.com/movies/hallmark-christmas-movieschedule-2023 for release dates, times and more details on Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas. *** Q: Is it true that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are dating, or is this just a publicity stunt? How serious is it? -- C.E.

Vol. IXX Issue No. 41

T.

(Go Figure solution page 14)

© 2017 King Features Synd., Inc. © 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.

February 13, 2017

1. The Nun II 1. Split ................................

(PG-13) (R) Taissa Farmiga, Jonas Bloquet James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy 2. Expend4bles 2. Rings ...............................

(R) Jason Statham, 50 Cent (PG-13) Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz, Alex Roe 3. A Haunting in Venice 3. A Dog’sKenneth Purpose ..................(PG) (PG-13) Branagh, Michelle Josh Gad, Dennis Quaid Yeoh 4. Hidden Figures 3....................(PG) 4. The Equalizer Taraji P. Henson, OctaviaDakota Spencer (R) Denzel Washington, 5. La La Land .................... (PG-13) Fanning Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone 5. Barbie 6. Resident Evil: Robbie, The Final (PG-13) Margot Ryan Gosling ...................................... (R) Chapter 6. My Big Fat Iain Greek Wedding 3 Milla Jovovich, Glen (PG-13) Nia Vardalos, John Corbett 7. Sing .......................................(PG) 7. It Lives Inside animated (PG-13) Megan Suri, Neeru Bajwa 8. Lion ................................

(PG-13) 8.

Dumb Money Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman (R) Paul Dano, Pete Davidson 9. The Space Between Us .. (PG-13) 9.

Blue Beetle Gary Oldman, Asa Butterfield Xolo Mariduena, Bruna 10.(PG-13) xXx: Return of Xander Marquezine Cage .................................... (PG-13) 10.

Oppenheimer Vin Diesel, Donnie Yen (R) Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt

E,

Enjoy Tidbits

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Week of October 8, 2023

Good Recipes from

Tidbits of Coachella Valley

 Each serving slaw: About 25 calories, 0g total fat, 1g protein, 6g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, 0mg cholesterol, 205mg sodium.

Key Lime Pie Jerk Pork and Sweet Potatoes with Slaw Jerk Pork and Sweet Potatoes: 3 small sweet potatoes (1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices 1 teaspoon olive oil 4 teaspoons jerk seasoning 1 whole pork tenderloin (about 1 pound), trimmed Pineapple-Lime Slaw: 1 to 2 limes 1/2 (16-ounce) bag shredded cabbage mix for coleslaw (about 3 1/2 cups) 1 cup fresh pineapple chunks (6 ounces), cut into matchstick-thin strips Salt 1. Heat oven to 450 F. Grease 15 1/2-by10 1/2-inch jelly-roll pan.

2. Prepare Jerk Pork and Sweet Potatoes: In large bowl, toss sweet potatoes with oil and 1/2 teaspoon jerk seasoning until evenly coated. Arrange potatoes around edges of prepared pan in single layer, leaving space in center to add pork later. Roast potatoes 5 minutes.

3. On waxed paper, rub pork with remaining 3 1/2 teaspoons jerk seasoning to coat.

Place pork in center of pan. Roast pork and potatoes 15 to 18 minutes or until meat thermometer inserted in center of pork reaches 155 F. Internal temperature will rise to 160 F upon standing.

4. Meanwhile, prepare Pineapple-Lime Slaw: From limes, grate 1 1/2 teaspoons peel and squeeze 2 tablespoons juice. In bowl, combine lime peel and juice, cabbage mix, pineapple and 1/2 teaspoon salt; toss to combine. Makes about 3 1/2 cups.

5. When pork is done, transfer to cutting board. Slice pork and serve with potatoes and slaw. Makes 6 main-dish servings.  Each serving pork with potatoes: About 175 calories, 4g total fat (1g saturated), 17g protein, 18g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 45mg cholesterol, 225mg sodium.

Crumb Crust 3/4 cup gingersnap crumbs 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs 4 tablespoons butter, melted

Page 7

Garnish with lime slices. Makes about 10 servings.  Each serving: About 280 calories, 14g total fat (7g saturated), 6g protein, 36g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, 133mg cholesterol, 200mg sodium. * * *

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

Lime Filling 12 to 16 Key limes or 3 to 4 regular (Persian) limes 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk 5 large egg yolks 3 lime slices, each cut in half, for garnish 1. Prepare crumb crust: In 9-inch glass pie plate, with fork, mix crumbs and butter until crumbs are evenly moistened. Press mixture firmly onto bottom and up side of pie plate. Preheat oven to 375 F. 2. Prepare lime filling: From limes, grate 2 teaspoons peel and squeeze 1/2 cup juice. In medium bowl, with wire whisk or fork, mix condensed milk with lime peel and juice, and egg yolks until combined.

3. Pour filling into prepared crust; smooth top. Bake pie 15 to 20 minutes or just until filling is firm. Cool pie on wire rack 45 minutes, then cover and refrigerate 3 hours or until well-chilled.

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Vol. IXX Issue No. 41

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Crossword Answers on page 16

By John Allen

Tidbits® of Coachella Valley Published and distributed weekly by AdVenture Media, Inc. P.O. Box 4308 Palm Springs, CA 92263-4308 Phone: 760-320-0997 Fax: 760-320-1630 Email: valleybits@msn.com www.TidbitsPalmSprings.com All rights reserved.

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“In business as in life, we practice the Golden Rule” News content in the Tidbit s® Paper is provided by both Tidbits Media, Inc. and other news sources con sidered to be reliable, but the accuracy of all information published cannot be guaranteed.

Tidbits® of Coachella Valley does not accept political advertising or news matter of any nature submitted for publication. Publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising from any business, individual or group for any reason deemed inappropriate or not in the Publisher’s best interest. Published news matter and advertising content does not necessarily reflect the views of the Publisher or of AdVenture Media, Inc. Tidbits® of Coachella Valley is not an adjudicated publication and therefore cannot accept official legal notices for publication. All copy, photos and graphic illustrations submitted for advertising publication are subject to publisher’s prior approval. We do not offer mail subscription service. So there.

Week of October 8, 2023

Tidbits of Coachella Valley

Page 9

NEXT WEEK in

Cody’s

TIDBITS TUNES INTO THE

Corner

2.

1.

Dog Talk with Uncle Matty

By Matthew Margolis Creators News Service

Rowdy for Rawhide

3. The Weekly “Brain Breaker”

10/8

International Face Your Fears Day

10/9

Leif Erikson Day

Rowdy is a wonderful, loving and friendly dog … 99 percent of the time. When we try to take his rawhide from him, he growls and lunges and tries to bite if reprimanded. And when we put him in his crate for a timeout, he growls and darts into a corner. When we calmly try to get him out of the corner to go to the crate, he growls and barks and bares his teeth and will lunge at us before running into his crate. Once in his crate, if we look at him or talk to him, he bares his teeth, barks, growls, snaps, lunges and snarls. We have never hit him or punished him in any way other than time out in his crate.

10/10 Newspaper Carriers Appreciation Day

Print Your Answers Here:

10/11 National Family Bowling Day 10/12 World Arthritis Day 10/13 National Father-Daughter Day 10/14 Be Bald and Be Free Day

My boyfriend and I are now scared of Rowdy and don’t know what to do. We have a puppy and don’t want her to model his behavior.

What should we do? I am truly afraid he will bite us. He only acts like this with the rawhide and timeouts -- no other times. The rest of the time he’s his sweet loving self.

Wuzzles solution Page 16

You know, Einstein said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing again and again and expecting a different result. First on the todo list: Rid your house of those rawhides! It’s not going to hurt Rowdy to go without rawhides until he learns to let go of them, and you are likely to get hurt if you don’t cut off his supply.

The next thing on that list you’ve already done: acknowledge that you are in over your head.

Rowdy is warning you with every tool in his belt -- barking, snarling, growling, baring his teeth, lunging at you -- that he is going to bite you if you don’t alter your approach. This situation begs for professional intervention for two reasons:

Tidbits® Word Search

1) Rowdy is a danger to you and others.

2) You have a new puppy, and you don’t want two Rowdys on your hands.

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A professional trainer -- who specializes in aggression -- will work with Rowdy to eliminate the problem behaviors, and will work with you

(CryptoQuip Solution on page 14)

Cody's Corner: Turn to Page 10

●



OASIS � OASIS PARCHED � PARCHED �PERMAFROST PERMAFROST �POLARDESERT POLAR DESERT �PRECIPITATION PRECIPITATION SANDDUNES � SAND DUNES �TEMPEXTREMES TEMP EXTREMES � WATERLESS WATERLESS

(Word (Word Search Search solution solution page page 16) 16)

●

Mega Maze solution Page 14

Page 10

SENIOR NEWS LINE

by Matilda Charles © King Features Synd., Inc.

A Scam Close to Home Ooops. I came very close to falling for a scam just like the ones I always warn against in this column. In fact, this was my whole topic just last week.

The text message on my phone appeared to have come from the local pharmacy.

The message said that they had questions and would I please call to speak with someone on the pharmacy staff. Included in the text was a convenient link to touch that would automatically dial the number for me.

I have been a customer of this pharmacy for years and have never received a request like that, but I was curious. As I was about to tap on the link to connect with them, I hesitated a moment ... and at the last second I pulled my hand away and studied the message more closely.

Yes, the pharmacy was in the chain where I do business, but it was from the branch in the next town, not where my prescriptions are. And when I looked closely at the number in the link, I realized it was from an area code in a completely different state.

Tidbits of Coachella Valley

I put the phone down and got on the internet. Sure enough, that linked number was fake and was used in all manner of scams, including ones that could have instantly downloaded malware onto my phone.

I called the pharmacy in question (from my other phone) just to be sure they hadn’t sent it. No, they hadn’t. I very carefully deleted that scam message, being sure not to touch that link.

So all is well, but I’m a bit unnerved by just how close I came to blithely clicking that link before hesitating to think about it. There is no question that I would have become one of their "gotchas."

Vol. IXX

Cody’s Corner (from page 9) to understand the root cause and modify your approach to Rowdy so you get the results you want.

Depending on the dog and the dedication of the dog owner, most behavioral problems can be eradicated or at least controlled -- i.e., if Rowdy’s problem is truly limited to rawhide, no more rawhide!

A professional trainer will also demonstrate the concept of crate training. It may be too late for Rowdy to ever truly love a crate, but it’s not too late for your new puppy. A crate should be a safe haven for a dog, not a place of punishment.

And it is possible that your new pup -happy, socialized and properly trained -- could be the model of new and good behaviors for Rowdy.

MON., 25 Save yourself a lot of potential trouble 12 Just because Rowdy was there first SEPT. doesn’t mean by looking closely at any text messages you he calls the shots -or even wants to.

You call the Please review carefully. Double check:  Phone Number(s)  Spelling get on your phone. Scammers are getting wiser shots, and a good trainer will show you how to call your immediately changes and more cunning, but they’re not infallible. Contact The themTidbits so thatrepresentative your dogs not only respond with to you, but or Office: 760-320-0997 email: valleybits@msn.com Fax: pharmacy used in their message was genuine, also love you for it. and had all the appearance of being from a Woof! trusted local drugstore chain.

ADVERTISING PROOF Final Changes DUE: 5

What they didn’t realize was that they were working from an old list. We now have a branch of that pharmacy here in my town. I would not have used the pharmacy in the next town, and that was my clue. -- Stay alert!

* * *

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 Wright Advice PBS series “WOOF! It’s a Dog’s Life!” Read all of Uncle 1/12 pg 26xatdisc. rate Matty’sBW columns www.creators.com, and visit him at www.unclematty.com.

October 1, 2023 Vol. 19 - No. 40

ADVERTISING PROOF Final Changes DUE: 5:00 COPYRIGHT 2012 CREATORS.COM

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

* * * Matilda Charles regrets that she cannot personally Contact your Tidbits representative immediately with changes or corr answer reader questions, but will incorporate them into her column whenever possible. Send email to columnreply2@ Office: 760-320-0997 email: valleybits@msn.com Fax: 760 gmail.com.

Are you aware and ready for the

2024

Medicare Changes?

ANNUAL ENROLLMENT

WI N

by Joseph Publillones

Is Your Home Getting Too Smart for You? Sometimes I think we are living in the futuristic era of the Jetsons. At other times, it’s George Orwell’s “1984.” A recent online search for an office coffee maker literally put me over the edge. I like all the fancy coffee concoctions made by hipster handlebar mustachioed baristas as much as anyone. Of course, I love the foamy cream with the heart-shaped caramel drizzle, but what that has done to the coffee makers is beyond my comprehension. Now there are capsules, large and small, of every flavor imaginable, machines that make coffee short or long and accompanying equipment to make milk frothy hot or cold. Oh, the possibilities!

Some newer homes are now considered “smart.” These are homes often with automated doorbells with cameras. Their climate can be controlled with a tap of your phone. Coffee can be started so it is ready by the time you wake up, and music and information can be commanded out of thin air by speaking loudly so that a home-automating apparatus can execute online searches and get your favorite tunes playing at your whim. Rosie the robot has been replaced by a small round disc that vacuums on a regular basis without even being asked. But how much technology is too much?

Of course, our desire is to keep up with the latest innovations. Many of you who are of a certain age may remember the 1960s televi-

202

ER

DESIGN

2 sion cabinets that came with built-in speakers, a record player on one side and a bar cabinet on the other, the 1970s beds that had speakers on RD ETHICS AWA the headboards and a slot for your 8-track tapes or the massaging beds that made you feel like (Oct. 15 -- Dec. 7) hurling -- especially after dinner and a couple of This is your once-a-year cocktails. opportunity to make any Today’s furniture makers have taken nochanges to your Drug Plan Doug & Linda Wright tice and have begun to incorporate technology Property of in ways never before imaginable. Beds can be Local Independent and Medicare Advantage.AdVenture Media, Inc. Agents made softer or firmer according to your sleeping Call for a FREE/ NO Obligation review habits and try to adjust themselves to whether FREE you snore or not. The newest selections of soof Coachella Valley The Neatest Little Paper Ever Read fas and comfortable chairs for family rooms are Phone: 760.320.0997 Fax: 760.320.1630 WrightHealthAgency.com valleybits@msn.com equipped with USB ports for recharging your CA Lic.All#Rights OK90593 tablets, laptops and phones. Recently, there are Reserved We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 31 organizations which even wallpapers woven with LED lights in them offer 252 products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, or your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) to get information on all your options. and fiber-optic fabrics that can change colors at your desire.

“We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is enjoy the limitedIto those plans we do offer in novelty your area. Pleaseof contact Medicare.gov or to get information on all your options.” these 1-800-MEDICARE innovations as much Property of AdVenture Media, Inc. as any consumer, but knowing how quickly technologies change nowadays, I’d think FREE of Coachella Valley really hard before spending The Neatest Little Paper Ever Read Phone: 760.320.0997 Fax: 760.320.1630 any significant amount of valleybits@msn.com money on any of these trendy All Rights Reserved items. There are some innovations that work really well, such as those that turn lights on and off, as well as surveillance and security systems. But sometimes, your home may be getting too smart. As a matter of fact, just the other day I mentioned someone's name in conversation and the home-automating apparatus that goes by the same name asked what I wanted! Talk about creepy! * * * N

The Art of

Issue No. 41

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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.

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Week of October 8, 2023

YOUR

SOCIAL SECURITY

by Tom Margenau

The Windfall Elimination Provision A few weeks ago, I wrote a column about something called the “government pension offset.”

It is a law that essentially says this: If you get a pension from a job that was not covered by Social Security, that pension will be treated just like a Social Security retirement pension and it will be used to offset any benefits you might be due on a spouse’s Social Security record.

There is a companion law called the “windfall elimination provision,” more commonly known by its acronym, WEP, which usually reduces any Social Security retirement benefits earned at side jobs by folks who spent the bulk of their life working at a job that was not covered by Social Security.

Most folks impacted by WEP despise the law -- until they understand why it exists.

To explain the reason for the law, I’ve got to start by telling you a true story. It’s the story of my neighbor, Frank, and his housekeeper, Maria. They are both 66 years old. Frank is a retired midlevel manager with our local utility company.

He gets a high monthly Social Security benefit -about $3,400. Maria is divorced and has worked all her life at low-paying jobs. She continues to work to supplement her meager $1,150 per month Social Security check.

Even though Maria gets a much smaller Social Security benefit than Frank, she might find some comfort in knowing that she is getting a better deal out of the program than he is. Or to put that another way, Maria’s Social Security check represents a higher percentage of her lifetime earnings than Frank’s monthly benefit.

And that has always been one of the basic tenets of the Social Security program: to raise the standard of living of lower-income workers in retirement. That is accomplished via a benefit formula structured to give poor people a better deal than their wealthier counterparts. They don’t get higher benefits. After all, Frank’s monthly Social Security check is much higher than Maria’s. But when comparing the rate of return they get based on their past income and the taxes they paid into the system, Maria comes out ahead.

I don’t have the space to get into the nittygritty of the Social Security benefit computation formula in this column today (I’ve done it in many past columns). But in a nutshell, I can tell you that Maria’s $1,150 benefit represents about 90% of her average lifetime monthly wage. Whereas Frank’s $3,400 Social Security check is probably about 40% of his average monthly pre-retirement income.

So, poor people get a rate of return that can be up to 90%. Average-income people get a return rate in the 40% range. Very high-income people might get a roughly 30% rate of return. And knowing that, I can now move on to a further clarification of the windfall elimination provision.

To do that, I will use myself as an example.

I spent the bulk of my life working for the federal government. People hired by the government after 1983 pay into Social Security just like most other people. But folks like me hired before then were covered by the civil service retirement system, not Social Security. And now that I am retired, I get a monthly civil service pension. But I spent some time at jobs where I did pay into Social Security

Tidbits of Coachella Valley

-- a few years before I got hired by the feds and some more years after I retired. And that includes the compensation I get for writing this column, for which I pay Social Security self-employment taxes.

I currently have about 15 years of Social Security covered employment. And that’s enough to get me a small Social Security check. My Social Security check isn’t breaking the government’s bank -- it’s only about $200 per month. And that includes a WEP reduction, which I will explain.

Had my benefit been figured using the regular Social Security formula, I would have received the same 90% rate of return that my neighbor’s maid is getting -- and I would have ended up with a much higher (and unintended) Social Security benefit. Why? Because I look like a poor person to the Social Security Administration’s computers.

I’ve got only 15 years of covered earnings. The Social Security benefit formula uses a 35-year base. In other words, there are 20 years of “zero” earnings on my Social Security record. That makes me look as poor as Maria and that’s why I’d normally get the same 90% return rate.

But let’s be honest: I’m not poor. I had a decent-paying government job most of my life that isn’t reflected in my Social Security earnings history. So, I shouldn’t get the same rate of return that the system set up for lower income people. Instead, my earnings pattern is much more like my neighbor Frank’s. I should get the same rate of return (about 40%) as Frank gets, and for that matter, as all other average-income Americans get.

And that’s what the windfall elimination provision does. When that WEP formula is applied to my Social Security computation, it gives me the roughly 40% return rate rather than the 90% rate intended for the very poorest of our citizens.

It’s a law that makes perfect sense. Yet it has many teachers, police officers and other public employees who spent most of their working lives in jobs not covered by Social Security, but who, like me, paid into Social Security in side jobs, up in

Page 11

arms. They think they have been singled out for Social Security benefit reductions that just aren’t fair.

But almost all of these folks are not lifetime low-income workers like my neighbor’s housekeeper, Maria. She deserves the 90% return rate that she is getting. But if you are someone who spent your lifetime as a teacher or a police officer, or a federal government employee like me, you are simply not in the same boat as Maria. And you shouldn’t get Maria’s “poor person’s” Social Security return rate.

You should get a rate similar to all average-income Americans -- about 40%. And that’s what the windfall elimination provision is all about.

One final note on this topic. There are some people who divided their careers between Social Security covered jobs and non-Social Security covered jobs. And the WEP law recognizes that. The more years of Social Security earnings you have, the less the WEP reduction. To learn more about that, get my “Simple and Smart” book listed below and read the chapter on offsets that affect government employees.

* * * 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.

1. The book of Malachi is in the a) Old Testament b) New Testament c) Neither 2. What color is the great throne on which God sits while passing final judgment? a) Gold b) Silver c) Rainbow d) White 3. In 2 Timothy 3, all scripture is given by the ____ of God. a) Blessing b) Reproof c) Inspiration d) Divine authority 4. According to Paul in 2 Corinthians 11:14, who sometimes appears to be an angel of light to unsuspecting believers? a) The unholy b) Demons c) Satan d) False teachers 5. Which epistle warns agains patronizing prostitutes? a) Luke b) Romans c) Acts d) Corinthians 6. "What" of the Spirit is the Word of God? a) Sword b) Chastisment c) Truthfulness d) Power 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

PonderBits What was the best thing before sliced bread?

Is there another word for synonym?

Is it ok to call someone who sleeps through a political speech a bull dozer?

Can a vegetarian eat animal crackers?

Page 12

Tidbits of Coachella Valley

Vol. IXX

of the time I am writing, there have not been any serious adverse effects of taking these drugs, although there are plenty of milder effects.

However, these medicines work MON., only OCT. 9 when you continue to take them, and stopping Please review carefully.

Double results check:  Number(s) them generally in Phone rapid regain of the Spelling  Prices  Hours weight thatrepresentative was lost. It’s important to realize that or corrections.

Contact your Tidbits immediately with changes M.D. if you take a weight-loss drug, you’re making a Office: 760-320-0997 email: valleybits@msn.com Fax: 760-320-1630 commitment to a long-term treatment.

* * *

Issue No. 41

VETERANS  POST 

ADVERTISING PROOF Final Changes DUE: 12:00 NOON

What Prompted the Discontinuation of Fen-Phen?

by Freddie Groves

Holiday Party at the VA 2023

Dr. Roach regrets that he is unable to answer Envoi Cremations Property of

Have you given thought to how you’re going to step up this holiday season and give a hand to other veterans?

If you’re in a veterans group such as Ameri(c) 2023 North America Synd., Inc. DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m a 71-year-old can Legion or Veterans of Foreign Wars, you’re in healthy female who has struggled with my Phone: 760.320.0997 Fax: 760.320.1630 a perfect position to pull off a holiday party at the valleybits@msn.com weight all my life. In the ‘90s, I thought I had closest Department of Veterans Affairs medical finally found the solution in fen-phen. It was All Rights Reserved center. like a miracle! It took all the nagging thoughts Your first step (after getting group consenof food out of my brain. sus) will be to contact Voluntary Services and let My question is, with all the drug ads them know you’d like to host a party on one of the on TV every day blithely showing the many wards. (Suggestion: Long-term care has veterans side effects leading up to -- and including -who’ve been there far too long.) Get their permisdeath, why can’t we use fen-phen? I worked sion and input for the best path to take going forin a hospital where a very large number of ward. Perhaps a lunch on a certain December date? employees were taking it with great results. I Perhaps pizza, soft drinks and holiday cookies? never heard even a hint about anything that Is there a large day room on the medical could affect someone’s health.

Friday, Sept. 15, 2023 ward? With tables and chairs?

Also, I talked to many of the other you want to consider gifts? Contact PleaseI review check:  Phone Number(s)  Hours Affordable Cremation Services Made Easy  Spelling  Prices Do patients at the doctor’s office where was carefully. Double the nursing station on your designated floor and Affordable Cremation Services Made Easy receiving it. Everyone was overjoyed with the ask about small gifts of things like puzzle books, Contact your Tidbits representative immediately with changes or corrections. results. I had no temptations and no constant mechanical pencils, pens, notepads, military caps, yammering in my brain to eat something.

Office: 760-320-0997 email: valleybits@msn.com Fax: 760-320-1630 handheld games, T-shirts, candy, handkerchiefs, Arrange by phone, in person or online As I said, it was a miracle. I felt like a normal Please review carefully. Double check:  Phone Number(s) Prices  Hours Arrange by phone, in person or online  Spelling  small bedside calendars and so forth. Get a head person.

855-693-6864 , 24/7 760-810-4473, 24 / 7 count (and add a few extra in case more patients Contact your Tidbits representative immediately with changes or corrections.

855-693-6864 , 24/7 So, why are all of these drug compaServing the Coachella Valley check in) to make sure each veteran gets a little Desert Medical Advances nies allowed to advertise their products with760-320-0997 Office: email: valleybits@msn.com Fax: 760-320-1630 Serving the Coachella Valley wrapped gift. www.envoicremation.com their dangerous side effects, but one drug 1/8 pg. BW 6x www.envoicremation.com Contact a local pizza shop and arrange for that truly worked had to get snatched away September 24, 2023 • Vol. FD2457 19 - No. 39 several types of pizza (plus the paper plates and FD2457 from us? -- M.H. napkins) to be delivered at a certain time. You Property of Paid advertisement. might even get a big discount if the owner or manAdVenture Media, Inc. ANSWER: Fen-phen was a combination ager is a veteran. Don’t forget cups and ice for the HUMAN INTEREST STORY - by M Greenwald, MD of fenfluramine and phentermine, which was apdrinks. proved for use in 1986. Approximately 18 million Borrow a CD player and all the holiday prescriptions were written for this medicine until tunes you can find to play in the background. If Phone: 760.320.0997 Fax: 760.320.1630 1987, when an association was made between valleybits@msn.com there’s a base near you, ask for volunteers to come the use of fen-phen and valve diseases of the help at the party, in addition to your own group.

All Rights Reserved heart. These cases were reported with fenfluraA medical clinic is bombed. A 54-year-old woman from The more the merrier. mine or with the related dexfenfluramine alone, Kiev has rheumatoid arthritis and no longer has access to What will be most appreciated at your party but never with phentermine alone. (Phentermine her medication. Her doctor and medical clinic are gone. is listening. Sitting with the veterans in the hospiremains on the market.) Approximately 150 tal and sharing your experiences and listening to cases were reported.

Prior to the war, she was treated with Humira, a theirs might well be the highlight of their holiday Subsequent studies estimated that seven biologic therapy proven to reduce pain and the crippling season. out of 10,000 people who took fenfluramine or effects of rheumatoid arthritis. The Humira was donated You might be the only visitors they get. fen-phen for less than four months developed individual letters, but will incorporate them in the column

AdVenture Media, Inc. c/owhenever Gill Giddens possible. Readers may email questions to 1/12 pg 4C 6x disc.

ToYourGoodHealth@med.cornell.edu.

October 8, 2023 Vol. 19 - No. 41

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

ADVERTISING PROOF Simple Cremation $995 Simple Cremation $995 12:00 NOON Final Changes DUE:

OUT OF SEVEN MILLION UKRAINIAN REFUGEES, WE HELP ONE

for her use by AbbVie Pharmaceuticals. The annual cost

* * * valve disease, while 35 in 10,000 people who ADVERTISING PROOF for Humira is $70,000. Her pain and loss of function has Freddy Groves regrets that he cannot persontook fenfluramine or fen-phen for more than four returned, but sheDUE: cannot afford $70,000. What can 5:00 she do?p.m..ally answer reader questions, but will incorporate them Final Changes months developed valve disease. They were into his column whenever possible. Send email to columPlease review carefully. Double check:  Phone Number(s)  Spelling  Prices  Hours nreply2@gmail.com. compared to people who either took phentermine TheTidbits Ukrainian woman immediately recently moved to the United Contact your representative with changes or corrections. alone or did not use a weight-loss medicine.

AbbVie, sponsor of the clinical program,Fax: asked 760-320-0997 email: valleybits@msn.com 760-320-1630 The U.S. Food and Drug Adminstration Office: States.

Desert Medical Advances, a local clinical rheumatoid determined that the risk of valve disease (some Property of arthritis office, to step in. Desert Medical Advances being severe enough to prompt valve replaceAdVenture Media, Inc. (DMA) is a clinical research office working in the ment surgery) was too high, so the FDA asked Coachella Valley since 1987 in RA and lupus. DMA has manufacturers to remove these drugs from the 4 Million provided market.

Readers$160 Weekly million in free biologic medications via Nationwide!

FREE I fully understand your perspective. Some of Coachella Valleythan 30 years.

FDA approved grant programs for more The Neatest Little Paper Ever Read people are willing to take the risk of a side effect DMA willPhone: now provide the HumiraFax: through the original 760.320.0997 760.320.1630 because the benefit of the medicine is so great. valleybits@msn.com FDA approved clinical program to the refugee at no cost.

In my opinion, people should have the option of All or Rights Reserved Arthritis can Anyone with Lupus Rheumatoid making their own decision, but in this case, the FDA felt that the risk was too high. contact DMA for FREE biologic medication.

I have not seen a medicine for weight Call us today: loss as effective as fen-phen until recently, when Desert Medical Advances semaglutide (Wegovy and Ozempic) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro, not yet approved for weight loss) 69730 Hwy 111, #101 • Rancho Mirage became available. Just as you say, many of my RUN TO patients report that they were able to easily conGOOD HEALTH trol their eating while on these medicines, and as ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ©2005

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Week of October 8, 2023

Page 13

the case of your untimely death. But if your children are grown and are on their own, and you have sufficient financial resources to cover both you and your spouse’s retirement costs, then there is little need to continue to have life insurance.

-- by Jim Miller

Do You Need Life Insurance After You Retire?

DEAR SAVVY SENIOR: I am going into retirement soon and have been wondering whether I should be thinking about dropping my life insurance policy. With a reduced retirement income facing me I would like to eliminate the quarterly premiums, but I'm not sure if it's a wise idea.

Can you give me some advice on this?

-- Soon-To-Be Retired

Assuming the estate you leave behind includes some sort of financial portfolio of material value, such as your home, cars, property, savings, financial investments, and so forth, will all become the benefits your heirs will receive in place of a monetary insurance payment. In this case, I highly recommend you see an estate attorney to draw up a will that specifies how these assets are to be divided among your survivors.

On the other hand, if you had a child late in life or have a relative with special needs who is dependent on you for income, it makes sense to keep paying the premiums on your policy.

DVERTISING PROOF MON., OCT. 2 3:00 nges DUE: 5:00p.m. p.m..

Dear Soon-To-Be: It depends on

assets to take care of the estate taxes, you can sometimes use a life insurance policy to help your heirs pay off Uncle Sam when you die.

To help you with this decision, consider talking to an estate-planning expert or a fee-only financial advisor who can help you weigh out the pros and cons.

Sell or Swap Your Policy If you decide that you don’t need your life insurance policy any longer, you may want to consider selling it in a “life settlement” transaction to a third-party company, which typically pays four to eight times more than the policy cash surrender value. The best candidates are people over age 65 who own a policy with a face value of $100,000 or more.

If you’re interested in this option, get quotes from several life settlement providers or brokers in your state. To find them, the Life Insurance Settlement Association provides a directory at LISA.org.

You  also need to make sure your Double check:  Phone Number(s)  Spelling  Prices Hours your family and financial situation. While spouse’s retirement income will not take a many retirees choose to stop paying their life its representative immediately with changes or significant corrections.

Another option is to use a tax-free penalty when you die. Check out insurance premiums when they no longer 1035 exchange to swap your policy for a the conditions of your pension or annuity (if 97 haveemail: valleybits@msn.com young families to take care of, there Fax: 760-320-1630 hybrid product that blends life insurance with you have them) to see if they can stop payare several reasons you may still want to long-term-care insurance coverage. These ing on them after you die, and factor in your keep your policy. Here are some different products come in various forms, but they oflost Social Security income too. If you find factors to help you decide. ten combine a whole or universal life policy that your spouse will lose a significant porDonna Niederhelm / dba: with a long-term-care rider. If you don’t use tion of income upon your death, you may FamilyBurial situation: Veterans Program the long-term-care coverage, your heirs get want to keep the policy to help make up the Life insurance is designed to help pro1/6 pg BW Open rate the death benefit. difference. tect8,your from poverty in * * * Oct. 2023spouse Vol. 19and - No.children 41 Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, Oct. 22, 2023 Vol. 19 - No. 43 Debts: P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.

CLIP AND SAVE If you are still paying off your mortorg. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and MON., OCT. 2 3: gage or have other large debts, you should author of “The Savvy Senior” book. probably keep your policyPlease to helpreview your loved carefully. Double check:  Phone Number(s)  Spelling  CLIP AND SAVE ones pay off these debts when you die. But if Contact your Tidbits representative immediately with changes or co your debt payments are a small part of your net worth that poses no risk ofOffice: financial dif760-320-0997 email: valleybits@msn.com Fax: 76 ficulty, then you may not need it.

ADVERTISING PROOF Final Changes DUE: 5:0

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Will you need to take another job in retirement to earn income? Since life insurance helps replace lost income to your family Catherine Marcy - Real Estate Burial at a National CEMETERY is FREE 1/12 10-31pg23 4C - - when you die, you may want to keep your For Veterans Who Have Been Honorably October 8, 2023 Vol. 19 - No. 41 policy if your spouse or other family memADVERTISING Discharged and FREE to TheirPROOF Spouses. bers are relying on that income. However, if ChangesUNLIKE DUE: 5:00 youp.m.. have very little income from your retirePRIVATE OR CITY CEMETERIES, arefully. Double check:  Phone Number(s)  Spelling  Prices  Hours ment job, then there’s probably no need to BURIAL EXPENSE IS AT ABSOLUTELY NO COST! continue with the policy. our Tidbits representative immediately with changes or corrections.

Charming Architectural 0-320-0997 email: valleybits@msn.com Fax: 760-320-1630 Estate taxes: Property of Beauty ADVERTISING PROOF AdVenture Media, Inc. Life insurance can also be a handy Over $10,500 in Savings!

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Page 14

Tidbits of Coachella Valley

Vol. IXX

Issue No. 41

ing next to her. They are both wearing 18thcentur y clothes. The height is 8 inches and includes the base.

What can you tell me about the maker, age and value of my figurine?

ANTIQUE -- OR -JUNQUE

Kranichfeld Porcelain Manufactory was located in Germany.

by Anne McCollam Creators News Service

Cigar Box Collectibles Are Smokin’!

Q: This is a photo of a wood Corina

Larks cigar box that I have had since 1950.

The cigars sold for 15 cents each. The label on the inside has a picture of a young woman and the words “Notice the hole in the head.”

There are metal hinges and lock and the box is approximately 8 inches by 6 inches and 2 1/2 inches high. The Corina logos are stamped on the outside of the box. It is in perfect condition. I have kept my embroider y thread in it for years.

When I heard some cigar boxes are worth money, I emptied it out and stored it away for safekeeping. Can you tell me how much it might be worth?

A:

Cigar boxes are indeed collectible.

Their history goes back to the 1864 Revenue Act that required cigars to be packed in boxes. They have been made from just about every medium that includes wood, glass, tin, aluminum and china. Many of the boxes are made with Spanish cedar. Some were elaborately carved and made from fine wood. During Vintage cigar boxes such as this are collectible. the Depression, boxes were made to be used later for jewelry.

They also were constructed in the shapes of motor vehicles, and log cabins. Cigar box labels are also very collectible.

Circa 1950 cigar boxes similar to yours are in the $15 to $60 range. *** Q: This mark is on the bottom of a porcelain figurine that I have. There is a woman sitting on a bench and there is a man stand-

A:

Kranichfeld Porcelain Manufactory made your figurine. They were located in Saxony, Germany, and were in business around 1903 for just a short time. They specialized in porcelain figurines and a variety of decorative porcelain.

Your figurine would probably be worth $175 to $275. *** Q: I have the book “The Complete Poetical Works of Henr y Wadsworth Longfellow.” It is a hard cover book with gilded edges and has numerous illustrations. It was published by Houghton, Mifflin, and Company, The Riverside Press, Cambridge, in 1881. On the inside is a note with the words, “This is a Christmas present from an Aunt in the year 1883.”

Is there any value to this book?

A: Your book often sells in antique books shops in the range of $60 to $90.

* * * Antiques expert and columnist Anne McCollam has since 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 2023 CREATORS.COM

* On Oct. 9, 2004, Afghan voters went to the polls for the first time in their nation’s history to vote for a president and elected Hamid Karzai, who had served as their interim president after the collapse of the Taliban regime three years earlier. * On Oct. 10, 1845, George Bancroft -- historian, educator and secretary of the Navy -- founded the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, to improve the thenunsatisfactory methods of instructing the service’s midshipmen. * On Oct. 11, 2000, at a ceremony in London, the International Women of the Year Association awarded the title “Greatest Woman Achiever of the Century” to Russian engineer and cosmonaut Valentina V. Tereshkova, who became the first woman in space when she flew a solo mission on the Vostok 6 on June 16, 1963. * On Oct. 12, 1810, the first Oktoberfest was celebrated in Munich, Germany, in honor of the marriage of Ludwig, the crown prince of Bavaria (who later became King Louis I), to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The festivities lasted nearly a week and ended in a horse race. Today, the festival is the largest in the world, with more than 6 million participants around the globe. * On Oct. 13, 1950, the movie “All About Eve,” starring Bette Davis and Anne Baxter, premiered in both Paris and New York City.

Known for its acid wit, it won six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, but was roundly criticized for depicting a character smoking in bed by an Indiana man who was part of his local fire prevention committee. * On Oct. 14, 1926, English humorist, poet and playwright A.A. Milne published “Winnie-the-Pooh,” a children’s book set in the fictional Hundred Acre Wood featuring the adventures of the eponymous honeyloving bear and his good friends, including Eeyore, Christopher Robin and Piglet. * On Oct. 15, 1966, Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale founded the Black Panther Party, with a mission of protecting African Americans from police brutality. The organization developed into a Marxist revolutionary group, calling for, among other things, the arming of all African Americans and the release of African Americans from jail. (c) 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.

Puzzle Solutions

GO FIGURE SOLUTION

Old American physician who will only accept payments in Israeli banknotes: Doctor Shekel.

"Actually,Il think think you you can can forget forget about about the the driver driver "Actually, altogetherand andjust justtap tapititoff offwith withthe theputter. putter. altogether Thatfairway fairwayisis200 120 feet feet straight straiightdown downand and That ititlooks lookslike likeititslopes slopestoward towardthe thegreen." green.

Week of October 8, 2023

Tidbits of Coachella Valley

Page 15

Deserts (from page 3) significant rainfall from 1570 to 1971. Even their towering mountains of nearly 22,600 feet have no glaciers. It may be the driest place on Earth, but that doesn’t stop one million people from living there. Its inhabitants tap water from underground streams to grow their crops and support their herds of llamas and alpacas.

• Measuring just one square mile, the Canadian Yukon’s Carcross Desert is the smallest desert in the world. Located along the Klondike Highway, it’s a system of sand dunes nestled in the midst of towering mountains, lakes, and waterfalls. The fine-grain sands produce unusual and rare plants, found in very few other locations.

• The Carcross Desert was formed when glacial lakes and valleys dried up and strong winds blew in large amounts of sand that collects on the dunes. The Carcross is a semi-arid desert, receiving less than 19.7 inches of precipitation annually.

• An oasis is a welcome site to desert travelers.

These lush green areas are irrigated by natural springs or underground water sources that seep to the surface. While small oases might be just 2.5 acres, large ones have established cities surrounding them. Some have been created by digging into the desert seeking a water source, while others dig a well around an existing oasis.

Date palms are a frequent sight around these verdant areas. There are 90 major oases within the Sahara Desert, but thousands of smaller ones also exist.

• The Sahara is home to several deadly animals including the Deathstalker scorpion, the venomous sand viper, monitor lizards, and African wild dogs. The Deathstalker scorpion, just three inches long, has a life expectancy of 25 years. Their venom can cause paralysis and respiratory failure, and are the main species responsible for the 2,600 scorpion sting deaths each year. The only good news is that many Deathstalker attacks are survivable. 

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Game Changers

by Jason Jenkins

Play Better Golf with JACK NICKLAUS

Step on In It’s often mentioned that a routine is the connection between the physical and the mental part of golf. Random actions approaching the shots usually lead to random results. By establishing a good routine, you’re allowing all the hard work on the range to show up on the golf course.

Many great players have employed the Right Foot Step In routine, where the right foot leads the initial step into the address position.

The clubhead is aligned to an intermediate target along with the step in before any other measures are taken. This allows the player a chance to realign before going any further. It’s helpful to face the ball with your chest and belt buckle in this phase to prepare your body for proper alignments. After taking a step left and right to create stance width, there shouldn’t be too much more to be concerned with other than the shot you’re intending to hit.

By creating a routine, you’ll eventually be less ADVERTISING PROOF concerned about how you’re doing things and more aware of the target you’re trying to hit. 5:00 p.m..

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T. 257

Vol. IXX

Tidbits of Coachella Valley

Page 16

Issue No. 41

THERE'S STILL TIME TO ENROLL

1. TELEVISION: How many noble houses are mentioned in “Game of Thrones”?

2. MOVIES: What is the name of the high school in the musical film “Grease”?

3. GEOGRAPHY: Which southeast Asian country’s monetary unit is the ringgit?

4. MUSIC: The song “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’” is from which musical?

5. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Who was the first president to be impeached?

6. ANATOMY: What is considered the “master gland” of the human body?

7. PHYSICS: What does a newton measure?

8. HISTORY: Which founding father wanted the turkey to be the national symbol of America rather than the eagle?

9. SCIENCE: What is studied in mycology?

Thistle GO FSTATES: I G UWhat RisEAlaska’s ! by Linda 10. U.S. Answer Peeker Nazi keeps detailed dossier on violators. stateTRIVIA animal?

TEST The idea of Go Figure is to Answers arrive at theAnswers figures given at Answers Weekly Weekly SUDOKU SUDOKU the bottom and right-hand columns1.ofNine. the diagram by fol-Answerlowing the arithmetic signs in 2. Rydell High School. the order they are given (that 3. Malaysia. is, from left to right and top to “Oklahoma!” bottom).4.Use only the numbers below the diagram to complete 5. Andrew Johnson, 1868. its blank6.squares and use Pituitary gland. each of the nine numbers only once.

7. Force.

DIFFICULTY: � 8. Benjamin Franklin.

9. Fungi. �� Difficult � Moderate ��� FIGURE! 10. TheGOmoose. ©2022 2010King KingFeatures FeaturesSynd., Synd.,Inc. Inc. ©©2020 2023 © 2006 King Features Syndicate, Inc.

© 2023 2022King Features Synd., Inc.

© 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.

Games

October 23-29, 2006

Go Figure! answers ANSWERS

Quiz Bits ANSWERS

1. Sonoran Desert

BIBLE TRIVIA Answers

1. (A) Old testament 2. (D) White 3. (C) Inspiration 4. (C) Satan 5. (D) 1 Corinthians 6 6. (A) Sword

2. Either "cactuses" or "cacti." Both are considered correct.

WUZZLES Answers ®

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