FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 SMART READER March 23, 2023 1 “So glad we preplanned, all I had to do was make a phone call. Everyone should do this.” -Jeff S. “So glad we preplanned, all I had to do was make a phone call. Everyone should do this.” -Jeff S. Visit us at 3016 75th St. Kenosha SR122922 Volume 21 - #13 June 29 2023 BERNIE SANDERS VS AMAZON A NEW SENATE INVESTIGATION HAS IN A BATTLE OVER WAREHOUSE CONDITIONS
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2 SMART READER June 29, 2023 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 F Cover photos credit: Waynes: Mike Wallace & Chad Greenway; Gordon: UPI Smart Reader is published bi-weekly by Carmichael Communications Editor & Publisher/Frank J. Carmichael • Assistant to the Publisher/Reanna Stockdale • Sales/Kim Carmichael, Donny Stancato Editorial Manager/Jason Hedman • Ad Design & Layout/Glen Kelly, Kristin Monticelli • Reception/Sarah Coleman Carmichael Communications 1420 63rd Street, Kenosha, WI 53143 June 29, 2023 - Volume 21 Number 13 262-564-8800 • 1-800-568-6623 • www.hap2it.com Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has announced a Senate committee investigation into Amazon's warehouses and the company's "abysmal" treatment of workers, accusing the online retail giant of putting profits ahead of safety. Sanders sent a scathing letter to Amazon's chief executive officer Andy Jassy informing him of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) investigation into what he calls the "abysmal safety record in Amazon's warehouses and the company's treatment of workers injured in those warehouses." "The company's quest for profits at all costs has led to unsafe physical environments, intense pressure to work at unsustainable rates and inadequate medical attention for tens of thousands of Amazon workers every year," Sanders said in the nearly 10-page letter. Sanders blamed Amazon's executives and their "immense wealth" for decisions that force employees to work in these "unsafe environments," resulting in a turnover rate as high as 150% per year. "Amazon is one of the most valuable companies in the world worth $1.3 trillion and its founder, Jeff Bezos, is one of the richest men in the world worth nearly $150 billion," Sanders wrote, adding that with all of its wealth "Amazon should be one of the safest places in America to work, not one of the most dangerous." "In its endless pursuit of profits, Amazon sacrifices workers' bodies under the constant pressure of a surveillance system that enforces impossible rates," Sanders wrote. "When faced with worker injuries, Amazon provides minimal medical care ... This system forces workers to endure immeasurable long-term pain and disabilities while Amazon makes incredible profits from their labor." The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Amazon for safety violations, including earlier this year when three of its warehouses failed to keep workers safe. "Each of these inspections found work processes that were designed for speed but not safety, and they resulted in serious worker injuries," Doug Park, assistant secretary for OSHA, said in a statement in January. "While Amazon has developed impressive systems to make sure its customers' orders are shipped efficiently and quickly, the company has failed to show the same level of commitment to protecting the safety and well-being of its workers." Safety violations were reported at three more Amazon warehouses a month later. According to Sanders, Amazon's serious injury rate is double the warehousing industry's average. "For tens of thousands of workers, the cost of just a few years at an Amazon warehouse is a lifetime of pain," Sanders told Jassy. As part of the Senate committee's investigation, Sanders demanded that Amazon provide information about the high injury and turnover rates at the company's warehouses. The senator also created a webpage to allow Amazon workers to submit their stories anonymously. "Chairman Sanders wants to hear from current or former workers, supervisors, medical staff or anyone else in Amazon's warehouses about their experiences to help inform that investigation," the webpage said. "Most Americans understand we live in a rigged economy," Sanders said on the Senate floor. "Tomorrow, the HELP Committee begins the difficult and long journey of beginning to bring justice to the working class of this country and tell the CEOs, and the corporate executives and the 1%, that they cannot have it all." By Sheri Walsh Bernie Sanders launches Senate investigation into Amazon warehouse conditions Sen. Bernie Sanders announced he is launching a Senate investigation into "dangerous and illegal" working conditions at Amazon warehouses. Amazon is facing fines for safety violations at three additional warehouses, two weeks after the online retail giant was penalized for unsafe work conditions at several other fulfillment centers, the Department of Labor announced. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued the citations citing back injuries and long hours at Amazon warehouses in Aurora, Colo.; Nampa, Idaho; and Castleton, N.Y. OSHA also issued hazard alert letters for exposing those workers to ergonomic hazards following inspections last year. After reviewing on-site injury logs in August of 2022, OSHA discovered Amazon warehouse workers had experienced a high rate of musculoskeletal disorders before fining the three facilities $46,875 in penalties. "Amazon's operating methods are creating hazardous work conditions and processes, leading to serious worker injuries," said Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker. "They need to take these injuries seriously and implement a company-wide strategy to protect their employees from these wellknown and preventable hazards," Parker said. The inspections follow similar violations at three other Amazon warehouse facilities in Florida, Illinois and New York, where workers were found to be at high risk for lower back injuries and other musculoskeletal disorders due to lifting packages and other items for long hours. January's penalties for those violations totaled $60,269. At all six warehouses, OSHA investigators found Amazon had exposed its workers to injury due to the high frequency that employees are required to lift packages, in addition to the heavy weight of those items. Investigators also said employees were forced to "awkwardly twist, bend and extend themselves to lift items" during long hours to complete their assigned tasks. "Workers face immense pressure to meet pace of work and production quotas at the risk of sustaining musculoskeletal injuries, which are often acute," OSHA wrote in a letter to the warehouse in Idaho. OSHA also said staffing shortages may have led Amazon to underreport injuries, which is required by federal law. "Evidence that injuries may not have been reported, because Amazon's on-site first-aid clinic, Wellness Center, is not staffed appropriately, which our investigation has revealed would otherwise be an important mechanism by which Amazon gathers injuries to report," the letter added. In December of 2022, OSHA cited Amazon for 14 record keeping violations as part of the same investigation. Amazon has 15 days to comply with the citations or contest the findings. Earlier this year, Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said the company denies the allegations and plans to appeal. "We've cooperated fully, and the government's allegations don't reflect the reality of safety at our sites," Nantel said. "Over the last several months, we've demonstrated the extent to which we work everyday to mitigate risk and protect our people." By Sheri Walsh Amazon faces more warehouse safety violations over worker injuries Amazon is facing new safety citations for worker injuries and long hours at warehouses in Colorado, Idaho and New York, two weeks after the online retail giant was fined for violations at three other fulfillment centers.
FTC files complaint against Amazon for deceptive tactics The Federal Trade Commission filed a complaint against Amazon, alleging the company tricked customers into enrolling in its Prime subscription service and made it difficult to cancel subscriptions. "The Federal Trade Commission is taking action against Amazon.com Inc. for its years-long effort to enroll customers into its Prime program without their consent or knowledge," the FTC said in a news release. The FTC said Amazon violated the FTC Act and the Restore Online Shoppers' Confidence Act by using "dark patterns." "Specifically, Amazon used manipulative, coercive, or deceptive user-interface designs known as 'dark patterns' to trick customers into enrolling in automatically renewing Amazon Prime subscriptions," the FTC continued. In September, the FTC released a report on "dark patterns," alleging that the practice has become widespread. According to the report, "deceptive subscription sellers may saddle consumers with recurring payments for products and services they never intended to purchase or that they do not wish to continue purchasing." "During Amazon's online checkout process, consumers were faced with numerous opportunities to subscribe to Amazon Prime at $14.99/month. In many cases, the option to purchase items on Amazon without subscribing to prime was more difficult for consumers to locate," the FTC said. By Patrick Hillsman Amazon will pay $25 million in FTC child data-privacy fine Earlier this month, Amazon agreed to pay a $25 million civil penalty to settle Federal Trade Commission allegations it violated a child privacy law and deceived parents by keeping for years kids’ voice and location data recorded by its popular Alexa voice assistant. Separately, the company agreed to pay $5.8 million in customer refunds for alleged privacy violations involving its doorbell camera Ring. The Alexa-related action orders Amazon to overhaul its data deletion practices and impose stricter, more transparent privacy measures. It also obliges the tech giant to delete certain data collected by its internet-connected digital assistant, which people use for everything from checking the weather to playing games and queueing up music. “Amazon’s history of misleading parents, keeping children’s recordings indefinitely, and flouting parents’ deletion requests violated COPPA [the Child Online Privacy Protection Act] and sacrificed privacy for profits,” Samuel Levine, the FTC consumer protection chief, said in a statement. The 1998 law is designed to shield children from online harm. FTC Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya said in a statement that “when parents asked Amazon to delete their kids’ Alexa voice data, the company did not delete all of it.” The agency ordered the company to delete inactive child accounts as well as certain voice and geolocation data. Amazon kept the kids’ data to refine its voice recognition algorithm, the artificial intelligence behind Alexa, which powers Echo and other smart speakers, Mr. Bedoya said. The FTC complaint sends a message to all tech companies who are “sprinting to do the same” amid fierce competition in developing AI datasets, he added. “Nothing is more visceral to a parent than the sound of their child’s voice,” tweeted Mr. Bedoya, the father of two small children. Amazon said last month that it has sold more than a half-billion Alexa-enabled devices globally and that use of the service increased 35% last year. In the Ring case, the FTC says Amazon’s home security camera subsidiary let employees and contractors access consumers’ private videos and provided lax security practices that enabled hackers to take control of some accounts. Amazon bought California-based Ring in 2018, and many of the violations alleged by the FTC predate the acquisition. Under the FTC’s order, Ring is required to pay $5.8 million, which would be used for consumer refunds. Amazon said it disagreed with the FTC’s claims on both Alexa and Ring and denied violating the law. But it said the settlements “put these matters behind us.” “Our devices and services are built to protect customers’ privacy, and to provide customers with control over their experience,” the Seattlebased company said. In addition to the fine in the Alexa case, the proposed order prohibits Amazon from using deleted geolocation and voice information to create or improve any data product. The order also requires Amazon to create a privacy program for its use of geolocation information. The proposed orders must be approved by federal judges. FTC commissioners had unanimously voted to file the charges against Amazon in both cases. This story was reported by The Associated Press. Amazon Echo devices are on display during an event held by the company in Seattle in September 2017. The Federal Trade Commission ordered Amazon to pay more than $30M in fines on May 31, 2023 for privacy violations. 0 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 SMART READER June 29, 2023 3 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 Quality • Value • Service When you need it the most When you need it the most Make An Appointment To Pre-Plan Your Funeral Today Cremation with Rental Casket & Services..$6,775.00 Includes: Professional Service Fee, Embalming, Dressing, Casketing, Cosmetology, 1-hour Visitation, Funeral Services, Transfer of Remains to our Facility, Cremation Fee, and Rental Casket. 042023 Mt. Carmel Festival 74th Annual Friday 6-11PM • Saturday 4-11PM Sunday 2-10PM Columbus Park, 22nd Ave. & 54th St. Free Shuttle Available In Columbus Park Area Food, Fun & Games for the Whole Family! COME FOR THE FOOD, STAY FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT!!! 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F 4 SMART READER JUNE 29, 2023 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 When Tanvi Chawla got a phone in fifth grade, she wanted access to “everything” – all social media. But her parents said no until she was 13. Now in 10th grade at an all-girls school in Pasadena, California, Tanvi’s views on social media have almost entirely reversed. In early 2020, when Tanvi – along with the rest of the world – found herself stuck at home, social media became her “entire life,” she says. “I didn’t post much but it was a means of communication with my friends because ... I couldn’t see them physically.” But after a few months of life online, Tanvi deleted Instagram in the beginning of eighth grade. She hasn’t replaced it with any other social media. “I just saw how harmful it was to my mental health and I think it was negatively impacting my peers, too,” she says. “So I made that decision for myself to stop using it.” The pandemic forced most students almost entirely online for their school and social lives, renewing the focus on the effects of social media on children and young adults. Many students enter high school with their phones seemingly glued to the palms of their hands. And rates of anxiety and depression, particularly among girls, have skyrocketed since 2010. “[Technology] is just so present that it’s impossible to completely disconnect and function for many people,” says Liz Kolb, a clinical professor of education technologies and teacher education at the University of Michigan. “If it’s true for adults, it’s also true for the students.” As a teacher, Ms. Kolb understands the inclination to go straight to cellphone bans. But whether a school bans phones or not, it’s worth taking the time to teach students good habits, she says. “I think best practice is not about trying to ignore the thing that our students have to use to function every day, but rather teaching them how to use it in a way that is going to be positive and healthy.” In May, the U.S. surgeon general issued a public warning about the risks posed by social media to youth mental health. On June 14, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law that would ban anyone under 18 from a broad variety of social media without explicit parental consent. The Louisiana House passed a similar bill earlier this month, and other states, including Connecticut, Minnesota, and Ohio, are considering parental consent laws. A new poll found that most Americans, regardless of age, would like to return to a time when society was unplugged. The desire was highest among Americans ages 35-54 (77%), but 63% of 18- to 34- year-olds said they’d prefer to live in a simpler era, too. The town that banned cellphones In Ireland, parents and schools in the town of Greystones implemented a townwide voluntary cellphone ban for children. Rachel Harper, principal of St. Patrick’s primary school in Greystones, has noticed increasing anxiety among her 8-, 9-, and 10- year-old students. Parents report the same, adding that it’s hard to get their kids to sleep at night. Students are concerned about their bodies and self-image in a way Ms. Harper hasn’t noticed in that age group before. “Their childhood is getting shorter and shorter,” she says. Both parents and teachers are concerned for students’ online safety. “They’re just not emotionally ready to maneuver everything on a smart device,” she explains. So she reached out to the principals of the other seven schools in Greystones. Together with parents, they started a community-led initiative to shelter children by agreeing that, across the town, students wouldn’t have phones until after primary school. The collective effort makes all the difference, says Ms. Harper. “From a kid’s point of view, there’s that sense of fairness, that it’s not just them” without a phone. The voluntary ban has attracted positive attention from all around the world, says Ms. Harper. She’s heard from many educators saying they’ve wished to implement a similar approach in their schools, though they didn’t think it was possible. Many schools in the United States have cellphone bans to curb use. Policies vary from allowing students to have but not use phones to requiring them to place phones in locked pouches during school hours. The Buxton School, a private day and boarding school in northwestern Massachusetts, last year banned cellphones entirely during the semester. Buxton offered students an alternative: the Light Phone, which texts, calls, and offers basic functions like a calculator, but has no capacity for email or accessing the internet. After one full school year, the experiment appears “largely successful,” says assistant head of school John Kalapos, who also teaches English and wood shop. Living through screens during the pandemic was a fine temporary substitution, says Mr. Kalapos. Now that in-person interaction is back, technology should be used as a tool; what he terms “smartphone creepage” should be minimized. Students do say they want to be on their phones less, he says, though not all of them love Buxton’s nosmartphone policy. The policy was first considered in early 2021 and was rejected. But gradually, Mr. Kalapos says, faculty started seeing that “community wasn’t strengthened because we had [smartphones] there.” When students’ whole lives suddenly shifted online in 2020, Mr. Kalapos became much more aware of cyberbullying. It tends to be based on exclusion, which is challenging for teachers to mediate when it takes place in the form of “likes” – or the lack thereof – online. It’s countercultural to not have a smartphone, says Joe Hollier, co-founder of Light. And while something like the Light Phone is a useful product, actually cutting back on technology exposure “takes user will.” Fear of missing out is what prevents most people – himself included – from moving away from smartphones, says Mr. Kalapos of the Buxton school. But once you do it, “you realize it’s not as valuable as you think.” “I used to be a little Luddite” Ilena Moses, an 11th grader at the same Pasadena school as Tanvi, has always been skeptical of tech and social media. “I used to be a little Luddite,” she says. Now, she sees being online as “a necessary evil,” so she has Instagram – logging on a couple times a week for five to 10 minutes. Last year she was struck by the fact that “hanging out” with friends meant sitting in a room together scrolling on their phones. That didn’t sit well with her. “There should be something better. We could Signing off social: Meet the teens with no time for TikTok story continues on page 8 DT2023-2 $28 Eye Exam 262 - 554 -1121 • 3701 Durand Ave. Racine $18 Eyeglasses Place SR090822 Eyeglasses exam $49 without purchase of eyeglasses. See store for details. call 262.653.9132 SR032423 JR PROPERTIES 2409 - 52nd Street, Suite 3 • Kenosha 2 Bedrooms $875 Includes: FREE Cable Heat & Water John and Shelley Rogowski, Owners
President Joe Biden’s son Hunter has agreed to plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax offenses and admit to the facts of a gun charge in a deal with prosecutors that will likely not require him to spend time in prison, according to documents filed in U.S. District Court in Delaware. The tentative agreement – which must still be approved by a federal judge – comes from a lengthy Department of Justice investigation into the president’s second son. Hunter Biden has previously admitted to spiraling into a dark period of drug use and other personal misbehavior around the time his older brother, Beau, died in 2015. But it is very unlikely that any such deal will put a stop to the separate efforts of Republican lawmakers to probe the younger Mr. Biden’s actions, including his foreign business dealings in Ukraine and China and some allegations that he cut his father in on deals. “Actually, it should enhance our investigation because the DOJ should not be able to withhold any information now,” said House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Thus “Hunter Biden,” as an issue and political symbol, will almost certainly figure in the presidential election race to come. What’s in the deal? Over the past five years, federal prosecutors have sifted through the events of a chaotic period in Hunter Biden’s life. A Yale-trained lawyer, Mr. Biden made large sums of money as a businessman and investor through the early 2000s. But he struggled with addiction problems during that time, particularly after the death of his older brother, Beau. In 2017, he earned more than $1.5 million, but did not pay owed taxes of more than $100,000, according to court documents. In 2018 he made a similar amount – and owed a similar unpaid tax debt. Mr. Biden eventually paid the taxes in 2021. But court papers indicate that he has agreed to plead guilty to two misdemeanor charges of failing to pay his 2017 and 2018 taxes on time. Prosecutors in return plan to recommend a sentence of probation for those counts, according to media reports. The gun charge stems from a purchase Mr. Biden made on Oct. 12, 2018 – a .38-caliber pistol. Filling out a federal form at a gun store in Wilmington, Delaware, he answered “no” to the question of whether he was using drugs at the time. That period of time was in fact a low point in Mr. Biden’s life as he struggled with addiction to crack cocaine. Court documents indicate he is being charged with one count of possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user and addicted to a controlled substance. But Mr. Biden has agreed to enter a pretrial diversion agreement on the charge, an option often given to first time, nonviolent offenders. If he successfully completes a diversion program, commonly involving treatment or education, the gun charge is likely to be expunged from his record. “I know Hunter believes it is important to take responsibility for these mistakes he made during a period of turmoil and addiction in his life,” said one of his attorneys, Chris Clark, in a written statement. Is he getting special treatment? Republicans quickly charged that Mr. Biden was receiving favorable terms from a Department of Justice overseen by his father. They compared it to the recent federal indictment of former President Donald Trump on charges related to misuse of classified documents and obstruction of justice. They noted that the Justice Department filed no charges related to Mr. Biden’s relationship with foreign entities. He sat on the board of Burisma, a Ukranian energy firm, at a time when his father served as vice president and was involved in U.S. policy toward Ukraine, and served on the board of a Chinabased private equity fund from 2013 to 2020. The House Oversight Committee under Rep. James Comer, Republican of Kentucky, is currently What’s in Hunter Biden’s plea deal and what happens next? Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, speaks to guests during the White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House on April 18, 2022. story continues on page 8 0 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 SMART READER June 29, 2023 5 7/8 LARRY REEB JULY ROCKY LAPORTE 14/15 JULY 30/1 JUNE ANDY BENINGO SUMMER 2 0 2 COMEDY 3 EVENTS 5125 6th Ave. Kenosha 5125 6th Ave. Kenosha If It’s Not Live, You’re Not Living! If 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 No Drink No Drink No rink No D ink No Drink No Drink M N in o Drink imum! Minimum! Min mum! Mini um! Minimum! Minimum! Minimum! “New favorite comic” -Tim Allen MR. SHOWTIME DAVID SCOTT 21/22 JULY AUGUST 4 & 5-JIM FLORENTINE • AUGUST 11 & 12 SONYA WHITE AUGUST 18 & 19 KEVIN FARLEY • AUGUST 25& 26 CHRIS BARNES • SEPTEMBER 1 & 2- MIKE BALL 062923 NICKY SMIGS 28/29 JULY 284K
W p m g 2 in r b im o fu la W b re c W a K a b to to w 1 T re $ C $ lo C fo m 2 to lo im e p w e W T e b W T in T L c im e s K W c w lo a s c o th th h T i c b V 6 SMART READER June 29, 2023 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 F DEAR TIM: I've read your column for years. I'd like you to share your thoughts on encouraging a young person to learn a trade or skill rather than go to college. Can you share what you did when you were young and more importantly if you could have a do-over, what would you do differently? In other words, should I encourage my grandchildren to pursue a career doing what you and many others have done? -- Melissa J., Palm Beach, Fla. DEAR MELISSA: What a shame my editor won't gift me double or triple the allotted space for my column this week! I could write for quite some time about this topic. Grab a chair, a beverage, and sit back for a trip down memory lane. I think you're going to be quite interested in what I have to say. I'm convinced the tumblers for my dual careers were set at a very early age. I got both home repairs and journalism merit badges in Boy Scouts. I was the editor of my high school newspaper. In college, a very good friend and I worked weekends for a man that bought old houses and fixed them up. My college degree is in geology with a focus on groundwater and the surface of the Earth. I loved physics and chemistry in school. If you blend all that together you get a very interesting foundation for my careers as a builder, syndicated columnist and Internet video personality. I feel success in life is rooted in attitude. Another key point is that I feel we need to start emphasizing the word vocation instead of the word job. Many years ago, young people entered into trade and stuck with it. It was their vocation. They took pride in what they did. I have crisp memories of doing remodeling work on houses and uncovered wall studs and roof rafters signed and dated by the carpenter that installed them. He had that much pride in his work! I always sign my work to this day and often attach a business card as well. I routinely create time capsules for future remodelers to uncover. I absolutely recommend that young people pursue careers in the trades. We need thousands of carpenters, electricians, plumbers, roofers, masons, etc. We'll always need them. It's never been easier to stay busy as the explosion of social media allows homeowners to rapidly and easily share the contact information of tradespeople that do the job right, not over. The key to both personal and financial success lies in doing the job right. It's not hard to achieve this as there are countless trade associations that publish the best practices on their websites. Manufacturers have the written installation instructions readily available with just a few taps on your smartphone. A tradesperson that takes the time to do the job right makes more money for a number of reasons. First and foremost, there are rarely any service or warranty calls. Those are a giant suck on profits. Service calls also erode homeowner and customer trust. Tradespeople who do the job right are in high demand, and can demand a higher wage and get it. The average homeowner doesn't want problems or callbacks. I discovered all of this early in my building career. As a result, even though I never spent one dollar on advertising, I routinely had a nine-month backlog of work. My customers and their friends were willing to wait for me to show up because they knew their job would get done right with no problems. One of my biggest regrets is that I didn't start out with a solid business education. I wish I could go back and substitute business classes for all the silly electives I took in college. At the time, I really didn't think I'd own my own business. Business classes are available online so you don't have to go to college to obtain this knowledge. Business knowledge teaches young people the importance of risk vs. reward. Not all jobs are worth the trouble. It's important to realize that some jobs should be avoided because they're just too risky. I also wish I had taken quite a few courses in psychology. When you have a grasp of this science, you can more easily recognize homeowners who might be problematic. The trade journals routinely have articles about these "customers from hell." On the other hand, you'll discover how to identify dream customers. I had many and am still friends with quite a few of my past customers. I can tell you that several of my best subcontractors are my close friends. Most are simple people who are among the happiest people I've ever met. They don't have scads of money, but they feel good about what they did each day on the job site and their integrity is the highest. When you think about it, what is important in life? I can tell you it's not money. It's the satisfaction of doing a job right, having a great family and friends, and having customers who call you back. Building trades are a vocation, not a job 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 Tue. July 25th at 1:30 pm on AM1050 WLIP. Live Music Series on Kenosha’s Waterfront Rain in Sight? Will the show move into the spacious Lakeview Ballroom? Check Facebook just before the show to find out! 062923 July 14 • 8pm Pat McCurdy Milwaukee icon Pat McCurdy has been entertaining audiences in Wisconsin, the Midwest, and across the nation for decades. 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Without tourism, each Wisconsin household would pay an additional $620 to maintain the current level of government services. In 2022, the tourism industry in Wisconsin generated a record-breaking $23.7 billion in total economic impact. The highest-ever overnight visitation helped fuel the growth. Additionally, last year, tourism in Wisconsin generated $1.5 billion in state and local tax revenue. Kenosha County currently ranks 16 out of 72 Wisconsin counties for annual visitor spending as Kenosha County tourism also posted a recordingbreaking year in 2022. The total economic impact of tourism in Kenosha County was $424 million in 2022; a 13.6% increase over 2021. The county’s previous record level was in 2019 at $391 million. Also in 2022, Kenosha County tourism collected $25.5 million in state and local tax revenues. Kenosha County tourism accounted for 3,130 jobs with $106.7 million in related income in 2022. As we always say: tourism provides jobs, lowers personal taxes, improves our local economy, and provides a positive community image, which is critical for economic development. Earlier this month, the Wisconsin Department of Tourism released this 2022 economic impact data, broken down by county. The Wisconsin Department of Tourism works with international research firms Tourism Economics and Longwoods International to compile the economic impact figures. This record-breaking total economic impact figure is something that the Visit Kenosha team is proud of. We also know it’s a collective effort. We work with unique attractions and locally owned restaurants and shops that choose to support tourism in our community. We see ourselves as an extension of their marketing teams. It’s these places, as well as the hotel staff members, event planners, and our location that make the Kenosha Area a destination. It also helps that the municipalities we partner with value tourism. Basically, everyone is doing their part to create a positive and memorable experience for travelers and giving them a reason to visit again. And that includes all of you! Visitors are always telling us how friendly everyone is in Kenosha. The #1 referral source for visitors to the Kenosha Area is family and friends. We thank everyone for being such great ambassadors! We encourage you to Be A Tourist In Your Own Town – Shop Local, Dine Local, and Play Local! Please join us in continuing to support our long-time businesses and attractions – and welcoming the new ones to our community. Share your great experiences on your own social media as well as the social media of the businesses and attractions. Engage with Visit Kenosha online as well! Visit Kenosha has been Kenosha’s official travel resource since 1986. We’re a non-profit corporation with the sole purpose of enhancing and growing tourism in the greater Kenosha area, and thereby contributing positively to the community’s economy and overall image. Known for VisitKenosha.com and the Official Kenosha Area Visitors Guide, we promote the Kenosha Area to key travel markets in the Midwest by using a number of strategies including advertising, social media, emarketing, public relations, and customer care efforts. Find #KenoshaFun faster! Go to VisitKenosha.com for our Events Calendar, Blog, FUN 101 list: 101 Things to See & Do for $10 & Under (Many are FREE!), Photo Contest, and much more! Planning a vacation in Wisconsin this summer? Don’t forget to stop at the Wisconsin Welcome Center – Kenosha at I-94/41 and Hwy. 165. This location carries approximately 300 guides and brochures for destinations, attractions, and events throughout Wisconsin. Official State Highway Maps produced by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation can also be picked up. This time of year, the center is staffed seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tourism positively impacts our community by Meridith Jumisko, Visit Kenosha Meridith Jumisko is Public Relations Director at Visit Kenosha. Contact her at [email protected] 0 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 SMART READER June 29, 2023 7 Food! Watershow! Carnival! Music! Fireworks! SUNDAY, JULY 2ND SHORELINE EAST STAGE 3PM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MIX TAPE HEROES 5:45PM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PARTY OBVIOUS 8:30PM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . YANKEE COWBOY FIREWORKS STAGE 3:30PM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CAJUAL 6:15PM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . WOULD YOU KINDLY? 9PM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MOE JOE'S JUKEBOX MONDAY, JULY 3RD SHORELINE EAST STAGE 3:30PM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FLAT CREEK HWY 6:15PM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE SPACE ECHOES \9:00PM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . EXIT 147 FIREWORKS STAGE 3:00PM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INDIGO CANYON 5:45PM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ROUNDABOUTS 8:30PM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MY METAL HEART TUESDAY, JULY 4TH SHORELINE EAST STAGE 12:30PM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ECOLIMES 3:15PM. . . . . . MITCH THE LIP AND SIDE HUSTLE 5PM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . KICKED OUT OF CHOIR 7:45PM . . . . . . . . . . . EZ-FM w/ DIVA MONTELL FIREWORKS STAGE 1:00PM . . . . . . . . . . . . KIDS FROM WISCONSIN 4:00PM TROLLEY DOGS HOT DOG EATING CONTEST 5PM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JESSIE’S GIRL 7:45PM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BOYS AND TOYS Food! Carnival! Music! Fireworks! PG2023 GOLD SPONSORS SILVER SPONSORS IN ADDITION TO PLATINUM SPONSORS Prairie Side 2 July -4 2 THE CITY OF KENOSHA, HAPPENINGS MAGAZINE AND KENOSHA COUNTY PRESENT... BRONZE SPONSORS FIREWORKS WEST STAGE FIREWORKS WEST STAGE FIREWORKS WEST STAGE
be talking; we could be reading; we could be playing mini golf,” she says. “There’s a whole world out there.” Ilena, who’s the editor of the school paper and is starting to look at colleges, loves studying writing and history – especially early American history and the Progressive Era. Proceeding, cautiously Twelve-year-old Cara Saks, from Massachusetts, was the last of her friends to get an iPhone. She is also, as far as she knows, the only one to draw up a contract to gain her parents’ permission. Her parents made their own edits to the contract. Some of the rules: Her phone must charge in her parents’ room at night, and her social media accounts are private. And though their concerns about the pervasiveness of technology persisted, they gave Cara her first iPhone for Hanukkah. On top of general concerns about the content their daughter could be presented with, Andy and Deb Saks struggle to keep up with the pace at which social media and technology are evolving. “I’ve told [Cara] many times, your generation is part of an experiment that we’ve never tried before, to see how children cope as they grow with this exposure to this giant online world,” says Mr. Saks. “And I wonder a lot about how we’re shaping this generation’s perceptions of themselves,” he says. “I worry a lot about how it feeds into her self-esteem.” Still, there’s an inevitability to it, Mr. Saks says. Setting boundaries and talking through situations as they come up seems, to him and his wife, to be the safest way to expose their daughter to social media. Cara, for her part, feels like her parents are more worried than others. To her, it’s simple. She does notice addiction creeping up at times, so she’ll “just stop,” says Cara. And there are things she loves, like the ability to stream Taylor Swift. Music, she says, “is not one of the bad addictions.” While researchers, teachers, and government officials are examining data, students like Ilena, Tanvi, and Cara are focused on selfawareness. And while they’re aware of how the presence of social media affects them, they’re also aware of the advantages to having it, like social cohesion. Social media is so often a topic of conversation “in real life,” says Ilena, that not keeping up with trends can feel ostracizing. She picks up some information from friends, but “it can feel a little isolating.” For Tanvi, who no longer uses any social media, interacting with her own friends isn’t difficult. But it’s harder when she’s meeting new people, who want to chat about social media trends, to find common ground. One thing she has noticed since abstaining from Instagram is leisure. Now she bakes and reads memoirs – most recently, “Acid for the Children,” by Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Says Tanvi, “I have so much more free time.” By Sophie Hills Signing off social continued from page 4 Andy Saks of Southborough, Massachusetts, says he is concerned about the everpresence of technology and its effect on children’s minds. His daughter Cara got an iPhone only after negotiating limits on social media use with her parents. investigating what members say is evidence that Mr. Biden was funneling foreign money to his father. “This is the epitome of the politicization and weaponization of Joe Biden’s Department of Justice as they give a slap on the wrist to President Biden’s son – a tax fraud and corrupt payto-play criminal,” said Elise Stefanik, Republican of New York, on Tuesday. Democrats charged in return that the allegations concerning President Biden and his son’s activities have proven much less than convincing under close examination. Some legal experts add that the charges prosecutors have brought against Mr. Biden seem typical for a first-time offender who has paid back his taxes and attempted to turn his life around. “The plea deal looks fairly standard in that it involves an individual with substance abuse problems that will be required to abide by a variety of conditions as part of the plea deal, such as drug testing,” says Paul M. Collins Jr., a professor of legal studies and political science at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, via email. What happens now? The deal must be approved by a federal judge to enter into force. It is possible that this represents the end of the Justice Department’s Biden investigation, which has been carried out by the U.S. attorney for Delaware, David Weiss, a Trump appointee. Biden attorney Mr. Clark said in a statement that “it is my understanding that the five-year investigation into Hunter is resolved.” But there is at least one hint that it is not entirely closed, as a Department of Justice press release announcing the charges on Tuesday noted that “the investigation is ongoing.” Meanwhile, the president and first lady reiterated their support for the longtroubled youngest son of the family. “The president and first lady love their son and support him as he continues to rebuild his life,” said White House spokesman Ian Sams in a statement. “We will have no further comment.” By Peter Grier & Sophie Hills Hunter Biden continued from page 5 8 SMART READER June 29, 2023 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 F V C A f s D o f s o o l R s t f w p S S A 6 July 21, 2023 at 7:30pm $7 (12 & under) $15 (13 & up) Young & old can enjoy this nationally touring act as they play all the Disney hits, from The Jungle Book to The Lion King, and even Frozen. You'll find a cast of talented musicians and Disney princesses ready to rock their heart out-and yours! Fun for the whole family! FOR EVENT TICKETS CALL 1-262-564-8800 5125 6th AVE. KENOSHA STOP IN 1420 63RD ST. OR VISIT SF2023 NYC's Premier Disney Cover Band M-F 10AM-4PM DELIVERY HELP NEEDED Part-time position available to deliver Happenings Magazine. Fill Out An Application At 1420-63rd St., Kenosha, WI • Must be a dependable individual w/ your own vehicle & automobile insurance • Must be available on Wednesday afternoons & Thursdays mornings • Must be familiar with Kenosha & Racine • Must be able to lift & carry at least 50 lbs Mon. - Fri. 11am-4pm DELIVERY SR030923
0 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 SMART READER June 29, 2023 9 health lifestyle community Kenosha County Aging & Disability Resource Center news June 29, 2023 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 July 5, 2023. 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. Western Kenosha County Transit Listening Sessions to be Held Kenosha County Aging & Disability Resource Center will host listening sessions to discuss Western Kenosha County Transit. Kenosha County is interested in public feedback and suggestions regarding this rural public transportation. Western Transit currently provides public door-todoor service for those residents living west of I-94. The next listening session will be held on Monday, June 20, 10 a.m. at Salem Community Library, 24615 89th Street, Salem. If you are unable to attend but have comments or suggestions to share please email [email protected] or call Lauren Coffman, Mobility Manager at 262-605-6646. Virtual Pilot Study in Kenosha for Medication Management Have you ever wanted to be part of a pilot study? This may be your chance! The Kenosha County ADRC will be offering Kenosha residents a chance to be a part of a pilot study this summer. Med Wise Rx is a skills-based educational program created by the University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy to improve older adults’ communication with pharmacists and other providers for safer medication management. Medication management can be challenging. Medication errors can result in unwanted effects from medicines, and worse, falls, hospitalizations and even death. Poor communication and medication coordination problems with multiple people prescribing a person’s medications can increase these errors even more. Med Wise Rx offers participants the opportunity to build knowledge and skills. The pharmacist is important to help people manage their medications and address their medication-related concerns. Yet, patients and caregivers often are unsure what questions to ask their pharmacist or how to ask them. In Med Wise Rx, participants gain confidence in talking with their pharmacist, as well as what to ask about their medicines and how to ask for a medication check-up. To be eligible you must be: • Kenosha County resident • 65 years old or older • Taking 4 or more medicines regularly (includes nonprescription drugs and/or vitamins) • Able to navigate and join the two Zoom meetings • Able to participate in phone interviews and provide feedback Med Wise Rx participants will meet for two 1.5-hour classes, separated by one week for home practice. It’s free, convenient, and empowering! Participants will receive up to $125 in thank you gift cards for participating in this study. Participants who sign up will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. Wednesdays, 1:30 – 3 p.m., August 2 and 16 OR October 4 and 18, 2023. Groups will meet virtually on Zoom, from the comfort of their home or office. To register call Haleigh Couch, Health & Wellness Coordinator with the Kenosha County Aging & Disability Resource Center at 262- 605-6624 or email [email protected] This project is a partnership between the UW School of Pharmacy, the Kenosha County ADRC, and the Community & Academic Aging Research Network. SR030923
10 SMART READER June 29, 2023 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 F You’re There for Them, We’re Here for You Kenosha County ADRC to Offer Powerful Tools for Caregivers Powerful Tools for Caregivers is a free, sixweek, educational series, intended to teach skills on 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 Kenosha County Aging & Disability Resource Center is now accepting reservations for its next Powerful Tools for Caregivers course. The classes will be held Tuesdays, August 1 – September 5, 2 – 4 p.m., at the Kenosha County Job Center, Room North 2. To register, call 262-605-6646 or click the red registration button at http://adrc.kenoshacounty.org. The ADRC also offers classes in Spanish, call for dates and information! Memory Café Memory Café is a place for persons with Mild Cognitive Impairment, early-stage Alzheimer’s, or related dementia, and their care partners to socialize and have fun. Join the Kenosha County Aging & Disability Resource Center’s Dementia Care Specialist, Susan Johnson, and the Alzheimer's Association on the second Tuesday of every month, 1-2 p.m. The next meeting will be on July 11, 2023, Kenosha Southwest Neighborhood Library, 7979 38th Avenue. Registration is required for new members. Call Alzheimer's Association 800-272-3900. Stand Up Move More Improve your health without exercise Research shows that excessive sedentary behavior, or 'sitting time', has been linked to serious health consequences. Too much sitting can increase your risk for numerous chronic conditions including heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, certain cancers, and more. The Stand Up & Move More program (also known as Stand Up) gives you strategies to do just that - stand up and move more! The program is designed specifically for older adults who sit more than six hours per day. Participants learn in a group of peers and help each other identify strategies to stand up more often and for longer periods of time throughout the day. Stand Up has been researched and proven to reduce sitting time by 68 minutes per day. Stand Up & Move More is an evidence-based program designed by Dr. Kelli Koltyn at the University of Wisconsin to help older adults reduce sitting time by standing up and moving more. The program meets once per week for two hours for four weeks, followed by a Booster Session at Week 8. Sessions take place in a group setting where participants identify barriers to standing more and discuss strategies to increase their standing time. Based on a researched and tested program, Stand Up is shown to: • Reduce sedentary behavior by 68 mins/day • Reduce problems performing daily activities • Reduce pain interference and intensity • Improve functional performance • Improve general overall health Stand Up Move More will be offered by the Kenosha County Aging & Disability Resource Center beginning Wednesdays, July 12 – August 2, 10 a.m. – noon, with a booster class offered on August 30. Classes will be held at the Salem Community Library, 24615 89th Street, Salem, WI 53168. To register or learn more about this class, call ADRC Health & Wellness Coordinator, Haleigh Couch at 262-605-6646. . Be a Volunteer Guardian! Are you looking for a volunteer opportunity? You could be a Volunteer Guardian! The Kenosha County Aging & Disability Resource Center provides training for community members to advocate in health, welfare and/or financial issues for vulnerable adults. Volunteers are then court appointed as the legal decision maker. The program provides training, support and on-going assistance for the volunteer guardian to successfully and capably perform their responsibilities. In as little as one hour each month, you can positively impact the quality of life of an at-risk adult. For more information or to apply, call the ADRC at 262-605-6646. July Medicare Minutes Excluded from Medicare: Dental, Vision, and Long-term Care Medicare Minute presentations are offered monthly by the Kenosha County Aging & Disability Resource Center. These free programs provide information on a wide range of Medicare topics. July’s Medicare Minutes will focus on the Medicare Complaints and Beneficiary Resources (appeals). The program will be offered virtually on Tuesday, July 6, 2023, from 10 – 11 a.m. Medicare Minutes are developed by the Medicare Rights Center as a State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) National Technical Assistance Center service. The Medicare Rights Center is a national, non-profit consumer service organization. They are one of the SHIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program) National Technical Assistance Center partners. To participate and for reservations call the ADRC 262-605-6646. A Zoom link will be provided. Your Kenosha ADRC Update w t t t v t t
0 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 SMART READER June 29, 2023 11 Using low-dose aspirin was associated with a 20% increased incidence of anemia and decline in ferritin, or blood iron levels, in otherwise healthy older adults, according to a new analysis of a study conducted a decade ago. Publishing their findings in the Annals of Internal Medicine, 15 researchers from Australia, New Zealand and the United States determined that lowdose aspirin appeared to reduce the levels of ferritin, a blood protein in cells that contains iron, and increase anemia. "Aspirin may contribute to an increased anemia risk through occult blood loss, resulting in anemia," the researchers wrote. "To our knowledge, this is the first large-scale prevention trial to examine the effect of long-term, low-dose aspirin use on ... anemia." Headed by lead author Zoe K. McQuilten, of Monash University in Melbourne, they added: "Although the risk for overt bleeding due to aspirin has been well-characterized, very few studies have measured the effect of aspirin on anemia, particularly in older populations." Symptoms of irondeficiency anemia, or having too few red blood cells, include feeling tired, weak or dizzy, and perhaps having pale skin and cold hands and feet. Other symptoms include headaches, swollen legs, restless leg syndrome and dry and brittle hair and nails, according to the nonprofit Parsemus Foundation. Researchers noted that some 50% of older people in the United States take aspirin for preventative reasons, including what is commonly called thinning the blood to counter cardiovascular disease and prevent stroke. However, because of the risk of bleeding, the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force last year recommended against initiating low-dose aspirin use for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in adults 60 years and older. For the new research, investigators from Monash University conducted a new analysis of the 2010-2014 ASPREE trial, which employed placebos for some of those studied and was double-blinded, meaning the researchers did not know who was getting the aspirin and who among the 19,114 subjects aged 70 and older was getting the sugar pill. ASPRESS stands for "Aspirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly," and involved giving some participants 100 mg. of enteric-coated aspirin. Much of the lowdose aspirin in this country is sold in 81-mg. tablets, though some people take two a day. During the trial, hemoglobin was measured annually, and ferritin was measured at baseline and three years after randomization. The data showed that the risk for developing anemia was 23.5% among those assigned to receive lowdose aspirin. These results were accompanied by a small but greater decrease in mean hemoglobin and a greater decline in ferritin concentrations among those receiving aspirin, according to a news release. Clinically significant bleeding events did not account for the overall difference in anemia or the decline in ferritin observed in the ASPREE trial, which were "most likely due to occult [not visible] blood loss given the observed steeper decline in ferritin in participants allocated to aspirin." staying healthy seniors Low-dose aspirin associated with anemia in older adults, study says Could an electrical zap to the brain limit the damage a stroke inflicts? Yes, claims a small new study that found this noninvasive procedure increased blood flow to the areas around the clot that caused the stroke, thus protecting them from further damage. "This treatment can be efficiently applied in the emergency setting. It was well tolerated and shows really promising signs of rescuing brain tissue affected by the stroke," said lead researcher Dr. Mersedeh Bahr-Hosseini, a vascular neurologist at UCLA Health in Los Angeles. "Hopefully, in the not too far future, we will be able to further test the safety and effectiveness of this treatment," she said. Bahr-Hosseini said the treatment works by boosting blood flow in the brain. "We think it's not just the brain tissue or brain nerve cells that respond to electrical currents. Blood vessels also respond to the electrical current, usually in the form of vessel dilation," she said. By expanding the size of the blood vessels in the brain, more blood flows into the brain and protects blood vessels from damage, thus preventing more damage from the stroke. Bahr-Hosseini said that electric stimulation might also protect brain tissue by stopping the extra nerve activity in brain cells as they react to the brain being under attack. Moreover, increasing blood flow and expanding blood vessels may also help to dissolve the clot that caused the stroke, she added. Electric brain stimulation has been used to treat psychiatric disorders such as depression, BahrHosseini said. She noted that many patients are not eligible for the two common treatments available for ischemic stroke, namely clot-busting drugs and a device that reaches into the blood vessels and pulls out clots. Among patients who are eligible for those treatments, about 20% to 30% end up with disabilities months after their stroke, Bahr-Hosseini noted. Brain stimulation is only appropriate for ischemic strokes, caused by blood clots in the brain's blood vessels, not strokes caused by bleeding in the brain, called hemorrhagic strokes. For the study, BahrHosseini and her team randomly assigned seven stroke patients to electrical brain stimulation and three to phony stimulation. All 10 patients were treated within 24 hours of the onset of their stroke and were ineligible for other therapies. The treatment involves placing electrodes on the scalp and directing a small electric current to the area of the brain affected by the stroke. The researchers found among patients receiving the stimulation, a median of 66% of the penumbra -- the brain tissue surrounding the core of the stroke -- was saved from damage, compared with 0% among those given the phony treatment. In addition, brain scans showed that the greater the stimulation, the better the blood flow, while patients who didn't get the real stimulation experienced a decrease in blood flow, Bahr-Hosseini said. She said this finding might prove that the treatment has a true biological effect. The researchers hope to expand their study by treating more patients to prove that the treatment works. Their hope is that eventually, it will become a standard therapy used along with other treatments. The findings were published in the journal JAMA Network Open. One neurology expert said the study results show promise. "It's extremely interesting and a possibly promising innovative new treatment for stroke," said Dr. Richard Libman, vice chair of neurology, stroke and cerebrovascular disease at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, N.Y. If this treatment is proven effective, Libman believes it could become a part of standard care. "There's absolutely no reason why it can't be used in conjunction with what is now standard of care, which is basically clot-busting drugs given through the vein, or catheter-based techniques which mechanically pull out clots from blocked blood vessels," he said. As with all stroke treatments, time matters, Libman said. The sooner treatment begins after the stroke onset, the better the odds of recovery. "Time is brain is the cliched phrase," Libman said. "I don't think that's ever going to change until we find some magic bullet that can help with brain degeneration or regeneration. "If you get to the hospital quickly we can salvage many brain cells, maybe not all but many," Libman said. "That has been proven over and over again, to result in better recovery after stroke. To make up the difference between ending up in a nursing home versus ending up at home and requiring help or ending up at home and functioning independently, which is a huge difference in outcome." By Steven Reinberg Electrical brain stimulation may prevent damage from stroke Researchers found among patients receiving electrical brain stimulation, a median of 66% of the penumbra -- the brain tissue surrounding the core of the stroke -- was saved from damage, compared with 0% among those given the phony treatment.
I got an interesting email (actually, it was more like a rant) from a guy who was upset about an encounter he had with the Social Security Administration. It went on for a couple pages. I'm used to rants. After all, you just can't please everyone all the time. But here is the part of his missive that intrigued me. He said, "How does it feel sitting there in your ivory tower with all the trappings of power serving as a mouthpiece for the Biden administration? Why should I believe anything you say? After all, you're paid to mislead people about the workings of the corrupt Social Security system!" I normally wouldn't bore readers of this column with the wild accusations of a crazy person. But I bring it up only because more than a few readers think I work for the Social Security Administration and that I am some kind of spokesperson for the agency. I am not. And I certainly am not a "mouthpiece for the Biden administration." The person who sent me this email, along with more than a few other readers, believe that I have an office in an ivory tower somewhere in Washington, D.C.; that I get my daily marching orders either directly from the president or certainly from the head of the Social Security Administration; and that I'm paid handsomely to mislead people into falling for the failed policies of a doomed social program. Let me paint a more realistic picture for you. I'm a frumpy, old, retired government employee, eking out an existence on a modest civil service pension, living with my wife of almost 50 years in a split-level home in Colorado. My "ivory tower" office is a desk in our basement. The "trappings of power" that surround me include grandkids' toys and a 35- year-old couch permanently sticky and stained by the spills of both my kids and now my grandkids. It is true that I once was a spokesperson for the Social Security Administration. I worked for the SSA for 32 years, and for part of that time, I served as the agency's deputy press officer. But I retired about 18 years ago. I started writing this column 26 years ago while I still worked for the SSA in San Diego. I no longer was in the agency's press office when I wrote the column and I never had to get official clearance for any column I wrote while I still worked for the government. Despite that fact, I guess you could say that while I was still working for the SSA, this column was a quasiofficial mouthpiece for the organization. At least I certainly dared not write anything that was against agency policy or that would upset my bosses! But that all changed the day I retired in 2005. From that point on, I was no longer a spokesperson (some might argue an "apologist') for the Social Security system or the agency that runs the program. Instead, I was just a retired old goat who knew a lot about the inner workings of Social Security and who was eager to share his knowledge with the readers of this column. And I can tell you that I breathed a huge sigh of relief on the day I retired. Not only because I wouldn't have to fight Southern California's nightmarish traffic to get to work each day (that's part of the reason I eventually moved to Colorado), but because I was now free to "tell it like it is" -- to explain Social Security rules without having to worry about any "spin" that the SSA's political leaders might want to put on the program. And because I would be able to freely criticize the agency or its employees when I thought they were doing something wrong. I've done both many times over the past 18 years. Yet some people still want to believe that I am some kind of paid "flack" for the government. As an example, let me explain what led to the diatribe that began this column. The irate guy wrote to ask me some questions about filing for Supplemental Security Income disability benefits. (To remind some of my readers, SSI is a federal welfare program that SSA runs for the government. It is NOT a Social Security benefit. It's an entirely separate program.) Anyway, he apparently had gone to his local Social Security office to file for SSI benefits. He was angry because the person he talked to simply told him he wasn't eligible and sent him on his way. I wrote back to tell him that my hunch was the SSA representative was right. SSI has very specific and rigid rules about income and asset eligibility requirements. (Those rules vary from state to state, so I can't just list them here.) If you have even one dollar more than the rules allow, you're simply not eligible for benefits. That reaffirmation of the SSA rep's denial of his claim is what set him off. Part of his missive to me made statements like, "I know you guys are paid to turn down as many people as you can for benefits." There are two main points this guy failed to understand. One I didn't make clear in my first answer to the guy. The other I did. Point one is that the SSA's employees are NOT paid to deny Social Security or SSI benefits to anyone. They are paid to carry out the rules and laws of both programs. In fact, they have an incentive to take as many claims for benefits as possible. Staffing levels in local Social Security offices are determined, in part, by how many Social Security and SSI claims they social security My 'Ivory Tower' Is in the Basement of a Suburban Split-Level 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. continues on next page f a a t r v r i o p o i a s c 12 SMART READER June 29, 2023 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 F 050423 062223 I
Staying social may help seniors maintain optimal health The benefits of friendships and activity aren't just for the young. Staying socially active can also help older adults age their best, according to new research that pinpoints volunteering and recreational activities as important for seniors. "Although the study's observational nature prohibits the determination of causality, it makes intuitive sense that social activity is associated with successful aging," said study co-author Mabel Ho, a doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto's Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and the Institute of Life Course and Aging. "Being socially active is important no matter how old we are. Feeling connected and engaged can boost our mood, reduce our sense of loneliness and isolation, and improve our mental health and overall health," Ho added in a university news release. To study this, the researchers analyzed data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging of more than 7,000 Canadians aged 60 and older, following them for three years. The investigators only included those in excellent health at baseline, which was about 45% of the respondents. The findings showed that those who participated in volunteer work and recreational activities were more likely to maintain excellent health. They also were less likely to develop physical, cognitive ("thinking"), mental or emotional problems. Successful aging was freedom from any serious physical, cognitive, mental or emotional conditions that prevent daily activities. It also meant having high levels of self-reported happiness, and good physical and mental health. The researchers took a broader view of successful aging than some studies have. Respondents could still be considered to be aging successfully if they had a chronic illness, as long as they were free from disabling chronic pain and could engage in everyday activities. The definition also included subjective perception from the participants. Subjective perception means that it is based on personal opinions and feelings rather than on facts. The study found that 72% of respondents who participated in volunteer or recreational activities at the start of the study were still aging successfully three years later. That compared with just two-thirds of those not participating in these activities. The researchers then considered a wide range of s o c i o d e m o g r a p h i c characteristics, finding that respondents who participated in recreational activities and volunteer or charity work were 15% and 17% more likely to maintain excellent health by the end of the study. Doctors can "prescribe" social activities for their patients to encourage them to engage in these activities, the authors suggested. The study was published online recently in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. By Cara Nunez Social Security continued from previous page process each day. So, generally speaking, the only time they are not going to take a claim for benefits is when the person clearly isn't eligible for such benefits. In other words, why waste their time and the customer's time when the outcome (a denied claim) is not in doubt? Having said that, the second point I made to this guy (the one he missed probably because he was blinded by the rage he then directed at me in his follow-up "ivory tower" email) is a point I make all the time in this column: You have every right to file for any kind of benefit for which you think you are eligible. So, if a Social Security rep says that you aren't eligible for Social Security or SSI, you can -- and should if you really believe you are due benefits -- insist on filing. That way you will get a formal (and legal) decision, as opposed to simply someone's opinion. And now if you'll excuse me, my wife is asking me to come down out of my ivory tower to take out the garbage! 0 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 SMART READER June 29, 2023 13 7110 74th PL, Kenosha, WI • (262) 694-1500 “Located next to Menards” AS YOUR CERTIFIED GM SERVICE CENTER... WE USE GENUINE GM PARTS 30 day guaranteed lowest price! We will meet or beat any advertised price on any tire we sell! Lifetime Free Tire Rotations With the purchase of 4 tires We offer over 18 different manufactures of tires including BFGoodrich, Bridgestone, Michelin, Goodyear and more! 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14 SMART READER June 29, 2023 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 F books The House of Lincoln, by Nancy Horan Springfield, Illinois, in the 1850s served as the home, heart, and laboratory of Abraham Lincoln. Nancy Horan’s novel tells of the period’s political tumult, abolitionist fervor, and unchecked violence. With its smartly tuned dialogue and insistence on hope, the novel delivers a forceful, engrossing read. The First Ladies, by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray The friendship between first lady Eleanor Roosevelt and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune enriched both women, whose efforts set the stage for the modern Civil Rights Movement. The novel captures their invincibility and conviction. Much Ado About Nada, by Uzma Jalaluddin From the author of “Ayesha at Last” and “Hana Khan Carries On,” this modern-day romance reinvents Jane Austen’s “Persuasion” into a delightful illumination of Islamic faith, community, and culture in Toronto. It’s a charming tale of great substance. Return to Valetto by Dominic Smith This haunting novel visits an abandoned villa in Italy harboring World War II secrets. A historian arrives to spend summer with his aunts and grandmother, and discovers a female visitor claiming ownership of his cottage. Themes of loss and the burden of history are seasoned with grace and humor. A Disappearance in Fiji, by Nilima Rao Police Sgt. Akal Singh, dispirited and homesick, abhors Fiji. Reassigned to the “backwater colony” in 1914 following a career misstep in Hong Kong, the Sikh lawman drags through his days until an Indian indentured worker goes missing. Spurred to act, Akal uncovers suspects, secrets, and injustices among the sugar cane fields. Nilima Rao delivers a slow-boil, effective whodunit that exposes exploitive colonial practices. Forgiving Imelda Marcos, by Nathan Go Nathan Go’s splendid debut novel follows Lito, a Filipino chauffeur for Ferdinand Marcos-era opposition leaderturned-president Corazon Aquino. Winsome and wise, historical and original, the first-person account bounces among Lito’s childhood, his final outing with the retired Mrs. Aquino, and his contemplative present in a nursing home. The story plumbs the depths of forgiveness, and how cowardice can morph into bravery. Mozart in Motion, by Patrick Mackie Historians and musicologists have sought to explain Mozart’s genius and enduring appeal for more than 200 years. Poet and cultural critic Patrick Mackie tackles this ‘Loot’ weaves an epic tale of imperialism, plunder, and autonomy In late 18th-century India, a large automaton depicting a near life-size wooden tiger mauling an Englishman was created for Tipu Sultan, the Muslim ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. Internal mechanisms and a pipe organ stowed within the two figures’ cavities caused the tiger to emit grunts, the man to wail, and various parts of the structure to move. Since 1880, the curiosity has been a popular attraction in London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, among other spoils of war seized from the imperial courts of south India. Loot, Tania James’ dazzling, richly embroidered historical novel, imagines the circumstances behind the fabrication of this ingenious toy, which gruesomely expressed Tipu’s hatred for the English and the East India Company’s armies that threatened his sovereignty. James has structured her third novel around the profound effect the automaton has on the people who connect with it throughout its decadeslong journey from a sultan’s whim to a prized plunder. In doing so, she has found a clever angle from which to explore the dark legacy of colonialism and the quest for betterment, autonomy, and love among those displaced by it. The novel begins in Srirangapatna, Mysore, in 1794, when Abbas, a gifted 17-year-old woodworker, is summoned to Tipu’s Summer Palace to work under the tutelage of a French master inventor and watchmaker named Lucien Du Leze. They are given just six weeks to create a novelty meant to enchant Tipu’s young sons, recently returned from English custody in Madras, where they were held as collateral until Tipu met the punishing financial terms of a peace treaty following a humiliating defeat at Bangalore. Neither artisan has a choice in the matter: Du Leze, sent over from France by Louis XVI, has been trapped unhappily in India due to the French Revolution. In Mysore, where spies are said to “outnumber the people,” everyone knows they must submit to power. In case there’s any doubt, Tipu alludes to the terrible fate of a friend of Abbas’ who apparently betrayed the regime. The sultan reminds the boy that his life, too, is in jeopardy: “Really anything is punishable by death if I say so.” James’ mastery of the tools and vocabulary of woodworking is impressive, but it is her meticulous development of the respectful relationship between teacher and apprentice that lifts her story to another level. Ambitious Abbas, thrilled to have “risen past his station” with his role in the automaton’s creation, recognizes that his despairing, homesick teacher is “a ticket to greater things.” But he also knows that his future is anything but certain. “Loot” is masterfully plotted, moving quickly from Tipu’s desperate last months to the British conquest of Srirangapatna and beyond. Abbas later observes, “Goats are slaughtered with greater care.” James keeps things lively with plenty of action and welcome flashes of wit. Traveling between continents, her characters sail on trade ships vexed by disease and pirates. In an English castle, Lady Selwyn, an eccentric, rich widow with a passion for South Asian art carries on a clandestine affair with her personal secretary, a Brahmin who served as aide de camp in Mysore to her late husband. Tipu’s library and what becomes known as the Tipu Tiger have easier passage from India to England than the human cargo. In a wonderful move, James briefly turns over her narrative to the fictional journal of a British seaman named Thomas Beddicker to provide a vivid view of her hero’s exodus from his devastated homeland. Beddicker relays conversations with Abbas during their shared night watches. At one point, Beddicker confesses his dream to captain his own ship and hire Abbas as head carpenter. But Abbas demurs: “You must understand, I did not come through such misery in order to serve others. Now I serve myself.” Abbas’ dream is to create something “that would outlast him, and for which he would be remembered.” Abbas, determined to make his talent visible to “the unkind world,” yearns to “move through the world with a natural ease.” But in France and England, where race and class trump talent, he learns “how much harder it is to cultivate ease in a world that is wary of you.” While James doesn’t explicitly draw the connection, there are discomfiting similarities between her émigrés – trapped in subservience without dominion over their futures – and the foxes hunted on Lady Selwyn’s country estate. People meet, lose, and reconnect with each other in unexpected ways throughout “Loot.” Perpetually on their guard, they are sometimes slow to trust and recognize love. Among other narrative drivers, “Loot” features a “will-they-or-won’t-they” subplot. James has pulled off something special in this ingeniously constructed novel. By creating characters who steadfastly refuse to become plunder themselves, she has produced an inspiring work of beauty sure to leave its mark on readers. By Barbara Spindel more on next page In this rich epic saga, the journey of a mechanical tiger symbolizes the painful legacy of colonialism and the pursuit of self-determination. Tuck Lincoln, Mozart, and Eleanor Roosevelt in your suitcase this summer
0 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 SMART READER June 29, 2023 15 PRINT & E-BOOKS NONFICTION PRINT & E-BOOKS FICTION 1. The Five-Star Weekend (Hilderbrand) 2. Love, Theoretically (Hazelwood) 3. Lessons in Chemistry (Garmus) 4. Happy Place (Henry) 5. It Ends With Us (Hoover) 6. Fourth Wing (Yarros) 7. Icebreaker (Grace) 8. It Starts With Us (Hoover) 9. Verity (Hoover) 10. Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (Reid) 1. The Wager (Grann) 2. Outlive (Attia/Gifford) 3. The In-Between (Vlahos) 4. Pageboy (Page) 5. Killers of the Flower Moon (Grann) 6. 1964 (McCartney) 7. The Body Keeps the Score (van der Kolk) 8. I’m Glad My Mom Died (McCurdy) 9. Talking To Strangers (Gladwell) 10. Crying In H Mart (Zauner) NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLERS topic with a beautifully written and insightful series of essays that connect the biographical details of Mozart’s life with some two dozen of his musical works. Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, by Peter Moore Historian Peter Moore notes that Thomas Jefferson’s indelible phrase has had a vibrant afterlife, becoming shorthand for the American dream. But his stirring, stylishly written account focuses on its prehistory, tracing the phrase’s origins to British Enlightenment thinking. Better Living Through Birding, by Christian Cooper Christian Cooper, a Black birding enthusiast, received worldwide media attention when a video of him being falsely accused of threatening a white woman in New York’s Central Park went viral. In his delightful, edifying memoir, he extols the virtues of bird-watching and charts its decadeslong significance in his life. ‘After the Miracle’ spotlights Helen Keller’s political crusades Helen Keller achieved international fame as a young deaf and blind girl who learned to read, write, and speak. But while the story of her early years is widely known, fewer people are aware of how Keller used her fame for the remainder of her long life. In the illuminating After the Miracle: The Political Crusades of Helen Keller, Max Wallace highlights Keller’s abiding devotion to radical leftist causes, which included speaking out against Jim Crow, Nazism, McCarthyism, and more. Wallace, an author and advocate for people with disabilities, argues that because Keller’s political activity invited controversy – she was an avowed socialist – many have preferred to remember her merely as an inspirational child. “No matter the significance of events that took place in Alabama when Helen was six,” he writes, “they have served to largely overshadow or erase the extraordinary eighty years of her life that followed.” The author doesn’t neglect the familiar narrative, opening the book with a summary of his subject’s Southern childhood. Born in 1880, Keller contracted an illness at 19 months that left her blind and deaf. Anne Sullivan came to live with the Keller family when Helen was 6 years old, to serve as the child’s private teacher. Sullivan began to spell words with her finger into her pupil’s hand. Within weeks they experienced the breakthrough at a water pump that was immortalized in “The Miracle Worker,” which premiered as a TV movie in 1957 and was later adapted into a Broadway play and feature film. As Sullivan spelled the word “water” into Keller’s hand while water from a pump rushed over the other, young Helen made the connection between words and objects. Her education progressed quickly from there. Alexander Graham Bell was among those who spread word of her accomplishments. (Bell’s mother and wife were deaf, and he had long been involved with research into hearing and speech.) Keller developed a friendship with Mark Twain that lasted until the author’s death in 1910. He is said to have called Keller and Napoleon the two most interesting people of the 19th century. She was invited to the White House to visit Grover Cleveland, the first of 13 U.S. presidents she would meet during her lifetime. Sullivan taught Keller Braille, and as she began to read voraciously, Keller formed the political convictions that made her, in Wallace’s words, “a radical socialist firebrand.” She wrote and lectured in support of socialism and against the excesses of capitalism; she was interested in the connections between industrial accidents and blindness. She was a founding member of the American Civil Liberties Union and an early supporter of the NAACP. “It should bring the blush of shame to the face of every true American to know that ten million of his countrymen are denied the equal protection of the laws,” she wrote in 1916. Keller and Sullivan lived together until the latter’s death in 1936. They were always concerned about money: The author describes a four-year period when the two women earned their living on the vaudeville circuit, performing a scripted show about Keller’s life. For decades, Keller supported herself and Sullivan by working as the official fundraiser for the American Foundation for the Blind. (Interestingly, she did little to advocate for the deaf community.) Wallace quotes from communications that reveal the organization’s discomfort whenever their unruly spokeswoman made public statements on hot-button issues of the day. While Keller’s radicalism is fascinating, the author occasionally overstates its impact. She spoke out early against Hitler and Nazism, and her books were among those banned in Nazi Germany. But Wallace goes a bit far when he insists that “the woman who most people still pictured as a saintly apostle of love and understanding demonstrated that her words had enough sting to make even the world’s most ruthless dictator tremble.” Even if there’s little evidence that she made Hitler tremble, Keller was undoubtedly courageous in expressing her convictions, often during periods of political repression. As Wallace observes, she was insulated by the goodwill built up toward her over decades, even during the Red Scare, when her pro-Soviet statements aroused the interest of the FBI. “Helen’s iconic status continued to help immunize her from the fallout over her political beliefs,” he writes. Her activism did little to harm her reputation for another more disturbing reason that the author cites: some people, doubting “her ability to come to her own intellectual conclusions,” assumed that her opinions could only be “the result of manipulation.” When she encountered such condescension, Keller generally offered a biting response. “It would be difficult to imagine anything more fatuous and stupid than the attitude of the press toward anything I say on public affairs,” she once remarked. That’s another thing the sentimentalized version of Helen Keller omits and that Wallace’s compelling book captures: She did not suffer fools gladly. By Heller McAlpin June’s best books continued from page 14 The contributions of women during World War II have been long overlooked. A novelist expands our understanding of the important roles they played and the bravery they exhibited.
16 SMART READER June 29, 2023 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 F COVID-19 caused more than 20 million Americans to lose their ability to smell and taste, and at least 25% haven't regained those vital senses, a new study says. Survey responses from nearly 29,700 adults also show a correlation between more severe COVID-19 infection and taste and smell loss, researchers reported recently in the journal The Laryngoscope. "The value of this study is that we are highlighting a group of people who have been a bit neglected," said study co-author Dr. Neil Bhattacharyya, a professor of otolaryngology at Massachusetts Eye and Ear. "Losing your sense of smell or taste isn't as benign as you may think. It can lead to decreased eating for pleasure and, in more extreme cases, it can lead to depression and weight loss," he added in a journal news release. One motivation for the study was a patient who lost 50 pounds due to his loss of smell, Bhattacharyya said. "The patient wasn't eating and became very sick and very depressed because of the loss of smell," Bhattacharyya said. "When you hear about COVIDrelated smell loss, you think most people get it back and are fine. But there is a substantial number of people who don't recover it." Using data from the 2021 National Health Interview Survey, the researchers found that about 60% of participants infected with COVID-19 had a loss of smell and about 58% experienced a loss of taste. Around 72% of patients fully recovered their sense of smell, but others were less fortunate. Twenty-four percent only had a partial recovery and more than 3% had no recovery of their sense of smell at all. Of those who experienced a loss of taste, about three-quarters fully recovered the sense, while 20% only partially recovered their sense of taste and more than 2% did not regain it at all. The researchers also found that as COVID-19 symptoms increased, the percentage of patients with smell or taste loss also increased. The odds of smell and taste recovery also decreased with severe COVID-19 symptoms. The study only included data from 2021. The researchers say many more Americans are likely unable to smell or taste in the aftermath of their COVID19 infection. By Steve Reinberg Full sense of smell hasn't returned after COVID-19 infection for millions of Americans A safe, generic diabetes pill can help people avoid long COVID, a new clinical trial shows. Metformin cut the risk of long COVID by about 40% for patients who received a two-week course of the drug while battling their infection, the researchers reported. The results were even more dramatic if COVID-19 patients began taking metformin soon after infection. Starting on the drug within three days of symptom onset cut long COVID cases by more than 60% in those folks. This is the first clinical trial to suggest that any drug taken during COVID-19 infection might reduce the risk of long COVID, the study authors noted. "This shows that 14 days of metformin treatment, when started early after infection, prevents diagnosis of long COVID over the subsequent 10 months," said lead researcher Dr. Carolyn Bramante, an assistant professor with the University of Minnesota Medical School, in Minneapolis. Long-term symptoms associated with a COVID-19 infection are an emerging chronic illness that potentially affects millions of people around the world, the researchers said in background notes. Long COVID is thought to be caused by the damage that infection inflicts on different organs in the body, such as the brain, lungs or heart. That's why symptoms can vary between patients. A symptom checklist for long COVID published in May included brain fog, fatigue, post-exertional malaise, dizziness, gastrointestinal problems, heart palpitations, changes in sexual desire or capacity, altered ability to smell or taste, chest pain, chronic cough, thirst and abnormal movements. Those researchers estimated that about 10% of people infected during the initial Omicron wave developed long COVID within six months of their illness, according to the study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Metformin has been approved in the United States since 1995 for the treatment of diabetes, but the drug also had been known to have antiviral properties. Lab tests have shown that metformin could potentially keep the COVID-19 virus from replicating and spreading, which prompted this clinical trial, Bramante explained. In the trial, 564 COVID-19 patients were randomly chosen to receive a twoweek course of metformin, while another 562 received an inactive placebo pill. Patients were recruited between December 2020 and January 2022. All patients were overweight or obese based on their body mass index, which is known to be a risk factor for severe COVID-19 infection. They were all 30 or older and suffered mild to moderate infections that did not require hospitalization. Doctors started the metformin patients on a 500 milligram (mg) dose that was gradually ramped up to 1,500 mg daily by the end of the 14 days. According to Drugs.com, the cost of metformin is around $11 for 14 of the 500 mg tablets. The researchers then tracked all the patients for 10 months to see who developed long COVID. A two-week course of metformin reduced the risk of long COVID by 41% overall compared to placebo, and by 63% if patients started the drug early in their infection, the results showed. The study was published online June 8 in the Lancet Infectious Diseases journal. The findings reflect previously published results from this trial which found that metformin prevented more than 40% of emergency department visits, hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19 within two weeks of starting treatment. Dr. William Schaffner, medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, called the trial results "provocative, interesting and very encouraging." "In science, we like to see things confirmed," Schaffner said, urging further study of metformin. "That said, I think once this information gets out, there are going to be any number of physicians, nevermind patients, who say, 'Metformin, I know how to use this drug. It's safe. It's effective. And if we can reduce the risk of long COVID, which is in the minds of lots of patients when they get sick, it's worth a try.'" Bramante said the antiviral activity of metformin likely is the main reason why it appears to prevent long COVID, but that the drug also reduces harmful inflammation caused by infection. Metformin also is very safe for people to take, particularly if they're just on it for two weeks, Bramante said. "The way metformin treats diabetes is mostly by reducing inflammation in the liver, and it stops the body from making more glucose," Bramante said. "Metformin doesn't lower glucose like insulin does, so metformin doesn't cause dangerously low blood sugar in people with or without diabetes." Schaffner said metformin could be a welcome addition to current COVID-19 treatments, particularly since nothing had yet been shown to reduce the risk of long COVID. "At the moment, what we tell everybody to do is get vaccinated. Keep up to date with your vaccinations, because that's the single best thing we can do to not only prevent COVID, but long COVID," Schaffner said. "But if we add to this the notion that particularly people in high-risk groups who do get infected could take metformin for two weeks and reduce the risk of long COVID, well, that gives us a nice therapeutic option." By Dennis Thompson Diabetes drug metformin may cut risk of long COVID health Around 72% of patients fully recovered their sense of smell, but others were less fortunate. Twenty-four percent only had a partial recovery and more than 3% had no recovery of their sense of smell at all. Metformin cut the risk of long COVID by about 40% for patients who received a two-week course of the drug while battling their infection, researchers reported. ,
0 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 SMART READER June 29, 2023 17 DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I am 28 and consider myself fairly healthy. I have never gotten a flu shot and have never had the flu. I did receive a COVID-19 vaccine series. Do I really need a flu vaccination? My employer is recommending an influenza immunization for everyone, but I am hesitant. I have heard some people get sick from flu shots. ANSWER: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends that everyone 6 months and older be vaccinated every year against influenza, or flu. Being young and healthy does not protect you against getting the flu. Even someone like you, who has not had influenza in the past, should still get an annual flu shot. In some cases, people may develop minor flu-like symptoms after receiving the vaccine; however, it is important to know the flu vaccine cannot give you the flu. Influenza is a viral respiratory infection that tends to come on suddenly. The influenza virus is a systemic virus. That means it circulates throughout the body in the bloodstream. Symptoms typically include fever, aching muscles, chills, sweats, headache, feeling tired and weak, coughing, and nasal congestion. Influenza can cause complications, such as sinus and ear infections, bronchitis, and pneumonia. These complications, particularly pneumonia, can be especially dangerous in young children; pregnant women; older adults; and people who have chronic medical conditions, such as asthma, epilepsy, kidney disease or liver disease, among others. Getting an annual flu vaccine is the most effective way to prevent influenza and its complications. It is important to note, however, that even though young children and older adults are most vulnerable to complications from the flu, the most severe forms of flu that we have seen have not affected those groups the most. Instead, the most infectious and serious strains of influenza — such as the strain that caused the 1918 worldwide pandemic — have more often affected young, healthy adults. Most cases of death associated with severe flu strains have been in younger adults who were otherwise healthy. To best protect yourself from the flu, you need to get a flu shot every year. That’s because the vaccines change each year to keep up with rapidly adapting influenza viruses. Because flu viruses evolve quickly, last year’s vaccine may not protect you from this year’s viruses. After you get a flu vaccination, your immune system produces antibodies that will protect you from the flu viruses. As with any immunization, it can take about two weeks to build immunity after getting vaccinated. After a while, antibody levels for vaccines will start to decline — another good reason to get a booster every year. Generally, it is a good idea to get a flu shot in the fall, usually in late September or early October. But if you miss that timing, it’s never too late to get a flu shot, as it will still protect you when you are vaccinated. Although the peak flu season is typically during the winter, as we have seen in years past — and especially with COVID-19 — viruses can circulate at any time. After getting a flu shot, a few people may develop flulike symptoms, usually a lowgrade fever that lasts about a day. In many cases, this happens because those people were previously exposed to a virus that was similar to the vaccine strain, and their immune system is already prepared to respond to it. The fever is a sign of their immune system response, not a symptom of influenza infection. It is particularly important for women who are pregnant to get a flu shot in order to protect their unborn child. I would suggest that if you have questions or concerns about the flu vaccine, talk with your primary health care clinician. — Tina Ardon, M.D., and Stephen McMullan, M.D., Family Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida Mayo Clinic Flu shots are important for young people too , It's an image you see everywhere on social media and television: Groups of 30- something women, glistening glasses of chardonnay or cabernet in their hands as they let loose with their friends. But a new study digs into the downside of "booze bonding" -- these women are 60% more likely to engage in excessive drinking than their peers were some 25 years earlier. The investigators also found that even as excessive drinking risk has shot up among modern middle-aged women overall, that risk appears to be particularly high among those who do not have children by the time they hit 35. "The finding that women without children have higher rates of excessive drinking is not a new finding, and has been observed for decades," acknowledged study author Rachel Adams, a research associate professor in the department of health law, policy and management at Boston University School of Public Health. That, she added, is because "traditionally, alcohol use declines after women become parents." "But because more women in recent cohorts are delaying or forgoing parenthood, the size of this [excessive drinking] group is increasing," Adams added. On that point, the study team noted that while 54% of women involved in the 1993-1997 surveys had children before age 30, that figure plummeted to 39% by 2018-2019. The findings come as the rate of deaths attributable to alcohol abuse has ratcheted up over the past two decades, the researchers noted. And despite the fact that, overall, consumption rates remain higher among men, the rising risk for alcohol-related death has been growing considerably faster among women than men. For their analysis, the investigators defined excessive drinking as either binge drinking during the two weeks leading up to the survey and/or consuming alcohol over the five years before the survey in a manner that meets the criteria for alcohol use disorder (AUD). Binge drinking in women was defined as having four or more drinks in one setting. According to the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), AUD is a brain disorder that's diagnosed when an individual struggles to either stop or control the sort of drinking behavior that wreaks havoc on a patient's health, work or social network. Among women who were 35 when the earlier 1990s surveys were conducted, 15% reported binge drinking and 24% reported behavior that amounted to AUD. By comparison, those figures were pegged at 20% and 31%, respectively, among women who were 35 during the most recent surveys. And risk was found to be relatively higher among those women who were not parents by that point. So what's going on? Adams noted that the study was "not designed to test the reasons for increased alcohol use over time." Speaking to drinking habits among women with children, she pointed to the potential impact of "the emergence of 'mom-wine' culture on social media and on television shows, which encourages mothers to use alcohol as a way to deal with the stresses of motherhood." "Simultaneously," Adams added, "there has been a rapid increase in alcohol products targeting middleaged women regardless of parental status, such as lowcalorie seltzers, pink beverages and expressions such as 'rosé all day.'" As for childless middleaged women facing an even higher risk for excessive drinking, she stressed that her team's work is "not making judgments about women's personal decisions about when and if to become parents." Rather, Adams explained, "our study is meant to provide more insight" into who is most at risk, and what factors might affect that risk. Above all, Adams underscored the fact that while "middle-aged women without children were at highest risk of excessive drinking, women with children were also at an increased risk in more recent cohorts. Therefore, risk for excessive drinking among middle-aged women is increasing in recent cohorts, regardless of parental status." The findings were published online recently in the journal Addiction. Michael Pollard is a senior sociologist with the RAND Corp. and a professor with the Pardee RAND Graduate School in Santa Monica, Calif. He suggested that while the apparent jump in excessive drinking among middle-aged women is "large," it does not come as a surprise. "Other data sources have also shown similar increases since the early 2000s," said Pollard, who added that many social, cultural and economic factors are likely contributing to that jump, including "increasingly accepting societal norms around women's drinking." That thought was seconded by Jinni Su, an assistant professor of psychology at Arizona State University, in Tempe. "The decision not to have kids or to delay having kids is a correlated factor, but not necessarily a causal factor" in the observed risk for excessive drinking among women, she said. "This phenomenon is complex," Su noted, "and many interconnected factors are likely at play and work together to drive up the risky drinking behavior." Among other factors long linked to alcohol use, she said that stress, depression, higher education, job type and income status can all play a part. Still, Su characterized the findings as "alarming," and said they "really highlight the need for prevention and intervention efforts that target reducing risk associated with alcohol use among women, particularly among reproductive-aged women in their late 20s and 30s who are traditionally overlooked." By Alan Moses Rates of binge drinking among middle-aged women are up Middle-aged women are 60% more likely to engage in excessive drinking than their peers were some 25 years earlier, a new study found. health
18 SMART READER June 29, 2023 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 F By every possible measure the late televangelist Pat Robertson was a gifted and charismatic businessman. He died June 8 at the age of 93. He was ahead of his time, one might argue. And yet, he was far behind his own era. He made a career of inspiring others to latch onto bygone days when anyone who wasn’t Christian and steeped in traditional gender norms wouldn’t be seen, heard from, or much less given basic civil rights protections. Not “feminists,” who spoke too forcefully for their rights. Robertson said their movement would lead to witchcraft. And certainly not LGBTQ people, whom he called “an abomination.” Neither group was worthy of his praise through the massive reach of the Christian Broadcasting Network, which he founded in 1960. Robertson leveraged the social capital of being the son of a U.S. senator as well as his gift for folksy charm. He blended those elements with a dogged evangelicalism to build himself a religious empire. It’s possible, desirable even, to critically examine how he wielded this power in religious and political circles, without disparaging his soul. Hindsight allows for such a view. And we’d be better off for its uptake, if only to understand better the trajectory of our current political strife. He’s part of how we got where we are. Robertson was an early and fervent tiller of the nonsensical ways that people rationalize crazy theories. We hear it today – about nonexistent mass voter fraud, the causes and dangers of the pandemic and most certainly anything that has to do with former president, the disgraced, Donald Trump. Not two days after Robertson died at his Virginia Beach home, the nation’s attention was diverted to the indictment of Trump on charges regarding his mishandling of classified documents. Literally within minutes, politicians began to sound off on their entrenched views, followed by lemminglike mindsets among sympathetic voters. You either see the 38 federal charges as a necessary step for securing our democracy, holding even the most powerful people to account, and safeguarding the country. Or, you think the whole thing is hogwash, an overreach of President Joe Biden’s administration. If you are of this persuasion, you therefore find nothing odd about Trump storing boxes and boxes of highly sensitive government documents in his bathroom, bedroom, or strewn about in other places at his Mar-aLago home. The GOP leadership is now trying to “prove” the daffy notion that there’s nothing to see here. Facts, for them, don’t matter. Trump was Robertson’s In his final earthly act, Pat Robertson once again tests America’s morality with Mary Sanchez Readers can reach Mary Sanchez at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @msanchezcolumn. In reporting on news of a federal indictment of former president Donald Trump, the UK Daily Mail posted a video of Joe Biden backing his Corvette into the garage which contained boxes of classified documents. But the next day the same publication reported on a leaked audio recording on which Trump allegedly admitted he did not declassify secret documents regarding a military scenario for attacking Iran, which he is said to have taken to his private residence in Florida. That tape will likely be used by the prosecution in a trial to prove Trump lied about his authority to declassify secret documents after leaving office. Regardless, the 37-count indictment is bound to increase the anger Trump supporters feel about this administration and their government overall. The indictment and trial of a former president can only divide the country further and ratchet-up the anger many Republicans feel – even Republicans who don’t favor a second term for Trump – about what they regard as a two-tier system of justice. Many Republicans remain angry about how Hillary Clinton got a pass from then-FBI Director James Comey on her mishandling of classified documents. Comey said she didn’t intend to break the law. Try that excuse with a police officer if you are pulled over for speeding. Fox News Digital reports a source has told the FBI that while Biden was vice president, he and family members allegedly took a $5 million bribe from the Burisma natural gas firm where son Hunter was on the board in exchange for certain U.S. policy decisions. On Friday, Biden was asked about it and replied “where’s the money?” A look at family bank records might answer that question. The Hunter Biden investigation by the U.S. attorney in Delaware has been going on for several years with as yet no decision. It took Special Counsel Jack Smith just four months to file charges against Trump. Newsweek reported that Smith’s wife worked on a 2020 film about former first lady Michelle Obama and contributed to Biden’s 2020 campaign. One of the charges against Trump, reportedly, will be that he violated the Espionage Act of 1917. That law makes it a crime to remove, copy or share national defense information, or to “willfully [retain] national defense information” and “[fail] to deliver it to the officer or employee of the United States entitled to receive it.” In view of the leaked audio cited above, that one may be easier for the prosecution to prove. Many things could happen between now and the next election. The charges could be dismissed. If not, a trial might be delayed until the middle of next year’s primaries and possibly the election. Trump could go to trial and be convicted, or acquitted. If convicted, his appeals could take months and the Supreme Court might have to judge the case, which could further raise the ire of anti-Trumpers should the court overturn any conviction. If elected president again, Trump could pardon himself, which would be something else that has never before been attempted and would also likely be decided by the Supreme Court, provoking whichever side is the loser. Trump has brought many of his legal troubles on himself by his attitude and behavior. Still, his supporters and even some of his Democratic detractors, realize prosecuting a former president could bring serious consequences to the country and future presidents. The phrase “no one is above the law” has a corollary: no one should be below the law. Equal justice ought to be the goal, not using the Department of Justice as a political weapon to destroy an opponent. The Trump indictment with Cal Thomas Readers may email Cal Thomas at [email protected]. Look for Cal Thomas’ new book “America’s Expiration Date: The Fall of Empires and Superpowers and the Future of the United States” my turn Mary Sanchez joins Happenings Q&A on Thu. July 6th at 1:30 on AM1050 WLIP. continues on next page Former President Donald Trump has been indicted by the Department of Justice over his handling of classified documents after he left the White House. Pat Robertson died June 8th at the age of 93
0 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 SMART READER June 29, 2023 19 Strategy by slogan is a prescription for failure and even disaster. Sun Tzu's dictums that the best strategy is to win by not fighting and the second best is to attack the enemy's strategy too often are ignored or forgotten. Too many American administrations failed to heed that advice. The war in Ukraine is raging with even greater casualties as Kyiv's offensive continues. Groupthink in Washington is preoccupied with the Chinese threat of invading Taiwan. And roiling beneath the surface are other hotspots, particularly Pakistan, which has descended into political, social and economic turmoil. The Biden administration is offering a "foreign policy for the middle class," whatever that means. It is pushing "integrated deterrence" with specific reference to China. The former means using policy to enhance and broaden the size of the middle class while neglecting any consequences for the slices of America that are not included in that category, probably assuming that they will do well, too. Integrated deterrence probably means using all the tools in the foreign policy toolbox to compete and deter China by developing partnerships to those ends. This reeks of Cold War containment, in which NATO and other less successful alliances such as SEATO and CENTO were designed to surround and check the old Soviet Union. Thus, many Asian states are being asked to draw closer to the United States, including traditional allies to include Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea and others who have been ambivalent such as the Philippines and India. The war in Ukraine, for the time being perhaps, has brought NATO much closer in purpose. The forthcoming NATO annual heads of state and government gathering in Vilnius, Lithuania in July may advance that unity if the alliance is prepared to agree to a real strategy for ending the war in Ukraine rather than relying on the empty slogan of supporting Ukraine "for as long as it takes." But suppose the United States were to follow Sun Tzu. How might that replace slogans with strategy? Winning by not fighting and attacking the enemy's strategy form the foundation for such strategies. In both cases, understanding the weaknesses, as well as the strengths of potential adversaries is crucial. Russian President Vladimir Putin has signaled his strategy. He believes he can outlast NATO. He also has declared he is shifting Russia's focus east to Eurasia and the so-called "no limits" partnership with China. Therein rests a fatal flaw. China is not a longterm partner. The historical and cultural animosities are too deeply embedded, along with Russian racism. China is also transactional. Paramount leader Xi Jinping obviously places China's interests above all. What has been missed in the West was Xi's embrace of three American visitors to Beijing: Elon Musk with his Tesla production lines in China; J.P. Morgan chairman Jamie Dimon, who sees a market of 1.4 billion Chinese as important; and "my old friend" Bill Gates. What does this tell you? Xi needs the West to bolster his economy. How do we exploit that? We do it with policies of conciliation and not confrontation to cut Putin off at the knees by moving closer to China. End the tariffs on China that also benefit U.S. consumers and will lower inflation. Drop the rhetoric about an invasion of Taiwan and follow Teddy Roosevelt's commonsensical approach of speaking softly without brandishing a big stick. In Ukraine, develop a strategy for ending the war on terms favorable to Ukraine but not ignorant of Russian needs. Yes, it would be gratifying to drive Russia from Ukraine and having a regime in Moscow less belligerent to the West. Barring a double miracle, that will not happen. Instead, provide Ukraine with long-range weapons and find an intermediary such as China to begin discussions with Moscow to end the fighting using those weapons as the means to threaten Crimea. But offer incentives for negotiations. For example, would withdrawing Aegis ashore missiles, that could be returned if needed, from Poland and Romania be one such incentive? Sanctions relief under acceptable terms could be another. And long-term commitments for Ukraine, such as a Taiwan Relationslike Act supported by NATO or a coalition of the willing is essential. All this calls for strategic thinking and a real strategy, not sloganeering. But the only task harder than inserting a new idea is removing an old one. That is the challenge. Can the Biden administration, Congress and the two political parties rise to meet that challenge? They had better. Strategy, not slogans, needed to deal with China, Russia 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 upcoming 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., July 13th at 1pm on AM1050 WLIP. U.S. Secretary of State Blinken meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping on last Monday in Beijing. buddy. That’s a curious choice of friend for a Baptist preacher. Yet Robertson apparently didn’t see Trump as a failed man, a sinner in need of redemption. No, he just ignored Trump’s lying, womanizing, and the disparaging ways that the former president talked about immigrants or people from the very countries that Robertson’s global philanthropic non-profit, Operation Blessing, seeks to help. Robertson was as deeply attuned to politics as he was to the rhetorical devices that religious zealots use: targeted fire and brimstone, gaslighting and circular diatribes. The GOP’s outright lies about voting, as well as their nonsensical rationalizing and denial of incidents like the MAGA mobs that attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021, all fall on a continuum with the reshaping of truth that Robertson practiced. Robertson was an early adherent to the idea that every horrific calamity the country faced – from earthquakes, political turmoil, and even the 9-11 terrorist attacks – were retribution for America’s sins. LGBTQ people occupied a lot of his attention as villains, as well as women, with “feminist” as code for women who failed to demur to men. “Make America Great Again” is certainly based on a similar mistaken theory that yesteryear held more promise than today, or the future. Robertson was a man illustrative of a particular time, one that he didn’t want to leave. He flipped the clerical roles that had been so invested in the civil rights movement of the 1950s and ‘60’s. Those religious leaders – be they Jewish, United Methodist, Catholic or others – leaned into their faith to serve as moral compasses in their marches and preaching. They urged the nation to truly uphold its founding idea that all men are created, and therefore should be treated equally. R o b e r t s o n ’ s predecessors saw their faith as a guidepost for working on voting rights, fair housing, equal education, while Robertson appealed to the most farright idealogues of America who stood aghast at that progress. He leveraged evangelicals, enriching himself and fueling a voting block that hoped to return America to a time before the passage of major civil rights legislation. Look at the trajectory of his life, and how members of the GOP succumbed to his ideas, through the Tea Party, ups and downs in the market, terrorism, the pandemic, and finally the rise and fall of Trump. It’s a lesson with lots of markers along the way, not the least of which is how Democrats and more reasonable people too often failed to challenge Robertson’s ideas. Pat Robertson, rest in peace, but know that you’ve left a dangerous legacy behind. Sanchez continued from page 18
20 SMART READER June 29, 2023 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 F As widely expected, after ten consecutive interest rate hikes over the past 15 months, the Federal Reserve took a time out, and paused in its process to bring down inflation. Their rationale was that it takes a while for higher rates to filter through the economy and the central bank is trying to strike a balance between bringing down prices, without tipping the economy into a recession, which is often referred to as a “soft landing.” Despite starting the current rate hike campaign later than most economists thought was necessary (the Fed’s first increase occurred in March 2022, while inflation was building momentum as early as spring 2021), there has been progress on bringing down prices. The Consumer Price Index peaked at 9.1 percent in June 2022 and now stands at 4%, still about twice the level that fed officials would like. Importantly, the reduction in CPI has come without a recession or widespread layoffs. Still, if you thought that the Fed was done with the most aggressive rate hike campaign since the early 1980s, their not-so-subtle response is: not so fast. As Federal Reserve Vice Chair Philip Jefferson noted in a speech that occurred two weeks prior to the June Fed meeting, “A decision to hold our policy rate constant at a coming meeting should not be interpreted to mean that we have reached the peak rate for this cycle. Indeed, skipping a rate hike at a coming meeting would allow the committee to see more data before making decisions about the extent of additional policy firming.” Jefferson and other Fed officials had primed the media pump to expect the pause, but to also allow for the possibility that further rate hikes could occur before the end of the year. In the Fed’s economic projections, which accompanied the June decision, the majority of officials projected that another half of a percentage point of hiking would be necessary in 2023, which would push up the fed funds rate to 5.6%. Fed Chair Jay Powell noted in his recent press conference that inflation “has not so far reacted much to our existing rate hikes, so we’re going to have to keep at it.” What does this mean to you and your money? Whether or not the Fed holds rates at this level, or goes for another quarter or half of a percentage point, the message is clear: Shortterm interest rates will remain at high levels for the remainder of 2023. That means anyone who is carrying debt, especially debt that is tied to short-term interest rates (credit cards, home equity lines of credit, variable rate business loans), should try to aggressively pay down balances as quickly as possible. For those seeking to purchase a house with borrowed money, you may want to consider an adjustable-rate mortgage, which would push down monthly payments for a fixed time horizon (7-10 years). These loans can be attractive during periods of high interest rates, but they require borrower vigilance: You are hoping to refinance the note to a lower fixed rate, before the period concludes. For savers, higher interest rates mean that a quick search for better rates on savings, checking, money market accounts and certificates of deposit should yield great results. After the spring banking failures, be sure that wherever you park your money, you keep the balance under $250,000 so that either FDIC or SIPC insurance protects you against institutional collapse. And for investors, the message is clear: Don’t stray from your diversified portfolio and attempt to guess the Fed’s next move. Those projections are penciled in, because even officials don’t really know what’s next. What the Fed pause means for your money with Jill Schlesinger jill on money There is something arbitrary and comforting about the anointment of bull and bear markets. Focusing on a snapshot in time, where a 20 percent increase or decrease in market indexes occurs, can’t possibly tell us the whole story about the economy and its impact on consumers. But like the churn of the ocean before a storm — and the subsequent tranquility after the worst is over, there is a good lesson for investors: Those who do not panic amid the clouds of confusion are often rewarded with sunnier skies. Recent Bulls and Bears (data from Yardeni Research): The longest bull market on record started in March 2009 after the Great Financial Crisis (GFC) Bear Market mauled its way through the system. The GFC Bear lasted 517 days (from 10/9/2007 to 3/9/2009) and caused a 56.8% drop in the S&P 500 index. Yes, it was painful but those who remained invested would soon enjoy a stunning 11 years of upward progress in stocks. The party finally ended in March 2020, when the pandemic wreaked havoc on our lives, ushering in the COVID Bear Market. To help thaw the frozen economy, Congress enacted a series of spending measures and concurrently, the Federal Reserve slashed interest rates to zero and purchased government and mortgage-backed bonds. The combination of these trillions of dollars that flowed into the system truncated the COVID Bear, which lasted only 33 days (2/19/20 to 3/23/20), but the damage was intense with a 33.9% drop in the S&P 500 index. The new bull market emerged from the worst days of the pandemic and lasted until January 2022 (the technology sector reached its peak a few months earlier, in November 2021). As 2022 started, it was obvious that the Federal Reserve was planning to increase interest rates in order to clamp down on inflation. Few anticipated that the central bank would conduct its most aggressive rate hike campaign since the early 1980’s. High inflation and rising interest rates were the toxic combination that brought down stock (and bond) prices throughout 2022, until what we now know was the low print for the S&P 500 on October 12, 2022. The Fed Bear Market lasted 282 days (1/3/2022 to 10/12/2022) and slashed the value of the S&P 500 by 25.4%. Since October of last year, there were plenty of predictions that still-high inflation alongside high interest rates would keep the bear active and would trigger a recession at some point in 2023. And yet, stock index prices seemed to defy expectations, as many companies were able to make money, job creation continued and new innovation in the form of AI ignited animal spirits. The bear market ended on June 8, which marked the day that the S&P 500 index had climbed more than 20% from the January 2022 lows. There will be much talk about this new bull, but here’s what to expect in the near term: Some investors who tut-tutted the stock market and doubted its ability to recover, will throw in the towel and pile in. Others will say that the recent gains are only from a small group of Mega-Cap Tech stocks (Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Netflix, NVIDIA, and Tesla), and the narrowness of the rally means that the recent rally cannot be sustained. Some of these bears will say that the current upward trend in stocks may just be a bear trap, where investors are lured into buying stocks, only to confront a more vicious bear in the future. The rest of us (aka rational, long-term investors) will look past the two extremes and cling to our well-diversified portfolios of index and exchange-traded funds. 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]. Check her website at www.jillonmoney.com The bear market is dead, long live the bull! with Jill Schlesinger A person walks near the Federal Reserve Bank in New York City on June 14, 2023. The US Federal Reserve voted June 14, 2023, to pause its aggressive campaign of interest rate hikes despite "elevated" inflation, while indicating a sharp increase could be needed before the end of the year. Here is a good lesson for investors: Those who do not panic amid the clouds of confusion are often rewarded with sunnier skies, writes Jill Schlesinger. t a w t a w a f w t w y t t
0 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 SMART READER June 29, 2023 21 y y l d a s , e a ) o r f d Dear Cathy, I've adopted a one-year-old miniature schnauzer. When I take him to the vet, he panics by barking, not listening, and going into a rigid body posture. Any suggestions? — Pat, Tolland, Connecticut Dear Pat, Your dog's reactions are normal but fearbased. There are things you and the vet's office can do to reduce his anxieties. First, get your dog a pheromone collar, and spray some pheromones onto your clothing occasionally. Your dog will associate this with being happy and with you. Then, ask the office to spray pheromones in the exam room and on all the staff's clothing so your dog can associate those pheromones with his happy home. Second, introduce over-thecounter calming products, like anxiety, CBD, or hemp chews. Put a few drops of Bach's flower rescue remedy into his water bowl. Try calming clothing, like a Thundershirt® or Anxiety Wrap®. (See the letter below on how to train them to wear it.) While these wraps were developed for noise-phobic dogs, they also help reduce anxiety and fear. Finally, add more training to your dog's routine. Fearful dogs often feel like they need to protect their owners (they don't) while at the same time lacking confidence in how to handle the world around them. Through training, you establish yourself as the pack leader, which communicates to your dog that he doesn't need to freak out in new situations and can stand down. Sometimes, something as simple as positioning your dog behind you and not between you and the vet can signal to the dog that you have the situation under control. Training also builds your dog's confidence, making him a less fearful pup overall. Start with one idea here or combine a few ideas, depending on what works for your dog. Your vet can prescribe medication for those visits if these suggestions don't work. But give these things a try first before you go that route. Dear Cathy, You recently responded to a reader whose pet was reacting badly to storms. I suggest the reader use the Thundershirt® when no storms are imminent, preferably when an enjoyable event is happening so that her dog doesn't begin to associate the aid with a future noisy event. Too often, if the aid is only used when a storm is imminent, the dog associates having that on with the stressful event and can begin reacting even when there is no storm. It may take some time for the dog to re-associate the Thundershirt® with being secure and free from harm, but it can also be done with the help of pheromones. The dog has to begin to associate their use with good events, not coming unpleasantness. — Margaret, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Dear Margaret, You're right. Dogs can associate any anxiety-reducing clothing, like a Thundershirt® or Anxiety Wrap®, with the actual noise event if they only wear it when that noise occurs. The wrap itself can then trigger the dog to panic long before the first crack of thunder. When training, it's essential to let the dog wear these wraps sporadically; sometimes, when fun things happen, like going for a walk or playing a game, and sometimes right before the noise event. Because the noise from a storm or fireworks is traumatic for them, they can still be triggered to associate the wraps with the storm even if they wear them when happy things are happening as well. By mixing it up, though, you can keep the dog guessing and perhaps reduce their susceptibility to being triggered by the clothing alone. Pet World with Cathy Rosenthal Simple solutions for a panicking dog at the vet’s office 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 Thu. July 13th at 12:30 on AM1050 WLIP. Scooter dubbed World's Ugliest Dog in California A 7-year-old Chinese crested dog born with backward hind legs has been named the World's Ugliest Dog at an annual California contest. Scooter, belonging to Tucson, Ariz., resident Linda Celeste Elmquist, was named the World's Ugliest Dog at the annual pageant at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, Calif. The second place prize was claimed by fourth-time competitor Wild Thang, a resilient 7-year-old Pekingese owned by Ann Lewis, and third place went to Harold Bartholomew, a 16-year-old Chihuahua owned by Sabrina Impelido. Taking first place earned Scooter and Elmquist prizes including an appearance on Monday morning's Today show in NBC. Elmquist told the hosts that Scooter was turned over to Tucson animal control by a breeder and rescued by the Saving Animals From Euthanasia. Elmquist, a member of the group, said Scooter was adopted by a man who was unable to care for him after a few years, so the canine moved into her home. The World's Ugliest Dog contest aims to celebrate imperfect canines and encourage adoption of pets in need of good homes. Woman finds alligator in her pool Sheriff's deputies were summoned to a Florida woman's home when her plans to take a dip in the pool were delayed by the unexpected presence of a swimming alligator. The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post that a woman preparing to swim in her pool when she spotted the "not-so-little one cooling off." "Here in [Florida], you do the stingray shuffle in the gulf and before hitting the pool you do the gator check. It's a part of life," the Facebook post said. Deputies and personnel from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission removed the gator from the pool and transported it "to a safe area." Cherry picking event called after birds steal all the fruit Organizers of a pick-your-own cherries festival in Cornwall, England, announced the event has been canceled after the cherry trees were cleared of fruits by some "cheeky" blackbirds. Officials wrote on Facebook that the event was called off due to avian interference. "Unfortunately, the cheeky blackbirds who live at Cotehele have jumped the queue and eaten all of the cherries in the orchard," a post on the official Cotehele - National Trust Facebook page reads. Laura Jarman from the National Trust said the birds cleared the cherries from all 80 trees in the orchard in the span of just a couple of days. She said Catehele is still planning to host an apple picking event later in the year and hopes to hold a cherry picking event next summer, if the blackbirds allow it. $127,000 dog nanny job listing pulled after flood of applications A British recruitment agency said it had to pull a listing for a dog nanny to make $127,000 a year because there were too many applicants. Fairfax and Kensington, an international recruitment agency based in London, originally posted a position online for a dog nanny to live with a family and "ensure the overall well-being, happiness, and safety of their dogs." The posting said the chosen caretaker would be responsible for feeding, exercising and training the dogs, as well as coordinating and overseeing "all veterinary appointments, vaccinations, and health check-ups." The $127,000 a year job would also require the nanny to "accompany the dogs during domestic and international travels, ensuring their comfort and safety throughout the journey." The listing has now been pulled after the number of applicants spiked from about 300 to more than 2,000 in just a few days. Scooter, a 7-year-old Chinese crested with backward hind legs, was named the World's Ugliest Dog at an annual contest in California.
22 SMART READER June 29, 2023 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 F RE PL FO Lis G CO KE Ge the co me is join Ke an spe lan to tim inte at LIO so Ra sta We Sc Ha SO DE OB 9 EL FREE CLASSIFIEDS! Where to store various foods can be tricky at times. We know milk, meat and eggs belong in the fridge. But many foods are less obvious. Should butter be kept in the refrigerator or out on the counter? Will bananas turn black in the refrigerator? The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics offers a list of foods you may not be refrigerating but should be. Storing them in the fridge will help keep them safe and tasting great longer. Tortillas -- Some tortillas are prone to molding. That's why the fine print on many tortilla packages recommends refrigerating after opening. Chill tortillas to help them stay fresh. The date on their package is for quality purposes, so when stored properly, they may be consumed beyond their date, if there are no signs of spoilage. Salami -- Cured meats, including salami, are less likely to harbor bacteria than cooked meats, but that doesn't mean they're always 100% safe. Refrigeration can slow potential bacterial growth, but people who are at higher risk of foodborne illness, such as pregnant women, older adults and people with weakened immune systems should heat ready-to-eat foods such as lunch and deli meats. Store unopened salami in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. After opening, it should be consumed within three to five days. Ripe bananas -- It's fine to ripen bananas on the kitchen counter. Trouble is, they keep ripening, and ripening and ripening. Once they're ready to eat, pop them in the fridge for up to three days. The peel may turn brown, but they're still fine to eat. Avocados -- Like bananas, avocados will continue ripening. Once they're at the stage you like, put them in the refrigerator. You can also take the peel off and freeze the flesh for use in a smoothie. Nuts -- Nuts' fragile unsaturated fats can go rancid quickly. While that may not hurt your health, it can definitely be bad news for flavor. Keep nuts tasting fresh by stowing them in a sealed plastic or glass container in the refrigerator for four to six months. Whole-wheat flour -- This flour can also go rancid quickly. You can refrigerate it or freeze it to prolong its life and taste. Maple syrup -- Maple syrup has a surprisingly short shelf life. So if yours is sitting in your pantry, it's time to relocate it to the fridge. Stored in the refrigerator, maple syrup usually can stay fresh for up to a year. However, if you notice any mold growth, be sure to toss it immediately. Dried fruit -- Dried fruit has less moisture than fresh fruit, so it doesn't spoil as quickly, but refrigeration can help it maintain its freshness longer. Keep it in the main compartment of your refrigerator for up to six months. Ketchup -- Restaurants may leave their ketchup on the table, but that doesn't mean you should. While its high acid content will keep most bacteria at bay, cool temperatures help maintain flavor and freshness. Refrigerate ketchup for up to six months. Corn on the cob -- After picking, corn begins to lose its sugar content dramatically when left at room temperature. Unless you're going to cook it right away, keep corn in the fridge -- husks and all -- for one to two days. Chocolate syrup -- Chocolate syrup is an easy way to make a glass of milk taste even better. But not if it has developed funny flavors. Chill yours after opening and you can enjoy it for six months. Pecan and pumpkin pies - - Made with eggs, these treats are magnets for bacteria. Fresh from the oven, they're okay to eat at room temperature for up to two hours (only one hour if it is over 90 degrees Fahrenheit). After that, they should go straight into the fridge and be eaten within three to four days or frozen for another time. As for butter, I recommend keeping it in the refrigerator. If you need to have it softened for spreading or use in a recipe, take it out for a short while. Butter can also be stored in the freezer. Q and A Q: What is pre-diabetes? A: Pre-diabetes means your blood sugar is higher than normal but not high enough to be classified as Type 2 diabetes. You can significantly slow your progression to Type 2 diabetes by eating less fat and fewer calories, exercising at least 150 minutes a week, losing at least 5% of your body weight and getting regular assistance from dietitians and behavioral counselors, according to the 15-year results of the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcome Study. Prediabetes is categorized by a fasting glucose test of 100- 125 mg/dl and an A1C test of 5.7% to 6.4%, according to the American Diabetes Association. Charlyn Fargo is a registered dietitian with SIU Med School in Springfield, Ill. For comments or questions, contact her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @NutritionRd. food & recipes Pantry or Refrigerator? Nutrition News with Charlyn Fargo Servings: 1 1 1/2 cups torn romaine lettuce or fresh spinach or baby kale 1/2 cup yellow sweet pepper strips 1/4 cup sliced fresh strawberries 2 tablespoons light olive oil and vinegar salad dressing 1 hard-cooked egg, quartered 1/4 cup chopped cooked chicken breast 2 tablespoons sliced green onion 2 tablespoons cucumber-dill Greek yogurt dip 1 ounce whole-grain baguette-style bread In a quart-sized Mason jar, put dressing in first. Then add pepper, strawberries, green onion. Mix chicken and egg with yogurt dip. Add to jar. Spoon lettuce or spinach on top. Serve with bread. Per serving: 337 calories, 23 g protein, 31 g carbohydrate, 13 g fat (3 g saturated), 219 mg cholesterol, 6 g fiber, 12 g sugars, 664 mg sodium. Chicken Egg Salad Serves 4 2 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 pound spaghetti Salt and pepper 3 tablespoons capers, rinsed and minced 3 tablespoons currants, minced 2 anchovy fillets, rinsed, patted dry, and minced 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 ounce Parmesan, grated (1/2 cup), plus extra for serving Combine 2 tablespoons garlic and oil in an 8-inch nonstick skillet. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until garlic is pale golden brown, 9 to 12 minutes. Off heat, stir in pepper flakes; set aside. Bring 2 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 2 teaspoons salt and cook, stirring frequently, until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot. Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon garlic, capers, currants, anchovies, lemon juice, Parmesan, reserved garlic-oil mixture, and reserved cooking water. Stir until pasta is well coated with oil and no water remains in bottom of pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, passing extra Parmesan separately. The key to a flavor-packed spaghetti made from pantry ingredients is making the most of the garlic. We mince our garlic to make sure that all of it cooks at the same rate. Toasting the garlic over low heat in 1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil ensures that it cooks to a pale golden brown. Any darker and its flavor goes from delicately buttery and sweet to bitter and harsh. We cook our spaghetti in just 2 quarts of salted water in order to ensure that the pasta cooking liquid is loaded with starch. We reserve a portion of this liquid and add it to the spaghetti along with the oil. The starch helps the oil cling to the pasta and gives the dish a perfect — not greasy — texture. Adding 1/2 teaspoon of raw minced garlic near the end of cooking helps to balance garlic’s dual attributes — the buttery sweetness of toasted garlic and the fire of raw garlic. Garlicky Spaghetti with Capers and Currants
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Maximum 3 Listings Per Person. MISC 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 SONY REEL TO REEL TAPE DECKS! TC-630 & TC-580 $200 OBO FOR BOTH. CALL KENT 262- 9 6 0 - 0 6 2 1 [email protected] MEDLINE WHEELCHAIR. BARELY USED. ASKING $100 OR BEST OFFER. SERIOUS INQUIRIES ONLY. IN KENOSHA AND CALL OR TEXT 808-359-8474. 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 V.F.W. VINTAGE BANNER VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS BANNER WITH LOGO, PROFESSIONALLY FRAMED UNDER GLASS. VERY LARGE & IN GREAT CONDITION. $175. LEAVE MESSAGE IF NO ANSWER. 262-914-4767 VIPER GOLF CLUBS, GREAT SECOND SET $100 OBO PLEASE CALL 262-960-0627 COMPOUND MITER SAW 10" $50 OBO PLEASE CALL 262-960-0627 SEARS RADIAL ARM SAW $50 OBO PLEASE CALL 262-960-0627 CIRCLULAR SAW BLADE 32" DIAMETER $60 OBO 262-654-6485 QUILTS, HANDMADE. FIVE, VARIOUS COLORS TO CHOOSE FROM. $54.00 EACH. PHONE 262-657-6049. SELLING MANY DVDS AND VHS TAPES OF VARIOUS GENRES. MAKE ME AN OFFER ON EACH OR THE TOTAL NUMBER YOU PURCHASE. 808-359-8474 A WICKER, WOODEN OAK BENCH WITH REMOVABLE CUSHION. MAKE ME AN OFFER; CAN TEXT PHOTOS. 808-359-8474 JASON/EMPIRE MODEL 218 7X35 BINOCULARS. FIELD 358 FT AT 1000 YDS. FULLYCOATED OPTICS, & CASE. NEVER USED. 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STREET PAVER BRICKS wanted Please call 262.697.3545 and leave a message. 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. 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. 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In Kenosha. 808-359-8474. 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: 2 6 2 - 4 8 4 - 4 8 4 8 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 2012 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN SEE IN KENOSHA AT 4121-7TH. AVE. 53140 RUSS 262-237-1343 CALL OR TEXT NICE CAR AT A NICE PRICE $5450 174K MILES 2016 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY $6950 184K MILES SEE IN KENOSHA AT 4121-7TH. AVE. 53140 RUSS 262-237-1343 CALL OR TEXT NICE VAN AT A NICE PRICE. 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 MONDAY, JULY 10, 2023 AT 12 NOON FREE CLASSIFIEDS! Employment/Opportunities • Lost & Found • Miscellaneous Real Estate • Rentals • Rummage Sales • Vehicles • Wanted
24 SMART READER June 29, 2023 FOR ADVERTISING RATES CALL 262-564-8800 July 21st • 7:30 PM LITTLE MERMEN Get Tickets At SR 060123 Senior Citizens Receive a 10% DISCOUNT SR121720 061523 AFFORDABLE INVESTMENT MADE EASY! AFFORDABLE INVESTMENT MADE EASY! Ask about our investment loan program that allows you to use 100% rental income to qualify. Great for owner occupied first-time buyers or investors. 2135 - 31st St. • 658-8450 • derangoskenosha.com DeRango’s RESTAURANT & SPORTS BAR Celebrate Summer! Su mer! Sum er! Summ r! Summer! Summer! Celebrate Enjoy our new outdoor patio grill / ice cream shop! Ice Cream Malts / Shakes Sundaes Buy One Get One FREE LARGE SUNDAE When you present this coupon. Valid through 8/31/23. One coupon per person. Not valid with any other offer. LARGE SUNDAE FREE Pint Of Ice Cream With Any $20 Purchase Pint Of Ice Cream With Any $20 Purchase Brats Custard SF2023 Hot Dogs Polish Sausage Italian Sausage When you present this coupon. Valid through 8/31/23. One coupon per person. Not valid with any other offer. 061523