Vol. 21: #46 • The Mighty Pencils • (11-9-2025) Tidbits of Coachella Valley
by Janet Spencer
In todayʼs digital world of smartphones, text messaging, laptops and gel pens, you might think any discussion about old-fashioned pencils would be pointless (pun intended). But despite all the advances in digital communication, the lowly pencil still maintains its worldwide relevance. So hone up your sharpener and take notes as we tell you more than you ever knew about this time-honored and still ubiquitous writing utensil.
HISTORY
• Thousands of years ago inspired cave dwellers scrawled picture messages on rock walls using the burnt ends of sticks. As language developed, the need for a form of written communication grew and the need for functional writing implements spurred innovation.
• We refer to the center of a common pencil as the lead even though there is no lead in the pencil. Why? The first pencils were narrow rods of soft metal lead, which were often wrapped in paper or twine. Lead made a mark when scraped across Pencils: Turn to page 3
TRIV
(Answers on page 16)
1. ASTRONOMY: When was Pluto reclassified as a dwarf planet?
2. ACRONYM: What phrase does the acronym URL stand for?
3. GEOGRAPHY: Where are the Dodecanese Islands?
4. MUSIC: Which country music star threw the javelin in college?
5. TELEVISION: Which character on the series “Bridgerton” admits to being Lady Whistledown, the pseudonym of a gossip writer?
6. MATH: How many degrees are in a circle?
7. MOVIES: What was the name of actor Henry Fonda’s last movie?
8. ANATOMY: In human beings, what is the condition called polythelia?
9. FOOD & DRINK: Which celebrity chef had a specialty food store called “The Barefoot Contessa”?
10. CHEMISTRY: What metallic element has the highest melting point? Answers
NIGHT
• On May 29, 1974, the Texas Rangers were up against the Cleveland Indians at the Rangers’ home at Arlington Stadium. The game was tense and led to a bench-clearing brawl. Even after the umps settled things, the rest of the game was raucous. Rangers fans pelted the players with anything they could throw. The Rangers won 3-0. Clevelanders were angry.
• Due to expected retaliation, a reporter asked Rangers’ manager Billy Martin in a post-game interview, “Are you going to wear armor when you play in Cleveland again next week?” Martin said, “No, there won’t be enough fans in the stands to worry about that.”
• The Cleveland Indians had been suffering a long losing streak. In fact, they had never made the playoffs once in the last 40 years. As a result, the stands were mostly empty on game nights
•. Indians management, looking for a way to boost attendance at the Cleveland Municipal Stadium, took exception to Martin’s remark. In response, they devised a brilliant promotion guaranteed to pack the stands. They called it “Ten Cent Beer Night.” Any fan of legal age could purchase 8-ounce beers for only a dime each, a price equal to about 50 cents today. The normal price for a baseball concession stand beer in 1974 was 65 cents ($3.50 today).
• The only limit given was that only six beers could be purchased at a time, yet there was no limit on the number of purchases that could be made.
• Radio DJs and sports reporters goaded both teams, fanning the flames of resentment. On June 4, over 25,000 fans showed up for the game – twice as many as expected. At a game just a few nights earlier, the total attendance was sparse as usual, around 4,200.
• At this game, an understaffed crew sold an estimated 60,000 beers. The Rangers quickly took a 5-1 lead, and the fans, now fortified by a few beers under their belts, erupted in chaos.
• Fans began throwing empty cups and food
containers out into the playing field. A woman ran onto the infield, flashed her breasts, and tried to kiss an umpire. A man streaked naked across the outfield. Rangers’ manager Billy Martin was pelted with empty beer cups, and blew kisses in return. Several men hopped the fence and commenced mooning the Rangers players.
• By the ninth inning, most of the sober people had left the game early, leaving the drunken melee behind. That’s when a Cleveland fan ran onto the field and swiped the hat and glove of a Rangers outfielder. With that, the rest of the Rangers grabbed bats and ran to the outfield to protect their teammate and retrieve his stolen items. At this point, the riot broke out.
• Fans stormed the field while those still in the stands hurled whatever they could into the crowd -- wine bottles, programs, popcorn, hot dogs, firecrackers, and smoke bombs. Fist fights broke out, and people started bashing other people with folding chairs. The fifty security guards on duty were completely overwhelmed.
• The players escaped through a tunnel, and the fans took over the field, stealing bases (literally), ripping up the sod, barfing and urinating. The head umpire realized that order would never be restored in time to finish the final inning, so he forfeited the game to the Rangers. Minutes later, he was hit in the head by an uprooted stadium seat and required stitches.
• Dozens of police arrived. They launched tear gas and turned off the floodlights. The crowd dispersed. Nine people were arrested. A few went to the hospital for various injuries.
• Despite the disaster the event did succeed in increasing attendance, so the Indians held another ten-cent beer night a few weeks later, this time drawing a crowd of 41,000.
• One crucial difference was in place by then: fans were issued only two coupons for a tencent beer, and you could not buy a ten-cent beer without a coupon. Staff and security were beefed up. The game passed as a relatively peaceful event with no further incidents.
papyrus. The marks were later made darker by mixing it with tin or bismuth
• Later the quill pen became standard. Quill pens were made by preparing a large bird feather, such as a goose feather, by carefully cutting the stem tip to a point at a 450 angle to create a nib. A narrow slit was then cut up to the point to allow ink to collect and flow when pressed to the paper. Early inks were made from soot and water, and later darker mixtures were made of oak galls, iron sulfate and gum arabic.
BIRTH OF THE PENCIL
• The origin of the modern pencil began in 1563 in Borrowdale, England when a huge windstorm tipped over a large tree. Villagers discovered clumps of a strange, dark substance clinging to the roots of the upturned tree.
• Finding that this coal-like substance was handy for marking their sheep, the people of Borrowdale began to dig, unearthing what was to be the world’s first graphite mine. Soon, people found that writing with this new substance was superior to writing with leaden rods.
• It quickly became popular to wrap slender sticks of it in sheepskin or string to make a primitive writing tool. Often, people would wedge a piece of it into the split end of a soft wooden twig. By the 1600s, graphite from the Borrowdale mine was being widely exported.
• When it was first discovered, graphite was called by many names, especially “black lead.” The word graphite comes from the Greek “graphein” meaning “to write.”
• A carpenter in Keswick, England, was the first to figure out that a sliver of graphite could be enclosed within a stick of wood that was split in half, grooved and then glued back together. This idea spread quickly, with many people making improvements to the design.
• When war broke out between England and France in 1793, France was cut off from its supply of graphite. A French pencil maker
NUGGETS OF KNOWLEDGE
The point of a pencil must remain at 50% of the diameter of the original pencil lead to avoid breaking off. When a pencil point breaks, it breaks off at the exact angle that the pencil is being held against the surface.
named Conte, trying to stretch his meager store of graphite, mixed it with clay, thereby accidentally discovering how to make a more durable pencil lead. Conte patented his new improved pencil in 1795. He subsequently became one of the world’s first and biggest suppliers of pencils.
• Previously, graphite had been mixed with sulfur and wax, but the wax tended to soften when heated, making writing difficult. Mixing graphite dust with clay resulted in a harder, sharper pencil point that would not tend to break or soften. The more clay added, the harder the pencil.
STANDARDIZATION
• By changing the ratio of graphite to clay, manufacturers were able to standardize pencil hardness, rating them from #1 (the softest) to #10 (the hardest) and thereby resulting in the ever-popular #2 pencil.
• The very first pencils made in the U.S. were sold in Boston in 1812. Over 700 were manufactured by a cabinet maker, then sold to a hardware store for purchase by the public.
• In 1821, Charles Dunbar stumbled across a deposit of graphite in Bristol, New Hampshire. He saw his discovery as an opportunity to become a pencil maker. In 1823, things were going well, so he asked his brother-in-law, John Thoreau, to help him out.
• John Thoreau became a partner in the business. John’s son, Henry David Thoreau, helped out in the pencil factory from time to time. Noting that there were some issues with the process that needed improvement, Henry changed the design by figuring out a method to increase the purity of the graphite, greatly improving the product.
• The Thoreau pencil became the most popular American-made pencil in its day. It is speculated that Thoreau's famous books and essays would never have been written and published without the improvements he made in pencil components.
SPECIALIZATION
• By the 1850s, competition was so stiff that pencilmaking was no longer a lucrative business. The Thoreau family decided to focus instead on the business of supplying quality graphite to other manufacturers.
• An Austrian pencil company decided to paint their pencils to coincide with the colors of the national flag, which was black and yellow at the time. With the pencil lead being black, the pencil was painted yellow. Because these were the finest and most expensive pencils available,
cheap knock-off pencils copied the color, and yellow pencils became standard.
• In a behavioral study, researchers gave office workers yellow pencils and green pencils, asking them to use both equally, and report back on which was the better pencil. Most everyone
1. What percent of all pencils are yellow?
2. What is the standard length of a pencil in inches?
CLIP AND SAVE
By Lucie Winborne
* Mummies can still have fingerprints.
* President Herbert Hoover spoke Mandarin Chinese with his wife, Lou Henry Hoover, to avoid eavesdroppers during their stint in the White House.
* Contrary to what some folks might claim, a study found that cats display the main attachment styles as babies and dogs.
* McDonald’s buys about 2 billion eggs every year just for their U.S. restaurants.
* The concept of contact lenses dates back to Leonardo da Vinci, who described a vision correction method involving a water-filled glass hemisphere over the eye. Centuries later, British polymath Thomas Young created a lens prototype made of glass and filled with water based on another theoretical idea, by philosopher/scientist Rene Descartes.
* Israel used piracy laws as the basis for prosecuting Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann.
* Our physical and emotional states can change how we see color. Fatigue may dull sensitivity to contrast, some medications can alter the way the retina processes light, and positive thinkers often view hues as slightly more vivid.
* Before time zones were established in 1883, North America had more than 144 local times.
* Irene Triplett, the last American to collect a Civil War pension, died in 2020.
* Calvin Coolidge’s vice president, Charles G. Dawes, a self-trained pianist and flautist, is the only American veep to have penned a No. 1 hit pop song, a short instrumental piece titled “Melody in A Major.”
Thought for the Day: “Of all the liars in the world, sometimes the worst are our own fears.” -- Rudyard Kipling
PERFECT OMELET PAN.
Everyday CHEAPSKATE®
by Mary Hunt
Trucs in the Kitchen
Fast-food runs, deli detours and grocery carts loaded with prepared food can drain a food budget faster than a houseful of hungry teenagers. The secret for slashing your family’s food bill is to cook at home. And the way to become confident in the kitchen is to learn a few strategic trucs of the trade.
Any skillet can become your perfect omelet pan. The secret is making sure the omelet will not stick. Pour some kosher salt into the skillet, and rub the bottom and sides of the pan vigorously with a kitchen towel. The salt acts like an abrasive to put a fine polish on the skillet. Discard the salt, and proceed.
TENDER, MOIST CHICKEN.
Everyday CHEAPSKATE®
by Mary Hunt
“Truc” (rhymes with “fluke”) is a French word that means “trick,” not as in a magic trick or an illusion but rather a shortcut, gimmick, secret or a way to do something better, cheaper, easier and faster. Here are a few I've learned:
PERFECT RICE.
Saute 1 cup rice in 2 tablespoons oil in a saucepan over medium heat until the kernels are well-coated and begin to turn bright white. Add 1 cup water and 1 teaspoon salt, or salt to taste. Bring to a boil, and then stir and reduce to simmer. Cover and cook for 10 minutes undisturbed. Remove from the heat -- do not peek -- and wait for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork, and serve. It multiplies well. Use equal amounts of rice and water.
PERFECT BOILED POTATOES.
Say goodbye to mushy boiled potatoes that fall apart: Fill a pot with 2 parts water and 1 part vinegar. Add a dash of kosher salt, and bring to a boil. Drop in the peeled potatoes, and gently boil until desired doneness.
PERFECT CUPCAKES.
To make rich, moist “gourmet” cupcakes, skip the muffin tins and paper liners. Grease and flour heavy, ovenproof porcelain coffee cups. Fill each of them 2/3 full with your favorite cake or muffin batter. Bake in heated oven at 325 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes. Allow them to cool for a few minutes, and then invert the cups to pop out the cakes.
When cooking a whole chicken, chicken parts or boneless skinless breasts in liquid (whether braising, boiling or stewing), make sure it never comes to a full boil, not even for a few moments. Once you see that liquid starting to move, turn the heat down so it remains just below the boiling point. This is the secret to cooking moist and tender chicken -- every time.
FRESH BASIL.
To enjoy “fresh” basil all year long, wash it; pat it dry between towels; and then pick off the unbruised leaves from the stems. Pack them in a jar, and cover completely with olive oil. Close the lid tightly, and refrigerate. Use the “fresh” basil as needed throughout the year, as well as the wonderful basil-flavored oil.
QUICK CHILL.
Champagne, beer, white wine and cans of soda are best served very cold, around 43 degrees F. That takes at least an hour in the refrigerator. But you can cut that time to 20 minutes or less: Fill an ice bucket half full with ice cubes. Pour in several cups of cold water, and add 4 tablespoons of salt. Plunge the beverage bottle into the ice bucket, adding additional water and ice so the bucket is full. In 10 to 12 minutes the beverage will be cold. Let it sit for 20 minutes to reach the ideal 43 degrees. Cheers! *
Mary invites you to visit her at EverydayCheapskate.com, where this column is archived complete with links and resources for all recommended products and services. Mary invites questions and comments at https://www.everydaycheapskate. com/contact/, “Ask Mary.” This column will answer questions of general interest, but letters cannot be answered individually. Mary Hunt is the founder of EverydayCheapskate.com, a frugal living blog, and the author of the book “Debt-Proof Living.”
COPYRIGHT 2025 CREATORS.COM
Marcy Cardenas
Vengeance in a
• Marvin Heemeyer was born in 1951 and settled in Colorado where he started a chain of muffler shops. In 1992, he moved to the Granby area, purchased land, and built another muffler shop.
• The shop on the plot of land was not connected to the city sewer system but instead had an old makeshift septic tank that was not up to code. City officials ordered that he connect to the town’s sewer lines at his own cost. He refused.
• In 1997, a concrete company submitted plans to build a plant next to Marvin’s shop. Marvin objected through city channels, but the concrete plant was approved anyway. He worried that the concrete plant would block access to his shop. Meanwhile, the city began levying fines against Marvin for his failure to address the sewage issue. He felt persecuted.
• In 2002, Marvin bought a large bulldozer. He then sold the muffler shop and the land it sat on for ten times the amount he had paid for the land. He reserved the right from his buyer to continue using half of the muffler shop for his own projects.
• For the next two years, his mission was to make numerous modifications to the bulldozer. The main objective was to add a thick layer of bulletproof armor, transforming the bulldozer into a military-grade tank. He added cameras and gun ports.
• When he started talking about using his modified bulldozer to exact revenge by flattening the unfair town, his friends thought he was joking. Marvin Heemeyer was not joking.
• On June 4, 2004, Marvin loaded up his bulldozer with food, water, guns, and ammo. He then embarked upon a rampage of revenge by driving straight through the cement block wall
of the muffler shop. Next, he went next door and destroyed the concrete plant. Employees threw blocks of concrete in front of the treads, hoping to impede its progress, but that only prompted Marvin to open fire through the gun ports. The employees fled in terror.
• City police rushed to the scene but found that gunfire only ricocheted off the sides of the machine. An officer climbed on top but was unable to find any chink in the armor that might be pried open. Even a grenade thrown into the exhaust pipe did nothing. An emergency alert warning went out to every citizen in town.
• Heemeyer flattened the town hall, the library, a bank, the mayor’s house, and the newspaper office. Police tried to block his path with dump trucks, an excavator, and a front-end loader, but the “Killdozer” easily shoved every obstacle aside as he continued on his mission.
• His warpath ended only when he bulldozed his way into the Gamble’s Department Store. A heavy skid-steer loader wedged in close behind him, blocking his retreat and giving him no place to go but forward. But Marvin was unaware of the small basement located under the first floor. When one tread of his machine dropped into the hole, it was game over. As police surrounded his rig, a single shot rang out as Marvin ended his reign of terror by ending his life.
• The destruction wasn’t random. He targeted the workplaces of people he felt had wronged him. No one was killed or injured, but over $7 million
in damage had been done to the town of Granby.
• Although some hailed him as a hero for fighting the system, the city leaders who had tried to work with him, as well as the owners of the concrete plant, had offered many fair solutions to his issues. The concrete plant had guaranteed access to his muffler shop, and even offered to hook him into their sewage line at no charge. The city proposed he simply upgrade his septic system for code compliance. But Marvin continuously ramped up his anger and nursed his grudges.
• Some say Marvin was a man hopelessly tangled in red tape. Others say he was a delusional and cantankerous old man. Following his death, the Killdozer was disassembled piece by piece and sold to various scrap yards.
• When the new owners took possession of his land, they got the sewer line hooked up in a single day.
CLIP AND SAVE
Dana Jackson
Q: Who is the actor playing the new police captain on “High Potential”? My husband doesn’t recognize him from any of our other shows, but I know I’ve seen him before. -- W.T.
As for the mustache, the actor reportedly was playing a character on another project who had a beard. The producers of that show wanted him to at least keep a mustache until they were finished filming, so in the meantime when he arrived on set for “High Potential,” he didn’t shave his upper lip. Showrunner Todd Harthan recently told TVLine that “it was time for it to go” and that Howey’s previous employer would just need to deal with it.
***
Q: Is President Trump’s reality show “The Apprentice” on any cable channels or streaming anywhere? I’d like to watch it again. -- M.M.
porting that a reboot in the form of a film of the 1980s cult hit series “Miami Vice” is in development. Eric Warren Singer (“Top Gun: Maverick”) and Dan Gilroy (“Andor”) are reportedly co-writing the screenplay, and the film is aiming for a summer 2027 theatrical release date.
The question is whether it will take itself seriously or be a parody of the original? What we do know is that A-listers Austin Butler and Michael B. Jordan have been tapped to fill Crockett (Don Johnson) and Tubbs’ (Philip Michael Thomas) loafers.
Send me your questions at NewCelebrityExtra@gmail.com.
A: That’s actor Steve Howey as Capt. Nick Wagner on the hit ABC drama series “High Potential.” He first appeared on the show this season sporting a mustache, which Morgan (Kaitlin Olson) quickly poked fun at, but his character has since shaved. The actor is probably best known for playing Cheyenne’s husband, Van, on the sitcom “Reba” from 2001-2007, but more recently from 2011-2021, he played neighbor Kev on the Showtime comedy “Shameless.”
Howey also starred in the short-lived CBS series “True Lies” before guest-starring recently on hit network shows like “Brilliant Minds” and the “Reba” spin-off “Happy’s Place.”
A: “The reality show where you don’t win a date ... you get a career” is how “The Apprentice” marketed itself back in 2004 when it premiered on NBC. It featured business professionals competing for a one-year contract with Donald Trump’s company. It wasn’t until 2008 that the show rebranded itself as “The Celebrity Apprentice” and featured a mixture of actors, professional athletes, singers, and reality TV personalities who were seated in the boardroom and competed for the top prize.
The future President of the United States made it a family affair with daughter Ivanka and sons Eric and Donald Jr. assisting in the judging. NBC asked the elder Trump to depart the show in 2015 after he made controversial comments while campaigning for his first presidency. Movie star and former Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger replaced him as host, but the show was then canceled one year later.
As for reruns, you can stream all episodes of “The Apprentice” and its celebrity spin-off on Amazon Prime Video. ***
Q: Is it true that they’re going to remake “Miami Vice?” Will it be a TV series or a movie? -- Y.C.
A: Yes, many media outlets have been re-
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(c) 2025 King Features Synd., Inc.
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Depositphotos
Steve Howey (“High Potential”)
Good Recipes from
Macaroni and Cheese on the Light Side
Our pasta recipe is amazingly creamy, and it sneaks vegetables into the kids’ dinner without a lot of fuss.
1 package (16 ounces) cavatelli pasta
2 tablespoons margarine or butter 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1. Heat large saucepot of salted water to boiling over high heat; add pasta and cook as label directs.
2. Meanwhile, in 3-quart saucepan, melt margarine over medium heat. With wire whisk, stir in flour, pepper, nutmeg and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually whisk in milk and, stirring constantly, cook over medium-high heat until sauce boils and thickens slightly. Boil 1 minute, stirring.
3. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in cheeses just until melted. Following manufacturer’s directions, use immersion blender to blend mixture in saucepan until smooth. (Or, in blender at low speed, with center part of cover removed to allow steam to escape, blend sauce mixture in small batches until smooth. Pour sauce into bowl after each batch.)
4. Place frozen vegetables in colander;
drain pasta over vegetables. Return pasta mixture to saucepot; stir in cheese sauce. Serves 8.
Each serving: About 340 calories, 11g total fat (4g saturated), 32mg cholesterol, 585mg sodium, 43g total carbs, 2g dietary fiber, 18g protein.
Double Chocolate Cherry Drops
The slight tartness of the cherries provides a delicious contrast to the double dose of rich chocolate from semisweet chunks and cocoa.
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
8 ounces semisweet or white chocolate, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 cup dried tart cherries
1. Heat oven to 350 F.
2. On waxed paper, combine flour, cocoa and salt.
3. In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat butter and sugar until creamy, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Beat in corn syrup, vanilla and egg until well-mixed. At low speed, gradually add flour mixture; beat just until blended, occasionally scraping bowl. With
spoon, stir in chocolate chunks and cherries.
4. Drop cookies by rounded measuring teaspoons, 2 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake cookies 10 to 11 minutes or until tops are just firm. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining dough.
Each serving: About 85 calories, 5g total fat (3g saturated), 12 mg cholesterol, 50mg sodium, 1g dietary fiber, 1g protein.
By John Allen
DIAMOND LIL
by Brett Koth
Donald Duck by Walt
NEXT WEEK in TIDBITS TAKES A PROMOTIONAL LOOK AT
Holidays & Observances This Week
By Matthew Margolis
Five Simple Steps to a Housebroken Dog
Housebreaking is hands-down the Number One problem for dog owners.
Take this recent letter from a reader:
“My Yorkie Randy urinates in my home, and I’m seriously at the point of giving him away. We love him dearly, but I can’t have my home ruined. He has a doggy door that he uses, but I keep finding puddles in the house. Help! You are my last resort.”
Reads like the TV Guide log line for this week’s episode of “Desperate Housebreakers.”
What the writer fails to mention is that Randy is 9 years old and never trained. That’s 3,285 days’ worth of Yorkie urine on the carpet -- which, in fact, is the impetus for the cry for help. She’s recarpeting the whole house and that’s not cheap. “I’m not going to spend all this money on new carpet just to have Randy ruin it.”
Readers, take note: Most people will spend thousands on new carpeting and nothing on dog training. Why not put a little something into dog training and save thousands on carpeting?
Housebreaking a dog should not break the bank. It requires a system and consistent adherence to that system. A reasonably intelligent person can housebreak a dog in three to seven days. Here’s how:
1) Establish and adhere to a feed-waterwalk schedule. This conditions your pup’s body to eliminate waste at specific times of the day and night, as determined by you -- so stick to the schedule.
2) Use proper confinement. Baby gates and wire crates work well to keep your dog comfortable and confined. Free rein of the house is not allowed during the housebreaking phase. You can’t correct a mistake if it’s happening in another room. You must catch him in the act.
3) Neutralize odors. If you don’t catch your pup in the act, all you can do is clean it up. This is where that effective odor neutralizer comes in. Fact: The average dog can sniff out one part urine to one million parts water. He will return to that marked spot time and again if you don’t neutralize
I recently learned a few things about my local food bank that I didn’t know. Maybe your food bank has these services as well.
Our local food bank has a mobile pantry that goes to the senior housing building once a month for seniors who can’t get out to the regular weekly location. While they don’t carry a large variety on the van, they do have some of most everything, including canned and boxed foods, coffee and tea, some meats in a small freezer, dairy and bread.
They’ve just started home delivery in the area, right in time for winter. For this a senior needs to sign up in advance and have their doctor sign a form saying yes, they could benefit from having food delivered instead of having to go out on icy roads to make a pickup. The signup form also has a place to list any allergies and preferences, so the box of food is a bit customized.
Our local food bank isn’t the only one in the area. Churches and towns sometimes have
their own. See www.gsfb.org/food-map and put in your ZIP code for locations near you. In my area I discovered six additional food bank locations I knew nothing about.
Look into the senior food box program. Once a month participants in the program have a box of food delivered. Find contact and income eligibility information by doing an internet search for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program in your state.
Then there is Meals on Wheels, where prepared food is delivered to seniors who have trouble cooking for themselves. They often have low sodium and diabetic meal options. Depending on your location, there might be a small fee for the meals.
If you need food, don’t give up. It’s out there and you can find it. There are more food sources than you might imagine.
Trying to save on your food supplies by choosing to skip meals is not a smart choice. As we age It is essential for us to eat regularly to maintain a healthy weight, prevent chronic diseases, and support physical and mental health as our bodies change with years. There are resources available. Take full advantage of them.
* * Matilda Charles regrets that she cannot personally answer reader questions, but will incorporate them into her column whenever possible. Send email to columnreply2@gmail.com.
(c) KingFeaturesSyndicate2025
the scent.
4) Provide a proper diet. The right amount and kind of food for your dog will be determined by his age. But an age-appropriate diet is essential in keeping his digestion regular and predictable. This makes life easier for you in the training stage and works in tandem with the feed-water-walk schedule. Your dog eats, he drinks, he goes outside. Repeat as necessary.
5) Correct mistakes and praise successes. When you catch him eliminating inside, say “no,” and then immediately take him outside and praise him when you get there, whether or not he goes.
With dogs, praise is the reward and the motivator, and it works -- unlike the following highly ineffective what-not-to-dos:
-- Rub his nose in his mess.
-- Show him his mess and say no until he thinks “No” is his name.
-- “Bonk” him on the nose with your hand or a rolled-up newspaper.
-- Show him his mess and lock him in a room where he can think about what he’s done. For a more detailed explanation of the five steps to a housebroken dog, or for an age-specific Feed-Water-Walk schedule, check out “When Good Dogs Do Bad Things” at unclematty.com.
Remember:
-- Housebreaking means the dog never eliminates in the house. Not even a little bit. Not even once in a while. Not on paper. Not on pads. Never.
-- Housebreaking is entirely possible for all dogs, big and small. Dogs with medical conditions or that are on medication can be the exceptions. And as always, don’t get rid of the dog, get rid of the problem! Woof!
* * * Dog trainer Matthew “Uncle Matty” Margolis is the co-author of 18 books about dogs, a behaviorist, a popular radio and television guest, and the host of the PBS series “WOOF! It’s a Dog’s Life!” Read all of Uncle Matty’s columns at www.creators.com, and visit him at www.unclematty.com. COPYRIGHT 2014 CREATORS.COM
YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY
by Tom Margenau
Social Security COLA for 2026
In early October of every year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its much-anticipated report on changes (usually increases) to the Consumer Price Index over the past 12 months. (It was a little late this year due to the government shutdown.) Why is this little esoteric government report -- actually called the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers -- so popular? Because for the past 50 years, it’s been the report that determines the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) that Social Security beneficiaries will get the following year.
Because my column has a long lead time, what I am reporting here isn’t news to most of my readers. As I’m sure you already heard, all 75 million Social Security and Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries’ checks are going up 2.8% in 2026.
I always dread mentioning COLAs in this column because every single time I do, I am flooded with emails from readers complaining that the increase is not enough.
Yet here’s the rub: Many economists and social planners believe Social Security COLAs are too generous! (I’ve explained why in past columns, but don’t have the space to get into that argument today.) That’s why most discussions of long-range reform for Social Security include proposals to reduce cost-of-living increases.
But for now, that’s neither here nor there. So, let’s get back to the 2026 Social Security COLA. Due to these increases, the average monthly retirement check will be $2,071 in 2026, a $56 increase from the 2025 level. The maximum Social Security check for a worker turning full retirement age in 2026 will be $4,152, compared to $4,018 in 2025.
And please note that $4,152 is the maximum for someone turning full retirement age in 2026. That does not mean it is the maximum Social Security payment anyone can receive. Millions of Social Security beneficiaries get much more than that, primarily because they worked well past their FRA and/or delayed starting their benefits until age 70.
Here’s another important point about the COLA. Many readers have been asking me if they must file for Social Security benefits in 2025 in order to get the COLA that’s paid in January 2026. The answer is no. The COLA will be built into the benefit computation formula. So even if you don’t file for Social Security until next year, or some subsequent year, you’ll still get the 2.8% increase.
Although this is a Social Security column, I must mention the upcoming increase in the Medicare Part B premium, which is deducted from Social Security checks for most people. As I was writing this column, the 2026 basic Part B premium had not yet been announced. But it is projected to be $206.50. That’s $21.50 more than the 2025 rate. And as has been the case for more than 20 years now, wealthy people will pay more than the basic premium.
I don’t want to get into the complicated issue of Medicare premiums other than to make this quick point. Even though they are linked in the minds of most senior citizens, Social Security and Medicare are entirely separate programs, administered by entirely separate federal agencies, and they have entirely separate rules and regulations regarding their benefit and payment structures.
For example, I already explained how Social Security COLAs are figured. The Part B Medicare premium increase has nothing to do with the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ consumer price index. Instead, by law, it must be set at a level that covers 25% of the cost of running the program. Taxpayers pick up the remaining 75%. (And again, wealthy people pay more than the 25% share.)
Another measuring stick called the “national wage index” is used to set increases to other provisions of the law that affect Social Security beneficiaries and taxpayers. Specifically, this includes increases in the amount of wages or selfemployment income subject to Social Security tax; the amount of income needed to earn a “quarter of coverage;” and the Social Security earnings penalty limits.
The Social Security taxable earnings base will go up from $176,100 in 2025 to $184,500 in 2026. In other words, people who earn more than $184,500 in 2026 will no longer have Social Security payroll taxes deducted from their paychecks once they hit that threshold. This has always been a very controversial provision of the law. (Elon Musk pays the same amount of Social Security tax as his plumber!) I think it’s a pretty good bet that any eventual Social Security reform package will include an increase in that wage base.
Most people need 40 Social Security work credits (sometimes called “quarters of coverage”) to be eligible for monthly benefit checks from the system. In 2025, people who were working earned one credit for each $1,810 in Social Security taxable income. But no one earns more than four credits per year. In other words, once you have made $7,240, your Social Security record has been credited with the maximum four credits or quarters of coverage. In 2026, the one credit limit goes up to $1,890, meaning you will have to earn $7,560 this coming year before you get the maximum four credits assigned to your Social Security account.
People under their full retirement age who get Social Security retirement or survivor’s benefits but who are still working are subject to limits in the amount of money they can earn and still receive all their Social Security checks. That limit was $23,400
1. The book of Philemon is found in the a) Old Testament b) New Testament c) Neither
2. Who is credited as being "The Mother of All the Living"? a) Ruth b) Mary c) Eve d) Esther
3. From Numbers 22, to whom did the donkey speak? a) Saul b) Abraham c) Lot d) Balaam
4. As stated in Genesis 20:2, who was king of Garar? a) Abimelech b) Nathan c) Nehemiah d) Joash
5. Where was Paul the Apostle born? a) Tarsus b) Thessalonica c) Antioch d) Not known
6. From Acts 18, who was Aquila's wife? a) Rebekah b) Jezebel c) Elisabeth d) Priscilla
(Answers on page 16) For comments or more Bible Trivia go to www.TriviaGuy.com
in 2025 and will be $24,480 in 2026. For every two dollars a person earns over those limits, one dollar is withheld from his or her monthly benefits. There is a higher earnings threshold in the year a person turns full retirement age that applies from the beginning of the year until the month the person reaches FRA. (The income penalty goes away once a person reaches that magic age.) That threshold goes up from $62,160 in 2025 to $65,160 in 2026.
A couple of other Social Security provisions are also impacted by inflationary increases. For example, people getting disability benefits who try to work can generally continue getting those benefits as long as they are not working at a “substantial” level. In 2025, the law defined substantial work as any job paying $1,620 or more per month. In 2026, that substantial earnings level increases to $1,690 monthly.
Finally, the Supplemental Security Income basic federal payment level for one person goes up from $967 in 2025 to $994 in 2026. SSI is a federal welfare program administered by the Social Security Administration, but it is not a Social Security benefit. It is paid for out of general revenues, not Social Security taxes.
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
Debunking Ivermectin as a ‘Miracle Treatment’ for Cancer
DEAR DR. ROACH: I was diagnosed with stage 4 high-grade ovarian cancer in September 2024. I underwent a major surgery in March after the tumor shrank. I see a top doctor at a renowned hospital, and I trust him. I went through seven rounds of chemo with three different meds. I handled it well as I am very fit and 64 years old.
I am now on maintenance medications (Avastin and Lynparza). My numbers are going up. I know my prognosis isn’t good, but I try to live my best life. I have a lot of different things to look forward to (marriages, grandbabies, etc.).
I have many friends who keep suggesting ivermectin as a treatment. (These people are also anti-vaxers.) I don’t fall into this group of people as I believe in modern medicine and have trusted my doctor. So, my question is: What are your thoughts about this treatment, and what have you heard about it within the medical community? -- L.N.
ANSWER: I am sorry to hear about your diagnosis, but I congratulate you on your good attitude. The treatment for ovarian cancer has changed dramatically in the past few years. There are many treatments, and although they are often not able to cure cancer, they can keep cancer at bay -- sometimes for many years, even decades. Having an important life event to look forward to is important to maintaining a good attitude.
As far as ivermectin goes, there is a small possibility that it will turn out to be a useful treatment for cancer. I have read some preclinical studies that suggested some benefit. However, no studies that were done on actual people have proven it to be useful for any type of cancer so far. Many promising treatments turn out to be failures after the initial clinical trials.
There are people who feel that there are hidden treatments for cancer and that there is a massive conspiracy to keep successful cancer treatments from being used. Having known many doctors and research scientists who unfortunately died from cancer themselves, I can assure you that this isn’t the case. Many scientists across the globe are working hard to find new treatments, and every year brings incremental benefits.
Ivermectin is the most recent “miracle treatment” that I have heard about. I can recall easily at least a half dozen miracle treatments in
the past 20 years that haven’t turned out to be useful. Some of these are not only useless but are actively harmful. While ivermectin is generally safe when dosed appropriately for its indication of treating parasites, it can be dangerous at high doses.
I respect the use of alternative treatments to manage the symptoms that are caused by cancer treatments such as chemotherapy. However, people who rely on alternative treatments for treatment of their cancer do not do as well as people who are getting the best care that modern medicine currently has to offer.
I recommend that you thank your friends for their advice and tell them that you trust your medical team and will follow what your doctor recommends.
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
VETERANS POST
by Freddie Groves
The Shutdown
At this writing, several weeks into the government shutdown, the VA has not been immune to the effects of it. We don’t know how long it will go on, but the VA is doing all it can for veterans. While you won’t be able to access all of their services as long as the shutdown continues, you’re not being left in the lurch.
You’ll still get your education, housing and pension benefits. The medical clinics, hospitals and Vet Centers remain open. Burials continue, as do the processing of applications for burial benefits, markers and headstones. (Call them at 800-5351117 for scheduling.) Appeals continue on your case. The main phone number is still manned (800827-1000), and so is the crisis line (988, Press 1). Support for caregivers, suicide prevention and homeless services continues.
Which is great.
But that’s only part of the situation. There are many things you can’t do or get right now, or that aren’t being handled.
Regional benefits offices are closed. There is no placement of permanent headstones at the cemeteries, nor grounds maintenance. Pre-need burial applications aren’t being processed. There is no career counseling right now. Call centers for the GI Bill are closed. The VA Central Office isn’t reaching out to state, county, tribal, municipal, faith-based and community-based partners. By the time you read this, the shutdown might well be over. We can only hope. But even if it is, from the moment things open up, it will likely take time for all the parts and pieces to gear up to normal operation again.
Meanwhile, if you’re a member of a veterans service group such as the American Legion or Veterans of Foreign Wars, you can help. Check in and see what they’re doing. Perhaps there’s a way for you to pitch in locally. Keep in mind that the holidays are nearly upon us. There are veterans with families to support and veterans in hospitals that might not get a visitor.
Hang in there, and step up and help where you can.
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.
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My friend can't get himself to get out and vote. I think he may have electile dysfunction.
I want to grow my own food, but I can't find bacon seeds.
thought growing old would take longer than this.
Best Online Will Makers
DEAR SAVVY SENIOR: I am 72 and divorced. I want to get my affairs organized and write a will, but I can't afford to pay a high-priced attorney fee to get this done. Can you recommend some good online resources I can use for writing a simple will myself? -- Limited Larry
Dear Larry: Having a last will and testament is an important document to have because it ensures that your money and property will be distributed to the people you want to receive it after your death. Currently, fewer than one-third of American adults have prepared a will.
If you jointly own a home or a bank account, for example, the house, and the funds in the account, will go to the joint holder, even if your will directs otherwise. Similarly, retirement accounts and life insurance policies are distributed to the beneficiaries you designate, so it is important to keep them up to date too.
Online Will Makers
If you have a simple, straightforward estate and an uncomplicated family situation, writing your own will – with the help of a good online will making program – is a viable alternative to hiring an attorney and much cheaper. Like tax software, these online tools will guide you through a series of questions and will insert your answers into a will prepared specifically for you, and it usually takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish.
knows where it is and has access to it. Or, if a professional prepares your will, keep the original document at your lawyer’s office. Also, be sure to update your will if your family or financial circumstances change, or if you move to another state.
book.
JR Thomas Golf Cars
If you die without a will, your estate will be settled in accordance with state law. These laws vary by state, but assets typically are distributed using a hierarchy of survivors. Assets go first to a spouse, then to children, then your siblings, and so on.
You also need to be aware that certain financial obligations take precedence over a will.
Some of the highest-rated do-it-yourself options include the Quicken WillMaker & Trust 2025 downloadable software (WillMaker.com) that starts at $109 and is valid in every state except Louisiana; Trust & Will (TrustandWill.com) which charges $199 for an individual will-based estate plan; and LegalZoom (LegalZoom.com), which offers will-based estate plans for $129 or $149 if you’d like assistance from an independent attorney.
Or, if that’s more than you’re able or willing to pay, two good options that will let you make your will for free are FreeWill.com or DoYourOwnWill.com
When to Hire a Lawyer
If you have considerable financial assets or a complex family situation, like a blended family or a child with special needs, it would be smart for you to seek professional advice. An experienced lawyer can make sure you cover all your bases, which can help avoid family confusion and squabbles after you’re gone.
The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA.org) and the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils (NAEPC.org) websites are good resources that have directories to help you find someone in your area.
Costs will vary depending on your location and the complexity of your situation, but you can expect to pay somewhere between $200 and $1,000 to get your will made. To help you save, shop around and get price quotes from several different firms. And before you meet with an attorney, make a detailed list of your assets and accounts to help make your visit more efficient.
Where to Store it?
Once your will is written, the best place to
condition.
JUNQUE
by Anne McCollam Creators News Service
FROM KING FEATURES WEEKLY SERVICE, W. 57th STREET, 15th FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10019
Glass Fit for Kings
CUSTOMER SERVICE: (800) 708-7311 EXT.
MOMENTS IN TIME #12345_20251027 FOR RELEASE OCT. 27, 2025
Q: We have several pieces of amber Baccarat Glass. Enclosed is a photo of five of them. The round plate is 7 inches in diameter, the oval dish is over 9 inches long, the smaller dish is 5 inches, the tumbler is almost 4 inches tall and the goblet is almost 5 inches tall. The oval dishes and the goblet are signed “Baccarat.” They are in mint condition.
Can you tell us the value of our dishes?
A: Baccarat traces its beginning to the late 1700s when King Louis XV of France pronounced a royal decree to create “Compagnie des Cristalleries de Baccarat.” The glassworks provided not only exceptional crystal; it contributed to the area’s recovery from the devastating Seven Years War.
After the French Revolution, the firm experienced several different owners. Nonetheless, Baccarat continued to produce high quality glassware. It remained in demand with royalty and the aristocracy. Their exquisite glass paperweights, prized by collectors, were introduced in 1846. Baccarat continues to be in business and makes a wide variety of glassware.
Your glassware is an example of Baccarat’s early 1900s pattern, “Swirl Amberina.” You might want to insure your set for $700 to $750. * * *
Q: This mark is on the back of a porcelain pedestal cake plate that I inherited from my grandmother in 1973. The plate is decorated with pastel flowers and trimmed in gold. It stands about 5 inches tall and is in perfect
My granddaughter was recently married and I plan to pass it along to her. Any information you can give me about the maker, age and value will be greatly appreciated.
A: The mark you provided was used by Robert Hanke Porcelain Factory. They were located in Ledvice, Bohemia, now the Czech Republic, from 1882 to 1945.
Rich deposits of white clay (Kaolin) were found in the nearby area Teplice (Teplitz) and spawned many porcelain factories. Porcelain is a mixture of fine grained kaolin, feldspar and quartz and fired at high temperatures.
The name Teplice, Teplitz in German, is based on the Czech word for hot because there are natural hot springs in the area. The area was rich in resources and was on a heavily travelled route, giving rise to successful potteries. Robert Hanke Porcelain Factory produced high-quality porcelain dishes and decorative pieces.
Your pedestal cake plate would probably be worth $75 to $125.
Antiques expert and columnist Anne McCollam has recently retired and no longer receives inquiries nor answers reader letters. Due to the popularity of her column, this publication will continue to reprint previous columns of interest to our readers.
To find out more about Anne McCollam and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com
COPYRIGHT 2025 CREATORS.COM
The mathematician had a really unrealistic hope. I reckon you could call it "pi in the sky."
• On Nov. 10, 1885, German inventor Gottlieb Daimler’s teenage son made the first long-distance test run of the world’s first motorcycle, the Reitwagen, which featured a wooden frame and wheels, no suspension system and a leather drive belt.
• On Nov. 11, 1984, the bronze “Three Soldiers” statue (also known as the “Three Servicemen”) was unveiled near the Vietnam War Memorial. Designed by Frederick Hart to honor the diversity of those who served in that conflict, it also marked the first time an African American was depicted in a sculpture on the National Mall.
• On Nov. 12, 1996, teens Amy Grossberg and Brian Peterson checked into a Delaware motel, where Amy gave birth to their child. The baby was later found dead in a trash container behind the motel, and the couple confessed to the crime after having previously claimed the child was stillborn.
• On Nov. 13, 1953, Mrs. Thomas J. White of the Indiana Textbook Commission called for the removal of references to the book “Robin Hood” from textbooks used by the state’s schools, claiming that there was “a communist directive in education now to stress the story of Robin Hood because he robbed the rich and gave it to the poor.” Her campaign, unlike Robin’s, was unsuccessful.
• On Nov. 14, 1941, “Suspicion,” a romantic thriller starring Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine and directed by Alfred Hitchcock, made its debut on the silver screen. It would go on to win an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture and a Best Actress Oscar for Fontaine, and marked the first time that Grant and Hitchcock worked together. They would collaborate again on “Notorious,” “To Catch a Thief” and “North by Northwest.”
• On Nov. 15, 1783, John Hanson, the first president of the Continental Congress under the Articles of Confederation, died in Maryland. Though he’s sometimes referred to as America’s first president, the role didn’t exist as an executive position separate from Congress until 1789.
• On Nov. 16, 2012, Hostess Brands sparked a panicked hoarding of snack cakes when the company announced it was shutting down, and a 31,000% jump in Twinkie sales on Amazon in only a week.
“Yours is an advanced insomnia condition, Arlene, so I'm having to resort to drastic measures. I'm prescribing three of my husband's golf stories at bedtime. He'll have you snoring in no time."
Baccarat Glass made “Swirl” pattern in the early 1900s.
Robert Hanke Porcelain Factory was located in Bohemia.
Pencils (from page 3)
agreed that the green pencils were inferior. They reported that points broke more easily, they were harder to sharpen, and the lines they drew weren’t nearly dark enough. In reality, the pencils were exactly identical except for color.
• A Massachusetts man named Joseph Dixon noted that ships arriving in port from Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) dumped their ballast in the harbor, and the ballast was blocks of graphite. Dixon asked the ship captains to unload their ballast at the dock instead of dumping it in the bay. In this way, he had a plentiful supply of high-quality graphite.
• The Civil War increased the demand for pencils, and Dixon patented a machine that could turn out 132 pencils per minute. By 1870, Dixon was producing 80,000 pencils per day, about one-third of the nation’s supply. He invented the process of grinding graphite under water, and collecting the best graphite that floated to the top.
• In 1891, Dixon started selling small pencil sharpeners with a fixed razor blade that shaved the pencil point without wasting much of the pencil. Dixon pencils are still on the market today, though the company name is now Ticonderoga.
MODERN PRODUCTION
• Today, a modern American pencil may consist of a blend of two graphites, one from Sri Lanka and the other from Mexico, plus clay from Mississippi, plant gums from Asia, and wood from cedars in California, with the metal band from an aluminum mine in the western U.S. and the eraser made from a mix of rubber from South America mixed with pumice from Italy.
• To make a pencil, grind the graphite into a powder. Boil the powder in melted wax. Mix in some clay to consistency. Press it into a long, skinny mold and bake. Send it through a bath of sulfuric acid, then cover it with calcium chloride from ground gypsum. Insert the graphite rod into a cedar slot and glue it in place. Top with an eraser if desired.
• A mass-produced pencil costs a few pennies today. A magazine article published in 1950 explained why a do-it-yourself pencil created from scratch would cost around $50 in materials alone to make a single pencil.
Give your golf-related advertising message targeted visibility in full color in this weekly 2” x 6” fixed location $159 per insertion reaches 70,000+ readers each week at the low cost of only $2.27 per 1,000 reader impressions!
Game Changers
by Jason Jenkins
One of the common basics that any top level golfer learns early in their development is a consistency of how the club is aligned to themselves. The grip end of the golf club should be pointed somewhere between the zipper line and the crease (or middle) of the left leg. This zone is quite small, but it does allow for a little variance among players.
Poor set up positions usually favor the grip end pointing too centered, although it may be just as destructive to have the grip end pointing well left of the body. By keeping the clubface square to the target line and the grip end in its zone, you’ll gain more consistency with clubface control throughout your set of clubs. Interestingly, the clubshaft may appear to lean differently with irons and woods due to ball position changes. This will be normal from the golfer’s point of view.
called “The Barefoot Contessa”? 10. CHEMISTRY: What metallic element has the highest
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.
7. “On Golden Pond.”
DIFFICULTY:
8. Having an extra nipple. 9. Ina Garten. 10. Tungsten (W).
