Thursday October 29, 2020
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Volume 67 | Number 9
www.DesertMobileHomeNews.com Find my missing bat in one of the ads to be entered to win a dining gift certificate. Email your answer to news@desertmobilehomenews.com
CELEBRATING THE RESIDENTIAL PARK COMMUNITIES FOR 65 YEARS
Snow Guessing Contest Begins
In This Issue
Senior News.........................................2 Free COVID Testing..............................3 BINGO is back at Fantasy Springs.........3 The Classifieds.....................................7
Palm Springs Aerial Tramway continues annual tradition
1. MEASUREMENTS: What does a hygrometer measure? 2. TELEVISION: What was the postman’s name on the sitcom “Cheers”? 3. LITERATURE: Which 20th-century novel begins with the line, “For many days, we had been tempest-tossed”? 4. GEOGRAPHY: The Adriatic Sea lies east of which country?
W
hile it may still feel like summer, October 23 marks the start of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway’s Snow Guessing Contest. This annual event runs until the first measurable inch of snow falls at the Tram’s Mountain Station, elevation 8,516 feet. According to Tramway General Manager Nancy Nichols, “Traditionally, our Snow Guessing Contest begins October 1, but—this year—we wanted to wait until the Tram reopened before starting it. Not only are we anxious for the first snow, we are anxious for
• The Zombie tit is a species of bird that has learned to track down tiny bats, split open their skulls, and feed on their brains. • On average, a 4-year-old will ask 400 questions in one day. • One of the weirdest scandals in sports history occurred in 1973
Photo courtesy of parks.ca.gov
folks to come up and experience it in person!” The first ten entries received with the correct date of snowfall will win four Tram admissions plus a special Tram gift memento. In the event there are more than ten correct entries, the earliest postmarks will prevail. To submit an entry, simply write down your best-guess date on a postcard and mail it to: Snow Guessing Contest, 1 Tram Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262. Participants may enter as many times as they would like, but only one date per postcard. For more informa-
tion and contest rules, please visit pstramway.com/special-events . It won’t be long before snowflakes are falling just a few minutes from the desert floor. There’s never been a year when someone didn’t win the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway’s Snow Guessing Contest.
when New York Yankees players Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich decided to trade families -- wives, children, even dogs! After the couples became close friends, Peterson fell in love with Kekich’s wife and vice versa. “It’s a love story. It wasn’t anything dirty,” Peterson told a reporter in 2013. Peterson is still married to the former Mrs. Kekich, but Kekich and the former Mrs. Peterson later split up.
• When Prohibition started, alcohol could only be bought for medicinal and religious purposes, from a pharmacy or a doctor. “Medicinal whiskey” was prescribed for just about anything and used to treat conditions such as toothaches and the flu. With a prescription, a patient could legally purchase up to one pint of hard liquor every 10 days.
• Pepper spray and tear gas are technically classified as chemical weapons and thus are forbidden in warfare.
Tickets are $26.95 for adults, $24.95 for seniors (65+) and $16.95 for children (3-10). For more information, please call 888515-TRAM or 760-325-1391, or visit pstramway.com.
5. HISTORY: Who was the first woman appointed to a U.S. president’s cabinet? 6. ADVERTISING: Which company’s mascot was named Poppin’ Fresh? 7. LANGUAGE: What is a mondegreen? 8. GAMES: How much is the Luxury Tax in the board game Monopoly? 9. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Who was the only president to attend Oxford University in England as a Rhodes Scholar? 10. U.S. STATES: What does the name Nevada mean in Spanish? © 2020 King Features Synd., Inc. ANSWER TO TRIVIA ON PAGE 6
• The human body gives off enough heat in 30 minutes to bring a gallon of water to a boil. (c) 2020 King Features Synd., Inc.
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WORD SEARCH Online Scammers Eye Holiday Shoppers
ANSWER TO WORD SEARCH ON PAGE 6
ASPARAGUS
DIET
PEAS
BROCCOLI
EGGPLANT
RAW
CABBAGE
FRESH
SPINACH
CARROTS
GARLIC
SPROUTS
CAULIFLOWER
GINGER
SWEET POTATOES
COLLARD GREENS
GREEN BEANS
SWISS CHARD
COOKED
KALE
VEGETARIAN
DELICIOUS
KOHLRABI
ZUCCHINI
ANSWER ON PAGE 6
Staff Cindy Melland Publisher Kimberly Brucks Advertising Manager KBrucks@desertentertainer.com
Jose De La Cruz Senior Graphic Designer news@desertmobilehomenews.com
Serving 110 Mobile Manufactured Home and RV Parks in the Coachella, Morongo and Yucca Valley for 65 years. The Mobile Home News is a household tradition for the 55+ manufactured home park and RV Park population. Available at clubhouses and racks in manufactured home parks. Also available in many area businesses and senior centers. Businesses or private parties interested in advertising to the 55+ community please call 760-365-3315. Published Thursdays by Hi-Desert Publishing Company. News, photos or editorial submissions or story ideas should be sent to news@desertmobilehomenews.com All delivery issues should be directed to Ahkto Distribution at distribution@ahkto.com or call 760-459-4204
www.desertmobilehomenews.com desertmobilehomenews.com 760-365-3315
www.desertentertainer.com www.canadasouthmagazine.com
Titles registered and all contents copyright 2020 by Hi-Desert Publishing Co. All rights reserved.
Holiday shopping online is one of our annual rituals, at least for a portion of the gifts we want to buy, but with COVID making inperson shopping too risky, a much larger percentage of us are likely to shop online. That’s what the scammers and thieves are hoping, anyway. The biggest threat this year is likely to be emails. You’ll often receive an email from the retailer saying your purchase has been shipped, and there might be a link in the email about that delivery. Beware clicking it. It could be a scammer hoping to install malware on your computer to capture any future credit card or account numbers you type in. Or they might ask you outright to type in personal information such as your name and credit card number.
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Instead of clicking any link in any email supposedly from a retailer, go to the merchant’s website to look for information on your purchase or call them directly. Take the phone number from your bill or their website, not from any email. You might also receive emails about items you didn’t order and worry that your account has been hacked. Again, that is one way for the scammers to get you to click a link. Don’t do it. Call the merchant instead. Just ordering online isn’t the end of your steps to being safe. There are the porch pirates, those awful people who dash up to the house and steal packages right at the door. They often follow delivery trucks to see where the parcels are being left. Keep an eye out for your delivery. Or track it online. A final warning: Merchants often ask you to download their app to make purchases. You don’t have to. You can still make online purchases without adding yet another potentially unsecure form of communication. (c) 2020 King Features Synd., Inc
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Palm Springs Convention Center hosting free COVID testing November 3 - 4 Free COVID testing will be available at the Palm Springs Convention Center November 3 - 4 through the Riverside University Health System. Testing is free. If you are insured, insurance information will be collected and your insurance company will be billed. You will not be responsible for any co-pay or other charges. For information about the test please call 800-945-6171 or visit rivcoph.org/coronavirus.Testing is encouraged for those that do not
have symptoms, not just those with symptoms. Testing is by appointment only. No walk–ins accepted: http://bit. ly/PSConvCen113-420. Testing is from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3 and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, November 4. The Palm Springs Convention Center is located at 277 North Avenida Caballeros in Palm Sperings. Parking is free, lot is located off of North Avenida Cabballeros.
Bingo is back at Fantasy Springs Grab your daubers because bingo is back at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino. Health and safety measures are in place designed to protect guests from the potential spread of COVID-19. The bingo palace will be subject to deep cleanning before and after each session, and capacity will be limited to 50 percent. Temperature screenings, protective face cover-
ing and social distancing is mandatory for all guest. Sessions are offered daily, Monday through Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Fantasy Springs Resort Casino is located at 84245 Indio Springs Parkway, Indio. For more information, call 800-927-2946 or visit fantasyspringsresort.com
ANSWER ON PAGE 6
ANSWER ON PAGE 6
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CROSSWORD
ACROSS 1. Dutch word for “language” 5. Popular music style 8. Body part 11. Largely dry valleys 13. Brew 14. Ancient Greek sophist 15. Where rockers play 16. Human gene 17. One point east of northeast 18. Adversary 20. Small cask or barrel 21. About ear 22. Benign tumors 25. In a different way 30. One charged with a crime
ANSWER TO PUZZLE ON PAGE 6 31. Chinese 61. Spiritual leader principle 62. Single lens reflex underlying 63. Time of the the universe 90th meridian, 32. Long, narrow used in the straps central U.S. 33. Passover 64. Thomas __, 38. Ottoman American military cartoonist commander 41. One who does DOWN not succeed 43. Data 1. Shuttered airline 45. 3D image 2. Swiss river 47. Whale ship 3. Port city captain in Yemen 49. Japanese title 4. It can be straight 50. Made of wood 5. Tennis player’s 55. Yokel tool 56. Exercise system 6. Estranged __-bo 7. Garden archway 57. Supreme being 8. Assists 59. Playing card with three spots 9. Grain crop 60. Hostelry 10. Millisecond
12. U.S. Founding Father Adams 14. Small, deerlike buffalo 19. Easily manageable 23. Male parent 24. Nearsightedness 25. Patriotic women 26. Decorate a cake with frosting 27. __ fi (slang) 28. A joke rooted in wordplay 29. Attack violently 34. Keyboard key 35. __ juris: independent 36. Corporate executive (abbr.) 37. Adult female bird 39. Pertains to knowledge 40. Pashtoes 41. Prefixed title for Italian monks 42. To be fired from a gun 44. A way to position 45. __ process: produces ammonia 46. Follow instructions 47. Humanistic discipline 48. Throw 51. Swiss river 52. American hate group 53. Actor Idris 54. Seizes 58. Baseball stat
SUDOKU
ANSWER TO SUDOKU ON PAGE6
Brain Teaser
Mr. and Mrs. Mustard have six daughters and each daughter has one brother. How many people are in the Mustard family? See Answer on page 6
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WordSearch Answer
Stickelers Answer
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Crossword Answer
Inspirational Quote of the Week “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Sudoku Answer
Maya Angelou
Go Figure Answer Trivia Answers 1. Humidity 2. Cliff Clavin 3. “The Swiss Family Robinson” 4. Italy 5. Frances Perkins, Secretary of Labor, 1933-45 6. Pillsbury
7. A misheard word, phrase or song lyric 8. $75 9. Bill Clinton 10. Snow-covered
Hitori Answer
(c) 2020 King Features Synd., Inc.
Brain Teaser Answer There are nine Mustards in the family. Since each daughter shares the same brother, there are six girls, one boy and Mr. and Mrs. Mustard.
OIG Is Vets’ Watchdog You have to admire the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General. If there’s something illegal going on, they will find it. In one case, the doctor said that, no, she had never prescribed anything without first speaking to the patient over the phone to ensure that the drug or equipment was required. The VA OIG didn’t just take her word for it, though. It dug around and unearthed the truth: The doctor in Dallas had committed telemedicine fraud
against federal insurers including Medicare, Tricare and CHAMPVA by repeatedly ordering products without ever talking to the patient. The result: She’ll have to forfeit $33,000 in fees she took for telemedicine visits she didn’t do and pay a $180,000 fine. Later, at sentencing, she could be sent to the slammer for five years. In another case, the VAOIG investigated a urologist who had “severe hand tremors and possibly low visual acuity” to determine whether facility leaders had evaluated him and his continued clinical privileges with the VA. The OIG also discovered an additional concern: whether facility leaders had followed directives to report the surgeon to the appropriate state licensing boards. The answer: No, facility leaders had not overseen the problem of
hand tremors and low visual acuity; no, he hadn’t been reported to licensing boards; and no, nobody had made recommendations about the surgeon’s privileges. Meanwhile, there were veterans who had invasive urological procedures done by a doctor with shaky hands and bad vision. Not all OIG cases are so serious, but they do merit attention. In one case, managers of a patient account center used government money to buy refreshments for employees in connection with a VA Diversity and Inclusion Initiative event. However, VA policy says they can only buy food for cultural events that raise awareness of ethnic history if the food is a sample of that culture and is meant to be educational. (c) 2020 King Features Synd., Inc.
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