Smart Reader 020824

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The nation's leading social media platforms generated almost $11 billion in combined ad revenues from U.S. users younger than 18 in 2022, according to Harvard University's T.H. Chan School of Public Health. "Although social media platforms may claim that they can self-regulate their practices to reduce the harms to young people, they have yet to do so," senior author Bryn Austin said. "Our study suggests they have overwhelming financial incentives to continue to delay taking meaningful steps to protect children." The study sought to better determine how much money popular social media platforms make from ad revenue generated by the nation's teens and children and how many people younger than 18 use various sites and mobile apps. Researchers used market research data and public surveys done in 2021 and 2022 to estimate the relationship between young users and ad revenue for popular social media platforms and apps. They created a simulation model that determined the likely revenues and ages of nonadult users of social media sites and apps. The study indicates social media that made the most ad revenue generated by users under the age of 18 in 2022 were Instagram with $4 billion, TikTok with $2 billion, and YouTube with $1.2 billion. The study also shows YouTube had 49.7 million users younger than 18 in the United States, while TikTok had 18.9 million and Snapchat had 18 million. Instagram had 16.7 million, Facebook 9.9 million and X 7million. Social media platforms don't publish data on user ages or ad revenue generated by age groups, which forced researchers to rely on projections and estimations by market researchers and public surveys. "Our finding that social media platforms generate substantial advertising revenue from youth highlights the need for greater data transparency as well as public health interventions and government regulations," lead author Amanda Raffoul said. The researchers' findings generally support efforts to hold social media accountable for harmful effects on youth. In October, 42 state attorneys general announced a lawsuit against Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, for allegedly targeting teens and children with addictive content. Nine other attorneys general filed similar lawsuits. Meta is among multiple social media publishers facing lawsuits for allegedly targeting children with harmful content. The lawsuits accuse social media platforms of negatively affecting the mental health of teens and causing depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation among young people. U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy in May issued an advisory warning about potential harm to the mental health and well-being of adolescents and children. By Mike Heuer New study says social media made billions off teens, children in 2022 Smart Reader is published bi-weekly by Carmichael Communications Editor & Publisher/Frank J. Carmichael Assistant to the Publisher/Reanna Stockdale Sales/Kim Carmichael Editorial Manager/Jason Hedman Ad Design & Layout/Kristin Monticelli, Glen Kelly Reception/Sarah Coleman Carmichael Communications 1420 63rd St. Kenosha, WI 53143 February 8, 2024 Volume 22 Number 3 262-564-8800 • 1-800-568-6623 • www.hap2it.com Researchers at Harvard University's T.H. Chan School of Public Health used market research data and public surveys conducted in 2021 and 2022 to estimate the relationship between young users and ad revenue for popular social media platforms and apps. Cutting back on social media may improve mental health of college students, study says Cutting back social media to a spare 30 minutes per day could be the key to reducing anxiety, depression, loneliness and feelings of fear of missing out, researchers say. That was true for college students in a new study who self-limited social media -- often successfully and sometimes squeezing in just a bit more time -- for two weeks. "I think on the one hand, the results are kind of counterintuitive, right? If you talk to many people, they would tell you that social media is how they manage their stress, how they keep themselves entertained, how they stay connected with other people. So, I think the typical perception is that people use social media to cope," said lead author Ella Faulhaber, a doctoral student in human-computer interaction at Iowa State University. Faulhaber said researchers gained interesting insights when they asked participants about their experience. "Lots of them said, 'I had trouble at first but then I realized how much I better slept, how I actually connected more with people in real life, how I found myself keeping busy with other things,'" Faulhaber said. The study dovetailed with recent health advisories from the U.S. Surgeon General and the American Psychological Association, which warned that young people's mental health has suffered as their use of social media has surged. Faulhaber's team worked with 230 college students, asking half to limit their social media to 30 minutes each day. They received daily reminders. At the end, these students had significantly lower scores for depression, anxiety, loneliness and fear of missing out compared to the control group, which was not asked to limit social media. This group also had a brighter outlook on life. Faulhaber said she was excited to find that participants' well-being improved in all these dimensions. Even students in the selflimiting group who didn't strictly adhere to the 30- minute limit experienced psychological benefits. "We will never be perfect, but really putting in that effort does really make a difference," Faulhaber said. Allowing participants to self-limit gave them more personal accountability. "You're creating awareness. You're setting a timer. Maybe you're just becoming aware of your usage," Faulhaber said. "I feel like most people don't even know how much time has passed when they're aimlessly scrolling. And we also need to keep in mind that most social media platforms have been designed or created to foster that." Faulhaber calls this the "age of anxiety." Spending time with people on social media or Zoom just can't replace in-person contact, she said. Other research suggests that active use of social media, such as commenting on a friend's post or sending a direct message, has fewer negative consequences than just scrolling and consuming, she said. "To me, the takeaway is this is definitely doable," Faulhaber said. "This experiment really shows you that if you try to limit your social media usage, it is effective and you might actually feel better." Psychiatrist Dr. Howard Liu, chairman of the American Psychiatric Association's Council on Communications, reviewed the findings. Liu said people are social creatures, and even before the pandemic, were experiencing a lot of loneliness, as the U.S. Surgeon General has pointed out. "I think we all ache for connection, and social media seems to offer that, but it's not quite the same as the real thing," he said. Fear of missing out often makes social media difficult to put down once you've logged on, Liu said. He said he appreciated the real-world experiment in this study. "Half an hour is a reasonable, a pretty easy-toremember thing: I think that story continues on page 11 2 SMART READER February 8, 2024 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 A & L TAX SERVICE 7506 22nd Avenue, Kenosha (262) 652-2592 Tax Preparation @ Reasonable Prices!012524 82 Years and Counting! Founded in 1942 by A. James Faraone, my father. Started with Building of Homes 82 years ago. Added Real Estate Sales in the 1950s Anita Faraone Licensed Real Estate Broker 59 years. Tax preparation services were added 25 years ago. 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"You have blood on your hands." "I'm sorry for everything you have all been through." These quotes, the first from Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speaking to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and the second from Zuckerberg to families of victims of online child abuse in the audience, are highlights from an extraordinary day of testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee about protecting children online. But perhaps the most telling quote from the Wednesday hearing came not from the CEOs of Meta, TikTok, X, Discord or Snap, but from Graham in his opening statement: Social media platforms "as they are currently designed and operate are dangerous products." We are university researchers who study how social media organizes news, information and communities. Whether or not social media apps meet the legal definition of "unreasonably dangerous products," the social media companies' business models do rely on having millions of young users. At the same time, we believe that the companies have not invested sufficient resources to effectively protect those users. Mobile device use by children and teens skyrocketed during the pandemic and has stayed high. Naturally, teens want to be where their friends are, be it the skate park or on social media. In 2022, there were an estimated 49.8 million users age 17 and under of YouTube, 19 million of TikTok, 18 million of Snapchat, 16.7 million of Instagram, 9.9 million of Facebook and 7 million of Twitter, according to a recent study by researchers at Harvard's Chan School of Public Health. Teens are a significant revenue source for social media companies. Revenue from users 17 and under of social media was $11 billion in 2022, according to the Chan School study. Instagram netted nearly $5 billion, while TikTok and YouTube each accrued over $2 billion. Teens mean green. Social media poses a range of risks for teens, from exposing them to harassment, bullying and sexual exploitation to encouraging eating disorders and suicidal ideation. For Congress to take meaningful action on protecting children online, we identify three issues that need to be accounted for: age, business model and content moderation. How old are you? Social media companies have an incentive to look the other way in terms of their users' ages. Otherwise they would have to spend the resources to moderate their content appropriately. Millions of underage users - - those under 13 -- are an "open secret" at Meta. Meta has described some potential strategies to verify user ages, like requiring identification or video selfies, and using artificial intelligence to guess their age based on "Happy Birthday" messages. However, the accuracy of these methods is not publicly open to scrutiny, so it's difficult to audit them independently. Meta has stated that online teen safety legislation is needed to prevent harm, but the company points to app stores, dominated by Apple and Google, as the place where age verification should happen. However, these guardrails can be easily circumvented by accessing a social media platform's website rather than its app. New generations Teen adoption is crucial for continued growth of all social media platforms. The Facebook Files, an investigation based on a review of company documents, showed that Instagram's growth strategy relies on teens helping family members, particularly younger siblings, get on the platform. Meta claims it optimizes for "meaningful social interaction," prioritizing family and friends' content over other interests. However, Instagram allows pseudonymity and multiple accounts, which makes parental oversight even more difficult. On Nov. 7, Auturo Bejar, a former senior engineer at Facebook, testified before Congress. At Meta he surveyed teen Instagram users and found 24% of 13- to 15-year-olds said they had received unwanted advances within the past seven days, a fact he characterizes as "likely the largest-scale sexual harassment of teens to have ever happened." Meta has since implemented restrictions on direct messaging in its products for underage users. But to be clear, widespread harassment, bullying and solicitation is a part of the landscape of social media, and it's going to take more than parents and app stores to rein it in. Meta recently announced that it is aiming to provide teens with "age-appropriate experiences," in part by prohibiting searches for terms related to suicide, self-harm and eating disorders. However, these steps don't stop online communities that promote these harmful behaviors from flourishing on the company's social media platforms. It takes a carefully trained team of human moderators to monitor and enforce terms of service violations for dangerous groups. Content moderation Social media companies point to the promise of artificial intelligence to moderate content and provide safety on their platforms, but AI is not a silver bullet for managing human behavior. Communities adapt quickly to AI moderation, augmenting banned words with purposeful misspellings and creating backup accounts to prevent getting kicked off a platform. Human content moderation is also problematic, given social media companies' business models and practices. Since 2022, social media companies have implemented massive layoffs that struck at the heart of their trust and safety operations and weakened content moderation across the industry. Congress will need hard data from the social media companies -- data the companies have not provided to date -- to assess the appropriate ratio of moderators to users. The way forward In healthcare, professionals have a duty to warn if they believe something dangerous might happen. When these uncomfortable truths surface in corporate research, little is done to inform the public of threats to safety. Congress could mandate reporting when internal studies reveal damaging outcomes. Helping teens today will require social media companies to invest in human content moderation and meaningful age verification. But even that is not likely to fix the problem. Social media apps rely on young users but fail to protect them Facebook and Instagram head Mark Zuckerberg is facing a series of lawsuits concerning child safety. story continues page 11 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 SMART READER February 8, 2024 3 Locally Owned & Operated for Over 30 Years 5403 52nd Street Kenosha Phone (262) 656-1717 www.bandlofficefurniture.com 020124 SALE PRICE QUANTITIES ARE LIMITED. 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Please join us for Kenosha Restaurant Week, which will take place February 24 through March 3. This is a nine-day celebration of our community's delicious dining scene. More than 50 locally owned restaurants, pubs, eateries, and specialty food shops throughout Kenosha County are participating. Each venue is creating its own specials/discounts. The new participants this year (as of the time I write this) include: Anna's on the Lake, Blak Coffee Kenosha, Blast From the Past Pizza, Church & Market, Cut Stone, Kenosha Tap House, Oakfire, Our Kenosha Tap, Red School Café, and Smarty's Sweets & Treats. Perhaps you want to try a brand new restaurant – or a new-to-you restaurant. Maybe it’s the discounted menus that have you researching what venues are participating. Or you don’t want to pass up this opportunity to support and/or try something new at your favorite go-to place. It could be that you simply want to support local businesses. Whatever your reason is – we thank you in advance for taking part in Kenosha Restaurant Week! Our small businesses thank you as well! The postholiday, winter season is typically the slowest time of year for restaurants. No tickets, passes, or coupons are required. During Restaurant Week, you simply visit/order from participating restaurants and ask for the special Restaurant Week menu. The venues will be offering both their Restaurant Week menu and their regular menu. We recommend you make reservations if the place accepts them. Go to VisitKenosha.com/RW for all the details about Kenosha Restaurant Week. The participating venues are listed. As the information becomes available, the menus are being added as well. As Kenosha Restaurant Week approaches and during the week itself, there will be numerous opportunities to win gift cards to our local restaurants on the Kenosha Restaurant Week Facebook and Instagram pages. We encourage you to make a donation to one of the local hunger-relief organizations that are the official nonprofit partners of Kenosha Restaurant Week. Online links to donate are listed on our website; go to VisitKenosha.com/RW and then the Dine & Give page. Here’s some of the feedback we’ve received the past few years from people that went out and dined (or ordered carryout) during Kenosha Restaurant Week: “We've been enjoying it every year since it started. We love trying new places we haven't been to before and, in some cases, had never even heard of.” “It was a lot of fun … it was a nice reason to eat out extra that week to support local businesses!” “Great way to promote Kenosha.” “Restaurant week always motivates me to try new local restaurants!” “We loved it. There are some restaurants we plan to try even though the week is over.” “Love patronizing local businesses!!!” “We’ll definitely participate again! It’s such a fun time to experience new places.” “Kenosha is so special because we have so many non-chain establishments. We’re supporting local businesses, charities, and families in one week. Love the opportunity to make Kenosha shine.” As you enjoy Restaurant Week, we encourage you to continue exploring the area. Check out a new exhibit at one of the museums you haven’t been to lately. Stop by an art gallery you’ve been meaning to visit. See what the local boutique shops offer. Since 2019, Visit Kenosha has been the sole producer of Kenosha Restaurant Week with participation open exclusively to our Tourism Partner businesses throughout Kenosha County. Find fun faster! Be sure to use our website VisitKenosha.com when looking for #KenoshaFun. Visit Kenosha has been Kenosha’s official travel resource since 1986. Kenosha Restaurant Week starts February 24 by Meridith Jumisko, Visit Kenosha Meridith Jumisko is Public Relations Director at Visit Kenosha. Contact her at [email protected] 4 SMART READER February 8, 2024 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 5125 6th Avenue Kenosha Live Comedy EVERY Friday & Saturday! If It’s Not Live, You’re Not Living! f It’s Not Live, You’re Not Living! FOR EVENT TICKETS & MORE ACTS VISIT HAP2IT.COM, STOP IN 1420 63RD ST. M-F 10AM-4PM OR CALL (262)564-8800 020824 UPCOMING: APRIL 12/13 MR. SHOWTIME • APRIL 26/27 STEVEN MICHAEL QUEZADA • MAY 3/4 FRED RUBINO MAY 17/18 JAMES CAMACHO • MAY 24/25 MIKE BALL • MAY 31/JUNE 1 TAMMY PESCATELLI UPCOMING: APRIL 12/13 MR. SHOWTIME • APRIL 26/27 STEVEN MICHAEL QUEZADA • MAY 3/4 FRED RUBINO MAY 17/18 JAMES CAMACHO • MAY 24/25 MIKE BALL • MAY 31/JUNE 1 TAMMY PESCATELLI JIM FLORENTINE FEB 16/17 FEB 9/10 JIM FLORENTINE LAURA HIGH LAURA HIGH Feb 23/24 MICHAEL WINSLOW MICHAEL WINSLOW LUKAS ARNOLD LUKAS ARNOLD MAR 8/9 STEVE HYTNER STEVE HYTNER MAR 29/30 D NO MIN RINK IMUM KATHLEEN DUNBAR KATHLEEN DUNBAR APR 5/6 ANDY BENINGO ANDY BENINGO APR 11/12 MICHELE TRAINA MICHELE TRAINA 617K “KENNY BANIA” w/ host Tom Kief and Keren Margolis Live Comedy EVERY Friday & Saturday! MAR 15/16 GREG SCHWEM GREG SCHWEM MAR 22/23 2.4M

I live in central New Hampshire (NH) on the west shore of Lake Winnisquam. This is the third-largest lake in NH. I kayak on the crystal-clear blue water as often as possible. The state of NH owns the 7.2 square miles of water but citizens own any islands that dot the lake. Due east of my boat dock is a very small island that is less than 2,000 square feet in size. It’s about 50 feet in diameter. On this island is a tiny house. Several years ago I was kayaking on a glorious summer day and saw the owners outside eating lunch sitting at a picnic table near their dock. “Hello! I’m Tim Carter. I live just across the lake from you. In the winter I often see a glow coming from your window that faces my house. Do you live here year-round?” The older couple invited me to come sit with them. They were like teenage sweethearts and had a strong glow about them. We chatted about how they do live on the island year-round. I was astonished, to say the least. Their tiny house measured only 12 feet by 20 feet as best as I could estimate. That’s 240 square feet. It was smaller than a two-story shed I had built the previous year up above my leach field. I built my shed so it could be converted into a tiny house. I sell the Deluxe Two-Story Shed plans to folks on a regular basis. CLICK HERE to order my EXACT SHED plans. After sharing a drink with them, I departed and kayaked around the other two larger islands. I couldn’t get my mind off how two people could live 365 days year in a nothing more than a very small cabin. As I paddled back to my dock, I decided to research how big the average log cabin was that settlers constructed in the 1700s. It turns out the average size of a log cabin built in the Northeast was 16 feet long by 14 feet wide. That’s 224 square feet of living area. Are you entranced with the concept of downsizing and moving into a tiny house? Think of how small your heating and cooling bills would be. Imagine how fast you could clean your entire house! Ponder how long it might be before you’d strangle your significant other unless you were constantly bumping beaks like the lovebirds that live across the lake from me. There are all sorts of advantages to living in a tiny house. We already know it’s possible as our ancestors did it. There are also many disadvantages of compacting your lifestyle into a space not much bigger than a motel room. The best way, in my opinion, to test your ability to survive in a tiny house is to rent a travel camper for a week. Take it to a local campground and hook it up to the on-site utilities allowing you all the comforts of electricity, running water, and sewer. Keep in mind not all campgrounds have a sewer connection. Without this important convenience, you’ll be stunned by how fast you’ll fill up your onboard sewage holding tank. My guess is you’ll discover the first day is somewhat fun and interesting. You’ll marvel at how the camper designers have made use of every cubic inch of storage space. This is very important to do in tiny houses as well. If you conduct this test solo, you’ll have a much better chance of survival. If you have a partner, I predict by the late afternoon of the second day thoughts will cross your mind about what excuse you can make to take a hike or make your sixth trip of the day to the campground general store. By midweek a large tear will develop in the social fabric of your relationship. The smallest character flaw will balloon into grounds for a divorce. Your mood will darken like the black clouds that barrel towards you just before a violent severe storm strikes. My guess is that on the fifth day, you’ll be calling the camper rental office to see if you can get a discount for returning the camper two days early. Your nerves will be as raw as a fresh trout you snagged from the campground lake. What are you going to do with all your stuff? Do you park your car and pickup truck outside because your garage looks like a hoarder’s Paradise? When you make the decision to live in a tiny house, all your stuff becomes flotsam and jetsam as you hand the keys of your large traditional home to the new owner. Think long and hard about how you can live without all your books, memorabilia, countless clothes, shoes, Christmas decorations, etc. You now know why my moniker around the Carter home is the Dream Crusher. I didn’t come up with the nickname, my kids did. Every time they’d float some idea at the dinner table, I’d start to ask questions. It was the realist in me. I’m also old enough to remember the craze about geodesic dome houses, Aframes, and several other housing fads. If you notice, you don’t see many of those around where you live. There’s a reason. I believe the tiny house fad has also floundered on the reef of silly ideas. If I’ve crushed your dream of living in one, trust me, you’ll thank me at some point. Tiny Houses are big bad ideas Ask the Builder with Tim Carter Subscribe to Tim’s FREE newsletter at AsktheBuilder.com. Tim offers phone coaching calls if you get stuck during a DIY job. Go here: go.askthebuilder.com /coaching Tim Carter joins Happenings Q&A on Thu. Feb. 22nd at 9:20am on AM1050 WLIP g : t . s e t t t t ” s w e o g o y . e e t o . t p t s a r t r s a o e . FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 SMART READER February 8, 2024 5 5125 6th AVE. KENOSHA April 6th • 7:30PM Sinatra, Sammy, Soul & Such Valentine’s Day Dance Tickets On Sale Soon! February 10th 7:00pm • $10 Yesterday’s Children S o o 6:30pm - 9:30pm 7:00pm - 9:00pm All Star Join Us Every Wednesday! Karaoke S S o Yesterday’s Children ROCK & ROLL BINGO FREE February 10 at 5:00pm Bill Serritella & Elliot Wimbush 020124 FOR EVENT TICKETS VISIT HAP2IT.COM STOP IN 1420 63RD ST. 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6 SMART READER February 8, 2024 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 Liberals are now claiming to be oh-so-tired of the feeding frenzy they helped stoke. This would be their pushback, some of it admittedly quite witty, to farright conspiracy theories about the lovey-dovey relationship between singersongwriter Taylor Swift and NFL player Travis Kelce. There’d been an avalanche of opinions lately. Late night TV hosts weighed in, as did pundits and maybe your neighbor or yourself. But now, they’ve grown tired of it all, many people are now saying in Facebook posts. Tired of trying to understand how MAGA adherents could possibly believe the latest conspiracy theory about the global pop star and her Kansas City Chiefs boyfriend. The theory is whack-adoodle, detached from reality. But that’s what conspiracy theories are, after all. And if they’re honest, liberals often hold tightly to their own. Ask someone with far-left leanings to discuss global economies or conflicts around the world where U.S. interests are involved. Some mindsets will quickly cite what sounds like a belief in a diabolical roundtable of military generals and CEOs who plot calamities for profit. Which is why we’d all be better off taking time to understand why latching onto conspiratorial ideas is a very human trait. Contrary to common thought, it’s one that people of varying political leanings and education levels fall prey to. Science learns more about the human brain daily. It can help us understand how people mold conspiracies and spread them. Cognitive bias plays a role – our minds are wired to dismiss information that conflicts with what we already believe. That’s part of human hardwiring, how the brain tracks information, applying new information to previous memories. Sorry liberals, there’s something to learn from the Taylor Swift/Travis Kelce conspiracies with Mary Sanchez Readers can reach Mary Sanchez at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @msanchezcolumn. By a vote of 5-4, with two conservative justices joining the liberals, the Supreme Court has ruled that federal agents can cut razor wire installed along the Texas-Mexico border while a lawsuit over the wire continues. The Border Patrol Union and its agents who have spoken to reporters favor the razor wire installation because it is working in that section of the state in keeping migrants, criminals, and fentanyl out, but that apparently doesn’t matter to the court. While the emergency appeal of a lower court ruling upholding the action by Texas did not require an explanation for their votes, it likely is because the majority felt the Constitution grants power to the federal government over individual states when it comes to border control. The obvious question, which the court did not address: why is the federal government not enforcing immigration laws which migrants are breaking to enter the country? Suppose a Mexican army – no, forget an army – suppose a ragtag bunch of drug dealers decided to invade Texas, the governor acted to stop them – including installing more razor wire – and the Biden administration did nothing to stop them? Would the court be OK with that? The effect is the same as if an army of any kind was crossing the border. How many more murders, rapes and drug deaths are to be tolerated before the administration begins to enforce laws passed by Congress and signed by presidents of both parties? If this is not a violation of Biden’s Oath of Office, what would qualify? A statement from White House spokesperson Angelo Fernandez Hernandez i s laughable: “Texas’ political stunts, like placing razor wire near the border, simply makes it harder and more dangerous for frontline personnel to do their jobs.” Except, as anyone can plainly see from watching pictures of tens of thousands of migrants streaming across the border, they are not doing their jobs because the Biden administration won’t let them. Even President Biden recently stated the obvious when he said after months of denials by himself and his Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas that the bord er is not secure. If his previous statements weren’t lies, we need a new definition of the word. Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott said in response to the court ruling that the razor wire is an “effective deterrent” to the illegal crossings and “I will continue to defend Texas’ constitutional authority to secure the border.” Local police and the Department of Public Safety officers have been arresting migrants on trespassing charges, but ultimately they will be turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) which is likely to continue releasing them into the country. From there they will likely head to already overcrowded cities seeking low- paying jobs, taking playground and other spaces from school children and in the case of New York, depositing human waste in parks, in the streets and in some cases in cups they leave on the doorsteps of local residents. That this will – and already is – a major issue in this year’s presidential race is clear. According to a new Harvard CAPS-Harris poll“ More voters pointed to immigration than to inflation as a top policy concern. The survey found that 35 percent of respondents listed immigration as their paramount concern among an array of issues, with inflation in a close second, named by 32 percent of respondents.” Beware Democrats. You are on the wrong side of this issue. Supreme Court allows the invasion to continue with Cal Thomas Readers may email Cal Thomas at [email protected]. Look for Cal Thomas’ latest book “A Watchman in the Night: What I’ve Seen Over 50 Years Reporting on America" my turn Mary Sanchez joins Happenings Q&A on Thu. Feb. 22 at 10:20am on AM1050 WLIP Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce celebrates with Taylor Swift after defeating the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game at M&T Bank Stadium on Jan. 28, 2024, in Baltimore. A border patrol agent cuts razor wire to allow migrants who've been waiting in the sun for hours to come to a way station under the Camino Real International Bridge, Sept. 24, 2023. story continues on next page

FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 SMART READER February 8, 2024 7 One of the most serious and yet invisible consequences of the 2024 election will be testing the limits to free speech. Indeed, the question may be if free speech will survive this election. This is what the First Amendment actually says: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." Yet, what does "freedom of speech" mean? Is it definable within the confines of the law? Yelling fire in a crowded movie theater clearly is not an exercise of free speech. But what about making incendiary statements, telling outrageous lies or using the crassest language to insult others. And what will be the consequences of artificial intelligence and "deep fakes" that allow the most fraudulent lies to be visualized and seem authentic? The testimony of three Ivy League presidents before the House of Representatives on free speech at their universities led to the firing and resignation of two. Donald Trump has made the most provocative and insulting statements about his opponents. Possibly in jest, Trump told an audience that becoming a dictator might be a good idea. Shockingly, Trump asserted that presidents should have immunity for "events that cross the line." And his attorneys suggested in court that "even a president directing SEAL Team 6 to kill a political opponent would be...barred from prosecution...given a former executive's broad immunity to criminal prosecution." Really? In 2016 at a campaign stop in Iowa, Trump bragged, "I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn't lose any voters, OK?" According to the Washington Post fact checker, during his four years as president, Trump made 30,573 false, misleading or untruthful statements. That record has not changed after leaving the White House. Trump rarely allows truth and fact to affect his rhetoric. All presidents distort, misrepresent and often lie during their presidencies. Richard Nixon's claim he was innocent of involvement in Watergate and Bill Clinton's assertion he "did not have sex with that woman" are among the most memorable of outright presidential lies. Each was held accountable. Nixon was forced to resign. Clinton was impeached but not convicted. Trump was impeached twice, but not for lying. In the first case, Trump was charged was interfering with a foreign government, Ukraine, to promote his election. In the second, Trump was indicted for provoking an insurgency. The Senate acquitted both and Trump claimed the impeachments were politically motivated by Democrats. Joe Biden has not been unscathed by accusations of lying and plagiarism. Republicans have long lists of examples, although many accusations, such as running "the Biden crime family," have no substance. In 1987, Biden lifted parts of a speech delivered by British Labor Party leader Neil Kinnock that ended his presidential aspirations then. However, free speech was not an issue in the past. It will be in 2024. The so-called "truthers" who outrageously lie and make preposterous claims lacking proof or evidence exacerbate free speech. The most recent outrage perpetrated by real estate agent Mirela Monte that the Hamas Oct. 7 attack was staged by Israel is one example. Media censorship in some cases may be a solution when the lies are so ludicrous. However, what happens when these lies are believed? In the New Hampshire primary, AI unleashed robocalls from a fake Biden telling Democrats not to vote in the primary. It is not difficult to imagine what lies ahead as the November election draws closer. The most compromising and demeaning videos will emerge. Sadly, as with "truthers," some will be believed, widely reported by the media, and become part of the electoral process in selecting the next president. This is the endless conflict raised by free speech and exploited by those doing ill and applying AI to create these distortions and lies. Any constraints for whatever reasons intrude on the First Amendment. That allows free speech to become free license to say anything. In 2021, Jan. 6 was the symptom of a potential breakdown of our democratic process. 2024 is ripe for even worse. One cure is self-restraint on the part of the contenders. That Trump would ever exercise self-restraint in his campaign is not even a hope. Would Biden or the Democrat follow suit? If yes, the first victim will be free speech. The second will be America and its democracy. 2024 U.S. presidential election will test the limits of free speech with Harlan Ullman my turn Dr Harlan Ullman is senior adviser at Washington's Atlantic Council, the prime author of "shock and awe" and the book "The Fifth Horseman and the New MAD: How Massive Attacks of Disruption Became the Looming Existential Danger to a Divided Nation and the World at Large." Harlan Ullman joins Happenings Q&A on Thu., Feb. 15th at 9:20am on AM1050 WLIP Former US President Donald Trump rarely allows truth and fact to affect his rhetoric This isn’t to argue that the far-right theories initially blasted out by Fox News host Jesse Watters and other influential MAGA voices hold water. They do not. Here’s a summary of one conspiracy: Swift is the pinnacle in a government plot. She’s not merely dating Kelce or just going to the Super Bowl to watch her boyfriend compete (Go Chiefs!). She’s really trying to take down America. This would be the America of their dreams where former President Donald Trump is elected president again in November and everyone suddenly prospers. The Pentagon has even clapped back at these notions lately. A Pentagon spokesperson told Politico, “We know all too well the dangers of conspiracy theories, so to set the record straight, Taylor Swift is not part of a DOD psychological operation. Period.” Yes, there’s a tone of exasperation in that statement. “Psy-op” is the term that people who believe in the Swift conspiracies like to use, probably because it makes it sound like they have the inside track on top secret data. Here’s another common plot line of one conspiracy theory: Swift (a government planted agent) will take to the field during the half-time performance of the Super Bowl (with apologies to Usher who is contracted for the entertainment) and while standing in mid-field, she’ll endorse President Joe Biden. The Chiefs winning the Super Bowl is also part of this plot. Sorry, but we’ve got Patrick Mahomes as quarterback, the team’s secret sauce. Here’s the part that is logical: Swift has backed Biden previously. And it is not loony to think that she might do so again, or that she might also encourage voter registration, as she has done in the past. Given her megawatt star power, she could be influential to younger voters especially. That is what farright minds fear: a Biden win and, moreover, what they believe Biden for another term will mean for their lives. Conspiracy theories rise to the level of the threat felt by believers. This is how such an all-American love story – literally America’s sweetheart dates a football star – could take on such a twisted and sinister storyline. Consider the magnitude of the conspiracies surrounding COVID-19 and vaccines. It was a global pandemic. Not something happening on just one block in North America. COVID disrupted the world. Economies were deeply impacted as supply chains were hit, which in turn, caused panic and hardship at a scale not seen in many people’s memory. So the explanations to place blame, to understand how it occurred, were equally gargantuan in scale. Experts now point out that some of that reaction should have been expected. There was already a strong anti-vaccine sentiment in the U.S., partially due to debunked theories about the causes of autism, linking it to childhood vaccinations. Public safety measures like masking and vaccines were then less accepted. And some people latched onto ideas about global plots to explain global supply chain disruptions. Peeled back, it’s somewhat understandable. Addressing anxieties, yes, even some folks’ spinning monologues of imminent societal doom under a Democrat president, is one way to put the Taylor-Travis uproar in a different light. We would be better off as a nation if we could devote more time to trying to understand the fears of those who wind up believing conspiracy theories, rather than spending so much time ridiculing them. Ultimately, it would be time well spent. Sanchez continued from page 6

8 SMART READER February 8, 2024 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 Taxpayers, start your engines! The tax season officially opened January 29 and the IRS expects more than 128 million individual tax returns to be filed. To mark the event, here are some important facts: Tax filing deadline For most taxpayers, the deadline to file their personal federal tax return, pay any tax owed or request an extension to file is Monday, April 15, 2024. Taxpayers living in Maine or Massachusetts have until April 17, due to the Patriot’s Day and Emancipation Day holidays. Taxpayers who reside in a federally declared disaster area, also may have additional time to file. Prepare now Bookmark the IRS.gov website and check out the “Get Ready” section. You will need to gather all of your relevant information, like Social Security numbers and this year’s Identity Protection Personal Identification Numbers (IP PIN). Collect all income related documents, like W2s, 1099s, unemployment benefits received, dividends, pensions, annuities, or retirement plan distributions. Use IRS Free File This service lets you file your federal taxes at no extra cost either through electronic fillable forms or through IRS partnerships with private tax preparation services. It’s open to taxpayers with Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) of $79,000 or less in 2023. If your AGI is above $79,000, you can use Free File Fillable Forms, the electronic version of paper forms. Consider Direct File The IRS is experimenting with a new way to file taxes called Direct File, which will allow taxpayers to file their 2023 federal tax return online, for free, directly with the IRS. If you are eligible (you have to live in one of the 12 pilot states), it sounds pretty nifty: no software, mobilefriendly, easy to use, secure, accessible, and free. Skip the paper, file electronically Many of the headaches that taxpayers encounter, including easily avoidable errors and long wait times for refunds, could be sidestepped if everyone filed electronically and used direct deposit. If you are due a refund, electronic filers with direct deposit usually receive it within 21 days. Decide whether to engage a pro or go it on your own It’s tough to find someone to help with your taxes in April, so now’s the time to figure out whether or not it is necessary. If you have a complicated financial life, consider paying up for a professional. For example, small business owners and those who are self-employed may want someone who is familiar with Schedule C and who will let you know when you should file a Form 1099 to report any payments you made to others. If you had a lot of investment activity, sold property, or have to file an estate tax return for a deceased family member, you may also want guidance. Check out the IRS website for tips on how to choose a tax professional. Claiming the Child Tax credit (CTC)? Don’t jump the gun! If you have a child under the age of 17, you may be eligible to claim a tax credit of up to $2,000 per child when you file your tax returns. The credit is available to single and head of household filers who earn less than $200,000 and married filing jointly who earn $400,000 or below. There is a proposal in Congress that could help lower income families by increasing their CTC, but it’s not clear whether the change will get through and if it does, whether it will be in time for this tax season. Regardless of what happens with the proposal, by law, the IRS can’t release a refund for a return for certain credits until midFebruary. (You can use the IRS Where’s My Refund? tool to track your refund.) Tax season opens with Jill Schlesinger jill on money Jill Schlesinger, CFP, is a CBS News business analyst. A former options trader and CIO of an investment advisory firm, she welcomes comments and questions at [email protected]. Many of the headaches that taxpayers encounter, including easily avoidable errors and long wait times for refunds, could be sidestepped if everyone filed electronically, writes Jill Schlesinger A funny thing happened on the way to 2024: Consumers feel better! The University of Michigan consumer sentiment index jumped 13 percent in January from December to reach its highest level since July 2021. The reading follows a sharp increase in December and cumulatively sentiment has climbed 29%, the largest two-month increase since 1991. The positive trend, which persisted across different regions, incomes, ages, and education attainment, is likely due to the same culprit that drove sentiment into a ditch: inflation. Joanne Hsu, director of consumer surveys at the University of Michigan, said the gains were “supported by confidence that inflation has turned a corner,” underscored by the survey’s one-year-ahead inflation measure dropping to 2.9%, its lowest since December 2020. Dropping below 3% isn’t just a round number milestone: It means that the year-ahead measure is within the 2.3 – 3.0% range seen in the two years prior to the pandemic. With the inflationary fever breaking, sentiment is almost 60% higher than the all-time low notched in June 2022 (when the Consumer Price Index peaked at 9.1%), and is now just 7% shy of the historical average since 1978. The improvement may partially explain why December retail sales were better than expected. Strong consumer spending, a revival in manufacturing investment and increased state and local government purchases helped power the overall economy last year. The good news has spilled into the stock market, where you may have missed another milestone: The S&P 500 stock market index reached a new closing high of 4,839.81 on January 19, besting the prior closing record of 4796.56, set on January 3, 2022. The index went 512 trading days without a new record, the longest stretch since a fallow period of 1,375-sessions that ended in March 2013. News about stock movements impacts more people than you might think. According to Gallup 61% of U.S. adults say they have money invested in the stock market, the highest percentage since 2008. The massive hit to stock prices from October 2007 – March 2009, a period when the S&P 500 dropped by almost 57%, likely “deterred new investors from entering the stock market and caused others to take their money out of stocks and put it elsewhere.” As recently as 2016, stock ownership was at 52%. Gallup researchers note that the period of low stock ownership meant that many potential investors missed out on the subsequent recovery in stocks. A similar trend occurred in double-time over the past two years. 2022 was a terrible year for stocks, with the S&P 500 falling 19.4% and the Nasdaq Composite tumbling by 33.1%. After that wash-out, many bailed on their long-term strategies and sought the protection of safe assets, like high-yielding savings and money market accounts, certificates of deposit and Treasury bills, all of which were finally paying a decent amount of interest. I heard from a lot of those folks who were happy about 5% on cash and planned to get back in “when things get better.” Of course, this is the fallacy of attempting to time the market – you don’t know when to get out or back in! The losers of 2022 became the big winners of 2023. The so-called "Magnificent Seven” (Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, NVIDIA, Meta, Microsoft, and Tesla) helped drive the overall stock market higher. In 2023, the S&P 500 was up 24.23% and the Nasdaq jumped 43.42%. What’s the short- and long-term lesson? Stick to your diversified portfolio of index funds and avoid timing the market. Doing so will do wonders for your confidence! Consumers and investors feel better with Jill Schlesinger As the American economy continues to outperform expectations, the December jobs report showed that employers added 216,000 positions for the month as the unemployment rate held at 3.7%

SMART READER FEBRUARY 8, 2024 9 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 February is American Heart Month, a time when we focus on heart disease, the No. 1 killer of Americans. President Lyndon B. Johnson, who suffered a heart attack, issued the first proclamation in 1964. Since then, U.S. presidents have annually declared February American Heart Month. Each year, 1 in 3 women are diagnosed with heart disease, according to the American Heart Association. My mom suffered from heart disease most of her life, and at the age of 89, her heart gave out. This year, as we continue to battle COVID-19, taking heart-healthy steps are even more important because the coronavirus can have harmful effects on the heart and vascular system. The past few years of staying home more have meant that many of us are engaging in unhealthy lifestyle behaviors — such as eating poorly, drinking more alcohol and limiting physical activity — that can contribute to heart disease. How can we get back on track? Consider the DASH eating plan. It's been proven to reduce risks for cardiovascular disease by lowering blood pressure and low-density lipoprotein (bad) cholesterol levels. While similar to the Mediterranean diet (also considered heart-healthy), the DASH plan is lower in sodium and includes low-fat dairy. It is also rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein. Compared with the Mediterranean, red wine and olive oil aren't in the spotlight. To get started, pick one or two goals to work on at a time. Try replacing some of your protein or carbohydrates with a serving of vegetables at lunch or dinner, or build your breakfast around fruit, such as fresh or frozen berries, and low-fat Greek yogurt. Try eating fish or seafood twice a week, or swap a soda with water flavored with a lemon or cucumber slice. The good news is that, in most cases, heart disease is preventable. The key is a healthy lifestyle, which includes not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, controlling blood sugar and cholesterol, treating high blood pressure and getting at least 30 minutes a day of moderate-intensity physical activity. Charlyn Fargo is a registered dietitian with SIU Med School in Springfield, Ill. food & recipes Healthy Hearts Nutrition News with Charlyn Fargo Servings: 8 1 pound beef stew meat, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained 1 medium onion, chopped 2 tablespoons dried parsley, minced 1 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 teaspoons ground thyme 1 beef bouillon cube 1/2 teaspoon pepper 6 cups water 1 medium zucchini, halved and thinly sliced 2 cups chopped cabbage 1 can (15 ounces) garbanzo beans or chickpeas, rinsed and drained 1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni Grated Parmesan cheese, optional In a 5-quart slow cooker, combine the first nine ingredients. Cover, and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until meat is tender. Add the zucchini, cabbage, beans and macaroni; cover, and cook on high for 30-45 minutes, or until the macaroni and vegetables are tender. Sprinkle servings with cheese, if desired. Per serving: 202 calories; 16 grams protein; 24 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams fat (2 grams saturated); 35 milligrams cholesterol; 5 grams fiber; 661 milligrams sodium. Forgotten Minestrone Serves 12 to 14 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces 6 ounces (170 grams) bittersweet chocolate, chopped 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 4 large eggs, separated 1 cup (7 ounces; 198 grams) granulated sugar, divided 2 cups (7 ounces; 198 grams) almond flour 2 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder 1/2 teaspoon salt Powdered sugar (optional) 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly spray a 9-inch springform pan with vegetable oil spray. 2. Microwave butter and chocolate in a medium bowl at 50 percent power, stirring often, until melted, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Stir in vanilla and set aside. 3. Using a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip egg whites on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium-high and continue to whip, slowly adding 1/2 cup granulated sugar, until whites are glossy and thick and hold stiff peaks, about 4 minutes longer. Transfer whites to a large bowl. 4. Add egg yolks and remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar to the nowempty mixer bowl and whip on medium-high speed until thick and pale yellow, about 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Add chocolate mixture and mix on medium speed until incorporated, about 15 seconds. Add almond flour, cocoa, and salt and mix until incorporated, about 30 seconds. 5. Remove bowl from mixer and stir a few times with a large rubber spatula, scraping bottom of bowl to ensure almond flour is fully incorporated. Add one-third of whipped whites to bowl, return bowl to mixer, and mix on medium speed until no streaks of white remain, about 30 seconds, scraping down bowl halfway through mixing. 6. Transfer batter to bowl with remaining whites. Using a large rubber spatula, gently fold whites into batter until no streaks of white remain. Pour batter into the prepared pan, smooth top with spatula, and place pan on rimmed baking sheet. 7. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 50 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Let cake cool in pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Remove the side of the pan and let the cake cool completely, about 2 hours. (Cake can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to three days.) 8. Dust top of cake with powdered sugar, if using. Using offset spatula, transfer cake to serving platter. Cut into wedges and serve. Torta Caprese Torta caprese is an Italian flourless chocolate cake that contains finely ground almonds, which subtly break up the fudgy crumb. Our version of torta caprese contains melted butter and bittersweet chocolate as well as vanilla, cocoa powder, and salt that boost the chocolate’s complexity. Instead of grinding almonds in a food processor, we use commercial almond flour (commercial “almond meal,” which may or may not be made from skin-on nuts, also works well). All flourless cakes are aerated with whipped eggs instead of chemical leaveners, and we found that whipping the whites and yolks separately in a stand mixer, each with half the sugar, created strong, stable egg foams that lightened the rich, heavy batter and prevented it from collapsing after baking. Dusted with powdered sugar and served with almondor orange-infused whipped cream, torta caprese is ideal for entertaining. It also tastes great the next day, so it’s an excellent make-ahead dessert.

10 SMART READER February 8, 2024 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 Dear Cathy, I visited my son and daughter-in-law over the holidays. They have an eight-year-old rescued German Shepherd (GSD) mix that I had never met. In the past, she attacked a neighbor’s dog, ripping its ear. When I met her, she gave me a fierce stare and growled. My daughter-inlaw petted her and said, "It’s all right, it’s all right." I had never experienced a dog stare like that (except once in a shelter when the dog was behind bars), but I knew it was trouble. The only thing I could think to do was to turn my body sideways from her, fold my arms, and look away. That calmed her — for the moment. In the few days that I was there, she bit my son once and drew blood. We thought she wanted to bite me, but she was leashed and could not, so she bit him instead. Later, she managed to nip me, making red marks, but not breaking skin. They put her outside then, but she lunged and tried to bite me through the glass every time I walked past the patio doors. So, they isolated her in a spare room the rest of the time I was there. I expressed my concern that this dog is dangerous and recommended they find a trainer specializing in aggressive dogs. Because she is very sweet and affectionate with my daughter-in-law, though, they nixed that idea. What should people do to protect themselves from an aggressive dog? And can a dog like this ever be trained out of its aggression? — E.F., Tucson, Arizona Dear E.F., If a dog is that aggressive toward and in front of her family, it’s definitely a reason to be concerned. Dogs can be overly protective of their families, but it’s up to their families to manage those behaviors and ensure a dog is not a threat to someone’s safety. That can be challenging for owners to do on their own, so specialized training is imperative. Her intense stare was a sign she viewed you as a threat, and you did the right things to calm her down. Also, your son and daughter-in-law were smart to put her in another room during your visit. But if these behaviors are left unchecked, they will worsen, not improve, with time. It’s worth noting that communities are cracking down on owners with aggressive dogs, from high fines to jail time, depending on what the dog has done. So, it’s important that your family find a trainer who specializes in training aggressive dogs. A trainer will teach them positive and progressive behavior modification techniques to recondition her reactions to people. For example, this dog should never walk on a leash ahead of her owners, a position that only triggers protective behaviors. Instead, she should learn to heel on a leash right by her owner’s side. It’s this specialized and individualized training that addresses the many things that can trigger an overprotective dog. Reconditioning can take months, but it’s worth it to have a non-reactive dog. I recommend the training. Dear Cathy, I lost a cat a few years ago with a microchip but no collar. Why didn’t my cat have a collar? You don’t want them to be too tight, so the cat can’t wriggle out of them if they get caught on something. But if I put them on the cat loose enough so that he can wriggle out of them if he needs to, the collar does not stay on the cat. He does figure out how to get it off, and in a few days, I find the collar on the floor. Please comment on how to fix this problem. — Elizabeth, Garden City, New York Dear Elizabeth, While keeping a collar on a cat can be challenging, it’s not impossible. According to a study by the American Veterinary Medical Association, 73% of the 538 cats they followed were still wearing collars six months later. I highly recommend collars, even for indoor cats who could bolt out an open door. The added benefit of a collar and I.D. tag is that a cat is immediately identifiable as an owned pet, not a stray, so someone is likelier to pick up a cat to find their owner. For those Houdini cats who wriggle out of their collars, use a breakaway collar and fit it so two fingers fit comfortably between collar and neck. This technique should help keep the collar on. The breakaway aspect of the collar will ensure her safety should the collar get hung up on something. Pet World with Cathy Rosenthal Dog needs specialized training to overcome aggressive reactions to people As well as being a recuring guest on Happenings Q&A, Cathy M. Rosenthal is a longtime animal advocate, author, columnist and pet expert who has more than 30 years in the animal welfare field. Send your pet questions, stories and tips to [email protected]. Cathy Rosenthal joins Happenings Q&A on Fri. Feb. 23 at 10:20 on AM1050 WLIP. Sheep caught running loose on the streets of Brooklyn A sheep has a new home at a New Jersey sanctuary after being found wandering the streets of Brooklyn. The New York Police Department said on social media that the sheep was spotted running loose in a parking lot near a Costco store in the Sunset Park neighborhood. Officers wrangled the sheep and took it to Brooklyn Animal Control. "Not baaaaad for a group of cops with no experience shepherding a sheep," police wrote. The sheep was taken to a new permanent home at Skylands Animal Sanctuary. Mike Stura, president and founder of Skylands, posted a video to Facebook showing the sheep being transported to the sanctuary in the back of his truck. Stura said the sheep, dubbed Lyn, did not have any tags or other identifying marks. Lyn's origins remained unclear, but she was found in an area near multiple slaughterhouses. Dog rescued from shipping container A team of U.S. Coast Guard marine inspectors ended up coming to the rescue of a dog who was trapped inside a shipping container for at least a week. Coast Guard Sector HoustonGalveston said Marine Science Technicians Bryan Wainscott, Lucas Loe, Ryan McMahon and Jose Reyes were in the process of randomly selecting shipping containers for inspection when they heard barking and scratching coming from a container in a tall stack. "When they lowered the container and opened the door, a dog popped out," U.S. Coast Guard Heartland said in a Facebook post. The dog is believed to have been trapped inside the container for at least a week. Officials said the container originated from the Houston-Galveston area and was filled with totaled cars destined to be shipped overseas. The canine, now dubbed Connie the Container Dog, was taken to the Pasadena Animal Shelter, which later placed Connie with Forever Changed Animal Rescue. The rescue said Connie is underweight and receiving treatment for heartworm. The dog will be available for adoption once she is back to full health. Raccoon knocks out power for thousands in downtown Toronto A power outage affecting thousands of customers in downtown Toronto was caused by an unlucky raccoon that wandered into the wrong place, utility officials said. Hydro One said on social media that about 7,000 downtown customers lost power for more than two hours Thursday night and crews "determined that a raccoon made contact with our equipment at a downtown Toronto station." Tiziana Baccega Rosa, a spokeswoman for Hydro One, told Global News that crews were able to confirm that a raccoon was behind the issue at the Church-Wellesley area transmission station "because the animal was unfortunately there on site and had perished when they arrived." Rosa said the company is looking into ways to prevent future incidents. Pirate opossum caught on camera stealing cookies A security camera at a Texas home captured the moment a box of cookies delivered to the front door was stolen by an unlikely porch pirate -- an opossum. The Southlake Department of Public Safety said a local resident identified only as Dr. M shared his security camera footage after the theft. Dr. M's son, who was celebrating his 15th birthday, had been given some Tiff's Treats cookies by a family friend, and the delivery was left on the family's front step. The son later discovered the balloon left by the delivery worker, as well as a bag of icing, but the box of cookies was found empty in the family's side yard. The security camera footage revealed the thief was an opossum that made off with the unattended treats. The department recommended residents follow Dr. M's example and use security cameras to "go marsupi-all in on protecting your home from thieves."

Medicare to negotiate prices with manufacturers of major prescription drugs Medicare has sent initial pricing offers to drug manufacturers on the first 10 medications selected for negotiation, aiming to lower costs for families. The White House announced the negotiations to set lower prices for the 10 most expensive prescription drugs covered under Medicare, marking the first time the program will not accept the prices set by manufacturers as a result of the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program. "Just one of these drugs alone can cost as much as $6,500 in out-of-pocket costs for seniors," as Big Pharma rakes in billions in record profits, President Joe Biden said in a statement. The initiative launched last August in discussions between Medicare and the pharmaceutical giants, aims to lower prices on prescription medicines for conditions like diabetes, Crohn's disease, arthritis, heart disease, blood clots, and cancer. The 10 drugs in the first round of pricing discussions are among the top 50 prescription medications that seniors fill the most at retail pharmacies under Medicare Part D. In 2022, nine million seniors on Medicare spent upwards of $3.4 billion for the drugs, including Eliquis, Jardiance, Xarelto, Januvia, Farxiga, Entresto, Enbrel, Imbruvica, Stelara, and a family of insulin products to treat diabetes, including Fiasp and NovoLog. The reconfigured prices will be announced in September, however the new drug costs won't go into effect until 2026. From there, the government will select up to 15 more drugs covered under Part D for 2027, and up to 15 more drugs for 2028, including drugs covered under Part B and Part D. And the program will add up to 20 more drugs in each year after that, as required by the Inflation Reduction Act. Before now, Medicare was forced to accept inflated prices that were set unilaterally by the pharmaceutical industry. Meanwhile, the White House noted that nine lawsuits have been filed by the pharmaceutical industry to declare the price n e g o t i a t i o n s unconstitutional, while accusing House Republicans of planning to overturn the Inflation Reduction Act to derail the effort. "President Biden won't stand for that," the White House said. "He is laserfocused on lowering costs, protecting Medicare and Social Security, and making sure his Inflation Reduction Act gives more seniors, people with disabilities, and families more breathing room." Through the pricing negotiations, Biden was seeking to fulfill a campaign promise to make prescription medicines more affordable for millions of aging Americans. Biden said the new pricing mandate, established in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, was "working to give seniors the best possible deal on their prescription drugs and lower health care costs." The pandemic-era legislation contains a broad range of actions to mitigate high drug prices, including a plan that adds commercial health insurers to a requirement that forces drug companies to pay rebates to Medicare whenever medicine prices rise faster than inflation. In his statement, Biden also took credit for reducing insulin costs to $35 for seniors and individuals with disabilities, and he said his policies have resulted in 15 million Americans saving $800 annually on health insurance costs. Starting next year, out-ofpocket drug costs will be limited to $2,000 for seniors as the administration works to ensure that Americans no longer pay two to three times more for prescription drugs compared to other countries, Biden said. "My administration won't stop fighting to lower health care costs for seniors and families," the president wrote. "We'll continue to protect these programs and deliver lower costs for seniors and hardworking families." By A.L. Lee White House might punish Big Pharma's high prices by removing patents The Biden administration is flexing some federal muscle in its push for lower drug prices, warning pharmaceutical companies that it might use its authority to cancel patent protections if a medication costs too much. Federal law allows the government to grant patent licenses if taxpayer dollars were used in the development of inventions -- including drugs. In a statement, the White House said it will consider granting patents to rival pharma companies if a drug becomes prohibitively expensive. It's the first time that federal officials have been allowed to consider a drug's price in deciding to break patent protection. "We'll make it clear that when drug companies won't sell taxpayer-funded drugs at reasonable prices, we will be prepared to allow other companies to provide those drugs for less," White House National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard said during a call with reportersd. This power over patents, called "march-in rights," were established under the Bayh-Dole Act of 1980 but they have never been exercised by any federal agency, administration officials told CNBC. President Joe Biden promised that the move will lower drug prices for average Americans. "Today, we're taking a very important step toward ending price gouging so you don't have to pay more for the medicine you need," Biden said in a brief YouTube video. There will be a 60-day public comment period on the administration's plan, which is certain to be challenged by drugmakers. Industry lobbying firm Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) told the Associated Press that the plan could threaten the development of future drugs. "This would be yet another loss for American patients who rely on publicprivate sector collaboration to advance new treatments and cures," PhRMA spokesperson Megan Van Etten told the AP. Pharmaceutical companies often base new drug development on research that was first funded by federal dollars, experts said. This patent threat could lead companies to avoid using federally funded research when investigating new therapies, PhRMA argued. The assertion of "march-in rights" is part of a series of actions the administration announced Thursday aimed at anticompetitive practices in health care. The recent announcement noted that the 25 largest pharma companies currently control about 70% of industry revenues. This consolidation also has affected health insurance. In 44 states, three or fewer health insurers control 80% of the market, and five insurers control more than 70% of the Medicare Advantage Market, the announcement said. Other actions in the White House statement include: • Launching a government investigation into how corporate consolidation is increasing the cost of health care. • Increasing transparency on the ownership of hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities. • Making it easier to obtain price and quality data from Medicare Advantage plans. By Dennis Thompson President Joe Biden's administration is warning pharmaceutical companies that it might use its authority to cancel patent protections if a medication costs too much. The challenge is facing the reality that social media as it exists today thrives on having legions of young users spending significant time in environments that put them at risk. These dangers for young users are baked into the design of contemporary social media, which requires much clearer statutes about who polices social media and when intervention is needed. One of the motives for tech companies not to segment their user base by age, which would better protect children, is how it would affect advertising revenue. Congress has limited tools available to enact change, such as enforcing laws about advertising transparency, including "know your customer" rules. Especially as AI accelerates targeted marketing, social media companies are going to continue making it easy for advertisers to reach users of any age. But if advertisers knew what proportion of ads were seen by children, rather than adults, they may think twice about where they place ads in the future. Despite a number of highprofile hearings on the harms of social media, Congress has not yet passed legislation to protect children or make social media platforms liable for the content published on their platforms. But with so many young people online post-pandemic, it's up to Congress to implement guardrails that ultimately put privacy and community safety at the center of social media design.The Conversation By J.Donovan & S.Parker Social Media and young people continued from page 2 was really positive," Liu said. "The bottom line is people seem like they're overall just a bit happier and I think that's important," he added. Although there may not be enough therapists to meet college students' need for mental health therapy, this study offered a helpful example of what prevention could look like, Liu said. He also suggested the buddy system might work in limiting social media as a team. In the time saved by cutting back on social media, a person could exercise, which has been shown to reduce anxiety and is good for brain health, Liu said. Exercising outdoors is even more helpful from a mental health perspective, he added. Making real-life connections with others could also be a good way to spend the reclaimed time, Liu said. That could be getting coffee with a roommate or calling a loved one on the phone, he said. Mindfulness meditation can also be a valuable activity, even if you simply close your eyes and focus on your breathing for five minutes. Sleep can also help, Liu said, and it's a better alternative than scrolling on the phone at bedtime, taking in light that's interfering with the body's circadian rhythm. "There's a lot of things that don't take a whole lot of time that we could easily substitute," Liu said. By Cara Murez Social Media and mental health continued from page 3 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 SMART READER February 8, 2024 11

12 SMART READER February 8, 2024 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 Home-swapping grows as cost-saving travel trend with local flavor Although it was popularized by the 2006 film The Holiday, home-swapping has been around since the 1950s. Now it's booming as travelers seek ways to save money while exploring new destinations through a local lens. Home-swapping was started informally by teachers and professors looking for cheap alternatives to spend their summer months. In the past three decades, the idea has been picked up by entrepreneurs and relaunched as services like Homestay, Couchsurfing, Homelink and HomeExchange. HomeExchange CEO Emmanuel Arnaud told UPI global subscriptions to the service have jumped 50% over the last year. In the United States, the company has seen a 34% rise in people trying out the service. The company says it has 150,000 members across 145 countries. Globally, exchanges in 2023 were up 54% compared to 2022 and nearly 190% compared to 2021, mainly due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, Arnaud said. Arnaud started out as a customer of Home Exchange in 2010, using the service in his home country, France. But he became frustrated when he couldn't find anyone in Florence, Italy, who wanted to swap for his home in Paris. That led him to start GuestToGuest, which uses a points-based system, in 2011. In 2017, that company merged with HomeExchange. "We've seen really strong growth over the past two years," Arnaud said. "It's a part of the travel revenge trend, but people are also looking to save money due to global inflation." Heidi Kirn, who lives with her family in Kennebunkport, Maine, said she's been homeswapping for almost a decade, calling it "an amazing experience." Kirn said she and her family participate in a couple of exchanges every year. "I found out through an aunt who had exchanged for a month abroad in Europe, so we tried it when the kids were young and went to Arizona," she told UPI. "We were on a very tight budget and I don't think it would have been possible without the exchange. Buying the food and cooking at home made it all manageable." Kirn said new homeswappers have to put in the work to find the right matches, but it pays off when you connect with a similar family on the platform. "It's important to be up front about the exchange you have and the one you want, in addition to getting to know your guests," she said. ThirdHome, a home exchange service specializing in luxury properties, has attracted 16,000 members across 103 countries since it was founded in 2010. Dan Cranney, senior vice president of growth, said the company was tapped for a reality TV show, Millionaire Holiday Home Swap, which shows in the United Kingdom, Australia and other European markets. Coming out of COVID-19 restrictions, Cranney said, there was a record number of second homes purchased in the United States, pushing new owners to seek out ways to monetize their properties when they weren't in use. Markets such as Hawaii, Florida, Colorado ski properties, New York, Southern California and Southern Europe have all seen an uptick. "There has been a steady shift in the upscale travel market where people would rather explore and visit new places rather than go to the same place again and again," he told UPI. "Members are looking for destinations that offer hiking, food and experiences to make memories, not just a really nice house all the time." The average property booked on ThirdHome is valued around $2.7M, but has properties and yachts up to $50M that members can book. Due to the membership process on home-swapping sites like ThirdHome, Cranney said there's a builtin trust among members, compared to traditional renting. "A significant number of our members choose not to rent their homes because they are selective about who stays in their residence. They appreciate our platform due to the reliable community we have established," he said. Susan Kubes, an avid home-swapper for almost seven years, said she's done simultaneous exchanges at a Villa in Casares, Spain, for six weeks, a home in Carmel by the Sea, condos in Pasadena, Calif., and a home in Chicago. She has used accumulated points, gained by hosting guests, to visit places like Blanes, Spain, and Isla Mujeres, Mexico. "This year, we are returning on home exchanges to Longboat Key, Siesta Key and St. Augustine in Florida and Carmel by the Sea in California," she said. Kubes said the cost savings have been the biggest draw. "We like staying in homes with a kitchen and multiple bedrooms, so we don't have to eat every meal out and can invite friends and family to visit," she said. "The cost to me is a yearly membership fee, which is equivalent to one night's hotel room." But, she said, other costs can factor in, such as house cleaning fees, pet care or snow removal. Arnaud said that for many years, his company's biggest user base was empty nesters or retirees, who could travel fairly often. Recently, they've seen a younger demographic signing up, including families and younger people discovering the concept via social media. "Many members who have experienced an exchange also tend to say that the authenticity of the experience is a huge draw," he said. "Members often make lifelong friendships via exchange, they leave one another recommendations for the best things to do and see during the trip, and really get to experience the destination as if they're a local, rather than a tourist." By Dana Forsythe Photographer Heidi Kirn said she’s used HomeExchange many times in New York City, Ireland, and Oregon. 2324 18th Street (262)455-0989 aplusmobilitysolutions.com 2324 18th Street (262)455-0989 aplusmobilitysolutions.com Happy New Year SR020824 FREE Heat Wave or Heat & Vibration with the purchase of a GOLDEN lift chair. Select Chairs Excluded. Offer Expires 02/29/24. Warm Up With This Great Deal! Happy New Year 020824 110923

In anticipation for the February 20th primary election, all nine Kenosha Mayoral candidates took the stage at the Rhode Center for the Arts in Downtown Kenosha last Sunday for the Know Your Vote - Kenosha Mayoral Forum presented by Ktown Connects, Franks Diner, Casey Family Options Funerals and Cremations, and About Time Moving Systems. Find more info about the event and profiles on all the candidates on the following page (all photos on this page by Gregory Zgorzelski) David Bogdala & Koerri Elijah Elizabeth Garcia Jenna Zeihen, Pete Serzant, Jason Hedman & Donny Stancato Gregory Bennett Lydia Spottswood Kelly Mackay FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 SMART READER February 8, 2024 13 SR061519 30 GUARANTEED DAY LOWEST PRICE WE WILL MEET PRICE BEAT OR ANY ADVERTISED ON ANY TIRE WE SELL WITH THE PURCHSE OF 4 TIRES FREE LIFETIME ROTATIONS OVER 18 BRANDS INCLUDING BFGOODRICH, BRIDGESTONE, MICHELIN, GOODYEAR & MORE! 262-694-1500 7110 74th PL, Kenosha, WI “Located next to Menards” YOUR CERTIFIED GM SERVICE CENTER... WE USE GENUINE GM PARTS WE ALSO SERVICE ALL VEHICLE MAKES AND MODELS SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN’S LARGEST TIRE DEALERSHIP! $ 20 OFF $ 20 OFF $ 10 OFF 10% OFF Transmission or Coolant Flush PALMEN BUICK GMC CADILLAC Cannot be combined with any other coupons See advisor for details. Expires 3/10/24. PALMEN BUICK GMC CADILLAC Cannot be combined with any other coupons. See advisor for details. Expires 3/10/24. PALMEN BUICK GMC CADILLAC Cannot be combined with any other coupons. See advisor for details. Expires 3/10/24. PALMEN BUICK GMC CADILLAC Cannot be combined with any other coupons. See advisor for details. Expires 3/10/24. PALMEN BUICK GMC CADILLAC Cannot be combined with any other coupons. See advisor for details. Expires 3/10/24. PALMEN BUICK GMC CADILLAC Cannot be combined with any other coupons. See advisor for details. Expires 3/10/24. $ 2495 Balance & Rotate Tires Parts & Labor on any add-on GM Accessory 4 Wheel Alignment Oil Change & Lubricant Battery Replacement $ 20 OFF SR020824 020824

14 SMART READER February 8, 2024 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 Know your vote this Feb. 20th for the Kenosha mayoral primary election Last weekend, the auditorium at the Rhode Center of the Arts in Downtown Kenosha was packed full with 250 Kenoshans interested in the nine mayoral candidates who will face off in the February 20th electoral primaries. Last Sunday’s event Know Your Vote - Kenosha Mayoral Forum 2024 was presented by the Ktown Connects Podcast, Casey Family Options Funerals and Cremations, Franks Diner, and About Time Moving Systems. Pete Serzant of AM1050 WLIP was on hand as the moderator, with recent Miss Kenosha Jenna Zeihen volunteering as a timekeeper. The pair led all nine mayoral candidates through a series of questions regarding many popular issues in Kenosha. The 150 goodie bags and charcuterie snacks supplied by Portside Catering were promptly snagged up as the lobby quickly filled on this recent beautiful February afternoon. Kenosha Community Media was on hand to document the event, and a televised version will be broadcast on Spectrum Channel 14, the Kenosha Community Media website, and their Roku channel: Thur. Feb. 8th at 6pm; Mon. Feb. 12th at 8:30pm; Thurs. Feb. 15th at 6pm; and Mon. Feb. 19th at 8:30pm. For those with internet access, the show is also available to watch anytime on YouTube via www.ktownconnects.com. ABOUT KTOWN CONNECTS The recent Know Your Vote event was the first political event hosted by Jason Hedman and Donny Stancato, creators of Ktown Connects Podcast. But they do know their way around a crowd. The duo, lifelong Kenosha residents, have organized fundraisers in the past few years at Fusion, Port of Kenosha Beverage House, and Lakeside Deck at the Wyndham. Their podcast, Ktown Connects, was launched in 2020. Through the years, they have accumulated over 27,000 downloads of 120 interviews with fellow Kenoshans. Their interviews aren’t simple plugs for their local businesses, they get to know the actual person, how they effect and connect with our town of Kenosha in interviews averaging about an hour in length. All you need to listen to Ktown Connects is an internet connection. All episodes are free to listen to on most audio listening apps, including Spotify, Apple, Podbean, Castbox, and more. A video version, with photographs taken during the interview is also posted on their YouTube channel. For more information, visit www.ktownconnects.com ELIZABETH GARCIA “I have a BA in Communication from UW-P. I have been a lifeguard, a Girl Scout all the way to troop leader, and served in AmeriCorps. My son Jonas plays hockey, is in 2nd grade, and loves Legos. We have two dogs: Meatball and Boudicca. Shout out to my friends for their enthusiastic dedication to my campaign. A huge thank you to my parents, Peter and Mary Jane; their constant support allows me to help others in truly meaningful ways.” TONY GARCIA Extensive and diverse experience in community relations, civic affairs and educational service in Southeast Wisconsin. Attended KUSD schools, graduated from Bradford High School (1976); Bachelor of Arts Degree / International Business and Major in Spanish. Carthage College (1995); Bilingual Teacher Certification / Master of Arts in Teaching, Rockford College University (2008); Completion of program for the #51 Principal’s Licensure, Concordia University (2012); elected County Board Supervisor (1995); elected to Kenosha Unified School District. School Board Member (2016). KELLY MACKAY As Kenosha’s 7th District Alderperson, Kelly has addressed poverty, inequality, and housing. His roles on key city committees has deepened his understanding of our city's challenges and opportunities. Kelly's platform, rooted in prosperity, public safety and education, reflects his deep Kenosha roots, small business experience, and personal journey as a father of a violent crime victim. Kelly advocates for your communities safety, education, and economic growth, aiming to realize our shared vision for Kenosha which includes all of us. ANDREAS MEYER "I moved to Kenosha in 2009 and graduated from UW-Parkside in 2016 studying anthropology, sociology, and GIS. I’m running for mayor of Kenosha on a campaign of equality, human rights, and basic needs for all. We need to modify our priorities and focus on economic sustainability and individual and community welfare. Together, we can work to guarantee all Kenoshans their basic needs including actual affordable housing, clean water, healthy food, fully funded education, comprehensive healthcare, and a comfortable livelihood." MARY MORGAN “Kenosha is my Hometown.  I grew up here and plan on growing old here.  I am a mom and grandma. I had a wonderful career in the medical profession. I was the office manager for Raza M. Khan, MD  for 23 years, and the account manager for Aaron M. Dworin, MD for 13 years.  I am currently retired and enjoying life to the fullest. I am a conservative constitutionalist.  I am a Trump  2024 supporter.  I am the mayoral candidate for change in Kenosha.” LYDIA SPOTTSWOOD For more than 30 years, Democrat Lydia Spottswood has been a part of Kenosha. A surgical nurse, mother and grandmother, and community leader, Lydia has served on Common Council, serves on several mayoral appointed commissions to ensure Kenosha grows affordably for all of us, and led the way to help create Kenosha’s Community Health Center. She's volunteered on the BOD of UW Parkside Benevolent Foundation, and at First Presbyterian Church. Lydia and her family are proud to call Kenosha home. GREGORY BENNETT, JR. Gregory Bennett Jr. spent 9 1/2 years fighting for his country and democracy. He served on various roles for the United States Army as a Sapper, doing one tour equalling to four years in Germany, two tours  for  a total of three years  in Iraq. A decorated soldier, he has come back to fight for his city as he has for his country. Founder of "Peace in the Streets,” Bennett is a man of action as he walks these streets daily trying to implement change. DAVID BOGDALA Current Alderman District 17 for 16 years, David Bogdala has served as Chairman of the Kenosha Water Commission, Vice Chairman of the Public Works Committee, member of the Storm Water Utility Committee, and member of City Plan Commission. Bogdala has spent 26 years at Abbott, having been responsible for Abbott’s Crisis Management Program and protection of 125,000 employees around the world. He has been married to Lynda for 25 years and they are parents to Katherine and John. KOERRI ELIJAH Koerri Elijah, native Kenoshan, content creator and devoted dad, emerges as a distinctive mayoral candidate. With millions of views and media recognition, he sets himself apart by championing youth, the arts, and a tech-savvy outlook. Distancing himself from traditional politics, Koerri's candidacy promises a fresh perspective, envisioning a city that embraces innovation and taps into its full potential. Pete Serzant Donny Stancato & Jason Hedman

FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 SMART READER February 8, 2024 15 Many factors can interfere with a good night's sleep — from work stress and family responsibilities to illnesses. It's no wonder that quality sleep is sometimes elusive. You might not be able to control the factors that interfere with your sleep. However, you can adopt habits that encourage better sleep. Start with these simple tips. 1. Stick to a sleep schedule Set aside no more than eight hours for sleep. The recommended amount of sleep for a healthy adult is at least seven hours. Most people don't need more than eight hours in bed to be well rested. Go to bed and get up at the same time every day, including weekends. Being consistent reinforces your body's sleep-wake cycle. If you don't fall asleep within about 20 minutes of going to bed, leave your bedroom and do something relaxing. Read or listen to soothing music. Go back to bed when you're tired. Repeat as needed, but continue to maintain your sleep schedule and wake-up time. 2. Pay attention to what you eat and drink Don't go to bed hungry or stuffed. In particular, avoid heavy or large meals within a couple of hours of bedtime. Discomfort might keep you up. Nicotine, caffeine and alcohol deserve caution, too. The stimulating effects of nicotine and caffeine take hours to wear off and can interfere with sleep. And even though alcohol might make you feel sleepy at first, it can disrupt sleep later in the night. 3. Create a restful environment Keep your room cool, dark and quiet. Exposure to light in the evenings might make it more challenging to fall asleep. Avoid prolonged use of light-emitting screens just before bedtime. Consider using roomdarkening shades, earplugs, a fan or other devices to create an environment that suits your needs. Doing calming activities before bedtime, such as taking a bath or using relaxation techniques, might promote better sleep. 4. Limit daytime naps Long daytime naps can interfere with nighttime sleep. Limit naps to no more than one hour and avoid napping late in the day. However, if you work nights, you might need to nap late in the day before work to help make up your sleep debt. 5. Include physical activity in your daily routine Regular physical activity can promote better sleep. However, avoid being active too close to bedtime. Spending time outside every day might be helpful, too. 6. Manage worries Try to resolve your worries or concerns before bedtime. Jot down what's on your mind and then set it aside for tomorrow. Stress management might help. Start with the basics, such as getting organized, setting priorities and delegating tasks. Meditation also can ease anxiety. Know when to contact your health care provider Nearly everyone has an occasional sleepless night. However, if you often have trouble sleeping, contact your health care provider. Identifying and treating any underlying causes can help you get the better sleep you deserve. Mayo Clinic Six steps to better sleep health Boost in cardio fitness may cut risk of prostate cancer Even small increases in a man's cardio fitness can significantly reduce his risk of developing prostate cancer, researchers report. An annual increase in aerobic fitness of 3% or more is linked to a 35% lower risk of prostate cancer, according to a report published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. "Improvements in [cardiorespiratory fitness] in adult men should be encouraged and may reduce the risk of prostate cancer," concluded the research team led by Dr. Kate Bolam, an exercise oncology researcher with the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences GIH in Stockholm. There already is good evidence regarding the benefits of physical activity when it comes to overall cancer risk, but the association between fitness and prostate cancer risk has not been well-studied, researchers said in a journal news release. To examine this, they analyzed the records of nearly 58,000 men kept in a national occupational health profile database. The men included in the study had taken at least two cardio fitness tests, measured by pedaling on a stationary bike. The database also included information on physical activity, lifestyle and body-mass index. Researchers divided the men into groups according to their fitness trends -- those whose heart fitness improved by 3% or more annually, fell by more than 3% or remained stable during the study period. During an average followup period of nearly seven years, about 600 of the men were diagnosed with prostate cancer and nearly 50 died from the disease. Overall, men whose cardio fitness increased every year had a 2% lower risk of prostate cancer compared with those whose fitness didn't increase or fell, results showed. And when researchers looked at the specific groups, they found that men with 3% or more yearly increase in fitness were 35% less likely to develop prostate cancer than those whose fitness declined. However, cardio fitness was not statistically linked to a man's risk of dying from prostate cancer, researchers found. A man's level of fitness from the outset also made a difference. Only the men with a moderate level of fitness at the beginning experienced a significant reduction in prostate cancer risk -- about 15%. By Dennis Thompson New pain medicine may be safer alternative to opioids The first new kind of pain medication in over two decades could be on the horizon for patients, with promising results. For now, the drug from Vertex Pharmaceuticals is called VX-548. But in trials of patients undergoing abdominoplasties (tummy tucks) and foot bunion surgeries, VX-548 performed better than placebo at easing post-op pain, with no major safety issues seen. It didn't bring superior pain relief compared with the opioid Vicodin (hydrocodone bitartrate/acetaminophen), the trial found, but it scored similarly to Vicodin on a standard measure called the Numeric Pain Rating Scale. The drug is already being fast-tracked for U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval, and said Vertex is "working with urgency to ... bring this non-opioid medicine to the millions of patients who suffer from acute pain each year in the U.S." Millions of patients worldwide are in need of some kind of alternative to opioid medications, which work well to ease pain but come with serious risks for addiction and abuse. "As a physician treating patients suffering from pain for many years, I know firsthand the critical need for new, efficacious and safe treatment options," Dr. Jessica Oswald, of the University of California, San Diego, said. She called the findings on VX-548 "impressive," with the "potential to change the paradigm of pain management. I look forward to the potential of having a new class of acute pain medicine -- the first in more than two decades -- to use as an alternative to opioids to help the millions of people impacted by acute pain." Just how does VX-548 work? As the company explained, the drugs doesn't work directly on the brain, but instead targets cellular processes within the peripheral nervous system. More specifically, VX-548 targets a cellular mechanism called a sodium channel, in this case sodium channel NaV1.8. In the new trial, Vertex enrolled about 1,100 people who'd undergone tummy tuck surgeries, and a similar number who'd had bunion surgeries. Patients got either a placebo, Vicodin (every six hours for 42 hours) or VX548 -- first at a dose of 100 milligrams (mg) and then again at a 50-mg dose every 12 hours for the next 36 hours. All were given in pill form. On a standard measure gauging patients' pain intensity, VX-548 had scores that easily outperformed the placebo. Compared to Vicodin, VX-548 was roughly equal in pain relief for the abdominoplasty patients, and less effective than Vicodin among the foot surgery patients. As for safety, "VX-548 was generally well-tolerated in this study," the company said. "The majority of adverse events [AEs] were mild to moderate," with the most common issues involving nausea or constipation. By Ernie Mundell

16 SMART READER February 8, 2024 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 books Bonnie Jo Campbell is a chief practitioner of Midwestern Gothic. Her last novel, “Once Upon a River,” earned her bestselling author status and comparisons to Mark Twain. But her heroine, Margo, wasn’t just a Great Lakes version of Huck Finn. Campbell understands rural Michigan down to its trillium roots. Her first novel in more than a decade, “The Waters” offers a portrait of a family of women intrinsic to the landscape. With its evocative descriptions of nature, the book practically sprouts in a reader’s hands. Campbell begins like a fairy tale, in a house the crone Baba Yaga could have comfortably resided in. Hermine Zook, known as “Herself,” has raised three daughters on an island that can only be reached via a plank bridge. Herself is a healer, who in her youth prepared cures sweetened with blackberry and honey. Today, they are bitter. “It is said that the island, where healing waters percolate to the surface, was a place where women shared one another’s dreams, a place where women did what they wanted.” Women doing what they want have frequently been called witches, and Campbell doesn’t shy away from the evil men do to women who live differently. The violence perpetrated on her characters is both matter-of-fact and generational. There’s another fairy tale, “Donkeyskin,” that offers clues to the secrets the Zook women must live with. The novel opens with Rose Thorn, the youngest and most beautiful of the daughters, returning home with a daughter of her own for her mother to raise. Donkey, as she is known, absorbs wisdom from Herself, and loves everything about the island, including the shy rattlesnakes. Upending patrimony, the youngest daughter inherits everything. Lush, brackish, and bracing, “The Waters” is not so much read as steeped in. By Yvonne Zipp How to catch alligator poachers? Become one Florida wildlife officer Jeff Babauta was nearing retirement when he went undercover to infiltrate the world of alligator poachers in the Everglades. He changed his name, adopted a freewheeling persona, and started an alligator farm on a rundown property in south Florida. The story of Babauta and Operation Alligator Thief is the subject of Gator Country: Deception, Danger, and Alligators in the Everglades, Rebecca Renner’s engrossing account of a two-year sting mounted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in 2015. Babauta’s efforts led to the arrest of 11 poachers in a single day, one of the biggest hauls in the agency’s history. The book’s author, a Florida native, leads the reader through the complexities of Operation Alligator Thief as well as the intriguing, often murky, biological and cultural environment of the Everglades. She has a gift for storytelling and enriches her narrative with a wealth of Florida history, local lore, nature writing, and personal anecdotes. “I wanted to understand what it was like to be a poacher in the glades,” Renner writes. “I wanted to live the lives of rangers and wildlife officers, too. I wanted to tell a story of people. No heroes, no villains, just the desperate choices that make us who we are.” While alligators are so plentiful today in Florida as to constitute a nuisance, they nearly became extinct in the 1950s. Their populations are sensitive, dependent on precise temperatures and water levels to assure viable egg production. Even small fluctuations in weather can have a harmful impact, leaving the species vulnerable to flooding, sealevel rise, and habitat destruction. Flooding in the early 2010s along the Lower Mississippi Delta caused thousands of alligator nests to become unviable. To maintain their hatchling stocks, alligator farmers in Louisiana, as in Florida, relied on permits to harvest wild alligator eggs legally. With the price of eggs soaring and farmers in Louisiana turning to other sources, it was widely suspected that some farmers were buying from poachers. Infiltrating the crime ring was no simple task for Babauta. Alligator farmers in south Florida were a notoriously closed group, suspicious of outsiders. To get information on poachers, Babauta had to become one, which meant setting up a working farm stocked with full-size alligators, about which he knew absolutely nothing. His department was tight with money, so Babauta was required to show a profit from his farm from the start. And he had to do all this while not blowing his cover, a mistake with potentially fatal consequences. Renner’s passion for her home state is palpable and much of “Gator Country” is devoted to pushing back on misconceptions of Florida. “I was tired of reading stories that treat the glades, and all of Florida, really, as a wild and wacky backdrop where characters and tall tales abounded, where ‘normal’ folks vacationed but where real people didn’t live.” Renner displays a genuine compassion for the people living in the Everglades, one of the poorest areas in the country. Ironically, she notes, the establishment of Everglades National Park in 1947, a worthy effort to protect the vast wetlands, came at the expense of the people who lived there, as it “pushed whole communities into crime. It pitted environmentalists against hunters, against the working-class people who lived there, the people who were already stewards of the environment in the first place. In removing the glades’ keepers, and removing their livelihoods as well, the parks struck a false wedge between the gladesmen, the Natives, and the wild.” Part true-crime story, part memoir, part hymn to “nature’s savage beauty,” “Gator Country” makes for a rewarding reading experience. By David Conrads ‘The Waters’ ripples with secrets and lies in rural Michigan “Gator Country” tells of a Florida wildlife officer who goes undercover to infiltrate a smuggling ring in the Everglades. PRINT & E-BOOKS NONFICTION PRINT & E-BOOKS FICTION 1. Random in Death (Robb) 2. Fourth Wing (Yarros) 3. Iron Flame (Yarros) 4. The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store (McBride) 5. First Lie Wins(Elston) 6. House of Earth and Blood (Maas) 7. Gothikana (RuNyx) 8. House of Sky and Breath (Maas) 9. The Housemaid (McFadden) 10. Icebreaker (Grace) 1. Killers of the Flower Moon (Grann) 2. The Boys in the Boat (Brown) 3. The Body Keeps the Score (van der Kolk) 4. The Wager (Grann) 5. Oath and Honor (Cheney) 6. Outlive (Attia/Gifford 7. Madness (Hylton) 8. One in a Millennial (Kennedy) 9. Caste (Wilkerson) 10. The Kingdom, the Power... (Alberta) NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLERS

Five novels by Black writers pulse with powerful storytelling Great books can change lives; they have changed mine. My favorite authors include writers of every hue, but what baffles me is that the work of Black writers seems to get highlighted only during Black History Month. Great prose is for every reader, and the celebration of it should not be limited to the month of February. As a Black writer, I also feel a duty to highlight the work of other Black writers that I think would otherwise be ignored. Here are five fiction debuts that are worth reading during Black History Month – and in any other month. When present mirrors the past In Rae Giana Rashad’s The Blueprint, the year is 2030, years after the United States has been defeated by a powerful group called The Order. Under The Order, women have no voice. Black women are reduced to having their lives determined by an algorithm, which determines whom they will marry. But before they marry, as early as age 15, they are farmed out to white men to breed with. Rashad’s protagonist, Solenne Bonet, is the descendant of an enslaved concubine, Henriette, who lived more than two centuries earlier. Solenne’s life mirrors that of her ancestor when she is essentially held in bondage by a powerful and wealthy white man, Bastien Martin. As Solenne starts to write Henriette’s story, Bastien, a scion of Thomas Jefferson, begins a very controlling relationship with her. Her first kiss, first sexual encounter, and first moments of intimacy happen with Bastien. She hates her situation, which reflects that of Henriette. Like her ancestor, she tastes a small slice of freedom, only to have it snatched away. At times, the path Solenne should take seems clear, but Rashad does a masterful job of making her a flawed human who can’t get out of her own way. As in Henriette’s story, the groundwork for a better future is laid down at the end. Filled with themes such as regret, rebellion, tyranny, and courage, “The Blueprint” is a compelling read. Twisted altruism, vigilante justice If first novels indicate career trajectory, Jahmal Mayfield has a future in crime fiction. His Smoke Kings is a fresh take on current events and history, mixed with social commentary. Mayfield’s story revolves around a vigilante group called the Smoke Kings. It targets the offspring of racist, mostly white men, who committed heinous acts against people of color decades earlier. The Smoke Kings deludes itself into thinking that it has historic, altruistic reasons for exacting justice, but the group’s beginnings are rooted in a more recent event. One of its own was killed by a white gang, a murder that has gone unpunished. There is always one weak link in a crew or one person who thinks that he or she is smarter than the group. “Smoke Kings” doesn’t depart from this track in building up hostility between two main characters, Isiah, a Korean man and the only member of the group who is not Black, and Nate, a militant Black man who can’t admit his prejudice. They travel the country trying to right wrongs, but two of their jobs bring them to the attention of a conscientious, bigoted former cop and a hate-filled white militia man. Isiah and Nate are caught and have to escape rogue justice before they get killed. “Smoke Kings” is a fastpaced story of twisted altruism that is not only entertaining but also thought-provoking. Facing hate and racism The best way for me to appreciate Neighbors and Other Stories was to imagine myself as a journalist writing about integration, civil rights, and Jim Crow. That is how I got the full scope of the brilliance of Diane Oliver’s work. Oliver, a short story writer, died at age 22 in 1966, leaving a nearly forgotten trove of work behind. Only four of her stories were published during her short life. The first story in the collection, “Neighbors,” imagines a Southern Black family that is consumed by fear and anxiety. The school-age son, Tommy, will be the first Black student to enroll at Jefferson Davis School after Brown v. Board of Education, the U.S. Supreme Court decision that ruled it unconstitutional to separate children in public schools on the basis of race. Think of Ruby Bridges, the first Black student to integrate an elementary school in the South, and ponder what it must have been like for a family faced with that task. How did they sleep? Did they sleep? Why go through with integration under the constant threat of violence? Nerves are frayed. Tommy is afraid he will be harmed. His parents have received threats against his and their lives. The night before school, the home is vandalized and a front window is shattered. On the first day, his parents teeter between not wanting to run the risk and having to decide if what’s best for Black people should come before their family. While Oliver’s stories are fiction, the subject matter, such as interracial marriage and the poor treatment of Black domestic workers, rings true. “Neighbors and Other Stories” offers an amalgamation of tales – some harrowing – told by a writer who knew all too well what it meant to be racialized. Oliver’s insights give the powerful storytelling that much more punch. If reparations became law A line of desperate, hopeful, and excited Black people wraps around a Mississippi library. They have come from all over the United States to uncover their families’ histories. If they can prove their ancestors were enslaved, they would be eligible for reparations money. At the same time, a mob of angry white people snarls, yells obscenities, and hurls glass bottles at them. In Acts of Forgiveness, Maura Cheeks imagines what the U.S. would look like if the government passed a law requiring reparations. Willie Revel is the protagonist, the youngest and only daughter of Max and Lourdes Revel, an upper-middle-class Black family in Philadelphia. Willie has ambition and career prospects as a journalist. One job offer has come from a college professor, Elizabeth Johnson, who is starting a political career that will make her president. Max, who once shunned Willie as heir to his construction business, has health issues that prevent him from running the company and begs her to trade in her career to come home and help him. Then President Johnson gets the Forgiveness Act passed, which will give the progeny of formerly enslaved people $175,000 per person if they can prove their ancestry. This starts a national dash to the South to unearth official records, and it brings out the worst in many who oppose it. The Revel family is torn between desperately needing the money to save its business, and wondering if the hassle is worth it. And not everyone is convinced the government will keep its promise. This book starts out slowly, but gets better with each page. Cheeks, daughter of former NBA player Maurice Cheeks, starts with an intriguing premise and weaves it into a fascinating story. “Acts of Forgiveness” is a thoughtful tale that coaxes readers to ponder what would happen if a reparations law were ever passed. Ambition atop Everest In Karen Outen’s novel, Dixon, Descending, two intrepid brothers decide to conquer Mount Everest together. The first brother, Dixon, is a former Olympic hopeful in track and field who missed making the team by the narrowest of margins. Nate is the older brother who was always seen to be a risk-taker. As the two begin their climb, Nate’s status as the risk-taker crumbles. That causes a slow burning resentment in Dixon, but not enough to keep them from ascending. After all, the brothers trained for a year and have spent tens of thousands of dollars. Nate can’t make it to the top, but Dixon does, and when tragedy happens during his descent, Dixon starts to unravel. He may have been the first Black American to climb the highest mountain in the world, but was the cost too high? After the Everest trip, Dixon “descends” in other areas of his life: as a school psychologist and as a family man. Grief, guilt, and the brittle fact that despite the worst happening, life keeps moving forward, lead Dixon to a reckoning with sorrow and guilt. “Dixon, Descending,” with its poignant passages, is ultimately a heartwrenching story of great loss. By Ira Porter FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 SMART READER February 8, 2024 17

Why foreign policy is no longer in Biden’s ‘win’ column Joe Biden entered the White House declaring “America is back” – signaling that foreign policy and reestablishing U.S. leadership on the world stage would be key pillars of his presidency. And for much of his term, Biden advanced on his commitment as he put his decades of foreign policy experience to good use. The Biden administration united a divided and cautious Western Europe around the cause of a sovereign and Westward-leaning Ukraine. Mr. Biden rallied a reinvigorated NATO to face the authoritarian threat posed by Russian President Vladimir Putin. As recently as October, Biden demonstrated confident leadership when he became the first U.S. president to visit Mideast ally Israel in time of war. As one Israeli pundit noted at the time, he could easily have been elected to any Israeli office he desired that day. But now suddenly as the president approaches a grueling reelection campaign, foreign policy is not looking so much like his friend. The war in Ukraine appears stuck in an inconclusive state that is sapping both U.S. public support and congressional support for additional billions of dollars in military and economic assistance. Even more rapidly, Israel’s war against Hamas has shifted to the negative column for Mr. Biden. Initial strong support for the president’s unbridled proIsrael stance has given way to dismay over the high and mounting toll the war is taking on Gaza’s civilians – even as concerns grow that Israel could drag the United States into a regional war. The result is that Mr. Biden’s foreign policy boon is increasingly a bust. “Neither of the two big foreign policy events Biden has so closely linked himself to is looking like it’s going to be a great success,” says Michael Desch, founding director of Notre Dame University’s International Security Center in Indiana. “It’s taken the sheen off Biden’s foreign policy image,” he adds, “and instead both Ukraine and the war in Gaza are contributing to a patina of failure around the administration as we enter an election year.” If foreign policy is now a drag on Mr. Biden’s image and electoral prospects, it can be tied to two overarching factors, some analysts say: an inability to translate his foreign policy urgency into public support, and the sense that a leader who entered politics during the Cold War is pursuing policies of a bygone era. “Personally, I think Biden’s policies have been great; he’s been measured but at the same time he’s had a vision. He’s saved Ukraine from an authoritarian Russia and put Europe back together, and he’s accomplished that without putting American troops on the ground,” says Lawrence Korb, a former Pentagon official who specializes in national security and foreign policy at the Center for American Progress in Washington. “But the reality out there is that people don’t see it. The American people are increasingly asking, ‘Why does Ukraine matter to me?’” he adds. “Or they’re saying, ‘Another war in the Middle East?’” What Americans do see, Mr. Korb says, is the effects of a crisis on their southern border, where thousands of migrants – from Latin America, but as far away as Africa and China – continue to enter the country illegally. Indeed, while Mr. Biden has so far been unsuccessful at convincing Americans of the critical importance of his foreign policy priorities, Republicans have struck a chord by using the “border issue” to create a link – one detrimental to the president – between foreign and domestic policy, Dr. Desch says. “[Republicans] have played the illegal immigration issue to their advantage by linking it to Israel and Ukraine aid,” he says. “It resonates with a lot of people when they question sending billions of dollars to secure other countries when we can’t seem to secure our own border.” Mr. Biden, who entered Congress in 1973, hails from an era when no one from either party would have suggested putting the Cold War on a back burner to advance some popular domestic policy, Mr. Korb notes. “You see how the Republicans are holding up $100 billion in foreign aid over domestic political issues, and it’s like if during the Cold War one party had said we’re not going to approve a weapons system to keep up with the Soviets until we cut taxes,” he says. “It’s unimaginable.” But that may underscore the other challenge President Biden faces in turning his foreign policy outlook to his political favor: His world vision simply may not resonate with many Americans today. “Biden’s formative experience was in a period that bears almost no resemblance to the one we are in today,” Dr. Desch says. “The asteroid has hit the planet, but he’s still in the dinosaur age.” When Mr. Biden speaks of a defining battle between democracy and authoritarian rule, he invokes an America that defeated the Soviet Union and turned World War II’s defeated powers, Germany and Japan, into democratic allies. But some question the attraction of that message. “Unfortunately, a lot of people hear that, and what they think of is getting out of Afghanistan, the mess that was, and how Americans died in the process,” Mr. Korb says. “You can argue [Biden] should get credit for Ukraine and Israel,” he adds, “but that’s not where a lot of people are.” By Howard LaFranchi President Biden is welcomed by Prime Minister Netanyahu in Tel Aviv last October 18 SMART READER February 8, 2024 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 REMINDER: PLEASE RESUBMIT AD TO RUN FOR EACH ISSUE. Maximum 3 Listings Per Person. MISC MODEL TRAIN SWAP Meet. Sunday, February 11, 9am To 1pm. Kenosha Union Club, 3030 39th Ave. For More Information Call Bill @ 262-331-0392 G E R M A N CONVERSATIONALIST GROUP - KENOSHA/RACINE If you speak German or are enthusiastic about the German language and culture, come and join us. There are no membership fees and attendance is whenever you are available to join. Meetings will be held in the Kenosha and Racine area. This is an excellent group to practice speaking German as members' language skills are from beginners to advance and we all have a good time. Please contact me if you are interested in joining - Susan Blust at [email protected]. LIONS CLUB BINGO Come have some fun! Doors open at 4:00. Raffles, pull-tabs and pregames start at 6:45. Bingo 7:00-9pm. Wednesdays. 2700 9th St., Schlader Building, Winthrop Harbor. Food Sales. FOR SALE Four Wheeled Walker by NOVA in Kenosha. Asking $50 or best offer. Call or Text 808-359-8474. Sears sewing machine. Model 1750. Zig zag. All attachments included. $99.00. Joan Pucazo 262-656-6048, Kenosha, WI 53140 [email protected]. CHRISTMAS TREES: FAUX Christmas Tree $100; Ceramic Christmas Tree $50; Faux Christmas Tree $5. Many Christmas Items. Just inquire by calling or texting 262-902-5663. WINTER SPORTS: Women's Edelweis ski pants $25; Women's ski pants $60; Women's Salomon SX52 Lady ski boots $235; Women's ELAN Downhill skis $140; Tingley Men's Medium Size Rubber Over The Shoe Boots $10; Men's Boots$10; Jeep Jacket $200; Boy's Figure Skates $10; Men's Figure Skates $10; Cross Country Ski Poles- 2 pairs $10 each; Men's Snow Pants $10. Call or text 262- 902-5663. Snow Blower 24” Like New 262-771-7860 Beer Cans For Sale 262-694-7573, Leave A Message. Crystal round platter 12 inch diameter $10.00 perfect condition Great for the holidays 317-764-7662 BEADS. Boxes and boxes Of New Beads. All Sorts And Sizes. $49.00 For All. Phone 262-657-6049 CHILDREN'S VINTAGE ITEMS: Riding Wonder Horse-$100; Eddie Bauer Beach Sport Bag With Many Sand Play Toys Included-$8; Speedo Dive Snorkel And Mask (Unopened) $15; Mini Indoor Basketball Hoop- $3; Plastic Kitchen Toys- All For $2; Many Legos- All For $3; Star Trek, The Motion Picture Vhs SeriesAll 8 Tapes-$25; Many Toys (Call With What You Are Looking For!) Call Or Text: 262-902-5663. Two Bicycles, Schwinn $100 OBO and Autobike by CSA, 6-speed $175 OBO Call 262-654-6485 Please leave message Original $15 Rockwell Plates $10 each Air Fryer, new $50 Call 262-771-8764 Save 50% ON Burial Plots! Private Owner Of Two (2) (Side By Side) Section H Sunset Ridge Memorial Park Kenosha, Wi. Dont’ Pay $11,390.00... I’ Selling For $5,695.00 Obo! (262)914-5977 Ed Barbie doll, remote control corvette, that fits two Barbie dolls, about 25 in long x 10 in wide, best offer. Other small auto models available from classic days. Ron 847-340-3446. Beanie Babies - large inventory, includes McDonald's line, price varies. Call 262-654-6485 - please leave message Sony Reel To Reel Tape Decks! TC-630 & TC-580 $200 OBO for both. Call Kent 262-960-0621 [email protected] Two side-by-side burial plots at Sunset Ridge Memorial Park, section H, privately owned. Willing to negotiate on price. Please call Ed - 262-914-5977 WANTED. Experienced Grill Cook Flexible Hours, Fun Atmosphere. Lakeside Deck At The Wyndham Hotel Call Kim 262-496-7182 Singer and narrator wanted for Roger Miller tribute.Call 262-554- 8205. Ask for Marv. WANTED TO BUY: Vintage Movie Posters, Comic Books, LP Records, Vintage Toys, Horror VHS, Horror Memorabilia, Science Fiction Pulps & Magazines, Video Store Promotional Items. PH 262-237- 0318. WANTED TO BUY: Old Post Cards, B&W Photos, B&W Photo Albums, Vintage Advertising, Old Hunting Licenses & Advertising, Scrapbooks, Old Misc.Paper, Old Automobile Advertising, Fountain Pens, Gillette Razors & More. Local Collector/Neutral Safe & Secure Site to meet if desired. Cash Paid. Call or Text Stan 262- 496-1822 ARCADE DRIVERS SCHOOL is looking for classroom & driver instructors. Starting pay $17.00 per hour. If interested please call 262-637-9193 or email us at [email protected] LOOKING FOR NURSES Aid for in home care. Call Barbara 262-455-3953 SERVICES. “Tax Preparation & Advisory Services. 20+ Years Experience. Virtual Or In-Person. For Appointment Call Or Text 262-496- 2208. I Will Do Seamstress Work, Run Errands, Do Shopping & Dr. Appointments., Etc.If Interested Please Call Gayle At 262-748-4748 I'M LOOKING FOR house to share for reasonable rent in exchange for household needs for a senior vet consideration. 847-340-3446 Ron. Kenosha/Union Grove area. LAWN MOWING SERVICES Reliable lawn care services in Kenosha & Pleasant Prairie. call/text 262-914-9796 [email protected] TAX & MEDICARE EXPERT. Appointments only. Se Habla Español. 262.833.7070 CHINESE LANGUAGE / CALLIGRAPHY LESSONS: Fun, fascinating and very cool. Beginning and advanced - all ages! Text Dr. Tim at 520.704.3832. FOR RENT Finished Suite private, in-home entrance, in Kenosha. For details call between 8:00 AM and 4:30 PM, 262-843-1630. DRUM LESSONS Private instruction. Band, orchestra, marching and drum set. Rock and many other musical styles. Learn to read music. Call Tom for details. 262-818-2869. PROFESSIONAL LED TEETH WHITENING for a fraction of the price! $99 at cabana tan spa. call to book: 262-843-2411. 20 minute session = a bright white smile! mycabanatan.com NURSING CARE /CONSULTATION: $35.00/hour. Call or text to (262)758-1974 FAST COMPUTER SERVICE including network support, spyware removal, upgrades and PC repair. For friendly service with a smile, call Vikkex today! Phone 262-694-7746 BABYSITTING YOUNG LADY good with kids can watch 1 or 2 children call 262-620-4745 House cleaning woman + a bucket - reliable, dependable. Also clean vacant houses. Call for estimates - Sandy 262-221-2289 Houses And/Or Business Sun Shine Klean Is Having A Special This Month For First Time Customers Free Upholstery Cleaning With At Basic Cleaning For Only $39.95 262-287-5103 CNAS TO JOIN wellness team at Barton of Zion, five star assisted living. Send resume [email protected] apply within at 3500 Sheridan Road Zion, IL 60099 847-872-1500 FREE HOME HEATING Fuel Oil Removal I will remove your unused home heating fuel oil for free..clean and safe . Inquire about tank removal also ... 262 818 1967 ..ask for Dave TYPING. I am an experienced legal secretary with excellent typing skills wanting to type for you at home. Please contact Alicia at 2 6 - 6 5 8 - 4 4 8 4 . VEHICLES0 2011 FORD F150 143K MILES SEE IN KENOSHA AT 4121-7TH. AVE. 53140 RUSS 262-237-1343 CALL OR TEXT. NEWER TIRES AND BRAKES. READY TO DRIVE ANYWHERE $7950 NICE TRUCK 2008 HONDA CRV One Owner Well Maintained See In Kenosha At 4121-7th Ave. 53140 Russ 262-237-1343 Call Or Text Very Nice Car $5750 1994 Nissan Leopard J Ferie similar to the Infiniti J30 Asking $8500 OBO Low miles and very good condition Text 808-359-8474 with questions SEE IN KENOSHA At 4121-7th. Ave. 53140 Russ 262-237-1343 Call Or Text. Awd 190k Miles 3 Row Seating $9495 3.5 Liter 6 Cly 2003 soft tail Harley Davidson 18000 miles $5000 worth of chrome added in 2006. Perfect condition Asking $7500 Call Lloyd at 262 694 7359 or 262 515 1366. Located In Pleasant Prairie 95 CAMERO convert green/tan top. many newer parts best offer will trade for other vehicle, negotiate price. 847-340-3446 Ron - dealers welcome to participate. 1997 Jaguar XK8 Convertible 75K in great condition Contact Bob: 262-484-4848 or text 262-945-9224 1973 FORD F250, Camper Special2wd,California Original, Rebuilt Motor/Trans, Auto, Ac, New Interior, Can Send Pics. $13,500 Obo. 630-945-8320. 2007 HYUNDAI SONATA See In Kenosha At 4121-7th. Ave. 53140 262-237-1343 Russ Call Or Text 212k Miles $2950 FREE CLASSIFIEDS! E-mail your 170 character classified to: [email protected] Please include your contact information in the classified. (Name and Phone number / e-mail address) First 3 words will be boldface type. NO ANIMALS. • NO PERSONALS ALLOWED. CLASSIFIED DEADLINE IS FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2023 AT 12 NOON FREE CLASSIFIEDS! Employment/Opportunities • Lost & Found • Miscellaneous Real Estate • Rentals • Rummage Sales • Vehicles • Wanted

FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 SMART READER February 8, 2024 19 health lifestyle community Kenosha County Aging & Disability Resource Center news February 8, 2024 Your Kenosha ADRC Update In-person or Virtual Caregiver Coffee Club ADRC offers support group for those caring for someone with dementia Kenosha County Aging & Disability Resource Center (ADRC) offers a support group to help family caregivers who care for someone with Alzheimer’s disease or other form of dementia. Join others engaged in helping their loved ones manage day to day living. Relax, chat and learn helpful tips and strategies. The Caregiver Coffee Club meets the first Wednesday of each month from 10-11 a.m., the next meeting will be on March 6. The support group is available inperson or virtually. Facilitated by Susan Johnson, Dementia Care Specialist with the Kenosha County ADRC. To register call 262-605- 6646. Exploring Brain Health Is it normal age-related changes in memory or possibly signs of dementia? You forgot that coffee date with a friend and seem to be losing things around the house more often. “What is going on?” you wonder. There are differences between normal age-related changes in memory and thinking abilities and possible signs of dementia. Learn about these warning signs, along with specific actions and practices that can help keep your brain healthy as you age. Join Susan Johnson, Dementia Care Specialist, Kenosha County Aging & Disability Resource Center, for a presentation, Exploring Brain Health. This event will be held at the Kenosha County Job Center (North Conference Room 2), 8600 Sheridan Rd., Kenosha, on Wednesday, February 28, from 12-1 p.m. Park at the north end of the building, enter Entrance A. For questions, or to register, call the Kenosha County Aging & Disability Resource Center at 262- 605-6646. Caring for an adult family member or friend? Family Caregiver Support Group Meets in-person and virtually Family caregivers often don’t see themselves as caregivers, they simply think of themselves as the husband, sister, daughter, or friend. Defined, a family caregiver is a person who provides support for an adult who needs assistance with daily living activities, such as cooking, driving, shopping, laundry and paying bills. The role of a family caregiver, while rewarding, can also be challenging when trying to balance life’s responsibilities along with supporting the needs of another individual, family member or friend. The Kenosha County Aging & Disability Resource Center (ADRC) offers a Family Caregiver Support Group, the first Thursday of every month. If you are a family caregiver, this group is for you! Join fellow caregivers, either virtually or inperson, as you share your experiences, ask questions and learn from others. The group is facilitated by the ADRC’s Margaret Ricchio, Caregiver Support Specialist, and Susan Johnson, Dementia Care Specialist. The next meeting will be Thursday, March 7, 4-5 p.m. In-person location is 8600 Sheridan Road, entrance D. To register, learn more or to receive the virtual link, call the Kenosha County ADRC, 262-605-6646.

20 SMART READER February 8, 2024 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 Kenosha County ADRC to Offer Powerful Tools for Caregivers Online Class Next free, six-week course to begin March 13 The Kenosha County Aging & Disability Resource Center is now accepting reservations for its next Powerful Tools for Caregivers course. Powerful Tools for Caregivers is a free, sixweek educational series intended to teach skills for how to take care of yourself while caring for a loved one. The class helps family caregivers reduce stress, improve self-confidence, communicate feelings better, balance their lives, increase their ability to make tough decisions and locate helpful resources. The 6-week online classes will be held Wednesdays, beginning March 13 – April 17, 2 – 3:30 p.m. To participate, caregivers will need internet access and access to a computer, iPad or other tablet. They will receive a brief phone call from the program leader prior to the first session on how to use the Zoom video conference program. Registration is required by March 8. To register, call the ADRC at 262-605-6646. Ask about our classes in Spanish! Going on Medicare? Learn about the decisions you’ll need to make The Kenosha County Aging & Disability Resource Center (ADRC) offers no-cost, unbiased, Medicare workshops for those who are new to Medicare, or those who want to learn more. Trained benefit specialists will be available to answer your questions and discuss the decisions you’ll need to make, including the basics of Medicare coverage, options for private health and drug coverage, and public benefits that can help with health care costs. Upcoming Medicare Workshops: Kenosha County Job Center, 8600 Sheridan Road, Entrance North A, Room N2 Thursday, February 29, 2024, 10 a.m. – noon Bristol Village Hall, 19801 83rd Street, Bristol, WI Tuesday, March 26, 2024, 10 a.m. - noon Due to limited seating, reservations are required. Call the ADRC at 262-605-6646 to make a reservation or to learn more. Your Kenosha ADRC Update

FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 SMART READER February 8, 2024 21 Free Healthy Living with Diabetes Class offered online! The Kenosha County Aging & Disability Resource Center is offering a free online class for those who have diabetes or care for someone who does. Healthy Living with Diabetes is a 6-week evidence-based program from Stanford University that has helped people world-wide: • Be in control and feel better • Have more energy • Use new tools to manage their diabetes • Create new goals Healthy Living with Diabetes will be offered virtually, Thursdays, 2 – 4 p.m., March 21 – April 25. If you are a Kenosha County resident, age 55 or older, and have diabetes or care for someone who does, call the ADRC at 262-605-6646 to learn more or to register. A Zoom link will be provided for the class. Registration closes on March 14. Someone in Your Life has Dementia A Roadmap for Care – Now offered virtually and in-person The Kenosha County Aging & Disability Resource Center offers a regularly scheduled educational program, Someone in Your Life has Dementia: A Roadmap for Care. The presentation is for anyone caring for an individual living with a form of dementia and will be offered every other month, with the options for both virtual and in-person meetings. Dementia is a general term used to describe memory loss and the impaired ability to process information and make decisions which interferes with daily life. There are many subtypes of dementia, with Alzheimer’s Disease being the most common form, followed by Vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, Frontotemporal degeneration, mixed dementia and others. Dementia is not a part of normal aging; however, 50 million people worldwide are living with some form of this syndrome. Susan Johnson, Dementia Care Specialist with the ADRC, has developed and will facilitate this new presentation. Johnson has a master’s degree in Gerontology and has a passion for improving quality of life for caregiving families. She offers hope and understanding to caregivers, as well as those living with dementia. The presentation will help prepare and guide caregivers, while building confidence for the road ahead. It will address common caregiver concerns, such as: • Whether recently diagnosed or not, what do you need to know about caring for someone living with dementia? • How do you know what to expect and what your person needs, as the disease progresses? Someone in Your Life has Dementia: A Roadmap for Care, will be offered virtually and in-person, the second Wednesday, every other month, noon – 1 p.m. The next class will be offered on February 14, 2023. For more information and to register, call the ADRC, 262- 605-6646.

22 SMART READER February 8, 2024 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 Q. Even though I'm not on Social Security, I've been reading your column for years. A while back, I had clipped out a column you wrote explaining how benefits are figured. And now that I'm getting ready to file for benefits, I can't find that column. Can you please reprint it? And I also have a question. I do recall that you said a benefit is based on your highest 35 years of earnings. But I saw something on the Social Security Administration website that said it's a 40-year base. Have the rules changed? A. I checked my past columns, and it's been about a year since I explained how Social Security retirement benefits are figured. So, I guess it's about time I do it again. And I'll also explain why I'm right when I say it's a 35-year base of earnings, and how the SSA website also is right when they say a 40- year base! In a nutshell, a Social Security retirement benefit is a percentage of your average monthly income using your highest 35 years of i n f l a t i o n - a d j u s t e d earnings. So, what's this 40-year base all about? Well, when you file for retirement benefits, the Social Security Administration will look at your earnings history and pull out your highest 40 years. They don't have to be consecutive. But from that 40-year base, they drop out your five lowest years. So they end up using your highest 35 years of earnings to figure your benefit. If you don't have 35 years of earnings, the SSA must plug in an annual salary of $0 for every year you did not work, until the 35- year base is reached. However, before they add up those "high 35," they index each year of past earnings for inflation. And this is where the formula starts to get messy. That's because there is a different adjustment factor for each year of earnings, and each year's adjustment factor is different based on your year of birth. Here is a quick example. If you were born in 1962 and earned $20,000 in 1991, they would multiply those earnings by an inflation adjustment factor of 2.9, meaning they would actually use $58,000 as your 1991 earnings. But if you were born in 1960 and earned that same $20,000 in 1991, they would use an inflation factor of 2.5, resulting in $50,000 as the 1991 earnings used in your Social Security computation. You can find a complete breakdown of those inflation adjustment factors for each year of birth at the Social Security Administration's website: www.socialsecurity.gov. If you have a hard time negotiating that website, just Google "Social Security indexing factors" and it will lead you to the right place. The next step in the retirement computation formula is to add up your highest 35 years of i n f l a t i o n - a d j u s t e d earnings. Then you divide by 420 — that's the number of months in 35 years — to get your average inflation-adjusted monthly income. The final step brings us to the "social" part of Social Security. The percentage of your average monthly income that comes back to you in the form of a Social Security benefit depends on your income. In a nutshell, the lower your average wage, the higher percentage rate of return you get. Once again, the actual formula is messy and varies depending on your year of birth. As an example, here is the formula for someone born in 1960. You take the first $1,024 of average monthly income and multiply it by 90%. You take the next $5,148 of your average monthly income and multiply that by 32%. And you take any remainder and multiply it by 15%. You can find a complete breakdown of those computation "bend points" at www.socialsecurity.gov. Or just Google "Social Security bend points" to find several sites that should help you. Believe it or not, that was the simple explanation for those who just want some kind of idea of how their Social Security retirement benefit will be figured. To summarize, it is a percentage of your average monthly income using your highest 35 years of inflationadjusted earnings. If this was a college course, you could think of it as Social Security Benefit Computation 101. But now I'm going to get into more advanced version of retirement benefit calculations for those who want to know the nitty-gritty of the process. I'll start by introducing this term: the "primary insurance amount," or PIA. The PIA is your basic retirement benefit upon which all future calculations will be based. The "raw PIA" is actually calculated at age 62. In other words, when the SSA pulls out your highest 35 years of earnings, they only use earnings up to age 62. Then that raw PIA gets "cooked," or increased, to take into account any earnings you had after age 62 and to include any c o s t - o f - l i v i n g adjustments (COLAs) that were authorized for Social Security benefits after the year you reached age 62. But it gets a little tricky when SSA does the recomputation for any earnings you have after age 62. If you worked full time until age 67, for example, you would assume that those earnings between age 62 and 67 would increase your PIA. After all, you figure, they are some of your highest-earning years, so they will become part of that "high 35." But not necessarily. For reasons I can't take the time to explain in this short column, earnings after age 60 are not indexed for inflation. They get calculated at current dollar value only. So, if your "raw PIA" was based on a full 35-year history of high inflationadjusted earnings, your current earnings may not be high enough to become part of your "high 35," so they won't increase your benefit. Or they might bump up the PIA, but not by much. In fact, I hear from readers all the time who tell me that they are confused because the benefit estimate they are getting from the SSA now (at age 67, let's say) is not much more than the estimate they got back at age 62. Their current benefit estimate includes the COLA increases, but either little or no bump for their post-62 earnings. The reason is that lack of inflation indexing after age 60. As you can see, the Social Security retirement benefit formula is pretty messy. But for most of you, I would say, don't worry about it. Just let the SSA do it for you. Go to www.socialsecurity.gov, and click on the "Plan for Retirement" icon on the homepage. It will walk you through the process of finding out what your Social Security benefit will be. social security How Your Retirement Benefit Is Calculated with Tom Margenau If you have a Social Security question, Tom Margenau has the answer. Contact him 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. and you

FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 SMART READER February 8, 2024 23 Dear Amy: I am the youngest of three siblings. I’m in my 60's. To avoid conflicts with my older sister, “Ann,”  I will say "good idea," but will do things my way, anyway.  We live on opposite sides of the country and don’t get along. My husband and I have a good, happy marriage. Ann’s marriage is not always as happy, so she may be jealous. Her husband, “Bill,” and my husband have become very good friends. Last year, Bill sold a business. I believe he received a substantial amount in the sale.  When I asked how much he had received, my sister said she “didn't know," but I'm sure she does know. Bill confided the amount to my husband, but also asked him not to tell me. I really don't care how much he received, as their finances are their business.  What bothers me is that they now have my husband in the loop and are keeping a secret from me. When I asked my husband about it he said he is respecting Bill’s wishes. I feel this has driven a wedge between the four of us. This is not the first secret Ann and Bill have kept from me. I do not discuss their lives with anybody else, so I don't get it. Am I wrong to feel this way?  My relationship with Ann and Bill is no longer the same. We do talk but not as often as before. When we do talk, she is always distracted and never really listens to what I say. Is it right that my husband has more respect for Bill than for me? My husband loves me and takes great care of our family. He is a good man but this whole issue irks me. How do I move forward? – Bothered Dear Bothered: Your brother-in-law’s financial take from the sale of his company is definitely none of your business. You state as much, and yet you obviously believe that you should be told, anyway. You were very eager for this information even before you learned it was being kept from you; now you frame this private financial information as a family secret. Your husband poked the bear when he disclosed that he held the information that you are so curious about; you might assume that “Bill” asked him to keep this information completely private from everyone – including you – but you interpret this discretion as secret-keeping from you specifically, and I don’t think you should. I don’t think it’s obvious that your husband has more respect for Bill than for you; it is obvious that you don’t believe in this family’s right to hold this information close. You might be able to open up your relationship with your sister (if you want to) by admitting your vulnerability here. Dear Amy: I have maintained a friendship with “Wendy” for decades. She and her husband were there for me in a major way after my husband’s sudden death three years ago. I simply could not have made it through that awful period without their love and emotional and practical support. Recently I heard a rumor that Wendy had been caught shoplifting at a local shop. It didn’t really seem possible, but my understanding is that she was not charged because she returned the items and because this was a first offense. I went out to a local brewpub with Wendy and her husband last week. While there, I ordered appetizers for the group that were delivered on a large decorative platter. After a while I excused myself and went to the restroom. As I was headed back to the table, I witnessed Wendy putting the (empty) ceramic platter into her large bag, which her husband was holding open for her. I was stunned, but I didn’t say anything. I thanked them for taking me out and haven’t talked to them since. We’ve had some contact on Facebook, but yesterday she blocked me (possibly because I have dodged a couple of phone calls?). I am so sad now. I wish I’d said something when I witnessed them stealing, but I fear that our friendship has ended on a very bad note. But I really can’t be friends with a thief. Where do you think I should go from here? – Sad Dear Sad: You might assume that you’ve been blocked because “Wendy” knows that you saw her lifting the pub’s platter. You could tighten the circle here if you got in touch with “Wendy” to acknowledge her importance in your life during a time when you were at your lowest. “If you are struggling with something now, I’d like to be there for you, too.” If she responds honestly, you could try to move forward in small increments. Dear Amy: My father, who is 83 years old, was "picked up" by a woman of the same age at a senior center dance. She moved in with him right away. She started out as being nice, but then she started to make up stories, telling our father that my younger brother was stealing money. She picked a fight with my siblings and ended up convincing our father not to have any contact with us. She will not let me speak with him. We are not able to communicate at all with Dad, and this concerns me. This woman has told my father numerous lies, and I am very troubled that she may be stealing money from him. Any thoughts or advice? - Worried in Oregon Dear Worried: I agree that any time a romance takes place at top speed and then quickly becomes the cause of family estrangement is cause for worry. So-called "romance scams" are on the rise, and the elderly are vulnerable. One might assume that an elderly woman might not perpetrate a romance scam, and yet - why not? You might investigate this woman's background. You don't mention your father's health, and at this point you might not be aware of any health concerns because you have not had access to him, but he might be experiencing cognitive decline or other health problems that render him more vulnerable to her control. In your state (Oregon) you can call to report your concerns about an adult being isolated or abused: 1-855-503-SAFE (7233). This is a statewide hotline to report abuse or neglect and the call goes to the Department of Human Services. You could also contact your local Area Agency on Aging (AAA) to speak with a case worker to see if they can conduct a wellness check at your father's home. ask amy Sister resents being out of the loop You can email Amy Dickinson at [email protected] or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or Facebook. seniors edition Kenosha Funeral Services and Crematory Prepay for your funeral now and the price will be guaranteed. 8226 Sheridan Rd. Kenosha, WI 53143 (262) 652-1943 www.kenosha-funeral-services.com 102623 Quality • Value • Service When you need it the most When you need it the most Complete Funeral…… $7,300 Includes: Professional Service Fee, Embalming, Other Preparations, 1 Hour Visitation, Funeral Service, Graveside Service, Use of Funeral Coach & Other Necessary Vehicles, 20 ga. Steel Non-Sealing Casket. 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