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Suspicions Confirmed

Zookeepers at the Columbus Zoo in Ohio were taken aback on July 20 when Sully, an 8-year-old western lowland gorilla whom they had assumed to be male, gave birth. Sully has lived at the zoo since 2019, United Press International reported. "It's hard to tell the sex of younger gorillas," the zoo said in a statement. "They don't have prominent sex organs." They said Sully had been healthy and did not need any procedures or medical care that would have clued them in to her gender. "Sully is taking good care of (the baby)," zookeepers said, adding that eventually they'll do a DNA test to find out which of three males is the father.

Saw That Coming

SEPT 1 LARRY McCRAY

Limited Preferred Seating: $20/person

Call (231) 599-1111 option 3 for Tickets

General Admission is FREE

WEEKLY LIVE MUSIC LINEUP

SUNDAYS @ 5:30 PM | TRIVIA NIGHT

MONDAYS @ 7 PM | KARAOKE & OPEN MIC

TUESDAYS @ 7 PM | DOMINIC FORTUNA

WEDNESDAYS @ 7 PM | LEE MALONE

THURSDAYS @ 7 PM | NICK VASQUEZ

FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS @ 8 PM

LEANNA COLLINS & IVAN GREILICK

... or not. At 11:55 p.m. on July 22, a speeding boat with eight people aboard left the water at the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri and crashed into a home along the bank. KMIZ-TV reported that Adam Ramirez, 47, was driving the boat when the accident happened. After the boat hit the home, it overturned and ejected all eight passengers, who were taken to a hospital, six of them in serious condition. Two people in the home at the time were uninjured. Ramirez was charged with boating while intoxicated. Travis Coleman with Tow Boat US Lake of the Ozarks said crashes on the lake are common, and alcohol and darkness can play a large role.

Nature Gone Wild

A bird rarely seen in the Northern Hemisphere dropped into Pebble Beach, California, on July 21, KSBW-TV reported. The Nazca Booby, which at this time of year is usually living and breeding in the Galapagos Islands, was delivered to the SPCA of Monterey County; officials there said it was emaciated, cold and injured. Beth Brookhouser said the bird had to be kept in an incubator and fed through a tube while it recovered. It had wounds on its back that appeared to be from fishing hooks. Once the bird has healed, the SPCA hopes to reintroduce it to the wild.

Bright Idea

Hong Kong's health minister, professor Lo Chung-mau, is urging public shaming as a remedy to unlawful tobacco use, Sky News reported. "Cigarettes can harm the health of all of us," Lo told a meeting of the Legislative Council's health service panel on July 14. "When members of the public see people smoking in nonsmoking areas ... we can stare at the smokers. Everyone on the premises can stare at that person." He believes this behavior would help create a nonsmoking culture in the city. He also said authorities would use surveillance footage to crack down on smokers flouting the rules.

The Passing Parade Barbie mania has taken the world by storm -- including in Brazil, where Burger King is selling a sandwich with a bright pink sauce that looks like "chewed bubblegum" and has a "smoky" flavor, according to Burger King. CNBC reported on July 13 that the BK Barbie Combo comes with a cheeseburger, a pink vanilla-flavored milkshake, a doughnut sprinkled with pink frosting and an order of Ken's potatoes (also known as fries). The combo is not expected to be offered in the United States.

News You Can Use

Trader Joe's announced on July 21 that it is recalling two types of cookies that may have rocks in them, National Public Radio reported. The Almond Windmill Cookies and Dark Chocolate Chunk and Almond cookies have been removed from the grocery chain's stores and destroyed, the company said, but those who had previously bought them can return them for a refund. "Please do not eat them," they urged customers. The company didn't specify how the rocks came to be in the cookies.

The Golden Age of Air Travel

In late July, a woman on a Spirit Airlines plane hit her limit, the New York Post reported. "The plane is stopped ... I cannot hold the pee!" she shouted in a video as she pulled down her pants and squatted in a corner to relieve herself. "I need to (urinate), two hours ... you close the (bathroom) doors," she said, telling a crew member she should "blame yourself." The video was posted on July 20, but it is unclear where the incident took place.

Nope

You might not have it on your calendar, but Aug. 5 is National Mustard Day! Rather than celebrating with a hot dog or a burger smothered in the yellow condiment, the French's company wants you to try Mustard Skittles, NBC New York reported on July 25. "Skittles is always looking to inspire moments of everyday happiness and deliver unexpected ways for fans to experience the brand," said Ro Cheng, marketing director at Mars. The new flavor "combines their tangy mustard flavor with our iconic chewy texture to deliver this unique summer treat." Adventurous mustard-lovers can try to win a bag of the candy through an online sweepstakes.

Awesome!

On July 22 at Tracouet, Switzerland, 100 alphorn players gathered for the 22nd International Alphorn Festival, Yahoo! News reported. (You know alphorns: Think Ricola commercials.) The competitors are judged on interpretation, musicality, accuracy and rhythm, said festival founder Antoine Devenes. "It's easy to play but difficult to play it well," said Marcel Henchoz, 85, one of the participants. He was joined by players from France, Germany, America and Canada. The youngest competitor was 11 years old. Adolf Zobrist, 58, from Brienz, Switzerland, took the title for the fourth time. "It's my hobby and it's my passion. I've been playing since I was 12," Zobrist said. "It's the sound of the mountains."

Guest Opinion

by Greg Holmes

Do you feel lonely, isolated, and have few, if any, friends? If so, you are part of a growing segment of the population that reports having the same problem. In fact, it has been estimated that at any given moment, upwards of 50 percent of people in the United States experience feelings of loneliness.

The Surgeon General of the United States, Dr. Vivek Murthy, recently issued a health advisory proclaiming that loneliness is at an “epidemic” level that has significant health implications. It has been estimated that a lack of interpersonal connections can increase the risk of health problems comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes per day or drinking six alcoholic beverages a day. These health issues include a higher risk for depression, heart disease, and premature death.

What exactly is loneliness? First and foremost, it is a subjective experience, and therefore it is difficult for others to identify, much less measure. Basically, loneliness is thought to be the difference between the social connections you would like to have, or feel you need, versus the ones that you actually have.

So why has loneliness increased? The fact of the matter is that our direct contact with people has been gradually disappearing for years. If you are an older reader, you can remember the day when a gas station attendant would greet you, fill up your car, and clean your windshield. Those days are long gone. The attendant has been replaced by a credit card reader.

Today, self-service and technology continue to dominate our interactions with others. Self-checkout lanes at grocery and other stores eliminate the need to wait in line and having to deal with wage-earning cashiers. Personally, I choose to shop at a grocery store that does not have a self-checkout option. I enjoy talking with the cashiers, often addressing them by name.

Why? Two reasons: One, I still like talking with people, and two, most people like hearing their name. In fact, MRI imaging of the brain has shown that different regions of the brain light up when a person hears their own name versus hearing someone else’s.

What about online shopping? You don’t have to deal with anyone. Simply search for your item and the app will take care of all the rest. No driving to the store anymore. No muss, no fuss, no people.

But what if you need to talk to a real person, a so-called “customer service representative?” Good luck with that! You will more than likely be sent back to the company website or have to listen to innumerable options in your desperate attempt to talk to an agent.

The COVID-19 pandemic served as a major accelerant in our loss of in-person contact. People stayed at home to work virtually; office buildings stood at less than half occupancy. Working from home was attractive to many as they could avoid long, costly commutes and the hassle and high cost of childcare. Understandably, many people were reluctant to return to their offices.

On the other hand, one-fourth of workers, those who tended to be young, single, or empty nesters, were eager to come back to the office. Why? They tended to view the office as a social outlet. In other words, they missed people.

Another factor associated with the increase in loneliness over the past several decades has been the meteoric rise of social media. On one hand, we may seem more connected than ever; 70 percent of adults in the U.S. have a social media account, and the average user has seven. The typical Facebook user has 388 “friends.”

However, studies have shown that the more time spent on social media is associated with a higher level of loneliness. “Connections” made through social media can actually increase depression and anxiety in teenagers as they compare themselves to ideal imagery posted by celebrities and other users. One study found that teens who reduced their social media use by 50 percent had a significant increase in selfesteem .

If we don’t have friends, no worries. We will soon be able to use AI to create them. In Kazuo Ishiguro’s 2021 novel Klara and the Sun, parents hire android robots to be Artificial Friends for their children. Preposterous? Think again. Artificial intelligence apps such as Eva AI already exist, promising to create “…a virtual AI partner who listens, responds, and appreciates you.”

Isn’t that what we all want from a “real” friend, someone who listens and appreciates us? A psychotherapy client of mine once confided to me that if he only had someone to listen to him, he wouldn’t need a therapist. I believed him. I’ve often wondered if loneliness is an underlying factor in some psychosomatic illnesses.

To develop and maintain a friendship is hard work. It requires considerable time and effort along with the courage to be honest and vulnerable. However, the effort is more than worth it—it’s essential to our well-being.

As the English poet William Blake wrote, “The bird a nest, the spider a web, man friendship.”

Greg Holmes lives and writes in Traverse City.