Vol. 22: #7 • Classic Rock • (2-8-2026) Tidbits of Coachella Valley by Tidbits of Coachella Valley

TIDBITS WITH THE ROCKS CLASSICS

by Kathy Wolfe

If youʼre a classic rock lover as lots of folks are, you likely remember this style of music as its own genre featuring guitar-driven rock from the mid-1960s to the late ʼ80s and early ʼ90s. This week Tidbits takes you down memory lane for a closer look at some of the key artists who made musical history with their unique styles, and a few inside stories about them you probably never knew.

LED ZEPPELIN

• In 1966, guitarist Jimmy Page joined The Yardbirds, whose guitarists had included Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck. Two years later, when The Yardbirds disbanded, Page formed a new band he dubbed The New Yardbirds. But that name didn’t last long, only a few weeks, before the name was changed to Led Zeppelin.The name was inspired by a “lead balloon” joke, but spelled as “Led,” as Page thought Americans might pronounce it as “Leed.”

• He was joined by Robert Plant, John Paul Jones,

TRIV

(Answers on page 16)

1. GAMES: What color is Sonic the Hedgehog in the video game?

2. GEOGRAPHY: What is the former name of the U.S. Virgin Islands?

3. MOVIES: What are the colors of the striped sweater Freddy Krueger wears in “A Nightmare on Elm Street”?

4. MEDICAL TERMS: What is a more common name for pneumothorax?

5. HISTORY: By which name is Martha Jane Canary more commonly known?

6. TELEVISION: What is Hawkeye Pierce’s real first name in the “M*A*S*H” series?

7. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What is a group of larks called?

8. AD SLOGANS: Which car company uses the ad slogan “Driven by passion”?

9. MYTHOLOGY: What is the head of the Egyptian god of death, Anubis?

10. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: What is the currency of Japan?

Classic Games & Toys

Although the Big Wheel bike is probably the Marx Toy Company’s most well-known contribution to the world of fun and games, the company was around for 50 years before they introduced that low-riding tricycle. Follow along as Tidbits rolls out the facts on this toy manufacturer.

• Brothers Louis and David Marx founded their toy company in New York City in 1919, committed to giving their customers quality toys for an affordable price. Their toy products were remarkably successful, and by 1922, both of them had reached the status of millionaires.

• The company placed their products in mail-order catalogues and in department stores like Sears, Penney’s, Spiegel, and Montgomery Ward. Their early playthings were tin toys, toy soldiers, and train sets. The addition of yo-yos during the 1920s brought sales of over 100 million toys.

• By the late 1930s, the Marx Toy Company had assets of upwards of $3.2 million, about $73 million in today’s dollars. Sales in 1941 were $20 million, and Louis Marx was declared the nations “Toy King.”

• Metal dollhouses furnished with plastic furniture along with metal service stations added to the company’s success. During the 1960s, with the threat of the Cold War, a dollhouse was offered that included a bomb shelter. Children’s typewriters also added to their increasing sales base.

Using the FSM neurotherapy protocols as used at Walter Reed & Cleveland Clinic.

• Marx’s 1950s train sets included small four-inch tin cars with a wind-up or electric engine. Plastic 1950s cars including Volkswagen, Jaguar, Ford, Chevrolet, Studebaker, and a GMC van, were marketed as accessories for the company’s metal gas station sets and rail station toys.

Revolutionary War, Robin Hood, the Battle of the Little Big Horn, Fort Apache, and Ben Hur, along with sets for circuses, farms, and construction sites.

• By the 1950s, Marx was the world’s largest toy manufacturer, and in 1955, experienced $50 million sales in that year alone.

• The Space Race introduced new offerings from Marx – Cape Canaveral, Moon Base, Rex Mars, rockets, launching pads, astronauts and other space-themed sets.

• The year 1964 brought another Marx Toy Company success, Rock ‘em, Sock ‘em Robots, a set of two dueling robot boxers, Red Rocker and Blue Bomber. With mechanical controls, players aim to knock the opposing robot’s head up and off the shoulders. According to the toy’s box, the “rollicking Red Rocker from Soltarus II” weighs 375 lbs., while the “beautiful Blue Bomber, pride of Umgluck,” weighs in at 382 lbs.

• The Robots were seen in several movies including 1995’s “Toy Story 2,” 2002’s “The Santa Clause 2,” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” in 2005. An original Robots playset in its original box can fetch as much as $300 today.

• Marx debuted the Big Wheel in 1969, a low-cost, low-riding, durable plastic tricycle with a large front wheel and shallow seat. Every smallfry kid wanted one, and it was deemed safer than a traditional bike or trike, with minimal tip-overs and falls.

• The Marx company was sold to the Quaker Oats Company in 1972 for $54 million (about $410 million in today’s money). However, Quaker executives failed to get on the electronic toys bandwagon. This fatal mistake ultimately led to the closure of two of the Marx plants, followed by a sale to another conglomerate.

So you can SLEEP through the night again

• Sadly, the final Marx factory closed permanently in 1979, and with its parent company filing for bankruptcy, the Marx brand disappeared forever. Marx toys are now highly collectable, particularly vintage tin litho wind-ups, playsets, and plastic figures from the 1920s to the 1960s. 

• In the 1950s and '60s, Marx introduced several boxed playsets based on popular television shows, such as “Gunsmoke,” “Wagon Train,” “The Rifleman,” and “The Lone Ranger.” Historical playsets depicted Davy Crockett, the

The Danish West Indies.

Classics (from page one)

and John Bonham. The band recorded their debut album in an amazing 36 hours. The cover photo was based on the image of the German zeppelin, the Hindenburg, bursting into flames during its 1937 landing in Lakehurst, New Jersey. Released in January 1969, the album achieved gold certification that July.

• Led Zeppelin disbanded in 1980 following the untimely death of their drummer John Bonham. Although the group sold 111 million records in the U.S. alone, they never achieved a Number 1 single. The highest spot they reached on the Billboard Hot 100 was #4, with “Whole Lotta Love,” although their second LP stayed on the charts for 117 weeks

• The first time that Led Zeppelin performed “Stairway to Heaven” was at a 1971 concert in Belfast, Ireland. The final time was at a Berlin, Germany concert in July 1980, also the last time Led Zeppelin performed as the full band.

THREE DOG NIGHT

• Initially known under the name of Redwood, the band Three Dog Night made their official debut under their new name in 1968 at West Hollywood’s famous nightclub Whiskey-A-GoGo on Sunset Boulevard.

• From 1969 to 1974, the band released at least one Top 40 single every three months, 21 in all, a nearly-six-year run, including “One,” “Mama Told Me Not To Come,” “Joy to the World,” “Shambala,” “Never Been to Spain,” and “Black and White.” Three Dog Night has 12 Gold albums. Since the group’s beginnings in 1967, 27 different musicians have played in the band.

PINK FLOYD

• Three of the four founding members of the British rock band Pink Floyd met in 1963 at

London Polytechnic where all were studying architecture. Because the fourth member was a fan of two American blues singers, South Carolina’s Pink Anderson and North Carolina’s Floyd Council, the name of Pink Floyd was born.

• The band’s most successful album was 1973’s “Dark Side of the Moon,” which remained in Billboard’s Top 200 for 591 consecutive weeks. Their final album, “The Endless River,” was released in 2014 as a tribute to their keyboardist, who had died in 2008. The album features primarily instrumental music from their previous works.

• Pink Floyd’s most successful single was 1979’s “Another Brick in the Wall,” a protest song against rigid school policies and schools’ corporal punishment practices. The song featured a children’s choir singing “We don’t need no education.” In 2004, those children filed a lawsuit against the band, demanding to get paid, a legal grievance that was denied in court.

THE GUESS WHO

• Canadian musician Burton Cummings became a member of The Guess Who in 1966, joining founding member Randy Bachman. In 1970, the band released “American Woman,” co-written by Cummings and Bachman, a song that topped the charts in both Canada and the U.S. Other hits included “Undun,” “These Eyes,” “No Sugar Tonight,” “No Time,” and “Laughing.”

• At the height of the Guess Who’s popularity, Bachman left the band to form Bachman-Turner Overdrive, often known as BTO, with his two brothers Robbie and Tim and friend Fred Turner. BTO’s first Top 40 hit in the U.S. was “Let It Ride” in 1974, but they had already experienced enormous success with “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet” and “Takin’ Care of Business.”

DEEP PURPLE

• The British band Deep Purple was in Montreux, Switzerland in December 1971, preparing to record their album “Machine Head” on the morning following a Frank Zappa concert in the same theater. As crowd enthusiasm peaked during Zappa’s performance, a drunken spectator fired a flare gun at the ceiling, immediately starting an out of control fire that completely engulfed and destroyed the entire venue.

• After the Deep Purple members had fled to safety, they all watched the smoke spreading over Lake Geneva as they watched through a window in a nearby coffee shop. It was at that point that the idea came for the megahit “Smoke

on the Water.” The opening lyrics are, “We all came out to Montreux, on the Lake Geneva shoreline.” The line in Verse 2, “Swiss time was running out” was a reference to the fact that the band members’ visas were about to expire in a few days. Frank Zappa and his band are mentioned in the first verse, as the song narrates the evening’s events.

• An alternate recording venue was found, the Grand Hotel de Territet, and most of the album was soon recorded within a few weeks, all

1. What singer had the 1975 hit "Baby, I Love Your Way"?

2. What is the name of the band referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston"?

Led Zepplin had their own custom-made airplane named "The Starship," which contained a video library, keyboard organ, shower room, and a bar. In addition to their own touring use, the band leased the plane out to other bands -- Deep Purple, Peter Frampton, and the Rolling Stones, among others, at $2,500 per flight hour.

By Lucie Winborne

* Actor Paul Newman once said he was tired of people asking him to remove his sunglasses so they could see his famous blue eyes, confessing that his stock response was, “I would take off my sunglasses, madam, but my pants would fall down.”

* Six million pounds of space dust settle on Earth every year.

* The Bahamas once boasted an undersea post office, Sea Floor Bahamas, established in 1939, which allowed mail to be posted with a unique “Sea Floor” postmark, which became a hit with stamp collectors until the office closed in 1942.

* Many birds’ feathers weigh more than their bones.

* A hill in New Zealand is named Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu.

* Astronauts on Mars won’t just make plans based on temperature, but will also need to consider tau, the level of particulate matter in the atmosphere. High tau levels will block sunlight to solarpowered rovers.

* A coyote can hear a mouse moving under a foot of snow.

* The 1967 Outer Space Treaty forbids any nation from trying to own the moon.

* “Beauty and the Beast” was the first animated film to be nominated for Best Picture. It lost to “The Silence of the Lambs.”

* Wisconsin is known as the Badger State because the area’s lead miners used to spend winters in tunnels burrowed into hills -- like badgers.

* Honey hunters in Mozambique use special calls to recruit the services of birds known as honeyguides, which lead the hunters to bees’ nests.

***

by Mary Hunt

How to Deep-Clean a Coffee Maker

weeks for maintenance, you can confidently use just 1 tablespoon of citric acid. What will really determine how often you clean your coffee maker will be your type of water and how often you brew.

Everyday CHEAPSKATE

Performing a deep clean on a coffee maker is important to extend its useful life and ensure you’re brewing the freshest and besttasting coffee possible.

by Mary Hunt

A buildup of hard water scale and rancid coffee oils in a coffee maker is to be expected. Allowing that buildup to remain (and multiply) can be very hard on the machine and make the coffee that comes from it turn stinky.

Plain white vinegar is the most common method for cleaning a coffee pot or automatic coffee maker. And if you’ve been doing it this way, you may have discovered how vinegar comes with its own problems. A far better choice for this job is citric acid.

WHY CITRIC ACID?

It takes an entire carafe full of vinegar to do a good job of descaling. Then, vinegar gives off a pretty nasty, strong aftersmell when heated. Because vinegar is not easily rinsed out, it takes many pots of water through that coffeemaker to get rid of the vinegary smell and the taste. Failure to rinse and re-rinse can result in the most foultasting coffee.

Citric acid, on the other hand, is odorfree. It requires only a small amount to get the job done. It’s cheaper, better and faster to use citric acid to clean an automatic coffee maker.

To effectively descale your coffee maker, you will use about 2 tablespoons of citric acid powder. This is a fairly constant measurement and works for almost any size coffee maker, resulting in about 20% citric acid solution.

STEP NO. 1:

Wash the removable parts of the coffee maker -- the brew basket, the carafe and possibly the water reservoir if it is detachable. Wash well with dishwashing liquid, and then rinse well under hot water. Replace it all back in the coffee maker.

STEP NO. 2:

Fill the carafe or reservoir with water, just as you do to make a full pot of coffee.

STEP NO. 3:

Add 2 tablespoons of citric acid to the water reservoir or the carafe, stirring to dissolve. Close the water reservoir or pour and turn on the coffee maker for a clean cycle (or the longest/ largest if your maker does not have a clean cycle option).

STEP NO. 4:

Allow to brew until complete and the reservoir is empty. Pour out the water that has been collected in the carafe. Fill the water reservoir with clean water, this time without citric acid. This is a rinse cycle to remove any excess citric acid. Set to brew once again using the clean cycle, or as above.

STEP NO. 5:

Let the coffee maker run one more wateronly cycle. Once it’s done, your coffee maker is clean again and ready to make delicious coffee. When you perform a clean every four

If you have hard water, you will have to clean more often than someone with water that is not hard because your coffee maker will be prone to developing scales faster. Check the user manual for the manufacturer’s guidelines. If you brew more often than once a day, there is a good likelihood that your coffee maker will need to be descaled more often. It’s best to clean once every 60 days at the very least. In conclusion, citric acid is a good choice for descaling your coffee maker. It is cheap and readily available. Citric acid is natural (from citrus fruit) and doesn’t give off any strong smell, which is a big turnoff when using vinegar. Citric acid works just as effectively as vinegar, too. The process of cleaning is the same as the brewing process. Just add the citric acid without the coffee grounds. Your coffee maker will be good as new, turning out the best coffee possible. *

Mary invites you to visit her at EverydayCheapskate.com, where this column is archived complete with links and resources for all recommended products and services. Mary invites questions and comments at https://www.everydaycheapskate. com/contact/, “Ask Mary.” This column will answer questions of general interest, but letters cannot be answered individually. Mary Hunt is the founder of EverydayCheapskate.com, a frugal living blog, and the author of the book “Debt-Proof Living.”

THE ROLLING STONES

• Before they were famous, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were childhood friends in elementary school beginning in 1950. The pair teamed up to form The Rolling Stones in 1962 in London, although that wasn’t their original name. They were first The Blue Boys, followed by The Rollin’ Stones, named for bluesman Muddy Waters’ 1950 single. At their initial gig in 1962, they were billed as The Rollin’ Stones, but changed to their current name shortly afterward.

• Their debut album was released in 1964, followed by their first international #1 hit “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction,” released in the summer of 1965. Jagger and Richards have written most the Stones’ songs, including 1969’s “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” 1971’s popular ballad “Wild Horses,” and the 1973 global hit “Angie.”

• Although Keith Richards is frequently portrayed as “older than dirt,” Mick Jagger is actually older, with Jagger’s 82 years to Richards’ 81. The Stone’s “One Last Ride” 2026 farewell tour, scheduled to appear in 40 cities spanning five continents was called off in November 2025.

GRAND FUNK RAILROAD

• Grand Funk Railroad, the band that brought us “We’re an American Band,” “Some Kind of Wonderful,” and “I’m Your Captain,” started out in a Flint, Michigan garage in 1969 as a trio. Their manager named them after a wellknown Michigan rail line, Grand Trunk Western Railroad.

• They were the first U.S. rock band to have 10 platinum discs in a row. A Detroit concert at a 30,000-seat venue sold out in just two hours, 15 minutes, a venue it had taken The Rolling Stones five weeks to sell out, and the Beatles two days. When Grand Funk played at New York City’s Shea Stadium in 1971, 55,000 seats sold out in 72 hours.

PEARL JAM

• You’ve probably never heard of the band Mookie Blaylock, their first name when they formed in Seattle in 1990. Before that the group was known as Mother Love Bone, but disbanded after the death of their lead singer.

• In March of 1991, the band became Pearl Jam, with their live debut in August of that year at Seattle’s Mural Amphitheatre, a free concert that brought in 4,000 fans. Four days later, Pearl Jam released their first album, “Ten.” The album was such a success, it stayed on the Billboard chart for nearly five years, achieving 13X Platinum status in the U.S.

• Their second album in 1993 set a record for most copies sold in the first week of release with sales topping 950,000, and their third album was the second-fastest CD in history for first week sales.

FOREIGNER

• The members of the band Foreigner settled on their name easily because three of the members were British and three were American, so that half of the members would be “foreigners” when performing in their home countries. The group formed in New York City in 1976 and released their first album in 1977, one that contained the top singles “Feels Like the First Time” and “Cold as Ice.” Their second album included

“Hot Blooded” and “Double Vision.” Their first six albums were all certified multi-platinum.

• Foreigner’s greatest hit is “I Want to Know What Love Is,” listed on “Rolling Stone Magazine’s” list of the greatest songs of all time. “Waiting for a Girl Like You” was #2 on the charts for 14 weeks.

"THE 27 CLUB"

• This isn’t a cool club where youʼd want to have your name listed as a member. Rather, itʼs named as such because it consists of a list of young musicians who met an early death, all at age 27. There were four between 1969 and 1971, beginning with Rolling Stones’ guitarist Brian Jones, who drowned. Jimi Hendrix died in September 1970, followed closely by Janis Joplin

in October, both drug-related deaths. The Doors’ Jim Morrison passed in July 1971, reportedly from heart failure. The “club” was “revived” in 1994 with the death of Kurt Cobain, and again in 2011 when Amy Winehouse died at 27. 

by Dana Jackson

Q: I watch reruns of the old TV series “Castle” on the Lifetime Channel. I know that the actor who plays Castle, Nathan Fillion, is also in “The Rookie,” but what happened to the actress who played Kate Beckett? Has she retired from acting? -- M.D.

A: ”Castle” was a detective-dramedy series that aired on ABC from 2009-2016 and starred Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic. Fillion went on to star in another ABC series called “The Rookie,” which is currently in its eighth season. Last year, he also appeared as the Green Lantern in both the blockbuster hit movie “Superman” and the HBO series “Peacemaker.”

Katic’s career is still going strong, but she’s starring in projects that have less of a profile. Most notably, she starred in the Amazon series

1. Mercy (PG-13) Chris Pratt, Rebecca Ferguson

2. Avatar: Fire and Ash (PG-13) Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana

3. Zootopia 2 (PG) Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman

4. The Housemaid (R) Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried

5. Marty Supreme (R) Timothée Chalamet, Gwyneth Paltrow

6. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (R) Jack O’Connell, Alfie Williams

7. Return to Silent Hill (R) Jeremy Irvine, Hannah Emily Anderson

8. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (PG-13) Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen

9. Hamnet (PG-13) Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal

10. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (PG-13) Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen

“Absentia,” where she played an FBI agent who was once declared dead but returns to find herself as the prime suspect in a murder. The mysterythriller ran for three seasons before concluding in 2020, but you can find the entire series on Netflix now.

Katic will star in a series that is currently in development called “Entangled,” which is about married CIA agents. But it hasn’t started filming, nor has it found a network or a streamer to pick it up once it’s been completed.

Q: When is the Nicole Kidman series coming out that is supposed to be based on the Patricia Cornwell mysteries? Where will it air? -- D.N.

A: ”Scarpetta,” starring Nicole Kidman as a forensic pathologist, will debut on Amazon Prime Video beginning March 11. Dr. Kay Scarpetta is the protagonist in almost 30 bestselling novels by Patricia Cornwell. As if the new series based on the books didn’t have enough star power with Kidman as the lead, it will also star another Oscar winner -- Jamie Lee Curtis -- as Kay’s sister.

Q: Who is the actress with the curly hair in the new Peacock series “Ponies”? I know one of the main actresses was in “Game of Thrones,” but I don’t recognize the other one. I love the show, though. -- F.N.

A: Yes, that’s Emilia Clarke who you recognized; she played Daenerys Targaryen in the epic series “Game of Thrones.” But her co-star in

“Ponies” is also worthy of recognition. Haley Lu Richardson is probably best known for her role as Portia, who was Jennifer Coolidge’s character’s assistant in season two of “The White Lotus” -- a show where, as a cast member, you’re almost guaranteed an Emmy nomination. While she didn’t get an Emmy nod, she did win an Actor Award for being a part of the ensemble cast of “The White Lotus” in 2023.

Back in 2019, she starred opposite Cole Sprouse (“Riverdale”) in the coming-of-age film “Five Feet Apart,” which was directed by Justin Baldoni (“It Ends with Us”). While a second season for “Ponies” hasn’t been announced yet, the show’s creators have high expectations that it will have more stories planned for the fun ‘70s Russian spy series. * * *

Send me your questions at NewCelebrityExtra@gmail.com.

2026 King Features Synd., Inc.

Courtesy of Amazon Prime Video

Stana Katic in “Absentia”

Good Recipes from

Pasta e Piselli

Our fastest soup -- just 10 minutes to prepare, 15 minutes to cook. Cousin to the Italian favorite Pasta e Fagioli (pasta and beans), this is made with peas instead. Dust with freshly grated Parmesan for an irresistible touch.

2 cups (about 8 ounces) mixed pasta shapes or elbow macaroni

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, crushed with side of chef’s knife

2 cans (14 1/2-ounce) chicken broth, or 3 1/2 cups homemade chicken broth

1 can (14 1/2-ounce) diced tomatoes

1/4 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped

1 package (10-ounce) frozen peas, thawed

Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Cook pasta as label directs in boiling salted water; drain.

2. Meanwhile, in 4-quart saucepan or saucepot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic; cook until golden, about 5 minutes.

3. Remove saucepan from heat. Then, carefully add chicken broth, tomatoes with their juice, basil and 1/2 cup water. Return to heat; heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 5 minutes; discard garlic.

4. Add peas and pasta; heat through. Serve soup with grated Parmesan cheese if you like. Serves 5.

 Each serving: About 290 calories, 7g total fat (1g saturated), 8mg cholesterol, 705 mg sodium, 46g carb., 11g protein.

Spiced Apple Pancake

For the puffiest pancake, use a cast-iron skillet. If you don’t have one, choose a heavy 12-inch skillet with a bottom that is at least 10 inches in diameter and has an oven-safe handle.

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

2 tablespoons water

1/2 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 pounds (3 to 4 medium) Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 8 wedges

3 large eggs

3/4 cup milk

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Heat oven to 450 F. In 12-inch castiron skillet, heat butter, water and 1/2 cup sugar over medium-high heat to boiling. Add apple wedges; cook 12 to 15 minutes or until apples are golden and sugar mixture begins to caramelize, stirring occasionally.

2. Meanwhile, in blender or food processor with knife blade attached, place eggs, milk, flour, pumpkin pie spice, salt and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, adding liquid ingredients to blender first. Blend until batter is smooth.

3. When apple mixture in skillet is deep golden, pour batter over apples. Place skillet in

oven; bake 15 to 17 minutes or until puffed and lightly browned. Serve immediately. Makes 8 servings.

 Each serving: About 210 calories, 6g total fat (3g saturated), 140mg sodium, 36g total carbohydrate, 2g dietary fiber, 5g protein.

NEXT WEEK in

FRENCH CONNECTION A FEW CHOICE WORDS ABOUT

Dog Talk with Uncle Matty

By Matthew Margolis

Holidays & Observances This Week Toodle-oo

2/8

2/9

2/10

2/11

2/12

Portrait of a marriage in crisis:

“Toodle is a sweet and loving dog that we adopted from the SPCA when he was very young. He’s infatuated with my wife, who spoils the heck out of him. But he has one major problem: Barking.

“He barks when he hears other dogs bark. He barks at the music in ‘Law and Order.’ He barks at commercials and TV programs that include a bell, ring tone or elevator ding, as well as Vonage commercials and certain music bridges that are a part of KCRA Channel 3 news programming. He barks in the middle of the night -- sometimes at nothing! He’ll go off at 1, 2, 3 in the morning.

“I’ve moved out of the bedroom. My wife will do nothing about it. She screams at him to shut up, which only causes more disturbing noise that accomplishes nothing. She seldom if ever insists Toodle sleep in his condo, which we keep in the living room. Instead, Toodle sleeps with us in the bed every night, which I’m not necessarily in favor of all the time.

“When my wife goes to work, he quiets down -- still barks, but not as much. The only solution we’ve tried is putting him in his dog cage, which we keep inside the house. That pretty much calms him down. Toodle is a very smart dog -- or could be with some proper training. And my wife would love him even more if he were responsive to our commands.

“One other thing: When we have guests over, he has a humping problem when they first arrive. After he’s been disciplined he stops ... but we still have to watch him.” ***

By and large, people don’t realize until it’s too late what their actions say.

Wife’s actions: “I prefer the dog.”

Husband’s actions: “I’ll be in the guest room if anyone cares.”

Dog’s actions: “Call me boss or don’t call me at all.”

While Toodle clearly needs training, it’s also true that a little marriage counseling might be in order: Hubby’s moved out of the bedroom. His wife would rather sleep with a dog that won’t shut up. They can only watch TV on mute. Meanwhile, Toodle has his choice of sleeping quarters that includes a luxury condo in the living room or the side

SENIOR NEWS LINE

by Matilda Charles © King Features Synd., Inc.

Courses on AARP

Are you a member of AARP? Even with the recent price increase (from $15 to $20 per year), there is still a lot to recommend it.

The AARP Skills Builder for Work section is a valuable benefit, even if we’re not still working, because the skills can be helpful to us now for our cognitive health, memory and task focusing. To develop the courses, AARP has partnered with MindEdge Learning, an online company that provides professional development and higher education classes. MindEdge was created by Harvard and MIT for interactive, self-paced learning. There are even credits and certificates for completion.

It was the Communication section of the MindEdge website that caught my eye, and I zeroed in on Advanced Grammar. The MindEdge Studio section looks fun as well, with an introduction to drawing course. Start by looking at AARP’s Skills Builder page (www.aarp.org/ work/skills-builder), or see mindedge.com/

Lilly: Palm Beach’s Designer

At a simple glance, Lilly Pulitzer, one of Palm Beach’s fondest progeny, turned her irreverent barefoot style and colorful prints into a trend that has translated into a casual elegance in both fashion and home design.

A young Lilly set out to help her husband, Peter Pulitzer’s, orange grove business. First, she delivered fruit through the back door to the tony estates she would often frequent for parties, and later, she opened a Worth Avenue juice and gift shop that would change her life forever. Lilly probably would agree that “necessity is the mother of invention.” Her charm and chutzpah eventually gave birth to the simple A-shaped dress that would become known worldwide as the “Lilly.”

The original fabrics for her “nothing dresses” came from stores that sold notions, such as Woolworths, and were selected because of their ability to conceal the stains from juicing oranges. By the time her first bunch sold out, Lilly recognized that she could make the shifts better by lining them, which meant they could be worn sans underwear in the heat of South Florida. Later, her design sensibility led to embellishments such as trim and ribbons, which made them more of a fashion statement to her WASP audience. Eventually, Lilly started to design and have her own fabric printed in Key West. Her designs were a crazy mix of zebras, hibiscus, fruits and palm trees all in sherbet-like colors and with just the right amount of white to show off one’s tan.

course-catalog for the available courses. There’s more to AARP’s course offerings, however. Put “courses” in the search box of the main site (www.aarp.org). Right at the top of the page are courses for defensive driving for older drivers and the online smart driver course. (Ask your insurance agent if this course could get you a discount on your insurance premium. A lot of them do.) Use the dropdown menu to narrow your selections.

If what you really want is online games, AARP has those, too. Remember FreeCell Solitaire, the game that came installed on the first computer we ever owned? It’s on the AARP games page. (There is also Classic Solitaire for the purists among us.)

The Games Center has arcade games, daily crossword, word games and a special section for members only. If you want a real mindstretcher, look for the 10 x 10 game.

To save on the cost of an AARP membership, consider signing up for three years for $55, which saves you a few dollars.

Matilda Charles regrets that she cannot personally answer reader questions, but will incorporate them into her column whenever possible. Send email to columnreply2@gmail.com.

In the latest Lilly biography, “Lilly: Palm Beach, Tropical Glamour and the Birth of a Fashion Legend”, author Kathryn Livingston researches and interviews many of Lilly’s acquaintances for the foundation of her book. In following the rise of Lilly from debutante to entrepreneur, she discovers that behind the effervescent and charming young woman was a savvy designer and tastemaker. Her shop and her home were a mix of the sublime and casual set in a jungle of color and fantasy. Although shy, she understood doing business with a smile. Lilly eventually expanded her enterprise into a $15,000,000-a-year business with nearly 30 stores throughout Florida and other handpicked chi-chi destinations.

More than just a business, what Lilly had unknowingly spawned was a lifestyle brand, a business model that has been copied by the likes of Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and almost every other

of the bed formerly occupied by hubby!

Pardon my exasperation.

The recipe for turning this mess into something they can all swallow: a pound of marriage counseling, a dollop of training and a sprinkling of rules, priorities and boundaries.

Toodle should be spending nights in his condo, starting yesterday. Fill it with soft blankets and favorite chew toys and teach him to retreat to it on command. If he resists, stand firm. Toodle’s condo isn’t a prison or a punishment, but he doesn’t get a say in when and whether to retire.

Other changes this couple could easily and immediately implement to curb Toodle’s problem behaviors:

-- When home, use a baby gate to confine Toodle in an area of the house where he can be seen and quickly reached to correct problem behaviors -- i.e., using a shake can or squirt bottle to startle him out of a barking spell -- rather than yelling “shut up,” which translates to “bark louder” in Toodle’s world.

-- When not home, leave Toodle in a comfortable crate with good visibility or confine him to a small area of the house. This is a necessary element of training and will help to establish an appropriate hierarchy and keep him safe.

Basic dog training could transform this household. And it sure beats saying toodle-oo to the marriage. But I’ll leave that bit to Dr. Phil. Woof!

Dog trainer Matthew “Uncle Matty” Margolis is the co-author of 18 books about dogs, a behaviorist, a popular radio and television guest, and the host of the PBS series “WOOF! It’s a Dog’s Life!” Read all of Uncle Matty’s columns at www.creators.com, and visit him at www.unclematty.com.

and greens all the rage during the 1970s, a design punch that continues today.

Much deserved attention has been paid recently to Lilly’s impact on the home-furnishing and textile industries. Kravet licensed Lilly’s fab rics to celebrate the designer in honor of her 80th birthday.

Joseph Pubillones is the owner of Joseph Pu billones Interiors, an award-winning interior design firm based in Palm Beach, Florida. To find out more about Joseph Pubillones, or to read features by other Cre ators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Cre ators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY

by Tom Margenau

Your Friends and Neighbors Are Wrong!

Here is a bit of advice from a guy who gives Social Security advice for a living. Don’t take any advice from your friends or neighbors about Social Security. It’s always wrong!

OK, it’s not always wrong. But I’ve learned from many thousands of readers over the years that it’s wrong often enough to make it wise to heed my warning: When it comes to Social Security, don’t listen to your friends and neighbors. I’ll share examples of what I mean in today’s column.

Q: I get my Social Security check on the fourth Wednesday of each month. My wife gets hers on the second Wednesday of each month. And I thought that’s the way things work. Social Security checks come out on various Wednesdays. But I have a neighbor who insists he gets his checks on the seventeenth of each month. Why is that?

A: It isn’t like that. Your friend does not get his Social Security check on the seventeenth of each month. I’m not sure why he would say that. But it really doesn’t matter. He’s just wrong. For about the first 50 years of the program, Social Security checks always came out on the third of each month. But about 40 years ago, for a variety of reasons, Social Security officials decided to stagger the delivery date of checks based on a person’s day of birth. People born on the first through tenth day of each month would get their checks on the second Wednesday of each month. Those born on the eleventh through twentieth would get their benefits on the third Wednesday of each month. And people born on the twenty-first

1. The book of Habakkuk is found in the: a) Old Testament b) New testament c) Neither

2. From Revelation 2, what city was said by John to have "Satan's seat"? a) Pergamos b) Miletus c) Patara d) Sodom

3. Whose first chapter begins, "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners..."? a) Acts b) Galatians c) Hebrews d) Jude

4. From Acts 13, where were Paul and Barnabas deserted by Mark? a) Rome b) Perga c) Athens d) Damascus

5. What were Gihon, Pishon, Tigris, and Euphrates in relation to the Garden of Eden? a) Cities b) Kings c) Regions d) Rivers

6. From 1 Kings, who is given credit for writing 1,005 songs? a) David b) Jacob c) Solomon d) Jonathan

(Answers on page 16)

through the thirty-first would get their benefits on the fourth Wednesday of each month. And for reasons a little too messy to explain here, a few folks still get their benefits on the third of each month. But no one, your neighbor included, gets a benefit check routinely on the seventeenth of the month.

Q: I will be reaching my full retirement age of 66 and 10 months in April 2026. I was planning to start my benefits then. But I have a friend who is the same age as me and he insists that anyone who doesn’t wait until 70 to start their benefits is a darn fool and is throwing money away. What do you say?

A: Well, I say I must be a darn fool because I started my benefits when I was 62 years old. But I did that for a variety of reasons that I’ve explained many times in past columns and just don’t have the space to get into today.

The truth is, no one really knows when the best time is to start their benefits because no one really knows when they are going to die. For example, your friend could wait until 70 to start his benefits and then get hit by a bus two months later. Then who was the “darn fool?”

All each of us can do is consider issues such as your health, your other sources of income, your marital status and other factors and then just make the best choice you can about when to start your Social Security checks.

And by the way, many financial planners today would say you are right to start your benefits at your full retirement age.

Q: I was talking to a group of neighbors about the future of Social Security. One of them said that Congress will never take any action to fix Social Security until they are forced to pay into the program themselves. Isn’t that a good idea?

A: It’s a non-starting idea: Members of Congress, the president and all other top officials of the federal government have been paying Social Security taxes since the early 1980s.

Q: Late last year, I got a small increase in my monthly Social Security check. I wasn’t sure what that was about until several weeks later when I got a letter explaining what happened. (It was based on earnings I had the prior year that increased my benefit amount.) I was talking to a friend about this. He said the same thing happened to him a couple of years ago. He said the delay in sending letters of ex-

planation was because former President Joe Biden messed up Social Security’s computer systems and that President Donald Trump just hasn’t gotten around to fixing things yet. What do you know about this?

A: I know your friend is full of malarkey! Why do some people insist on looking for political shenanigans and conspiracies when a very simple explanation is in order?

So why does a letter of explanation come many days, or even a week or so, after a change in Social Security benefits? It’s really not a great mystery. And it’s not a political conspiracy. It’s simply that electronic fund transfers can happen almost instantaneously. Whereas a physical letter takes a while to prepare and mail.

In other words, once the Social Security Administration figures out that someone is due an increase in their benefits, they push a few buttons and a payment is on its way to the beneficiary’s bank account. And then after those buttons are pushed, someone else at the SSA has to prepare a letter explaining what happened and then that letter has to go through the SSA’s mailroom and then to the U.S. Postal Service and finally to the recipient’s mailbox.

Some readers have remarked to me that the SSA should time the delivery of the check to coincide with the delivery of the letter. I remember many years ago, while I still worked for the SSA, being involved in meetings where that issue was discussed. And SSA officials decided that it was best to get the money out to people as fast as possible (it’s their money, after all) and live with the consequences of a delayed letter of explanation. * * *

If you have a Social Security question, Tom Margenau has the answers. One is called “Social Security -- Simple and Smart: 10 Easy-to-Understand Fact Sheets That Will Answer All Your Questions About Social Security.” The other is “Social Security: 100 Myths and 100 Facts.” You can find the books at Amazon.com or other book outlets. Or you can send him an email at thomas.margenau@comcast.net.

Removing Gallbladder Didn't End Gallstones

DEAR DR. ROACH: My husband had his gallbladder removed many years ago. In the past few years, he has had six ERCPs to remove gallstones from his bile duct, as he is still making them. He has been told to drink lots of water but that there is no preventive remedy. Do you have any suggestions for how to prevent these gallstones from forming? -- B.A.P.

ANSWER: Ordinarily, removing the gallbladder stops new gallstones from forming. Having a gallstone left after surgery is not uncommon, but it is very uncommon for people to make multiple new stones years after surgery.

One possibility is a diverticulum of the common bile duct. The common bile duct drains bile from the liver and gallbladder into the small intestine; it drains pancreatic fluid, too. A diverticulum is a blind pouch. It's possible for a stone to form there, so you should find out if he has one. They should have seen it on one of the ERCPs (a special endoscopy that looks at the bile and pancreatic ducts). If present, a diverticulum can be removed surgically.

I asked my colleague at Weill Cornell, Dr. Arun Jesudian, for his expertise, and he said he has seen multiple stones in the liver due to parasitic infections, often in Asian patients. That may require surgical treatment. He also discussed doing a sphincterotomy, which is a procedure to open the end of the common bile duct, to let stones pass through easily. Your husband may benefit from expanding it.

Finally, there is a medication to reduce gallstones, ursodiol (Actigall), which Dr. Jesudian feels had no real downsides and might well help. ***

DEAR DR. ROACH: My niece recently was diagnosed with breast cancer. Radiation was recommended. Her mother said that first she'd have to boost her immune system. Is it

possible to actually do that? -- P.P.L.

ANSWER: Radiation is a common treatment after breast cancer surgery. It's done to reduce the risk of recurrence, depending on the exact type of cancer.

Boosting the immune system is a new adjunct for many types of cancer. There are several ways to do this: One is to genetically modify the patient's own immune T-cells, but many other techniques are in trials now.

However, if your niece's mother is talking about supplements, I'd be cautious. Supplements that are promoted to boost the immune system generally are ineffective at doing so. Making sure your niece has proper nutrition, gets good sleep and experiences as little stress as is manageable are ways to prevent stress on the immune system. Everyone could benefit from those deceptively simple steps, but especially a person being treated for cancer.

Dr. Roach regrets that he is unable to answer individual questions, but will incorporate them in the column whenever possible. Readers may email questions to ToYourGoodHealth@med.cornell.edu.

VETERANS POST  

by Freddie Groves

Using Your GI Bill Education Benefits

GI Bill education benefits come with several forms of help, including a monthly housing allowance (MHA). To be eligible for a full-time allowance, you need to be enrolled in a full-time slate of classes that equal 12 credits. But it’s not quite that simple.

The actual amount of money you receive for the MHA depends partially on where you live (more if the area has a high cost of living) and partially on how you attend those classes. If you’re taking all of your full-time classes online, did you know that you can increase your housing allowance by taking at least one in-person class?

That one class changes your MHA category to in-person, getting you more benefit money, nearly double the rate you would get for only attending classes online. If all of your classes are online, your monthly housing allowance will be approximately half of the national average, which is quite a deduction.

To find a school that qualifies for you to receive benefits, go to www.va.gov/education/ gi-bill-comparison-tool. Be certain your school qualifies; the January 2026 file of GI Bill Quick Facts indicates there are over 600 suspended institutions. Ask at the school about what they call “hybrid” classes, the combination of online and inperson classes, and if they’re allowed.

Many of your questions about your education benefits can be answered at www.va.gov/ education/about-gi-bill-benefits/how-to-usebenefits. When it’s time to apply, you can do that online at www.va.gov/education/how-to-apply Start at the top of the page with the eligibility information. Note the service periods: 90 days of active duty after Sept. 10, 2001, or 30 days of continuous service after that date, or if you received a Purple Heart after that date.

Be sure to look at the details for the Yellow Ribbon Program. It covers several expenses the GI Bill doesn’t, such as out-of-state or graduate school tuition.

Where there is a desire for education, there is usually a way to make it happen. Call the VA Education Call Center at 888-442-4551 for help.

* * *

Freddy Groves regrets that he cannot personally answer reader questions, but will incorporate them into his column whenever possible. Send email to columnreply2@gmail.com.

Do I Need to File a Tax Return This Year?

DEAR SAVVY SENIOR: What are the IRS income tax filing requirements for retirees this tax season? I didn’t file a tax return last year because my income was below the filing threshold, but I got a part-time job in 2025, so I’m wondering if I need to file this year. -- Semi-retired Joe

Dear Joe: Whether you need to file a federal income tax return this year depends on several factors: how much you earned in 2025, the source of your income, your age, and your filing status.

Here’s a quick guide to this year’s IRS filing thresholds. For most people, it’s straightforward: if your gross income (all taxable income, excluding Social Security benefits unless you’re married and filing separately) is below the threshold for your filing status and age, you generally do not need to file. But if it’s over, you will.

2025 IRS Federal Filing Thresholds:

Single: $15,750 ($17,750 if you’re 65 or older by Jan. 1, 2026).

Married filing jointly: $31,500 ($33,100 if one spouse is 65 or older; or $34,700 if you’re both over 65).

Married filing separately: $5 at any age. Head of household: $23,625 ($25,625 if 65 or older).

Qualifying surviving spouse: $31,500 ($33,100 if 65 or older).

For a detailed breakdown, including taxable vs. nontaxable income, you can request a free copy of the IRS “1040 and 1040-SR Instructions for Tax Year 2025” by calling 800-829-3676, or view it online at IRS.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i1040gi. pdf.

Check Here Too:

Be aware that there are other financial situations that can require you to file a tax return, even if your gross income falls below the IRS filing requirements. For example, if you earned more than $400 from self-employment in 2025, owe any taxes on an IRA, Health Savings Account or an alternative minimum tax, or get premium tax credits because you, your spouse or a dependent is enrolled in a Health Insurance Marketplace plan, you’ll need to file.

You may also need to file if you’re receiv-

ing Social Security benefits, and one-half of your benefits plus your other gross income and any tax-exempt interest exceeds $25,000, or $32,000 if you’re married and filing jointly.

To figure all this out, the IRS offers an online tax tool that asks a series of questions that will help you determine if you’re required to file, or if you should file because you’re due a refund. It takes less than 15 minutes to complete.

You can access this tool at IRS.gov/help/ ita – click on “Filing Requirements – Do I need to file a tax return?” Or you can get assistance over the phone by calling the IRS helpline at 800-8291040.

Check Your State

Even if you’re not required to file a federal tax return this year, don’t assume that you’re also excused from filing state income taxes. The rules for your state might be very different. Check with your state tax agency before assuming you’re off the hook. A complete list of state tax agencies is available at Taxadmin.org/fta-members.

Tax Prep Help

If you find that you do need to file a tax return this year, you can Free File at IRS.gov/ freefile, which is a partnership program between the IRS and tax software companies. Your 2025 adjusted gross income must be below $89,000 to qualify.

If you need some help with your tax returns, the IRS sponsored Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) program provides free tax preparation and counseling to middle and low-income taxpayers, age 60 and older. Call 800-906-9887 or visit IRS.treasury.gov/freetaxprep to locate services near you.

You can also get help through the AARP Foundation Tax-Aide service at AARP.org/findtaxhelp or call 888-227-7669. You don’t have to be an AARP member to use this service.

-- by Jim Miller

the cases. Daguerreotypes were replaced by tin types, and the demand for the thermoplastic cases faded by the late 1800s.

by Anne McCollam Creators News Service

Union Cases Designed For

Daguerreotypes

Q: This is a photo of a picture case that I have. It measures 3 3/4 inches by 3 3/4 inches and is decorated with an intricate design on the top and around the edge. Inside is a picture of a girl. I think the case is plastic and have been told there were products years ago that were plastic. The case has the words “Holmes, Booth and Hayden -- Daguerreotype, Photographic and Ambrotype Goods of Every Description.”

I would appreciate any information you can give me.

A: You have a Union Case used to display a daguerreotype plate. It is a thermoplastic case that was made by Holmes, Booth and Hayden in the 1850s. Samuel Peck introduced the process around 1853.

The process was created by heating the combination or the union of several materials that included fibrous material, wood fiber, gum shellac and color dye, thus the name “Union Case.”

Daguerreotypes were fragile and were easily scratched and damaged. Union Cases provided good protection. Although there were several makers of “Union Cases,” Holmes, Booth and Hayden were the first to develop and use a range of colors other than black or brown. The cases were hinged and latched to prevent them from flopping open.

Some collectors refer to the thermoplastic cases as being made of gutta-percha, which is a very different process and incorrect term. There is no evidence that gutta-percha was used to make

Your antique “Union Case” was made around 1853 and would probably be worth $200 to $350.

* * *

Q: I have enclosed the mark that is on the bottom of a porcelain female figurine that belonged to my great-grandmother. She stands on a gold-trimmed base and overall is about 12 inches tall. She is wearing a hat and a pastel long dress trimmed with tiny flowers. At her feet is a small dog, and she is holding a basket.

I plan to give my figurine to my granddaughter and would like to know more about the maker, vintage and value.

A: Sitzendorf Porcelain Factory made your figurine in the early 1900s. They have been located in Thuringia, Germany, since 1845. Sitzendorf Porcelain pieces are known for their high quality and workmanship. Much of their work has been inspired by early Meissen porcelain.

Your figurine would probably be worth $125 to $175.

* * *

Antiques expert and columnist Anne McCollam has recently retired and no longer receives inquiries nor answers reader letters. Due to the popularity of her column, this publication will continue to reprint previous columns of interest to our readers.

To find out more about Anne McCollam and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com

Needing

* On Feb. 9, 2022, snowboard marvel Chloe Kim made history as the first athlete to earn a gold medal in the women’s snowboard halfpipe event in two consecutive Winter Olympics. Four years earlier, she had also become the youngest winner of that event at age 17.

* On Feb. 10, 1943, duct tape was born when factory worker Vesta Stoudt, who packed WWII munitions, sent a letter to Franklin Delano Roosevelt outlining, with drawings, her idea to replace weak paper packing tape with a tougher and waterproof cloth version. The president was impressed enough to launch the suggestion into production.

* On Feb. 11, 2012, singer Whitney Houston was found dead in the bathtub of her suite at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. The cause of death was determined to be accidental drowning, with contributing factors of heart disease and cocaine.

* On Feb. 12, 1970, Joseph Searles III became the first Black member of the New York Stock Exchange, following in the footsteps of Clarence B. Jones, who three years previously was the first African American to become an allied NYSE member, but without trading floor access.

* On Feb. 13, 1861, Col. Bernard J.D. Irwin, an assistant army surgeon serving in the first major U.S.-Apache conflict, volunteered to go to the rescue of 2nd Lt. George N. Bascom, who was trapped with 60 men of the U.S. Seventh Infantry by the Chiricahua Apaches in southeastern Arizona, in what became the earliest military action to be awarded a Medal of Honor.

* On Feb. 14, 1980, playwright Lillian Hellman sued novelist and critic Mary McCarthy for libel, demanding $2.25 million in damages. The case posed the tricky question of where the legal line stands between a critic’s free speech and malicious libel.

* On Feb. 15, 1961, the entire 18 member U.S. figure skating team was killed in a plane crash in Berg-Kampenhout, Belgium, while on their way to the 1961 World Figure Skating Championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Investigators were unable to determine the exact cause of the crash, though mechanical difficulties were suspected.

Union Cases were made from early plastic processes.

Sitzendorf

Porcelain Factory has been located in Thuringia, Germany, since 1845.

Classics: (from page 3)

except for “Smoke on the Water,” which was added later. “Smoke on the Water” is on “Rolling Stone” magazine’s list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.

AEROSMITH

• Before he was Steven Tyler of Aerosmith frontman fame, he was Steven Victor Tallarico, the son of a classical pianist who taught music at a Bronx high school. At age 16, Tyler formed his own band called the Strangeurs, later renamed Chain Reaction. In 1970, Chain Reaction and another group, Jam Band, combined to form a new band, considering the names Spike Jones and Fox Chase before settling on Aerosmith.

• The band landed a record deal with Columbia Records in 1972. Their debut single was “Dream On,” a song composed years before by a teenaged Tyler on his father’s piano. The ever-popular “Walk This Way” was released in 1975. Aerosmith is one of the best-selling American hard rock bands, with sales of 150 million records worldwide, earning 25 gold, 18 platinum, and 12 multi-platinum albums.

CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL

• Four El Cerrito, California teens, including brothers John and Tom Fogerty, formed the Blue Velvets in 1959, changed the name to The Golliwogs in 1964, before settling on Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1967. Their style of music was called “Swamp Rock,” a type of Louisiana bayou music, leading listeners to believe they hailed from Louisiana.

• The band’s first hit was “Susie Q” in 1968, followed by their first Top 10 hit, one of their most famous, “Proud Mary,” in 1969. The popular “Bad Moon Rising” and “Fortunate Son” were also released in 1969, the year CCR performed in the rain and mud at Woodstock.

• Their existence was not a long one, from 1967 to 1972, but they did reunite now and then, notably in 1977 in Moscow in front of 80,000 fans when they sang all of their songs in Russian. The song “Green River” alone had upwards of 9,000 words. 

(Related story on page 5)

Give your golf-related advertising message targeted visibility in full color in this weekly 2” x 6” fixed location $159 per insertion reaches 70,000+ readers each week at the low cost of only $2.27 per 1,000 reader impressions!

Game Changers

by Jason Jenkins

One of the swing’s power leaks that I often see, particularly with a lot of adult male golfers, is a restricted release of the hands or wrists in the follow through. These players have a tightening of the left arm and hand in such a way that the club rarely makes its way behind the player’s neck. It should be considered a fundamental that the left wrist re-hinges in the follow through so that by the finish position it’s noticeably bent.

Most of the problem stems from excessive grip pressure and a “controlling” effort to guide the ball to the target. The correction usually rests in finishing the swing with a note to the left wrist’s bent orientation. These players shouldn’t worry so much about when and where to think about the proper wrist action through impact, but simply finishing in the correct orientation. This usually is a progressive fight through the course of ball striking on the range, so continue to

The

9. MYTHOLOGY: What is the head of the Egyptian god of death,

of the Egyptian god of death, Anubis?

The idea of Go Figure is to arrive at the figures given at the bottom and right-hand columns of the diagram by following the arithmetic signs in the order they are given (that is, from left to right and top to bottom). Use only the numbers below the diagram to complete its blank squares and use each of the nine numbers only once.

of the Egyptian god of death, Anubis?

by Linda Thistle

10. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: What is the currency of Japan? Answers

1. Blue.

2. The Danish West Indies.

3. Red and green. 4. Collapsed lung.

6. Benjamin. 7. An exaltation.

DIFFICULTY:

2. The Danish West Indies. 3. Red and green. 4. Collapsed lung. 5. Calamity Jane, a sharpshooter in Western history. 6. Benjamin. 7. An exaltation. 8. Fiat Automobiles. 9. A jackal.

2. The Danish West Indies. 3. Red and green. 4. Collapsed lung. 5. Calamity Jane, a sharpshooter in Western history. 6. Benjamin. 7. An exaltation. 8. Fiat Automobiles. 9. A jackal. 10. The yen.

5. Calamity Jane, a sharpshooter in Western history.

Inc. of the Egyptian god of death, Anubis? 10. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: What is the currency of Japan? Answers 1. Blue.

1. Pink Floyd

The Kinks

Creedence Clearwater Revival

Jimi Hendrix

Aerosmith

(A) Old testament

(A) Pergamos

(C) Hebrews

(D) Rivers