Stupid Bank Robbers
Bank robbers generally fall into one of two categories: 1) Those who are the analytic types, the cunning thieves who pre-plan and carefully plot out each step of their mission, and 2) Those whose intent is focused entirely on getting their hands on the money without quite thinking the process all the way through. Our focus this week is on the latter category, which you will likely agree are not necessarily the brightest bulbs in the box.
• One of the biggest robberies in U.S. history was pulled off by six Los Angeles men in 1997. The mastermind was Allen Pace, who was employed as a safety inspector for the Dunbar Armored Truck Company. Because of his key position, he knew all the operational weak points, including when the security cameras would be pointing in which direction, and when the vaults would be unlocked and untended. He collected a group of his five closest friends, and together they loaded a cool $18.9 million in cash into a rented U-Haul and got away with the heist. Police detectives were baffled.
TRIV
(Answers on page 16)
• In 1992, Reebok was losing ground to Nike and needed to revive sales. The Olympics were coming up in Barcelona that year. Reebok’s big idea resulted in tens of millions spent on a major ad campaign that pitted two likely champions against each other. This publicity effort became known as the “Dan and Dave” campaign. Little did Reebok suspect how badly it would fail; little did Dan and Dave realize they would participate in an ad campaign of epic proportions resulting in a collosal flop for the sponsor.
• Dan O’Brien had a troubled youth growing up in Missoula, Montana, but excelled at sports when he got into college in Oregon. In 1990 he won the gold medal at the Goodwill Games. Over the next two years, he was identified as a strong potential candidate for the decathlon at the 1992 Olympics. He began to pick up endorsements, but a lucrative offer he received from Reebok blew his mind.
• Dave Johnson also excelled in athletics in college. By 1991, he was the world decathlon champion, having won all eight decathlons he entered. This made him the favorite to win Olympic gold. He also received an endorsement proposal from Reebok.
1. TELEVISION: What is the name of the bar where Homer Simpson hangs out?
2. MUSIC: What are the first names of the Jackson 5?
3. MOVIES: What prop is found in almost every scene in “The Fight Club”?
4. ANATOMY: What does the term “hallux” refer to in human anatomy?
5. GEOMETRY: What is the perimeter of a circle called?
6. LITERATURE: What is Ron Weasley’s patronus in the “Harry Potter” book series?
7. ANIMAL KINGDOM: How many tusks does a warthog have?
8. GEOGRAPHY: How many states does the Pacific Crest Trail cross?
9. SCIENCE: What is a common name for iron oxide?
10. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Which president was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for bravery in WWII? Answers
1.
Michael.
WILL TAKE TOP HONORS?” Dan in a Little League uniform; Dave on vacation: “WHO WILL BE CROWNED KING IN BARCELONA?” The ads attracted enormous attention.
• In the lead-up to the Olympics, Dan was better in the 100 meters, long jump, shot put, high jump, and 400 meters. Dave was strongest in the 100-meter hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin, and 1,500 meters.
• Then came the Olympic trials. Dan O’Brien failed all three attempts at the pole vault, leaving him unqualified to compete in the Olympics. Reebok’s ad campaign instantly fell flat. There would be no battle for the title of the world’s greatest athlete. Reebok issued a new ad showing Dan rooting for Dave to win in the Olympics. But at the Olympics, Dave struggled with a fractured foot. He won a single bronze medal, but no gold.
• Dan O’Brien won gold four years later at the 1996 Olympics. Later, he moved to Phoenix, opened a health club, and wrote a book “Clearing Hurdles: The Quest to be the World’s Greatest Athlete.”
• Dave Johnson became athletic director at an Oregon college. He also penned his memoir, “Aim High: An Olympic Decathlete’s Inspiring Story.” After the Reebok ad campaign ended and the Olympics were over, he remarked, “We were supposed to be on Johnny Carson. Instead, we ended up on Arsenio Hall.”
• On top of it all, the millions that Reebock had gambled on their hyped-up competition between the two athletes faded to a major anti-climactic disaster that never even made it to the finish line.
• The two athletes shared a friendly relationship. The “Dan vs Dave” angle of their competition fit perfectly into Reebok’s plan to launch an eightmonth worldwide marketing campaign which would culminate at the Olympics in Barcelona.
• For months preceding the Olympics, Reebok’s ads pitted the two athletes “against” each other. The ad campaign played out in print and in broadcast media worldwide. Each advertisement used home movies of both Dan and Dave while they grew from toddlers to kids to teens to adults.
• The first ad showed a clip of Dan as a little boy taking a bath, then a clip of Dave as a toddler in a high chair while a dramatic voice-over intoned words to the effect of “WHICH OF THESE TITANS WILL WIN IN BARCELONA?” The next ad featured Dan riding a stick pony in his yard, cutting to Dave pedaling his bike. “WHO
Moe’s Tavern.
2. Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and
Stupid Robbers: (from page one)
• In a moment of weakness, however, one of the men loaned some of the stolen money to a friend of his. Unfortunately for the bank robbers, he neglected to remove the identification straps around the cash bundle before handing it over. The friend, having seen the news reports, squealed in order to collect the posted reward. All six men were caught, and Allen Pace was given 24 years in prison to think it over.
• What might have been the first bank robbery in the U.S. happened in 1798, when Isaac Davis and a friend broke into Philadelphia’s Carpenters Hall Bank at night, broke open the safe and walked out with $162,000 ($3 million today). Davis’s accomplice died of yellow fever shortly afterward, and an innocent man was later falsely arrested and jailed. Davis then had no idea what to do with the pile of cash that was now all his.
• Eventually, he decided to deposit the money in a safe place -- the bank. He returned to the same bank he had robbed, but without a good cover story to explain where the money came from, he took his bag of cash back home and secretly buried it. Of course, Davis now became suspect #1, but they couldn't convict him without the evidence. Ultimately, the Governor of Pennsylvania offered him a pardon if he would simply return all the money. He eventually did so, and was granted his freedom as promised.
• On September 5, 2007, 27-year-old Forest Kelly Bissonnette decided to rob the Bank of the West in Englewood, Colorado, by giving the bank teller a note saying, “Give me all the money in your drawer. Now.” The paper he wrote the note on was his own bank check, with his own name and account number on it. He had scribbled over them, but they were still legible. He escaped with $5,000. The FBI quickly put out a warrant for his arrest. He also boasted about his feat to a friend, who called the tip line telling his whereabouts.
armed masked men walked into a Houston bank, brandished their guns in front of the only two tellers on site, and demanded cash. The tellers handed over $62,000, the bandits fled, and the tellers immediately called police.
actually there to rob the bank. The frightened teller handed over some cash, and Rahynes fled, leaving his application and ID behind.
byKaraKovalchik&SandyWood
• The cops had no leads on the case until a few days later, when one of the two tellers posted on her Facebook page “IʼM RICH!” while her boyfriend simultaneously posted “Wiping my butt with hundred dollar bills!” The two tellers, along with the bandits -- a boyfriend, and a brother, were all quickly rounded up and arrested.
• It’s common for people to call ahead to order food to be ready for pick-up, and that’s the tactic Albert Bailey used when he tried to rob a Fairfield, CT bank in 2010. The police received a call from a bank employee saying they had just received an anonymous phone call from a man who said: “I want $100,000 in large bills and no dye packs. I will be sending someone into the bank to get the money. Don’t call the police, we are monitoring the police scanner. We are not afraid to take hostages and turn the place into a blood bath. Do you understand?”
• Before tellers could lock the doors, Bailey’s 16-year-old cousin burst inside the bank to pick up the money. As the teen placed a briefcase on the counter, Bailey called the bank again to say “his associate” was ready to receive the package he had ordered. Tellers gave the youth about $900 in cash, and the boy ran out of the bank and directly to Albert Baileyʼs parked car.
• As Bailey attempted to pull out of his parking spot, he was immediately blocked in by cops arriving on the scene. Both were immediately handcuffed and taken to jail. Bailey had just been released from prison after serving a 7-year term for a previous failed attempt at robbing another bank.
• Daniel Rahynes walked into the Metro Bank in Harrisburg, PA, in March of 2011. He approached the teller and said he was interested in opening an account. The teller asked him for two forms of ID, which Rahynes dutifully handed over. As the teller took down his information and filled out a form, Rahynes suddenly announced that he was Week of July 6, 2025
• After hastily jumping into his get-away car he ran into another vehicle, but the other driver was able to get his license number as Rahynes sped away. With more than enough evidence to identify Rahynes as the thief, police, drove directly to his home and arrested him, not only for bank robbery, but also for DUI.
QUIZ BITS
• In Houston, Texas, on March 23, 2011, two
By far, the majority of bank robberies happen at a walk-in counter, of a branch office, of a commercial bank, in the commercial district of a metropolitan area.
Stupid Robbers: Turn to page 15
By Lucie Winborne
* Squirrels play a role in reforestation by forgetting some of the buried nuts and seeds they store, which then sprout into new trees.
* In late 1800’s Australia, some desperate sufferers of rheumatism climbed into a whale carcass in their search for relief, and were told to remain there for 20-30 hours, with occasional breaks. The heat and gases emitted by the decomposing animal were believed to create a sweat box of healing compounds.
* Acrylic nails were invented in 1957 by a dentist experimenting with how to create an artificial fingernail to protect his thumb after he’d accidentally cut it.
* The Inuit people used goggles made from bone, wood or other hard material to protect their eyes from UV rays more than 2,000 years ago, designed to cover the eye while leaving a small slit to see through. The slit narrowed and sharpened the wearer’s field of vision while protecting their eyes from snowblindness.
* In 1980, Detroit gave Saddam Hussein a key to the city out of recognition of donations he had made to local churches.
* School desks have 300 times more bacteria than a toilet seat.
* Marion Donovan created the first practical disposable diaper in 1950 by using shower curtains for plastic covering and layers of tissue as the inner absorbent material.
* Uranus rotates on its side, appearing to roll around the sun like a ball, according to NASA. The most likely explanation for this unusual orientation is that it experienced some type of massive collision in ancient times.
* American Christians are more likely to take “morally neutral” risks when they think about God as a benevolent protector. ***
Thought for the Day: “I’m all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Let’s start with typewriters.”
-- Frank Lloyd Wright
by Mary Hunt
Grill on a Budget: Backyard BBQs Without
the Burn
by Mary Hunt
You know it’s officially summer when the scent of grilled hot dogs hits you before your neighbor even says hello. Backyard BBQ season is one of life’s simple pleasures -- until you’re standing at the checkout line wondering how three packs of hamburger patties, buns and a watermelon somehow added up to $87. And that’s before you even hit the condiment aisle.
Hosting a backyard cookout doesn’t have to torch your food budget. With a little creativity (and maybe a little delegation), you can throw a crowd-pleasing, stomach-filling BBQ without the financial heartburn. Here’s how I do it -- and you can too.
GRILL MORE THAN JUST MEAT
If you’re going to fire up the grill, make the most of it. Don’t stop at burgers and hot dogs. Throw on sliced zucchini, corn on the cob, pineapple rings, even thick slices of pound cake. Grilling adds flavor to just about everything and stretches your menu with budget-friendly ingredients.
Bonus: fewer pots and pans to wash later.
BRING YOUR OWN MEAT (YES, REALLY)
This isn’t rude -- it’s smart. If you’re hosting a larger group, suggest a BYOM (bring your own meat) policy. You provide the fire, the sides and a cheerful smile. Guests bring what they want grilled. It’s inclusive and cost-effective, and it keeps Uncle Larry from complaining about how he really wanted steak.
You can even turn it into a “best marinade” showdown. Just keep a fire extinguisher handy.
CHEAP CUTS SHINE ON THE GRILL
Expensive steaks are nice but not required. Budget cuts like chicken thighs, drumsticks, pork shoulder and even hot dogs can taste incredible when cooked right. Marinate ahead of time, cook low and slow, and you’ll get flavor that rivals any upscale BBQ joint -- without the upscale price tag.
DON’T DIY THE ENTIRE MENU
Let your guests help. Ask them to bring
something specific -- chips, salad, dessert. Be clear so you don’t end up with six tubs of hummus and no spoons. People like to contribute, and it takes a big bite out of your prep work and spending.
Plus, if your cousin brings that mystery jello salad again, you can politely pretend it was someone else’s idea.
DITCH THE DISPOSABLES
It’s tempting to grab a stack of paper plates and call it a day. But disposable plates, cups and cutlery get expensive -- especially if you’re feeding a crowd. Instead, pick up a set of reusable outdoor dishes from a thrift store or discount shop. They’ll last for years and save you a bundle in the long run.
Your trash can (and your wallet) will thank you.
SKIP THE SODA
Canned and bottled drinks are a sneaky expense. Try this instead: Fill a drink dispenser or two with homemade lemonade, iced tea or fruit-infused water. Add some citrus slices or mint for that “I totally have my life together” look. It’s cheap, refreshing and much prettier than a cooler full of half-drunk soda cans.
STICK TO A SIMPLE MENU
You do not need four salads, three kinds of chips, two pasta dishes and a partridge in a pear tree. A good BBQ menu includes one main dish, one or two sides, a veggie and something sweet. Keep it simple and your budget -- and your guests -- will thank you.
Trust me, no one’s leaving early because you didn’t serve artisanal pickles.
USE YOUR LEFTOVERS
If you overcook (or if your guests undereat), don’t panic. Grilled chicken can be chopped for salads, burgers freeze well, and leftover sides become tomorrow’s lunch. Wrap up extras in containers and send them home with guests, or freeze them for a rainy day.
Throwing food away is like tossing money in the trash -- and we don’t do that around here.
GRILL SMARTER, SPEND LESS
A backyard BBQ doesn’t have to feel like an unpaid catering gig. With a few smart tweaks, you can host a laid-back, flavor-filled feast that won’t blow your budget. Your guests will be full, your wallet will be intact, and you’ll still have enough energy to enjoy the party.
And if someone asks why the plates don’t match, tell them it’s “eclectic” -- sounds better than “cheapskate.”
Want to go even deeper with ideas, tips and tricks to keep cost down? I have lots more to share, including links and resources, at EverydayCheapskate.com/cheapbbq.
* * *
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
THE LANGUAGE OF CRIME
Many descriptive words and terms are used to specify certain infractions of the law, most of which are in common use today. While many of these terms are familiar, Tidbits has searched through the lexicons to learn how they originated. Here's a few examples.
• The “burg” of “burglary” and “burglar” springs from the same “burg” that gives us “Pittsburgh” or “Edinburgh.” One indicates a settlement, and the other indicates someone who attacks a settlement.
• Is there a difference between a thief and a robber? There is! A thief steals in a sneaky manner, unknown to the victims, whereas a robber does his thieving in full view of the victims, as in a bank robber or a robber baron
• The Latin “iustus” meaning fair, upright, or equitable, evolved through several languages and resulted in a whole slew of English words including justice, just, justice of the peace, judge, judicial, jurisdiction, and jury.
• “Via” is Latin for road, path, channel, or way and is present in many English words, including “obvious” (clearly in your way), “impervious” (cannot pass this way), and “deviant” (straying from the normal path).
• Words pertaining to death such as murder, mortuary, morbid, and mortal all spring from the Old English “mordor” referring to death.
• “Sentence” springs from the Latin “sentire” meaning to feel, think, or express an opinion, whether in a grammatically correct series of words, or as a judgment handed down to a criminal from the opinion of a judge.
• The Latin verb “caedere” means “to strike” or “to cut off” and forms the root of not only words like suicide, homicide, and patricide, but also the word “decide” which is when you “cut off” other possibilities by arriving at a final decision.
• Ardent, ardor, and arson all come from the same Old French word meaning “to burn.”
• A “con” as in “con artist” is a criminal who gains someone’s trust or “confidence” in order to extract something from them. It’s also short for “convict,” one who is convicted of breaking a serious law.
• The French verb “pocher” means “to thrust into a bag.” The noun “poche” means “bag” and the diminutive “pokete” means “little bag.” From this we derive poaching an egg, in which the yolk is enveloped by the pocket of egg white. A pocket is a little bag attached to the clothing, or a poke as in “a pig in a poke.” The term poaching, meaning to illegally take game, referes to thrusting the ill-gotten game into a bag to take possession of it.
• The Latin “rumpere” literally means “to break” and is the root word for corrupt, disrupt, and rupture.
• A shyster is a crude and unscrupulous person, from the German “scheisser,” the act of defecation.
• The word hoist is a nautical term meaning “to lift” whether it’s sails, casks of rum or other cargo. This gave rise to “heist” meaning “to lift up and carry, or lift someone onto the shoulders to help them break in and steal.”
• “Patsy” comes from the Italian “pazzo” meaning a foolish, innocent person who is not smart enough to get out of the way when circumstances result in the crime being blamed on them.
• Eaves are the overhang of a roof from the French term meaning “edge.” The eavesdrop was the rain-protected area underneath. People spying by listening at the windows would be called “eavesdroppers.”
• The Latin “torquere” means “to twist” and results in torque wrench and torsion. Extortion refers to a criminal twisting someone’s arm forcing them to give them what they want.
• The Latin “excappare” means to wiggle out of a cape; to “escape” by leaving the pursuer grasping only empty cloth. A “scapegoat” in biblical times was laden with the guilt of the people and sent out to the wilderness so they could “escape” the burden of their sins.
• The Latin “dicere” means to speak or to declare and is the root of many words such as diction and dictation, as well as “verdict” with “ver” meaning truth: true speaking.
CLIP AND SAVE
by Dana Jackson
Q: Will Elisabeth Moss be in the upcoming spin-off series of “The Handmaid’s Tale”? I know her character is in the Margaret Atwood novel on which the series will be based. -- K.S.
A: While Elisabeth Moss will be an executive producer of “The Testaments,” the sequel series to Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” she has no plans to star in it. However, Ann Dowd will once again play Aunt Lydia, and Jordana Blake will be back as Hannah. New faces include Rowan Blanchard (“Snowpiercer”) as a teenager named Shunammite; Lucy Halliday (“Blue Jean”) as June’s daughter, Daisy; and Mattea Conforti (“Power”) as another teen named Becka.
In the meantime, you can catch Moss with Kerry Washington (“Scandal”) and Kate Mara (“House of Cards”) in the upcoming Apple TV+ series “Imperfect Women.” While it’s also a drama based on a novel, it’s not dystopian like “The Handmaid’s Tale.” It’s about three longtime friends
1. How to Train Your Dragon (PG) Mason Thames, Nico Parker
2. 28 Years Later (R) Jodie Comer, Aaron TaylorJohnson
3. Elio
(PG) Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldaña
4. Lilo & Stitch (PG) Maia Kealoha, Sydney Agudong
5. Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning (PG-13) Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell
6. Materialists (R) Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans
7. Ballerina (R) Ana de Armas, Keanu Reeves
8. Karate Kid: Legends (PG-13) Jackie Chan,
whose lives are turned upside down during a murder investigation.
Q: When is “Paradise” returning for another season? Also, is there a way that James Marsden will appear in it somehow? -- M.A.
A: According to Deadline, when the show’s creator Dan Fogelman pitched the series to star Sterling K. Brown, he envisioned it for a three-season run. Lightning definitely struck twice with this creative pairing as Fogelman’s prior series, NBC’s “This Is Us,” was a huge hit that put Brown on the map. The new season of “Paradise” was about halfway done with filming as of early June.
The season partially takes place in the bunker that everyone is already familiar with, but we’ll also find out what was going on aboveground in the real world during the first season when the characters were sheltered. Shailene Woodley (“Big Little Lies”) has been cast in the new season, but nothing is known yet about her character.
The always-busy James Marsden has moved on to other projects, including “Your Friends and Neighbors,” an Apple TV+ series that has been renewed for a second season. He’ll also appear in the fourth installment of the blockbuster hit “Sonic the Hedgehog,” and he’ll play Cyclops in Marvel’s upcoming “Avengers: Doomsday.”
As for “Paradise,” both Julianne Nicholson and Nicole Brydon Bloom will be back as baddies Sinatra and Jane, respectively, when the series returns to Hulu in early 2026.
Q: When is “Bachelor in Paradise” coming back? “Love Island” seems to have taken over in popularity. Will it ever return? -- A.E.
A: You’ve probably seen the commercials for it by the time I answer your question, but yes, “Bachelor in Paradise” returns to ABC on July 7. This time, some mature cast members will be in the mix. Familiar faces from both “The Golden Bachelor” and “The Golden Bachelorette” are heading to Costa Rica for a second chance at love, along with the usual younger demographic from “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette.”
Jesse Palmer returns to host, and Wells Adams will once again be tending bar and giving out advice.
Send me your questions at NewCelebrityExtra@gmail.com.
(c) 2025 King Features Synd., Inc.
Elisabeth Moss (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)
Good Recipes from
Chicken and Mushrooms with Brown Rice
Earthy mushrooms and satisfying whole grains make this chicken-and-rice dish an ideal dinner option for losing weight.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1 package (10-ounce) sliced cremini mushrooms
2 medium stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 can (14- to 14-1/2-ounce) chicken broth
1 cup instant brown rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
8 baby summer squash, halved and steamed
1. In 12-inch skillet, heat oil on medium-high until hot. Add chicken and cook, covered, 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; turn chicken and cook, covered, 5 more minutes. Transfer to plate.
2. To same skillet, add mushrooms, celery and thyme; cook 5 minutes or until vegetables are softened, stirring occasionally. Add broth, rice, wine, salt and black pepper; heat to boiling.
3. Return chicken to skillet. Reduce
heat to low; cover and simmer about 12 minutes or until juices run clear when thickest part of chicken is pierced with knife, and rice is cooked. Serve with squash. Serves 4.
Each serving (without squash): 340 calories, 13g total fat (2g saturated), 118g cholesterol, 595mg sodium, 21g total carbohydrate, 3g dietary fiber, 35g protein.
Ham and Cheese Oven Sliders
These sliders are just made for your summer backyard gatherings.
4 tablespoons melted butter
20 to 24 soft slider rolls, split
8 ounces thinly sliced sharp Cheddar cheese
8 ounces dill pickle slices, drained and patted dry
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and very thinly sliced
8 ounces thinly sliced smoked ham 1 tablespoons dried onion flakes
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
1. Heat oven to 375 F. Brush bottom of 13-inch by 9-inch baking dish with half of melted butter. Line dish with bottoms of rolls.
2. Onto rolls in dish, layer Cheddar, pickle slices, tomatoes and then ham. Replace tops of rolls. Cover dish with foil; bake 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, combine dried onions and poppy seeds. Uncover dish. Brush tops of rolls with remaining butter. Sprinkle with dried-onion mixture. Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until deep golden brown on top. Makes 10 servings.
I’ve
By John Allen DIAMOND LIL
by Brett Koth
Donald Duck by Walt
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Holidays & Observances This Week
7/6 Fried Chicken Day
7/7 Tell the Truth Day
7/8 Coca Cola Day
7/9 Bald is In Day
7/10 U.S. Energy Independence Day
7/11 Collector Car Appreciation Day
7/12 Skinny Dip Day
Dog Talk with Uncle Matty
By Matthew Margolis
Challenges To Expect
With any new puppy come certain predictable realities. There may not be blood, but there will be challenges:
1) There will be chewing.
Puppies, like babies, teethe. It’s a painful process that most of us have zapped from our bank of childhood memories. But in search of relief from the intense pressure of new teeth forcing their way out, puppies chew and gnaw -- on furniture, on shoes, on anything that feels good to their aching mouths.
The solution is to provide your pup with something that feels good but isn’t potentially harmful and doesn’t cost hundreds of dollars to replace. The perfect chew toy for a teething dog? A frozen washcloth.
Soak several washcloths and store them in your freezer. Whenever your puppy puts his teeth to anything you’d rather he not, take the item away and immediately sub in a frozen washcloth. His sore gums will feel immediate relief, and the previous item will fade from memory like so many forgotten baby teeth. Ice cubes also do the trick.
The pain of teething also brings nipping and mouthing. Nipping is a diminutive bite. Mouthing is the constant placement of the dog’s mouth on some part of you -- hand, leg, ankle, arm. Both habits can lead to biting if not corrected, so keep the washcloths coming.
2) There will be elimination.
Eliminating bodily waste is an act of nature -- like breathing. We as dog owners must understand that he doesn’t care where he goes -- we care. Thus, it is our job to teach him what we want. And so we must first make a choice: outside or inside?
Housebreaking your puppy means he goes outside and only outside. Paper training entails teaching him to go inside the house, in a specific area. I strongly recommend housebreaking. Once a dog gets the go ahead to eliminate inside, it’s difficult to switch gears.
Once you and your vet have determined the proper diet for your pup, you’ll want to establish a consistent feed-water-walk schedule: He eats ac-
Corner: Turn to Page 10
Cody's
(CryptoQuip Solution on page 14)
SENIOR NEWS LINE
by Matilda Charles ©
The Dangers of Bagged Salad Greens
Sometimes we just want to take the easy path and quickly grab a few things for dinner. Bagged salad greens are often on our list -- but it’s the last place we should be taking a shortcut in meal prep.
Between contaminated water in the fields and many people involved in the processing, handling and storage, food safety experts are pointing to bagged salads as the item near the top of the list for safety concerns and outbreaks of E. coli. And that makes it a real risk for seniors or anyone with a compromised immune system.
How to avoid the dangers of E. coli? Buy whole head lettuce instead of bagged and throw away the outer leaves. Rinse the lettuce under running cold water and dry it with paper towels. Besides the force of the water during rinsing, the drying with paper towels can also help remove the E. coli contamination. Do the same with other leafy greens such as spinach.
However, if you do want to buy packaged salad greens, the dilemma comes when the package claims that they have been pre-washed. “Triple washed! Ready to eat!” the package will proclaim. The question is: Should you believe it? Or should you go ahead and wash it? The
experts, including the FDA and USDA, say not to wash it. The reason, they say, is that we at home are more likely to contaminate the greens ourselves with a dirty sink.
However, people on blogs across the internet are insulted being told they would contaminate food in their own kitchens. They intend to wash all produce, even if the package says it’s not needed and even if it’s organic from a farmer’s market.
It’s difficult to know what to believe, but one thing is a fact: Seniors who develop an E. coli infection can become severely ill.
Be very cautious and take due care.
* * *
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
cording to schedule, drinks according to schedule and is taken outside on the heels of either activity. Should an accident occur, clean the area thoroughly, and immediately take the dog outside and praise him.
Accidents are not cause for punishment. They are opportunities for learning. Rather than accentuating your displeasure when he gets something wrong during the early leaning stages, focus on demonstrating how pleased you are with his corrected behavior.
3) There will be leash resistance.
Most of us know better than to throw a saddle on a horse that’s never worn one and hop on. A leash to a dog is no more natural. Dogs don’t come with diplomas. We must be patient with them as they adjust to all our wacky expectations.
The best way to gently introduce the leash to your pooch is to fasten a lightweight model to his collar and supervise as he wears it around the house. This allows him to get used to the weight around his neck. Play fetch with him, have him walk to his food bowl and eat, and do any number of normal activities; however, do not ever leave him alone with the leash on.
Once he’s had time to warm to the idea, take him on a walk. Allow him to pull you. Tugging on the leash while it’s attached to his neck is no way to make him enjoy wearing one. He’ll learn to stop pulling once he begins obedience training and learns “heel.” Until then, cut the little guy some slack and have fun.
For more information on creating and implementing a feed-water-walk schedule, housebreaking, chewing, mouthing, nipping or leash training, read “I Just Got a Puppy. What Do I Do?” or “When Good Dogs Do Bad Things,” or visit www.unclematty.com.
Woof!
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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
Your Right to File a Claim
If you think you are eligible for Social Security benefits, you have every right to file a claim for those benefits. This is a message I’ve delivered before in this column. But recent emails tell me it’s time to send the message again. Here are several of those emails.
Q: Even though my husband and I lived together for 20 years, we didn’t actually get married until two years ago. Sadly, he died last month. When I contacted Social Security to file for widow’s benefits, the clerk told me we had to be married at least 10 years, so she said I wasn’t due anything. Is there anything else I can do?
Q: I am 62 years old. I called Social Security’s 800 number and told them I wanted to file for my Social Security benefits. I run my own business, but plan to turn it over to my wife and pay myself a small salary to stay under the earnings penalty limit of $23,000. The telephone rep I talked to told me I was not eligible for benefits and terminated the interview. Do I have any recourse?
Q: I am 60 years old. I’ve had to stop working because of bad knees and high blood pressure. I called Social Security to inquire about filing for disability benefits. The agent told me my condition wasn’t severe enough to qualify. But I know other people with problems similar to my own, and they are getting disability. What can I do?
Before I get into the specifics of each of these questions, I’m going to repeat my overall message. Whenever you think you might be due any kind of Social Security benefit, insist on filing a claim for that benefit. Even if the Social Security Administration rep you are talking to discourages you from filing a claim, remember you have every right to do so.
For part of my 32-year career with the Social Security Administration, I was a claims intake person. In other words, it was my job to help people file claims for various kinds of Social Security benefits. Most times, a person’s potential eligibility for benefits was fairly cut and dried. For example, if you were 62 years old and not working and you showed up at my desk to file for retirement benefits, I would have immediately whipped out the retirement application and helped you fill it out. But other times, a person’s eligibility for benefits was questionable. And I might have been inclined to suggest the person just forget it and go home. But I never did that. I always helped him or her file a claim. Why? For three reasons.
Reason number one: It was drilled into me from the start of my career that people always had the legal right to file for any kind of Social Security benefit.
Reason number two: It was my job to protect the client’s legal rights. Here’s an example of what I mean by that. If Mary wanted to file a claim
for spousal benefits, and I misread the law and told her she wasn’t eligible, she had no legal recourse. On the other hand, if she had filed an actual claim, and that claim was mistakenly denied, she would have had the right to appeal that decision. I can’t overemphasize how important those legal rights are.
Reason number three: I would always help someone file an obviously questionable claim frankly because it was actually self-serving. I knew that Social Security office staffing was doled out based on the number of claims the office took. In other words, the more claims I took, the better chance there was that our office would get the extra staff we always felt we needed. So, I always thought that taking claims was a win-win for both the client and my local SSA office.
But I’ve been retired for 20 years now, and I wonder if things are different at the SSA today. (Maybe office staffing is doled out by the young whippersnappers who run the Department of Government Efficiency and not by any more rational method?)
Anyway, now I will address the questions from the three people whose emails I included at the start of this column.
Unless I am missing some of the facts, the widow who was married for a couple of years before her husband died was given bum advice by the Social Security rep to whom she talked. The 10-year duration of marriage rule applies only to divorced spouses. So, assuming this woman was still married to her husband when he died, and is old enough for widow’s benefits, and assuming she is not getting higher benefits on her own Social Security account, she should be getting widow’s benefits and should file a claim immediately.
The guy with the business is treading a fine Social Security eligibility line. In the past, the rules were pretty stringent. He would not have been able to simply turn the business over to his wife on paper and pay himself a minimal salary and then expect to collect Social Security retirement benefits. But the SSA has eased up on these rules, and he may be eligible. Again, the only way he will find out
1. The book of Samson is found in the a) Old Testament b) New Testament c) Neither
2. In Galatians, "Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through ________ serve one another." a) Friendship b) Honesty c) Love d) Benevolence
3. From 2 Corinthians, "Now the Lord is that Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is a) Hope b) Freedom c) Love d) Liberty
4. In John 8, "If the ______ therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." a) Spirit b) Son c) Truth d) Wisdom
5. From what book's 6:7 does it say, "For he that is dead is freed from sin"? a) Mark b) Romans c) Isaiah d) 1 Timothy
6. Which mount was a contest scene between Elijah and the prophets of Baal? a) Carmel b) Sinai c) Bethel d) Hor
(Answers on page 16) For comments or more Bible Trivia go to www.TriviaGuy.com
for sure is to file a claim.
And the woman who wanted to file for disability benefits should insist on doing so. Even though she claims to just have “bad knees and high blood pressure,” you never really know. Maybe a medical exam by a Social Security contract doctor conducted as part of the claims process will reveal that she actually has some severe heart issues. So again, the overall message to everyone reading this column is this: Always demand to file a claim for benefits if you think you might possibly be due them -- no matter what a Social Security rep tells you.
And finally, I just thought of this. I’m always preaching to file your Social Security claim online at www.socialsecurity.gov. If you do it that way, the computer, unlike a possibly unhelpful SSA agent, won’t try to stop you.
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
Immunity to Rubella Does Not Equal Immunity to Measles
DEAR DR. ROACH: I read a recent column of yours in which you said that everyone my age can assume we’ve had measles. I remember having measles in the second grade but have a vague memory of my parents calling it German measles, which I believe is rubella.
If a person has had either, do they have immunity to both types of measles?
-- S.F.
ANSWER: If you were born before 1957, you are likely but not 100% sure to be immune to measles (sometimes called red measles) and mumps. However, rubella (German measles) is a different disease, and immunity to one does not ensure immunity to the other.
The biggest health concern with rubella is when a woman of childbearing age contracts it as the potential damage to her developing fetus can be severe. So, every woman who could get pregnant is tested for immunity at the earliest opportunity. All health care workers should have documented immunity to measles, mumps and rubella.
The United States is in the middle of a large measles outbreak now, and those living in an area with transmission should be sure that they are immune to measles. This can be done by checking blood antibody levels or giving an extra dose to those who have already been immunized (or two doses to those who have never been immunized).
At the time that I write this, there is no rubella outbreak in the U.S., but if there is, the advice will be similar to demonstrating immunity to rubella as it is for measles.
DEAR DR. ROACH: Would you say a 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda in my water every morning would give me a more alkaline
system? -- L.M.
ANSWER: Baking soda is basic or alkali on the pH scale. If you put a 1/2 teaspoon in a large glass of water, the pH of the resulting solution will be around 8.3 or so. However, as soon as you drink it, the acid in your stomach will overwhelm the baking soda since stomach acid is a lot stronger an acid than baking soda is a base.
Furthermore, your body has robust systems to keep your body’s pH regulated at just around 7.4. Your kidneys and lungs will quickly act to maintain your body’s pH, whether you take in a lot of alkaline like baking soda or a whole lot of acid like lemon juice or lemonade.
These pH regulatory systems keep the blood pH at a slightly alkaline level, and even small changes from this level usually represent serious illness. You don’t want to change your blood pH.
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
Help for Homeless Veterans
Organizations across the country that help homeless veterans are set to share in grants that total $42 million. Each grant, if approved, can be worth as much as $500,000 and will fund them for two years, beginning in October.
The grants, through the VA’s Legal Services for Veterans Grant Program, will help organizations that assist veterans with custody and child support problems, help veterans get their benefits, run interference with tenant-landlord issues and more.
All of these services are for the purpose of helping homeless veterans or those who are in danger of becoming homeless.
Last year there were over 32,000 homeless veterans. Though that number is a bit smaller than the previous year, it’s still too big. Once a veteran is homeless, because of substance abuse, mental health issues, eviction, job loss or any other reason, it’s difficult to break the cycle without help.
If you’re a homeless veteran or if you’re in danger of becoming homeless, help is as near as your phone.
Call the VA medical center nearest you and ask for the homeless coordinator. To find the nearest VA facility to you, go to www.va.gov/directory
Call the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans at 1-800-VET-HELP (838-4357). They can help with substance abuse and mental health counseling, job training and placement, health care and permanent housing.
You might qualify for a voucher through the VA Supportive Housing (VASH), where they pay part of your rent directly to the landlord. The goal of the program is to get veterans into permanent housing and hooked up with support services so the housing remains stable, all with the help of a case manager.
Call the homeless veteran hotline at 877424-3838 to talk to a trained counselor. They’re open 24/7, and the call is free and confidential.
If you need help now or will in the near future, don’t wait until the last minute. Reach out as soon as you suspect you’re going to be homeless.
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.
M.D.
Nifty Golf Gadgets That Can Help Older Golfers
DEAR SAVVY SENIOR: I have been an active golfer most of my adult years, but I'm running into some physical problems on the course as I keep adding on the birthdays. Can you recommend some good golfing aids that can help older players stay in the game? I like to walk the course when I play but I have some back problems that make stooping over to tee-up or retrieve the ball difficult, and some arthritis in my hands often make gripping the club painful. Duffer Don
Golf.com, $65), Tee Pal Pro (TeePalLLC.com, $79), Joe’s Original Backtee (UprightGolf.com, $20) and Toss Tees (TossTee.com, $15.50).
Many of these same companies also offer accessory products for retrieving the ball from the ground or cup, repairing divots, marking the ball on the green, or picking up a club, sand rake or flag stick off the ground, all without bending over.
Gripping Solutions
Gripping a golf club can also be challenging for golfers with hand arthritis or those who have hand or elbow injuries. To help alleviate this problem there are specially designed golf gloves and grips that can make a big difference.
for you as you walk. Some top brands include Stewart Golf (StewartGolfusa.com), Motocaddy (Motocaddy.us) and MGI (MGIgolf.com). These run anywhere between $1,000 and $3,500. Or, for people with severe mobility loss, there’s a specialized electric golf cart called the SoloRider (SoloRider.com). This provides mobility challenged golfers the ability to play from a seated or standing-but-supported position. Retailing for $16,500, plus a $600 shipping fee, this cart is lightweight and precisely balanced so it can be driven on tee boxes and greens without causing damage. Federal ADA laws require that all public golf courses allow them.
Some good gloves to consider include the Bionic Golf Glove (BionicGloves.com, $18 to $33) that has extra padding in the palm and finger joints to improve grip. And the Eagle Claw (The-Eagle-Claw.com, $50), which includes a golf glove and a plastic claw that fits over you thumb and index finger to lock the club to your hand.
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Dear Don: There are actually a wide variety of adaptive golf equipment that can help older golfers who struggle with arthritis, injuries or mobility problems. Here’s a rundown of some of the different types of golf equipment you can purchase that can help with many different needs.
Upright Golf Products
For golfers with back, hip or knee problems, there are several different products on the market that will allow you to tee up the ball (and retrieve the tee) from an upright position without having to bend or stoop over. To find these stoop-proof devices see Zero Bend Golf (ZeroBendGolf.com, $80), Reacher Golf (Reacher-
Estate Planning Attorney
Another gripping solution is to get oversized grips installed on your clubs. These can make gripping the club easier and more comfortable and are also very good at absorbing shock. Oversized grips are usually either one-sixteenthinch or one-eighth-inch larger in diameter than a standard grip, and cost around $10 per grip. You can find these grips and have them installed at your local golf store or pro shop.
Low Vision Golf Balls
If diminished vision from cataracts or eye problems makes locating the ball difficult, Chromax golf balls (ChromaxGolf.com) can help. These are reflective colored golf balls that make them appear larger and brighter. Cost: $11 for a three-pack.
Age-Friendly Golf Carts
For older golfers who like to walk the course, there are ergonomically designed golf carts that are lightweight and easy to push or pull. Brands like Sun Mountain (SunMountain. com), Bag Boy and Clicgear (Clicgearusa.com) offer a variety of three and four-wheeled push/ pull carts that are highly rated for function and foldability. Costs typically range between $280 and $350.
There are also remote electric caddies that will transport your clubs around the course
-- by Jim Miller
JUNQUE
by Anne McCollam Creators News Service
Lamp Was a 1925 Wedding Gift
Q: The enclosed photo is of an electric lamp that was a wedding present to my husband’s parents in 1925. The base is copper or something that appears to be copper. The inside of the glass shade is decorated with a hand-painted scene of a country cottage with trees and can be seen when the light is turned on. The shade is approximately 18 inches in diameter, and the overall height is 22 inches. The words “Jefferson 1878” are also painted along the inside edge.
Can you provide any information about the history and insurance value of my lamp?
Q: This mark is on the bottom of a pitcher that was left in the kitchen of a lake house that we bought years ago. The pitcher stands about 9 inches tall, is round with a handle and has a cork-lined stopper. It is decorated with six orange cattails and four black leaves on the side and on the stopper. There are 2 bands around the stopper, one is orange and one is black. The condition is excellent. What can you tell about the pitcher? Is it “Antique or Junque”? Does it have any value?
Semi-porcelain water pitcher was made in the mid-20th century.
A: You have a semi-porcelain refrigerator water jug. It was made by Universal Potteries Inc. for Sears, Roebuck and Company in the 1930s and 1940s. The pattern is a decal and the name is “Cattail.” This pattern was used on a plethora of kitchen items that included water pitchers, bowls, platters, cups, saucers, salt and pepper shakers, and butter dishes. There was also a line of accessories that were available that included tin-ware, glassware and table linens.
* On July 7, 1456, Joan of Arc’s heresy conviction was overturned at an appeal proceeding held at the archbishop’s palace in Rouen, France. Unfortunately, the Catholic Church’s change of heart came too late, as she’d been burned at the stake 25 years earlier.
* On July 8, 1905, the body of Revolutionary War naval hero John Paul Jones, which had lain for more than a century in a French graveyard, began its final trans-Atlantic journey, ending in interment at the U.S. Naval Academy in Maryland with a ceremony presided over by President Theodore Roosevelt.
A: You have a reverse-painted lamp that was made by the Jefferson Lamp Company. They were founded in Steubenville, Ohio, in 1900. In 1907 they moved to Follansbee, West Virginia, and at that time began making reverse-painted shades for lamps. Their bases were metal and decorated with copper or brass finish. Take another look at the base; they were often also signed “Jefferson.” The number “1878” is a model number. Jefferson Lamp Company closed in 1933. While your lamp is a desirable antique, its value has decreased somewhat in the past few years. A current insurance value would be in the range of $1,500 to $2,000.
Your mid-20th century water pitcher would probably fetch $30 to $60 in an antiques shop.
* * * 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.
* On July 9, 1928, Rose Booher, her son Fred and two hired workers were shot to death on a secluded farm in Canada while the rest of the Booher family was away. Son Vernon Booher confessed to the crime after Max Langsner used his alleged psychic powers, with which he’d reputedly solved crimes around Europe, to sketch a scene that included a rifle hidden under some bushes, giving police a makeshift map to locate the murder weapon.
* On July 10, 2018, the last of 12 Thai youth soccer players and their coach were rescued from the Tham Luang cave network after a search that held the world’s attention for more than two weeks. The team had set out on a supposed hour-long adventure when they were trapped underground after monsoon rains flooded the cave’s entrance.
* On July 11, 1944, German army officer Count Claus von Stauffenberg carried a bomb to Adolf Hitler’s headquarters in Bavaria with the intention of assassinating him. The count ended up holding back because Hermann GÖring and Heinrich Himmler, who were also considered crucial targets, weren’t present as expected.
* On July 12, 1979, public backlash to disco music reached its zenith with the “Disco Demolition” night at Chicago’s Comiskey Park, which resulted in at least nine injuries, 39 arrests and the cancellation and forfeit of a Major League Baseball game.
* On July 13, 1990, the romantic thriller “Ghost,” about a woman who communicates with her murdered boyfriend via a psychic and starring Demi Moore, Patrick Swayze and Whoopi Goldberg, opened across the U.S. It received multiple Academy Award nominations, and Goldberg took home an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
(c) 2025 King Features Synd., Inc.
Unbeknownst to Clarence, his cart had broken down in the seedy, non-member section of the country club.
Jefferson Lamp Company was founded in 1900.
from page 3
• In January of 1995, Macarthur Wheeler and Clifton Johnson hatched a plan that was so ridiculously stupid that it sparked a well-known psychological study on what makes stupid people think they are smart. Wheeler and Johnson knew that if you write a secret message using lemon juice, the writing becomes invisible. Wheeler was actually convinced that lemon juice would make things invisible to security cameras, and he convinced Clifton that this was true.
• They both rubbed lemon juice on their faces, then boldly robbed two Pittsburgh banks without benefit of disguise. Of course, their pictures were soon shown on area TV news stations along with a hotline number, and both were in custody in short order. Wheeler exclaimed as he was arrested, “But I wore the juice!”
• David Dunning was a professor of psychology when he read about this bungled bank robbery. He theorized, “If Wheeler was too stupid to be a bank robber, perhaps he was also too stupid to know that he was too stupid to be a bank robber.” He teamed up with his graduate student Justin Kruger, and they conducted a research program to find out if someone’s perceived competence could be measured against their actual competence.
• Their paper, released in 1999, was entitled “Unskilled and Unaware of It.” It concluded that incompetent people tend to reach erroneous conclusions and make unfortunate decisions, all while their incompetence robs them of their ability to recognize their own incompetence. This theory became known as the DunningKruger effect, which states, in short, that the most inept people tend to be the most confident in their brilliance.
• Similarly, the opposite effect is true for highly intelligent people, who tend to underestimate their skills and abilities.
Impact with a golf ball may be one of the most mysterious actions in any sport due to the speed of the swing and the conditions of the ball and club design. One of the great myths in golf is that the impact position should mirror the address position. Nothing could be further from the truth. Impact has dynamic changes in the body position, hand position, and especially club orientation. The “line of compression” of the left arm and club could be an image that revolutionizes your game
At address, the left arm and club shaft should have a slight angle to one another. This may change slightly with woods, but for most irons it is consistent. By impact the body has turned and shifted from its original position, while the left arm and club now form a straight line.
This line of compression is what creates maximum energy transfer and enables center contact more consistently than poorer impact alignments. In front of a mirror or window, rehearse slow swings that you can pause at impact. Notice the dynamic changes of the body, but pay particular attention to forming that compression line.
Thistle
