Vol.21: #36 • Wizard of Oz • (8-31-2025) Tidbits of Coachella Valley
by Janet Spencer
Although it was basically considered a box office flop when it was released in 1939, “The Wizard of Oz” is today thought to be the most-watched movie in history. This honor isn't only due to its frequent TV screenings, but also by the sheer numbers of DVDs sold annually. So join arms with Tidbits as we skip down the winding yellow bricks to find some interesting behind-the-scenes facts about the making of this beloved film classic!
THE CAST
• Judy Garland was chosen for the role as Dorothy because of her strong singing voice, acting talent, and the studio's desire to capitalize on her rising star power. While Shirley Temple was considered, Garland's age and vocal ability ultimately won out despite the fact that she was older than the character as written in the book, but appeared younger.
• She could only be on the set for four hours each day as she was still in school at the time. She studied for three hours every day when she was
TRIV
(Answers on page 16)
1. GEOGRAPHY: What canal connects the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea?
2. MOVIES: Which of Disney’s animated princess movies was the first to get a live-action version?
3. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What is a male duck called?
4. LITERATURE: In which famous museum does a murder take place in the novel “The Da Vinci Code”?
5. SCIENCE: What part of the plant is responsible for photosynthesis?
6. TELEVISION: When did the animated TV sitcom “The Flintstones” debut?
7. U.S. CITIES: Which city is known for the saying, “Where young people go to retire”?
8. FOOD & DRINK: Which Southeast Asian fruit has such a strong smell that it’s banned on public transportation?
9. ASTRONOMY: Which star is the brightest in the night sky?
10. MEASUREMENTS: How many meters are in a kilometer? Answers
• Penny Chenery’s father owned Meadow Stables in Virginia where he bred racehorses. His dream was to some day win the Kentucky Derby.
• In 1967 he fell ill, and later died. Penny had to decide what to do with the aging stables. Her siblings urged her to sell, but she wanted to honor her dad’s dream. So she fixed up the place and went into the racehorse business.
• She and a neighboring stable swapped breeding privileges between their best horses. Each year they would flip a coin for the right to choose first among the foals. In 1970, Penny lost the coin flip. Her consolation prize was a handsome foal she named Secretariat.
• It was evident from the start that Secretariat was something special, although he got off to a slow start. At age two, he finished 4th in his debut race, but then won 7 out of the next 8 races, garnering national attention.
• A record-setting crowd of 134,000 spectators came to watch him run in his first Kentucky Derby in 1973. He was out of the gate dead last. He was dead last at the quarter-mile mark. Then he made his move, pulling ahead decisively. He won by 2.5 lengths, breaking the track record, and becoming the first horse to run the 1.25 mile race in under 2 minutes.
• He was an instant media star, and speculation ran rampant that he could win the Triple Crown, a set of three races including the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes.
• At the Preakness Stakes, Secretariat pulled a repeat: last out of the gate, dead last coming around the first curve, then pulling into the lead and winning by nearly 3 lengths while setting a speed record that still stands.
• Horse frenzy swept the nation, bolstered by major publicity. He appeared on the front cover of Time, Newsweek, and Sports Illustrated.
• Secretariat’s win at the Belmont Stakes has gone down in history as the most spectacular horse race ever run. He ran each quarter mile faster than the previous one, knocked 2 seconds off the track record, and won by an incredible 31 lengths. That’s equal to 82 yards, or 75 meters. That broke the margin set by Triple Crown winner Count Fleet in 1943 who won by a “mere” 25 lengths.
• Secretariat was the first horse to win the Triple Crown since Citation did it 25 years earlier.
• His celebrity was unbounded. One enterprising enthusiast even wanted to market his manure as souvenirs. Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas offered a contract if only he would walk around the grounds three times a day. Chenery needed a secretary just to handle all the fan mail.
• Secretariat ran just six more races, winning four. His racing career lasted just 16 months before he retired to stud in 1973. He ran 21 major races, winning all but five.
• By the time he retired, his prize money totaled $1,316,808 (worth $7 million today).
• After retiring and being put out to stud, Secretariat sired 663 foals, most of whom were female. Many won some races, but none could fill Secretariat’s sacred horseshoes.
• In 1989, Secretariat became afflicted with laminitis, a painful condition affecting the hoof. When his condition did not improve after a month of treatment, he was euthanized at the age of 19.
• An autopsy after Secretariat’s death found that his heart was 2.5 times larger than normal, weighing about 22 pounds (10 kg) instead of the typical 8.5 lbs (3.9 kg).
• Sports Illustrated ranked Secretariat #17 in their list of the 40 greatest sports figures. ESPN listed him 35th of the 100 greatest athletes of the 20th century. Penny Chenery remained a prominent figure in horse racing until her death in 2017 at the age of 95.
Suez Canal.
“Cinderella.”
Oz: (from page one)
not playing Dorothy.
• A total of 124 little people were cast as Munchkins. The studio originally wanted 300 little people, but they turned out to be harder to find than expected. They rounded out the crew with about a dozen children, who can be seen waving out of the village windows.
• The green-shirted member of the Lollipop Guild, Jerry Maren, hands a lollipop to Dorothy. He was 18 at the time, and stood 3 ft 6 in (107 cm). Later, hormone treatments helped him reach the height of 4 ft 6 in (137 cm). Maren died at the age of 98 in 2018, outliving all of the other Munchkins, and nearly all of the original cast members.
• The Munchkins were portrayed by The Singer Midgets, named for manager Leo Singer. The troupe came from Europe. Because Europe was on the verge of war in 1939 when the movie was made, and because some of the midgets were Jewish, many stayed in the U.S. after the filming to escape the Nazis. Most of them couldn’t speak English, and their singing voices were dubbed. The only two real-life voices used belong to the midgets who give Dorothy flowers after she climbs into the carriage.
• Veteran actress Gale Sondergaard was initially cast as the Wicked Witch of the West. At the time, the Wicked Witch was going to be portrayed as a slinky, glamorous villain similar to the Evil Queen in Disney’s “Snow White.” This was a role Sondergaard was interested in. However, directors at MGM later decided to make the Wicked Witch ugly. After her first screen test as an ugly witch, Sondergaard backed out, fearful it would harm her reputation as a movie beauty.
• The role went instead to Margaret Hamilton. She also played the bicycle-riding “Miss Gulch”
in the film’s opening scenes. Hamilton was a popular character actor both before and after “Oz.”
• Buddy Ebsen, the original Tin Man, suffered a severe allergic reaction to the aluminum dust in his makeup, causing lung scarring and even turning his skin blue! Jack Haley, who replaced him, wore a safer version, but it still caused a severe eye infection.
• The role of Dorothyʼs little dog Toto was played by Terry, the terrier. Terry had made her film debut in the 1934 Shirley Temple film “Bright Eyes.” At one point, Terry was accidentally stepped on by one of the Witch’s castle guards, injuring her paw. This required a doggy double to be brought in for two weeks while she recovered. Judy Garland wanted to adopt Terry, but owner Carl Spitz refused. Terry appeared in ten movies before she died in 1945 at age eleven.
STUDIO EFFECTS
• The “tornado” was a 35-foot muslin tube rapidly twirled in circles as it spun through a miniature model farm while a large fan blew dust around. The footage of that scene was projected on a screen behind the set of Dorothy’s front porch as she struggled to get in the farmhouse.
• The “steam” that shoots out of the Tin Man’s hat is actually talcum powder.
• When the Wicked Witch turns to leave Munchkinland, she disappears in a whoosh of red smoke and a torch of flame. To do this scene, Margaret Hamilton was to step on a trap door that would lower her out of sight just as the smoke plume went up, and just before the torch of real flame exploded. During the first take, the smoke was mis-timed and she could be seen stepping on the trap door behind it. The scene was set up for a second take. This time it was the flame that was mis-timed, blasting her in the face and melting the copper makeup to her skin. She spent six weeks recovering from the painful burns before she could return to the set.
NUGGETS OF KNOWLEDGE
Popular journalist Rick Polito is famous for his droll, single-sentence summations of TV programs and movies. For the Wizard of Oz he wrote, "Transported to a surreal landscape, a young girl kills the first person she meets and then teams up with three strangers to kill again."
making it a “horse of a different color.” This was accomplished by starting out with a white horse, and then replacing it in quick succession with three other white horses which had been dyed using colored gelatin powder: grape, lemon, and cherry. In one scene, the purple horse can be
1. How old was Judy Garland when she played the role of Dorothy?
When Glinda arrives, she’s riding a glass bubble. The bubble was a glass ball filmed separately with a mobile camera and later composited into the film. Because compositing was still a new technique, it took two weeks of experimenting with lighting to get the glass ball to look right.
• In the scene where a carriage takes them to Oz, the carriage is pulled by a white horse, which changes to purple, then yellow, then red, truly
By Lucie Winborne
* The average lipstick has 293 swipes.
* In Missouri, if you are under 21, you can be charged with illegal possession of alcohol without even taking a breathalyzer test if you happen to be found taking out empty alcohol cans and bottles in your trash.
* There is a fish (salema porgy) that when eaten causes severe hallucinations lasting up to 36 hours. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it served as a party drug during the Roman Empire.
* Warm and light colors appear closer, while cool and darker colors appear farther away.
* Chloroform was once touted as an asthma cure. Unfortunately, this would eventually result in the deaths of patients who had overdosed during an asthma attack.
* According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, at least 50% of ladder-related accidents involved individuals carrying items while they climbed. Additionally, each year, more than 900,000 people receive emergency room treatment from ladderrelated injuries.
* Ninety-five percent of the average car’s lifetime is spent being parked.
* Biologists have found that plants exhibit competitiveness among strangers of the same species, but are more accommodating toward their siblings.
* Tsutomu Yamaguchi was one lucky fellow. He was in Hiroshima when the first A-bomb hit, survived, and made it home to Nagasaki in time for the second bomb. He wound up living to age 93.
* The eyes of the celestial eye goldfish are bigger than its stomach. ***
Thought for the Day: “It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad.”
-- C.S. Lewis
by Mary Hunt
14 Ways to Use Coffee Filters That Don’t Involve Coffee
by Mary Hunt
It was a dumb mistake. I grabbed the biggest package of coffee filters -- a pack of 1,000 -- only to discover much later that I’d picked up the wrong size for my coffeemaker.
Coffee filters are not expensive, which is probably the reason I didn’t bother returning them to the store. I suppose I should have tried, but I didn’t. Instead, I began finding ways to use those filters for other things than making coffee.
What I discovered is that the basket-style filters are super useful. It took a few years, but I used up the wrong-size stack of filters, and not to filter coffee! They became such a handy item that I bought the same size again, but this time from the dollar store. Most recently, I found 150 filters there for $1.25.
Here are some of the things I can do with a coffee filter:
1. Prevent splatters: Don’t you hate that mess inside the microwave? Prevent it by covering the bowl, plate or food item with a coffee filter turned upside down to create a little canopy. It works really well because the filter is highly absorbent but doesn’t fly off when the food pops and splatters.
2. Quick sparkle: Use a coffee filter instead of paper towels to clean and polish a mirror, window, glass tabletop or chrome. There’s no lint, and it’s super absorbent.
3. China protectant: Be kind to your fine
dinnerware or other types of dishes by placing a filter between each plate and bowl to prevent the pieces from sliding around and causing damage.
4. Protect cast iron: Once I clean, dry and re-oil my cast iron skillet, I put a flattened-out filter in the bottom to prevent rust by absorbing any moisture that might remain.
5. Absorb grease: When frying bacon, French fries or any other thing that gets fried in oil, I place a couple of filters on a plate instead of paper towels to drain said items.
6. Food wrappers: Coffee filters are convenient to use as wraps for messy foods like tacos, burgers, hot dogs and sandwiches. I love that they’re the right size and they catch stuff that might fall out when the kids dig in.
7. Applique backing: Like a dryer sheet, a coffee filter makes a great tear-away backing for embroidery and applique.
8. Bouquet garni: I learned this by watching the Food Channel. Place herbs and spices in the center of a coffee filter, and then close it up like a little pouch and tie with a piece of string. Drop this in the soup or stew, and allow it to simmer for hours as needed. Remove the little tied-up pouch before serving, of course leaving behind the essence and goodness without the twigs, ugly spent leaves, seeds, etc.
9. Spoon rest: Lay the spoon, spatula or other implement you’re cooking with on a coffee filter. It will soak up the drips but not leave bits of paper on the item when you pick it up later, as paper towels often do.
10. Cradle ornaments: Use a coffee filter to individually wrap special Christmas ornaments or other precious decor items you don't want to damage. This prevents ornaments from rubbing against one another and makes it easier to nestle them for compact storage.
11. Blotting paper: Whether it’s ink, paint or pressed flowers, when you need to blot, grab a coffee filter. It works perfectly well.
12. Strainer: A coffee filter will strain soup, wine that has bits of cork in it, tea or any other liquid you wish to become clear. Place the filter over a receptacle, and secure it with a rubber band. Pour the item to be strained through the filter.
13. Disposable snack bowl: One or two basket-style filters make an easy-to-hold snack dish for popcorn, chips or nuts.
14. Seed sprouter: Want to get seedlings started in time for spring? Grab a filter, and dampen it with water. Lay the seeds to be sprouted on the filter, and fold it over so the seeds are covered. Place it inside a small ziptype baggie, and leave it be until the seeds sprout and are ready for planting.
Mary invites you to visit her at EverydayCheapskate.com, where this column is archived complete with links and resources for all recommended products and services. Mary invites questions and comments at https:// www.everydaycheapskate.com/contact/, “Ask Mary.” This column will answer questions of general interest, but letters cannot be answered individually. Mary Hunt is the founder of EverydayCheapskate.com, a frugal living blog, and the author of the book “Debt-Proof Living.”
• For four seasons starting in 1970 and ending in 1974, TV viewers sang along with Shirley Jones and her fictional family of five children in the musical sitcom “The Partridge Family.” The show was a hit, and the first season was screened in more than 70 countries worldwide. It was nominated for the “Best TV Show” Golden Globe two years in a row.
• The show was loosely based on the real-life singing family The Cowsills, who had a hit in
1969 with their version of the song “Hair” from the Broadway play. In fact, the actual Cowsill family was asked to star in the show. The deal fell through when producers announced that Shirley Jones would take over the role of the mother of the group from the actual matriarch, Barbara Cowsill.
• David Cassidy and Shirley Jones were the only cast members who actually sang. The others lipsynced. David turned out to be not only a great singer but also a great guitarist, propelling him to superstar status.
• Shirley Jones was offered the part of Carol Brady on another new family-oriented show, “The Brady Bunch.” She turned it down because she preferred to play the part of a less traditional mother.
• Susan Dey wasn’t the producer’s first choice to play Laurie Partridge. Olivia Newton-John was offered the role but turned it down.
• Ironically, in 1978 when the film “Grease” was being cast, Dey was the producer’s first choice to play “Sandy” before they eventually went with Olivia Newton-John.
• When producers recorded David Cassidy’s voice during songs, they would record it at a quarter of a tone lower, then play it back a quarter tone higher, making his voice sound higher than it really was so he sounded more like a teenager.
• David Cassidy was Shirley Jones’ stepson in real life. She married his father, actor Jack Cassidy, when David was six. Shirley was only 16 years older than her stepson. Neither one of them knew the other one was auditioning for the show until the final cast was made known. David was 20 years old at the time.
• The house that played the part of the Partridge family home had previously appeared in the series “Bewitched” as the home of the nosy neighbors, the Kravitzes.
• The fictional Partridge Family produced several albums, with one of their singles “I Think I
Love You” reaching the #1 spot and topping the Beatles’ “Let It Be.”
• Shirley Jones was only the second person in history to win an Oscar for acting while also having a #1 hit song. The other person was Frank Sinatra. Later, Cher and Barbra Streisand also made that achievement.
• The Partridge Family was nominated for a Grammy for “Best New Artist” in 1971 but lost to the Carpenters.
• None of the actors on the show got rich off it. They were paid $600 per episode ($3,800 today.)
• After rocketing to superstardom, David Cassidy did not receive anything for the lunch boxes, posters, and key chains bearing his likeness. His fan club was the biggest in history, surpassing even Elvis and the Beatles, yet he did not receive a penny from fan club fees.
• When his manager discovered he’d signed a contract while underage, she insisted he be given a new fair contract.
• By 1974, David Cassidy was exhausted from his heavy touring schedule and ready to quit, and the show had slipped in ratings. Producers considered replacing him with Australian heartthrob Rick Springfield (“Jessie’s Girl”) but scrapped the idea. “The Brady Bunch” was also canceled at the same time.
CLIP AND SAVE
Q: Is the series “China Beach” available to stream anywhere? Also, is Dana Delany in anything else right now? I loved that show. -- I.N.
A: Two years ago, TVLine published their list of the 10 most-requested shows not yet available on a major streaming service. One of those was “China Beach,” the Vietnam-Warera drama starring Dana Delany and Marg Helgenberger that aired on ABC from 1988-1991. Since this wish list was posted, six of the shows have been picked up by streamers: “Homicide: Life on the Street,” “Knots Landing,” “Moonlighting,” “Sisters,” “Northern Exposure,” and now ... “China Beach!” Roku’s new ad-free streaming service called Howdy (subscriptions are just $2.99 a month) is the exclusive streamer of “China Beach.” As for Delany, she was a regular on the hit series “Desperate Housewives” from 2007-2012 before starring in
another successful drama called “Body of Proof.” She’s also returning for her third season on the hit show “Tulsa King,” which returns to Paramount+ with new episodes beginning on Sept. 21.
As for the final four shows that made TVLine’s list two years ago? Fans of “Ed,” “Murphy Brown,” “Chicago Hope,” and “Boston Public” are still hoping that the shows will find their streaming homes, but it’s very likely that the usual obstacles, such as music clearances, are responsible for the delay.
***
Q: I just read that there’s going to be another “Yellowstone” spin-off. Is this in addition to the one with Beth and Rip? I hope that one is still a go. -- S.P.
A: There are at least two new and upcoming “Yellowstone” spin-offs since the flagship series from creator Taylor Sheridan ended last Decem ber. First up is “Y: Marshals,” where Luke Grimes will reprise his role of Kayce Dutton in his next in carnation as a U.S. marshal. As for a premiere date, Entertainment Weekly reported that the show will begin airing midway through the 2025-26 broad cast season on CBS.
As for Beth and Rip, their love story will continue sometime in 2026 with stars Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser on their new ranch in Montana. A series title hasn’t been announced, but the the show will air exclusively on Paramount+.
***
1. Weapons (R) Julia Garner, Josh Brolin
2. Freakier Friday (PG) Jamie Lee Curtis, Lindsay Lohan
3. Nobody 2 (R) Bob Odenkirk, Connie Nielsen
4. The Fantastic Four: First Steps (PG-13) Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby
5. The Bad Guys 2 (PG) Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron
6. Superman (PG-13) David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan
7. The Naked Gun (PG-13) Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson
8. Jurassic World: Rebirth (PG-13) Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali
9. F1: The Movie (PG-13) Brad Pitt, Damson Idris
10. Coolie (NR) Rajinikanth, Nagarjuna Akkineni
been announced. I would imagine that several will be asked to reprise their roles in a guest-starring capacity, but the Hulu series is still in its early stages of development.
Ryan Kiera Armstrong has been cast as Nova, the new slayer of Sunnydale. Her credits include “Stick,” “American Horror Story,” and “It Chapter Two.” The series will be produced by Gellar, along with Nora and Lilla Zuckerman (both producers of “Poker Face”) as the showrunners. The pilot episode will be directed by Oscar-winning director Chloe Zhao (“Nomadland”).
Q: Are any of the original cast from “Buffy” going to be in the reboot series? I’ve only heard that Sarah Michelle Gellar is involved in some capacity. -- K.S.
A: While Sarah Michelle Gellar is expected to appear in the planned sequel series of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” as a mentor to a new young slayer, no other actors from the original series have
King Features News Syndicate by Dana Jackson
Courtesy of Paramount+
Dana Delany as Margaret Deveraux in “Tulsa King”
Good Recipes from
Rotelle With Ratatouille
Roasting the eggplant, pepper and onion for this dish may take a little longer than top-ofthe-range cooking, but it’s low-maintenance, and the resulting rich flavor is worth it.
1 medium (about 1 1/2 pounds) eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 medium red pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large red onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 cloves garlic, crushed with garlic press
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Salt
1 pint red and/or yellow cherry tomatoes, each cut in half
1 cup (loosely packed) fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 package (16 ounces) rotelle or fusilli pasta
Fresh basil leaves for garnish
1. Preheat oven to 450 F. In large roasting pan (17 by 11 1/2-inches) or 15 1/2 by 10 1/2-inch jelly-roll pan, toss eggplant, red pepper, onion, garlic, oil, black pepper and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt until vegetables are well-coated.
2. Roast vegetables 35 to 40 minutes or until tender and lightly browned, stirring occasionally.
3. In large bowl, toss tomatoes with chopped basil and vinegar; set aside to allow flavors to develop.
4. Meanwhile, heat large saucepot of salted water to boiling over high heat. Add pasta and cook as label directs.
5. When pasta has cooked to desired doneness, remove 1/4 cup pasta cooking water and reserve. Drain pasta. Add pasta, roasted vegetables and reserved cooking water to toma-
toes in bowl; toss well to distribute vegetables. Garnish each serving with basil leaves. Serves 4.
Each serving: About 595 calories, 13g total fat (2g saturated), 0mg cholesterol, 1,040mg sodium, 104g total carbs, 9g dietary fiber, 18g protein.
Spicy Southern Hash Browns
Our trick to preparing these hash browns for a crowd: individual patties that are baked instead of fried. Make them up to 2 hours ahead and reheat in a 350 F oven for 10 minutes, or until warmed through.
2 pound russet potatoes
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 small sweet potato
3 green onions
1/2 teaspoon cayenne (ground red) pepper
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Spray a large cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In large bowl, fold all the ingredients together. Divide evenly into 12 mounds on prepared cookie sheet; flatten into patties. Spray tops with nonstick cooking spray.
3. Bake the hash browns for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottoms. With thin spatula, turn the patties over. Bake another
15 minutes, or until brown on the bottoms. Serve immediately, or make up to 2 hours ahead and reheat in a 350 F oven for 10 minutes. Makes 6 side-dish servings.
For thousands of triple-tested recipes, visit our website at www.goodhousekeeping.com/foodrecipes/ (c) 2025 Hearst Communications, Inc. All rights reserved
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HEADS
By John Allen
DIAMOND LIL
by Brett Koth
Donald Duck by Walt
Holidays & Observances This Week
8/31 National Matchmaker Day
9/1 Labor Day
9/2 V-J Day
9/3 National Cinema Day
9/4 Newspaper Carrier Appreciation Day
9/5 Be Late For Something Day
9/6 National Play Outside Day
Dog Talk with Uncle Matty
By Matthew Margolis
Some Things We Just Don’t Want To Hear
There are some things we just don’t want to hear: The disease is incurable. The relationship is over. The economy won’t rebound anytime soon.
The dog is aggressive is a big one in my business.
A firefighter back east called last week with a real head-scratcher. He has a 3-year-old Cane Corso, which is an intelligent and powerful Italian mastiff breed. He discovered the dog in an abandoned warehouse a couple of years ago and decided to give it a home. When he relocated eight months ago, the dog suddenly took to growling. And, no, the story doesn’t end at that.
The fireman took his Cane Corso to the dog wash in his new hometown, where a woman oohed and aahed and asked for permission to pet him. Initially the man kept her at arm’s length, explaining it really wasn’t safe. But she persisted and asked him why he had the dog in a public place if it wasn’t safe.
Logical question.
The story ends with this: The man acquiesced, and the dog bit the woman.
If you follow this column regularly, you aren’t surprised. It happens all the time. People let love cloud their sanity: women go back for beating after beating; men live with belittlement and emasculation; dog owners tolerate the snarling, snapping, biting objects of their affection.
I asked the firefighter, “Is the dog trained?”
“Yes, I’m a trainer.”
“I thought you were a firefighter.”
“Yeah, but I’ve had a couple of dogs, and I trained them, no problem.”
These days, it seems everyone’s a critic, everyone’s an economist and everyone’s a dog trainer. But in reality, most of us are amateur experts in almost everything. Most people don’t know how to cure cancer, the economy or canine aggression -- much less all three.
What’s the difference between an expert and an amateur?
Dictionaries will tell you money. I say credentials.
In the world of food recalls and alerts, just when you think you’ve seen it all, something even more scary and dangerous comes along.
We’ve had the “normal” stuff, of course. There was the cheese produced in a facility infested with mice and rats. There was the cheese that was recalled for risk of listeria. We had undeclared wheat in chocolate cookies and boxes of cheese crackers that actually contained peanut butter crackers, a potential life-threatening problem for those who are allergic to peanuts.
Then there was the undeclared soy and wheat in ice cream. An energy drink was found to contain alcohol because the alcoholic drink was mistakenly packaged in the energy drink cans. Just regular stuff, right?
But it was another one that gave me a chill: a brand of instant coffee that was found to contain ground glass.
The coffee was sold in 48 states, with only Hawaii and Alaska being left out. It wasn’t just one manufacturing lot that was affected, but three. The company was notified by a customer and immediately issued the recall. I hate to think of the possible internal injuries that could be caused by drinking that coffee.
At the same time, this last week saw consumer products recalls for the charger to smartwatches because they can overheat and ignite, kids’ pajamas that don’t meet flammability standards, jewelry with excess levels of cadmium (which can cause health effects due to skin exposure), heated socks that can cause burns and blisters, a multi-tool with a blade that can cause cuts, and a set of kitchen steps with a safety bar that can collapse when in use.
Whew. It’s been busy in the recall department, and those are only from the consumer products section.
If you’d like to receive email alerts for all types of products (food, vehicles, medicine, consumer products, boats, environmental products, cosmetics), go online to www.recalls.gov and sign up. Other government websites with recalls include www.fda.gov and www.fsis.usda.gov Check them out. You'll be astounded at all the categories and products listed.
* * *
Matilda Charles regrets that she cannot personally answer reader questions, but will incorporate them into her column whenever possible. Send email to columnreply2@ gmail.com.
Cody’s Corner (from page 9)
Countless people have paid good money to noncredentialed, untrained dog or animal behaviorists, only to be left with the same problems and more of them.
The fireman wanted my advice, and I gave it to him:
His dog suffers from fear-based aggression, for which there is no cure. He can and should go forward with a behavior modification plan with the understanding that his dog will never be 100 percent safe to unleash on the world. And under no circumstances should he take this dog into a public place knowing, as he does, that it is an enormous liability. The dog is dangerous and should be kept away from public places and muzzled when not secured at home.
But he didn’t want to hear it. “I can’t accept this.”
Are you surprised?
Truth be told, even if it meant I were forever out of business, doomed to begin again in another career, I do wish everyone were a dog trainer. That would mean a world full of happier people and happier dogs. It would mean close to 5 million fewer dog bites in this country every year. It would mean courts unclogged with the frivolous suits between neighbors and former friends, now at each other’s throats over the barking of a dog. It would mean more space in our nation’s crowded emergency rooms. It would mean more service dogs and fewer dogfights. It would mean safer kids, stronger families and better communities.
Besides, I’ve always wanted to be a firefighter. And I have put out a few nasty blazes in my day.
Dog trainer Matthew “Uncle Matty” Margolis is the co-author of 18 books about dogs, a behaviorist, a popular radio and television guest, and the host of the PBS series “WOOF! It’s a Dog’s Life!” Read all of Uncle Matty’s columns at www.creators.com, and visit him at www.unclematty.com.
YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY
by Tom Margenau
Happy (Belated) Birthday to Social Security
Doesn’t it just bug you when you miss the birthday of a close friend? That happened to me when I recently missed the 90th birthday of someone who (well, actually something) that has been a big part of my life for the last half century. I’m talking about the Social Security program that turned 90 a week or so ago. Former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act on Aug.14, 1935.
I forgot to wish it a happy birthday in last week’s column, so I’m going to make up for it today by once again sharing a little history of our nation’s bedrock social insurance program.
Most people recognize that the concept of a national social insurance system in America grew out of the economic crises that followed the Great Depression and out of the election of Franklin Delano Roosevelt as president in 1932. His “New Deal” programs were enacted to help bring the country out of the economic depths of that time. And of course, Social Security was one of those programs. (By the way, Social Security programs had been in existence in many countries around the world long before FDR introduced it in the United States.)
But it’s not like our country was initially willing and eager to welcome this new kind of government-run old age pension system. Most employers and even many unions just didn’t think the federal government would be able to finance and manage such a huge and comprehensive program.
Of course, many people were involved in making Social Security happen. But one oftenoverlooked person deserves a great deal of credit. And that was Frances Perkins. She was FDR’s Secretary of Labor. And it was her perseverance and powers of persuasion with not only labor leaders, but also with members of Congress, that finally took Social Security off the planning table and onto the floors of Congress as actual legislation in January 1935.
But once there, the bill didn’t exactly breeze through Congress. In fact, on March 20, 1935, The New York Times ran a story headlined, “Hopes Are Fading for the Social Security Bill.” Then FDR stepped in. He called the leaders of Congress over to the White House and gave them a pep talk. Not long afterward, those members of Congress swallowed their doubts and passed the Social Security bill by a substantial 372-33 margin.
Then the bill bogged down in the Senate with various members of the upper body trying to tack on amendments (such as making the program voluntary rather than compulsory). Eventually, all these issues were ironed out, the bill passed, and FDR signed the Social Security Act on Aug. 14, 1935.
Speaking of that original Social Security law, many readers always tell me that we should take Social Security “back to its roots.” They think too many “goodies” have been tacked on to the program over the years and that we’d be better off with “good old-fashioned original Social Security.”
I always tell these folks that if they really mean they want only the original Social Security law, then all we would have is retirement benefits for people 65 and older who were totally retired. That’s it. Period. Nothing else!
So that means we would have no early retirement benefits at age 62. Those millions of people getting early retirement benefits could kiss their checks goodbye under the “back to basics” plan.
It would also mean we would not pay benefits to anyone 65 and older if they were still working. The original Social Security law required that you must be completely retired to collect benefits. So tough luck for all the working seniors out there under the original plan.
Oh, and there would be no extra bonus for people who delay taking benefits until a later age. Millions of seniors currently plan to work until 70 to get a bonus of up to 32% added to their checks. Back to basic plans would turn off that incentive to delay retirement.
There would be no benefits for spouses, widows or widowers. And if a young worker dies and leaves small children -- tough luck. No government benefits for them. (Actually, these benefits were quickly added to the program in 1939 before any regular monthly benefits were paid. But still, they were not part of the original Social Security Act.)
And there would be no disability benefits. So, if you have a heart attack at age 55, well then, that’s just too bad. You would just have to wait until you are 65 to collect your Social Security, assuming you live that long.
I could go on and on. There are tens of millions of people getting Social Security benefits today who would not qualify for anything under the original Social Security law.
Some people call these extra benefits “goodies” added to the original Social Security law, I would make the point that Social Security expanded over the years not because Congress was looking for ways to hand out freebies to freeloaders, but because there were legitimate needs that people had and that a caring and compassionate society needed to provide for its citizens. That’s why today we have Social Security benefits for working seniors, for spouses and widows, for orphaned children, for divorced spouses and disabled workers.
And finally, let me get back to Social Secu-
1. The book of Nahum is found in the a) Old Testament b) New Testament c) Neither
2. In Acts 7, who recounts the story of Abraham along with the captivity and freedom of the children of Israel? a) Paul b) Timothy c) Peter d) Stephen
3. Who went to sleep and fell out of a window while Paul preached? a) Eucryrus b) Enid c) Eutychus d) Barnabas
4. From Matthew 8, whose mother-in law did Jesus heal? a) John b) Peter c) Timothy d) James
5. In what Macedonian city were Paul and Silas imprisoned? a) Philippi b) Jericho c) Rome d) Maltus
6. Who was Priscilla married to? a) Atilla b) Alpheus c) Andrew d) Aquila
(Answers on page 16)
to www.TriviaGuy.com
rity’s 90th birthday and make this point. For all the 50-plus years I have been associated with the program (I started working for the Social Security Administration in 1973), people have been telling me that Social Security is doomed to failure. And my mentor was a guy who started working for Social Security in 1936. And he said that back then, everyone was telling him that the program wouldn’t last. In other words, for 90 years now, people have been predicting the program’s demise.
Come on, you doomsayers! I mean, how long does the program have to be around before you accept the fact that it is here to stay? It has been updated often in the past nine decades to adapt to changing times. And it will be reformed again (likely in the next several years) to adapt once more to changing times. But a basic social insurance program is always going to be part of what makes us a civilized society.
Happy Birthday again, Social Security! * *
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 Easy-to-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. Or you can send him an email at thomas.margenau@comcast.net. To find out more about Tom Margenau and to read past columns and see features from other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 2025 CREATORS.COM
Enjoy Tidbits with a Friend!
Metformin
Can Help All People, Not Just Diabetics, Lose Weight
DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 75-year-old woman who isn’t prediabetic or diabetic. My BMI is 31.2. My doctor has prescribed a trial of metformin for weight loss as an alternative to starting Ozempic or one of the other weight-loss drugs. I have lost three pounds in a month, which is a start; exercise and healthier eating is also encouraged.
What are your thoughts on this new weight-loss tool and its possible long-term success? --
J.H.
ANSWER: Metformin, a treatment for diabetes that works mostly by preventing the liver from making sugar. It isn’t new and has been used to help people lose weight for at least 20 years. While it was first shown to help people with prediabetes or diabetes, it is also effective at helping people with normal blood sugar lose weight. However, the effectiveness is modest, with most people losing around 2-3 kilograms (about 5 pounds), which is stable as long as people continue taking the medicine.
I certainly agree with the changes in lifestyle. In studies, people who adhere to a healthier diet and exercise are likely to lose more weight than people who take metformin without lifestyle changes.
I’ve had occasional patients who get motivated by the success of metformin, making it easier for them to comply with the diet and exercise changes. I’ve also had people say that the weight they lose with metformin makes it easier to exercise. Metformin is moderately successful in preventing diabetes, but it is not as effective for weight loss as approved weight-loss medicines such as semaglutide (Ozempic).
Some of my patients have read about metformin as an anti-aging drug based on animal data, and there are studies ongoing to see whether this is true in humans. I do not recommend its use for this purpose outside of a clinical trial.
DR. ROACH WRITES: Many readers were concerned about the advice given to a reader by his physician to use petrolatum (Vaseline) in his nose, because of a condition called exogenous lipoid pneumonia.
This is a very uncommon condition but can occur when large amounts of petroleum jelly are placed in the nose, especially when the person lays down to sleep and inhales it while asleep.
This condition can be avoided by only using a thin film in the nostrils and by not doing so immediately before bed so that any excess will come out of the nose. If a small amount is swallowed, this is not dangerous as it passes through the digestive system without being absorbed.
A recent column in which I discussed Raynaud’s phenomenon generated several comments from readers. One person was disappointed I didn’t mention that Raynaud’s can affect the feet, but they are right that it can.
Another person noted relief by taking fish oil twice daily. The medical literature suggests that this can be of benefit for those with primary Raynaud’s -- meaning when it’s not in combination with a rheumatologic disease.
Another suggestion was magnesium, which helped another reader out. Since fish oil and magnesium are low-risk interventions, I wanted to pass these on with thanks to the readers who wrote in with their experiences.
* * *
Dr. Roach regrets that he is unable to answer individual questions, but will incorporate them in the column whenever possible. Readers may email questions to ToYourGoodHealth@med.cornell.edu.
(c) 2025 North America Synd., Inc. All Rights Reserved
TRIVIANEWSFRONT
1.Whohada#1hitin1961withthesardonic
2.Accordingtotheproverb,whatis“the
VETERANS POST
by Freddie Groves
Community Care Extended
Veterans who receive community care for medical treatment have been required in the past to seek and receive new referrals every 90 to 180 days. Just getting that referral or authorization can cause delays in treatment. Now, with changes at the VA, those referrals won’t be as frequent.
Starting now, in 30 different categories of medical care, referrals and new authorizations will only be required once a year.
Community care can literally be a lifesaver for veterans who live too far from a VA medical facility, whose closest facility doesn’t provide the medical care that’s required or if the VA’s wait times are not acceptable.
Here are a few of the 30 medical categories that are now eligible for the longer authorization: cardiology, oncology, gastroenterology, pain management and pulmonary.
If you’ve been getting community medical care and are subject to the need for frequent reauthorizations, contact the Community Care office at your closest VA medical center to ask how the new rule impacts the schedule you’ll be on going forward.
Ask whether the new “year” began when your current authorization period did, or whether a new year begins right now. Get the answer in writing, if you can. Take the steps you need to, to guarantee that your authorization is indeed extended so you don’t discover at the last minute that there’s been a problem and that your file was overlooked.
If you’d like to take advantage of community care, you need to be enrolled in VA health care or be eligible for it.
If you’re getting VA care, tell your VA physician that you’d like to get community care. If they think it’s appropriate, they will start a referral.
Once you find a civilian community care provider that you like, be sure to verify that they’re part of the VA’s network before you get any treatment from them, otherwise VA won’t pay for it.
To learn more about community care or to find a provider in your area, go online to www. va.gov/communitycare.
Freddy Groves regrets that he cannot personally answer reader questions, but will incorporate them into his column whenever possible. Send email to columnreply2@gmail.com.
TRIVIANEWSFRONT
1.Whohada#1hitin1961withthesardonic
2.Accordingtotheproverb,whatis“the
Is Social Security Still Taxable?
DEAR SAVVY SENIOR: I am wondering whether I have to pay taxes on my Social Security retirement benefits. I heard that President Trump’s big, beautiful bill eliminated that. If this is so, it's great news. What can you tell me? -- Retiring Soon
Dear Retiring Soon: The new law, better known as the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’ did not eliminate Social Security taxes. However, it does provide a temporary “senior bonus” deduction (starting in 2025 through 2028) of up to $6,000 that will apply to taxpayers, age 65 and older, who earn up to $75,000 for singles or $150,000 for joint filers. If you earn over that amount, the deduction starts phasing out.
Also note that the senior bonus is a deduction, not a refundable credit, so it will not help lower-earning seniors who owe no income taxes.
Who Owes SSA Taxes?
Whether or not you’ll be required to pay federal income tax on your Social Security benefits will depend on your income and filing status. About 40 percent of Social Security recipients have total incomes high enough to trigger federal income tax on their benefits.
To figure out if your benefits will be taxable, you’ll need to add up all of your “provisional income,” which includes wages, taxable and nontaxable interest, dividends, pensions and taxable retirement-plan distributions, self-employment, and other taxable income, plus half your annual Social Security benefits, minus certain deductions used in figuring your adjusted gross income.
To help you with the calculations, get a copy of IRS Publication 915 “Social Security and Equivalent Railroad Retirement Benefits,” which provides detailed instructions and worksheets. You can download it at IRS.gov/pub/irs-pdf/ p915.pdf or call the IRS at 800-829-3676 and ask them to mail you a free copy.
After you do the calculations, the IRS says that if you’re single and your total income from all of the listed sources is:
• Less than $25,000, your Social Security
will not be subject to federal income tax.
• Between $25,000 and $34,000, up to 50 percent of your Social Security benefits will be taxed at your regular income-tax rate.
• More than $34,000, up to 85 percent of your benefits will be taxed.
If you’re married and filing jointly and the total from all sources is:
• Less than $32,000, your Social Security won’t be taxed.
• Between $32,000 and $44,000, up to 50 percent of your Social Security benefits will be taxed.
• More than $44,000, up to 85 percent of your benefits will be taxed.
If you’re married and file a separate return, you probably will pay taxes on your benefits.
In addition to triggering ordinary income tax, a distribution that raises your gross income can bump up the proportion of your Social Security benefits that are subject to taxes.
How to File
If you find that part of your Social Security benefits will be taxable, you’ll need to file using Form 1040 or Form 1040-SR. You also need to know that if you do owe taxes, you’ll need to make quarterly estimated tax payments to the IRS, or you can choose to have it automatically withheld from your benefits.
To have it withheld, you’ll need to complete IRS Form W-4V, Voluntary Withholding Request (IRS.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw4v.pdf), and file it with your local Social Security office.
State Taxation
ADVERTISING PROOF
You can also find out if any of your benefits are taxable through the IRS online tax tool that asks a series of questions that will help you determine your status. To access this tool, go to IRS.gov/Help/ITA – click on “Social Security or railroad retirement tier I benefits - Are mine taxable?”
To limit potential taxes on your benefits, you’ll need to be cautious when taking distributions from retirement accounts or other sources.
Estate Planning Attorney
In addition to the federal government, nine states – Colorado, Connecticut, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont and West Virginia – tax Social Security benefits to some extent too. If you live in one of these states, check with your state tax agency for details.
The fact that Kansas and Arkansas are pronounced differently bothers me way more than it should. It's hard to make a comeback when you haven't really been anywhere. Some days you're the windshield; other days you're the bug.
by Anne McCollam
Satsuma Vases Were Made in Japan
Q: Enclosed is a photo of a pair of Asian umbrella holders that I inherited from my aunt. Actually, I’m not sure if they are umbrella holders or what they are.
They are approximately 18.75 inches high and 8.5 inches at the widest part. Marked on the bottom of each are blue lines with curved lines. The scenes are against a cream-colored background and decorated with small white raised dots. The finish has a crazed appearance. Each is in very good condition. There are no cracks or chips.
Any help you could give me will be greatly appreciated.
A: You have a pair of Satsuma vases. They are too small to be umbrella holders. Satsumaware is Japanese glazed pottery. It was usually cream-colored and decorated with raised enamels and often had a crackled finish.
Satsuma was first made in the Satsuma Province in Japan by Korean potters around 1600. There are four periods of design: Edo, Meiji, Taisho and Showa periods. Your vases were made during the Meiji period, which lasted from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. The raised dots are moriage, and the figures are Samurai officers.
Your circa 1900 vases would have an insurance value of $275 to $400 each.
Q: This mark is on the back of a platter that belonged to my great-grandmother. It was given to her for her wedding in 1913. The platter is decorated with a blue medallion in the center and a blue border against a white background. The edges are scalloped. It is in excellent condition.
What can you tell me about its history and value?
A: You have an ironstone Flow Blue platter that was made by WH Grindley & Co. It was founded in Tunstall, Staffordshire, England, in 1880, and they made both ironstone and earthenware. The firing process often caused designs to run and appear blurry, thus the name, Flow Blue.
Based on your description of the design, the platter is an example of Grindley’s “Lorne” pattern. The pattern is a transfer print. This mark was used from 1891 to 1914. Your platter would probably be worth $175 to $200.
Antiques expert and columnist Anne McCollam has recently retired and no longer receives inquiries nor answers reader letters. Due to the popularity of her column, this publication will continue to reprint previous columns of interest to our readers.
To find out more about Anne McCollam and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com
* On Sept. 1, 1878, Emma Nutt of Boston became the first female telephone operator. Until then, most telephone operators were teenage boys, whom customers weren’t overly happy with due to their gruffness and penchant for jokes and cursing.
* On Sept. 2, 1995, pop star Michael Jackson’s recording of “You Are Not Alone,” penned by R. Kelly after Kelly lost people close to him, made it to the top of Billboard’s Hot 100, becoming Jackson’s 12th No. 1 hit. It also earned American Music Award and Grammy nominations for Best Pop Vocal Performance.
* On Sept. 3, 1939, in response to Hitler’s invasion of Poland, Britain and France declared war on Germany.
* On Sept. 4, 2016, Pope Francis declared Roman Catholic nun Mother Teresa, who had dedicated her life to caring for India’s poor and marginalized, Saint Teresa of Calcutta before an approving crowd of thousands in Vatican City’s St. Peter’s Square. Her numerous awards included the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize.
* On Sept. 5, 2024, Oksana Masters, who was born with disabilities linked to the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, including webbed fingers and six toes on each foot, and abandoned as a baby but adopted at age 7 by an American professor, won her 9th Paralympic gold medal, scoring 19th overall across rowing, cycling and skiing.
* On Sept. 6, 1781, British Brigadier General Benedict Arnold, a former Patriot officer who had already become infamous for betraying the United States by attempting to sell the Patriot fort at West Point, New York, to the British the previous year for 20,000 pounds, added to the stains on his reputation by ordering his British command to burn every building in New London, Connecticut, after they’d looted the town, to the equivalent of more than $500,000 worth of damage.
* On Sept. 7, 1911, radical French poet Guillaume Apollinaire was arrested and jailed on suspicion of stealing Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” from the Louvre Museum in Paris. Due to a lack of evidence, he was released after five days.
(c) 2025 King Features Synd., Inc.
"l see you walking through sand among palm trees, green foliage and water. Either you're going on a lovely vacation or you're a lousy golfer."
Satsuma-ware is Japanese glazed pottery made during the Meiji period in the late 1800s.
WH Grindley & Co. was founded in England in 1880.
Wizard of Oz (from page 3)
seen licking the purple gelatin powder off.
• The carriage used in that scene was originally made for President Lincoln, given as a gift during the Civil War. It has a notation etched on its frame, “A. Lincoln, June 8, 1863.” It was used in over 200 movies before being donated to the Judy Garland Museum.
• The whereabouts of Dorothy’s parents is never mentioned.
• The famous “Surrender Dorothy” skywriting scene was done using a hypodermic needle filled with black ink, writing on the bottom of a glass tank filled with colored water. The words were written in reverse and filmed from below. The entire message originally said “SURRENDER DOROTHY OR DIE.”
• The ruby slippers were painful to wear, so Judy only wore them while the cameras were running. There is one scene where she is dancing with the Tin Man when you can get a glimpse of the plain black oxfords she wore during rehearsals, having forgotten to put the ruby slippers on for the shot.
• The Munchkins were paid $50 per week for a six-day work week, while Toto received $125 per week.
• Near the film’s conclusion, the Wizard presents the Scarecrow with a diploma. The Scarecrow, now possessing a long-sought-after brain, instantly declares: “The sum of the square roots of any two sides of an isosceles triangle is equal to the square root of the remaining side.” This is actually not true; it’s a mangled misstatement of the Pythagorean Theorem, which concerns right triangles and not isosceles triangles, but it is untrue about any triangle at all. He should have said, “The area of the square whose side is the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the areas of the squares on the other two sides.”
• Judy Garland was deeply disappointed that the movie was considered a box-office failure. It would take years to recoup its costs, and it did not really take off with audiences until CBS began showing it every year during Christmas, starting in 1959.
by Jason Jenkins
During the early years of golf instruction, turning in a barrel became a popular image as to how the legs and hips were to move in a confined, rotary type fashion. Players like Bobby Jones seemed to exemplify this over turning image, at least in the backswing.
Yet, Bobby and all the greats that followed him made one huge, significant change to that vivid barrel turning image….they broke through the barrel on the forward swing with demonstrative weight shift and footwork.
Turning in a barrel may not be a terrible poor backswing image, but it implies never really shifting the weight during the motion. Instead, picture turning back and brushing up against the side of the barrel going back, then busting through the other side with the left knee and hip in the forward swing. By using
in the ground along the left leg at address, you should notice the leg leave the stick in the backswing, and then knock into it on the forward swing. Trying to stay
to the
GO FIGURE!
10. MEASUREMENTS: How
The idea of Go Figure is to arrive at the figures given at the bottom and right-hand columns of the diagram by following the arithmetic signs in the order they are given (that is, from left to right and top to bottom). Use only the numbers below the diagram to complete its blank squares and use each of the nine numbers only once.
1. Suez Canal. 2. “Cinderella.” 3. A drake. 4. The Louvre in Paris, France. 5. The leaves. 6. 1960.
