Vol. 21: #45 • Batman • (11-2-2025) Tidbits of Coachella Valley
by Kathy Wolfe
“Quick! To the Batcave!” Those are the words of one of our favorite crimefighters who fights a brave battle for justice against evildoers. This week Tidbits investigates the history of this dedicated Caped Crusader and his masked sidekick, Robin.
• Batman made his first appearance 86 years ago on March 30, 1939 in issue #27 of Detective Comics. He was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, who named the hero Bruce Wayne, a billionaire American playboy, philanthropist, and businessman. Inspiration for the name came from two historical figures – Scottish war hero Robert the Bruce and Revolutionary War Army officer Mad Anthony Wayne.
• After witnessing the brutal murder of his parents Thomas and Martha Wayne by a desperate street mugger, Bruce swore vengeance against criminals. But to prepare for his crusade he first determined to travel the world, seeking out tutors to professionally equip him for his mission.
• He was trained in combat and strategy by the leader Batman: Turn to page 3
TRIV
(Answers on page 16)
1. GEOGRAPHY: How many U.S. states are part of New England?
2. LITERATURE: What district does Katniss Everdeen represent in “The Hunger Games”?
3. ANATOMY: What is the longest nerve in the human body?
4. COMICS: What is Captain America’s shield made of?
5. SCIENCE: What is the process called when a solid becomes a gas?
6. HISTORY: In what year did the Three Mile Island nuclear accident happen?
7. MOVIES: What is Edward’s last name in the movie “Twilight”?
8. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What is the only marsupial found in North America?
9. TELEVISION: Which character on “The Brady Bunch” is famous for saying, “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!”
10. ENTERTAINERS: Pop singer Taylor Swift was born in which U.S. state?
Answers
1. Six (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Rhode Island).
This week, Tidbits invites you to grab your wickets and mallets and head outside to learn all about the game of croquet.
• It’s believed that croquet originated in Ireland, where they played a game called Crookey in the 1830s, which involved multiple balls on the court. The hoops were made of willow rods and mallets were constructed from broomsticks and blocks of wood.
• Some say that croquet evolved from the 17thcentury French lawn billiards game of “paillemaille,” or Pall Mall, as it is frequently called. Paille-malle had been played in the courts of France’s King Louis XIV in the 1600s.
• In the mid-1850s, croquet came to England, where the first official rules were written in 1857 by a gentleman who had observed the game in Ireland. It was the game of the upper elite and royalty, and extravagant croquet parties were held on the well-manicured lawns of the privileged upper class. The All-England Croquet Club was established in Wimbledon in 1868. The first tournament in the United States was held in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1870.
• The equipment is simple – a set of mallets, balls, hoops, and a playing field. Mallets are used to strike the balls, which are typically made of wood. The hoops, also known as wickets or arches, are placed in various positions on the field. These are the targets for the balls to pass through.
• The game is played with either six or nine wickets, depending on the size of the playing court. Six wickets are arranged in a diamond shape, while nine wickets are fixed in a doublediamond shape. The player must hit his/her ball through all of them in the correct order, then hit the stake at the end. Some games require going through the wickets in both directions. Points are awarded for going through wickets, with bonus strokes earned for hitting the opponent’s ball. In a standard croquet game, a player has to reach 14 points first.
• Croquet was an event at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, with seven men and three women participating. France won all of the three categories of one-ball singles, two-ball singles, and the doubles event, which made sense since the only competitors were all from that country! Croquet was the first Olympic sport to include female competitors.
• In the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis, a variant of the game called Roque replaced croquet. In the game of Roque, the wickets, called arches, are permanently anchored in the court rather in a grass field.
• The International Croquet Federation, established in 1988, governs the sport worldwide, setting the rules, organizing international competitions, and
advancing the sport globally.
• Palm Beach, Florida is home to the Croquet Hall of Fame, which “recognizes individuals with exceptional skill in the sport of croquet, or men and women who have contributed to the sport’s health and growth.”
• Notable inductees includeAmerican film producer Samuel Goldwyn, who produced Hollywood’s first major motion picture, comedian and harpist Harpo Marx of the famous Marx Brothers, and 20th-century Composer Richard Rodgers, who had 43 Broadway musicals and upwards of 900 songs to his credit. One of the first owners of the Space Needle and the Seattle Seahawks, Ned Skinner, was inducted in 1988.
• In his 1865 children’s novel “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” author Lewis Carroll wrote of what Alice called “the strangest croquet game I’ve ever seen.” That game featured live hedgehogs as croquet balls and live flamingos as the mallets.
CLIP AND SAVE
Batman (from page one)
of the League of Assassins. Frenchman Henri Ducard trained him in manhunting, while worldclass boxer and martial arts expert Ted Grant schooled him in those skills, training Wayne’s body to its ultimate physical condition.
• The original Batman costume was a red bodystocking and a mask covering the eyes. Bill Finger gave it a makeover to the classic black color scheme, a mask with pointed ears, and a scalloped cape, which doubles as a parachute or hang glider. Batman’s snug-fitting suit is fire-resistant, bulletproof, and insulated against electrical shocks.
• Bruce Wayne is reportedly worth $7 billion, amassed by his ancestors who operated a merchant house beginning in the 17th century. Ensuing generations expanded to Wayne Shipping, Wayne Chemical, and Wayne Manufacturing, diversifying into a worldwide conglomerate. Bruce averts any suspicion by playing the part as a carefree, superficial socialite businessman, while secretly using his enormous fortune to fight crime.
• As a child, Bruce Wayne had a pen-pal, with whom he would play long-distance chess matches via mail. The comic later revealed the pal’s name as Oswald Cobblepot, who grew up to later become the dreaded villain, The Penguin.
• The architecture of Wayne’s hometown Gotham City was inspired by that of New York and Chicago. While searching for just the right name for Batman’s home, writer Bill Finger turned to the phone book. While paging through the “G”s, he stopped his finger on Gotham Jewelers and found the perfect choice.
• Batman’s secret headquarters are located beneath his spacious and private home, Wayne Manor. The cave houses all the latest super computer
NUGGETS OF KNOWLEDGE
If you attend the Canadian University of Victoria, you can take a course called "The Science of Batman," part of the university's School of Exercise Science in the realm of Physical and Health Education." The description states that the course's goal is "to examine how the human body can be adapted and improved based on the metaphor Batman lives by.
technology, along with surveillance equipment, various crime-fighting tools, a forensics lab, Batman’s costumes, and the Batmobile.
• There are numerous ways to access the batcave, including a secret door in Wayne’s study, behind a grandfather clock that unlocks when the hands are set to the time of death of his parents, 10:47. In the 1966 film, the cave was accessed behind a bookcase which opened when Wayne triggered a switch hidden in a bust of William Shakespeare. Wayne’s office chair sits atop an entrance that connects to a mile-long tunnel through which he travels in a high-speed capsule. In the movies of the early 2000s, access was gained through a secret door unlocked by pressing a sequence of black and ivory keys on the grand piano.
• The character of Batman’s crime-fighting partner Robin was introduced in Detective Comics Issue #38 in 1940, 13 months after Batman’s first appearance. In the original story, Robin, whose name was Dick Grayson, was the orphaned son of acrobat and trapeze artists The Flying Graysons, who were murdered by a crime boss.
• Bruce Wayne legally adopted Dick and the two became the Dynamic Duo. Dick Grayson wasn’t the only Robin character – others included the aliases of Jason Todd, Tim Drake, and Damian Wayne.
Although we've never seen his face, Kevin Conroy has played Batman the longest and more than any other person, voicing the hero in eight TV series, 13 animated movies, and 10 video games.
• In the early comics, Batman was a gun-carrying vigilante who shot his enemies and occasionally threw them in vats of acid. Over the years, he became a more controlled character who refused to kill once he realized that such anger would make him no better than the criminals he battles.
• Batman’s first appearance on the screen was in 1943 in a 15-episode theatrical serial from Columbia Pictures, with one chapter released each week. Batman was a secret U.S. government agent on a mission to defeat the schemes of a Japanese agent, Dr. Daka, in the midst of World War II.
• Batman became a television sensation in 1966 when Adam West took on the role of the Caped Crusader, with Burt Ward as Robin by his side. The rather cheesy series with tongue-in-cheek humor ran for 120 episodes, airing twice a week for the first two seasons and once weekly during the third season. Viewers were treated to “fight balloons,” superimposed with comic book-style lettering for impact words like “Bam,” “Bonk,” “Pow,” “Biff,” and “Zonk” during fight action scenes. In all, there were 85 different bat fight words used over the course of the series.
• How does Gotham City notify Batman when
there’s trouble? The city police chief activates the Bat Signal, a searchlight with a bat-shaped insignia over the lens, shining the beacon onto a cloud in the night sky. In the 1960s TV series,
1. Who voiced Batman in the Batman Lego movies?
2. What is the name of Batman's pet dog?
CLIP AND SAVE
By Lucie Winborne
* One spark of static electricity can generate as much as 3,000 volts.
* Hockey pucks are frozen before each game to prevent bouncing in and out of play and other potentially dangerous and uncontrolled movements.
* According to the National Turkey Federation, around 88% of Americans enjoy the bird as part of their annual holiday feast each year. That adds up to a belly-busting 46 million-plus turkeys, says the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Yep, we don’t call it Turkey Day for nothing!
* The phrase “United States of America” was first published anonymously in the Virginia Gazette newspaper in Williamsburg, Virginia, on April 6, 1776.
* When he was a teenager, physicist Stephen Hawking’s friends called him “Einstein” after they created a computer using telephone switchboards, old clock parts and additional items from the trash.
* The Atlantic is the saltiest of Earth’s five major oceans, primarily due to the Antarctic ice sheet and global mountain ranges.
* Muhammad Ali started boxing at age 12 after someone stole his bike. The tearful boy told police officer Joe Martin that he wanted to pummel the culprit, and Martin, who was a boxing instructor at a local gym, advised him to learn how to fight.
* American school buses are yellow because the color is easier to see in poor light and bad weather.
* On average, Google.com processes about 63,000 search queries every second, or more than 5.5 billion searches per day, and 2 trillion per year. ***
Thought for the Day: “The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.” -- Bruce Lee
by Mary Hunt
How to Safely Dispose of Expired Medications and Household Cleaners
by Mary Hunt
Every day my email box loads up with messages, many of which contain questions from you, my dear readers. And if you’ve sent a message, you are aware by now that while I read my mail and keep it filed, I just do not have enough time in my days to answer every message personally. However, I reach into that file regularly and select questions I believe will have a wide appeal for readers.
DEAR MARY: What is the best way to dispose of expired medication and old household cleaners? I want to do this in a safe manner. -- Chris, Virginia
Dear Chris: I suggest you start by visiting https://search.earth911.com, where you will find convenient recycling locations by ZIP code for various material types, including your expired meds, household cleaners and potentially toxic items such as paint.
Another option is to call your local refuse company to inquire about the disposal of hazardous household items. Most have an accommodation center where you can drop off cans of paint, cleaners, medications and other such items that
should not end up in the regular landfill. You might learn that the company picks up hazardous waste, provided you have followed the proper guidelines for setting it out for pickup.
A couple of times a year on a Saturday morning, I load up potentially hazardous items that have accumulated around our home and drive them to our recycling center. It’s quick and easy, even when there’s a long line.
The Department of Toxic Substances Control (www.dtsc.ca.gov) regulates the generation, treatment, storage, transportation and disposal of hazardous waste. Visit their website for additional information or to find the answer to any specific questions or situations you may have from time to time.
DEAR MARY: My bathroom sink, vanity top and shower walls are cultured marble. Recently, I have noticed pale yellow stained areas showing up here and there, which do not disappear with normal cleaning. Any suggestions for what I can do to remove the discoloration? Thank you! -- Linda, Delaware
Dear Linda: Cultured marble, as opposed to natural marble, is a manmade blend of stone particles and resins combined with pigments to produce a wide range of colors and realistic, natural-looking patterns.
Cultured marble is very durable, and the sure-fire way to remove stains is to use wet/dry sandpaper. Just know that this will also remove the finish and you’ll end up with dull spots. Then you would have to cover the spots with highgloss finish to match the sheen. But before you start sanding away on these stains, there may be some other options you haven’t tried that will remove the stains without damaging the finish. Here’s one: Acetone, available at any drugstore in the nail care aisle right next to nail polish removers. Make sure it says “100% acetone.” Fold a paper towel so that is it slightly larger than the stain and soak it with acetone. Lay it over the stain. Follow with clear plastic wrap larger than the paper towel. Grab some tape and tape this down to cover the soaked paper and plastic. This will prevent the acetone from evaporating, allowing it to absorb into the stain. Leave it overnight. I’m hopeful the stain will be gone when you remove it in the morning. Other options: Make a paste from Bar Keeper’s Friend cleanser and water. Smear it on the stains and let it sit overnight and see if that helps. If that doesn’t work, saturate a rag in hydrogen peroxide and allow it to sit on the stains overnight.
With any stain, you just have to try one product after another, until you get to the one that works, working from the least invasive to the most, which in this case would be hitting it with wet/dry sandpaper, mentioned above.
Hope that helps!
* * *
Mary invites you to visit her at EverydayCheapskate.com, where this column is archived complete with links and resources for all recommended products and services. Mary invites questions and comments at https://www.everydaycheapskate. com/contact/, “Ask Mary.” This column will answer questions of general interest, but letters cannot be answered individually. Mary Hunt is the founder of EverydayCheapskate.com, a frugal living blog, and the author of the book “Debt-Proof Living.”
COPYRIGHT 2025 CREATORS.COM
(c) 2025 King Features Synd., Inc.
What makes Batman different from other superheroes? He has no superpowers! All of his abilities are based on his intellect, physical conditioning, and advanced technology.
• Batman’s loyal and trusted butler, Alfred Pennyworth, first appeared in 1943. He is one of the select few people who know Batman’s secret identity. In his first appearance in the comic, Pennyworth discovered the identities of the heroes by accident while fighting a burglar in Wayne Manor and accidentally tripped a switch which opened a sliding panel leading to the Batcave.
• He had various skills that made him competent for the task – he was a British nobleman, a classically-trained butler, a former British intelligence officer and field medic, and even a former Shakespearean actor.
• Batman has had a variety of romantic interests over his existence, but mainly in his Bruce Wayne persona. Julie Madison’s first appearance was in Detective Comics Issue #31. Madison broke it off with Wayne because she didn’t care for his playboy lifestyle, completely unaware that Wayne was Batman. Vicki Vale was introduced in 1948 in Issue #49 as a photographer and reporter who was trying to prove that Bruce Wayne was Batman, but without success.
• Catwoman was one of Batman’s great loves. Introduced as Selina Kyle in the Spring of 1940, they were enemies on different sides of the law; however, Catwoman reformed from her life of crime as a burglar and became Batman’s most enduring love interest.
• Julie Newmar, who played the role of Catwoman
in two seasons of the 1960s series, donated her Catwoman costume to the Smithsonian, where it is displayed among the Institute’s “National Treasures of Popular Culture.”
• When actor Pierce Brosnan rejected the role of Batman for the blockbuster 1989 film, Michael Keaton took on the task, followed by 1992’s “Batman Returns.” When it came time to produce 1995’s “Batman Forever,” Keaton insisted on more money than the studio was willing to pay, and the role went to Val Kilmer. The film became the sixth highest-grossing film of the year. George Clooney became the superhero in 1997 in “Batman & Robin,” which received enough negative reviews for the studio to cancel plans for future Batman films.
• Batman returned to the big screen in 2005 for a set of three movies with Christian Bale as Batman in “Batman Begins” (2005), “The Dark Knight” (2008), and “The Dark Knight Rises” (2012). Ben Affleck stepped into the role in “Suicide Squad” in 2016, “Justice League” in 2017 and 2021, and 2023’s “The Flash.” Many critics maintain that Affleck is the least favorable portrayal of the superhero. Robert Pattinson of “Twilight” vampire movie fame became the Caped Crusader in 2022’s “The Batman” to excellent reviews and box office success.
• In 1957, the city of Iluha, Turkey officially changed its name to Batman. The city tried to sue Christopher Nolan, director of the “Dark Knight” trilogy, stating that the name of the city
was used without informing them. Never mind that the comics had appeared 18 years before the name change. Or that it wasn’t even the superhero that the town was named after! The city was named for the nearby Batman River, a tributary of the Tigris. In the Turkish language, a “batman” is a unit of measure equal to 16.96 pounds.
• Can you name this tune? “Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na”? You’re probably already humming the theme, and saying the missing word, “BATMAAN!” This catchy tune was the theme song to the 1960s TV series and has been recorded by several artists, including The Who, The Kings, Jan & Dean, The Jam, and Prince. The Batman legacy lives on!
by Dana Jackson
Q: My husband and I just finished bingeing on “Better Call Saul.” We’ve also watched “Breaking Bad.” Since there aren’t any other shows in this “universe,” what show would you suggest that’s similar? -- G.K.
A: If I had to choose a series in a similar vein, I would stream “Fargo,” which is an FX series available now on Hulu. It’s an anthology series created by Noah Hawley and based very loosely on the Academy-Award-winning film of the same name. The series debuted in 2014 and is similar to “Better Call Saul” in that both are black comedies about ordinary people who find themselves committing felonies.
Each season of “Fargo” takes place in the frozen tundra but during a different year. Season one starts out in 2006 and centers around a meek insurance salesman named Lester played by Martin Freeman (“Sherlock”), who finds himself mixed up with
1. Black Phone 2 (R) Mason Thames, Ethan Hawke
2. Tron: Ares
(PG-13) Jared Leto, Greta Lee
3. Good Fortune
(R) Keanu Reeves, Blanca Araceli
4. One Battle After Another (R) Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn
5. Roofman
(R) Channing Tatum, Tony Revolori
6. Truth & Treason
(PG-13) Ewan Horrocks, Rupert Evans
7. Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie (G) Laila Lockhart Kraner, Kristen Wiig
8. The Conjuring: Last Rites (R) Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga
9. After the Hunt
(R) Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri
10. Soul on Fire
(PG) Joel Courtney, John Corbett
a sociopathic fixer played by Billy Bob Thornton (“Landman”).
Season two is set in 1979 and is arguably the best of the installments. It stars Jesse Plemons (“Civil War”) and Kirsten Dunst (“Roofman”) as they attempt to cover up a hit-and-run homicide of the son of a local crime family. Its impeccable cast also includes Kieran Culkin (“Succession”), Jean Smart (“Hacks”), and Ted Danson (“A Man on the Inside”), just to name a few of the stars.
The remaining three seasons take place in 2010, 1950 and 2019. They didn’t earn as much critical acclaim as the first two, but they featured noteworthy performances by Ewan McGregor (“Star Wars”), Carrie Coon (“The White Lotus”), Chris Rock (“The Trainer”), and Jon Hamm (“Landman”).
***
Q: Why is Amelia being written out of “Grey’s Anatomy”? She’s one of my favorite characters on the show. -- D.S.
A: Caterina Scorsone has played Dr. Amelia Shepherd on two different series since 2010: “Private Practice” and “Grey’s Anatomy.” Her character decided to take a much-needed sabbatical, but the actress will be back in 2026 after an eightepisode break.
Deadline reported last year that “Grey’s” reduced its number of guaranteed episodes for its veteran cast members from 18 to 14 as a cost-saving measure. However, Scorsone will only appear in 10 of 18 episodes this season. This might be the choice of the actress. The good news is that the fanfavorite will be back!
***
Q: With retail stores selling holiday decorations earlier and earlier every year, what about the TV movies, like the Hallmark Christmas movies? When are they starting? -- M.C.
A: As a matter of fact, the Hallmark Channel kicked off year 16 of its “Countdown to Christmas” programming on Oct. 18 with the movie “A Royal Montana Christmas,” starring Fiona Gubelmann (“The Good Doctor”) and Warren Christie (“The Resident”). The network plans to air 24 original holiday movies in total until Dec. 21.
One of the most anticipated Hallmark movies is the Buffalo Bills/Hollywood romance inspired by the love story of quarterback Josh Allen and movie star Hailee Steinfeld (“Sinners”). “Holi-
day Touchdown: A Bills Love Story” will premiere on Nov. 22 at 8 p.m. ET.
* * * Send me your questions at NewCelebrityExtra@gmail.com.
(c) 2025 King Features Synd., Inc.
Courtesy of FX
Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons in season two of “Fargo”
Asparagus and Gruyere Omelet
Fresh asparagus and nutty Gruyere cheese come together in this elegant omelet.
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
8 ounces asparagus, trimmed and cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons water
4 ounces Gruyere cheese
8 large eggs
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
2 tablespoon margarine or butter
Toasted country-style bread (optional)
1. In 2-quart saucepan, heat olive oil on medium. Add asparagus and 2 tablespoons water. Cook 5 minutes or until tender-crisp; remove from heat. Shred Gruyere cheese.
2. Heat oven to 200 F. Place 4 dinner plates in oven to warm. In medium bowl, place
eggs, water, salt and black pepper. With fork, beat 25 to 30 quick strokes to blend mixture without making it fluffy. (Overbeating toughens the proteins in the whites.)
3. In 8-inch nonstick skillet, melt 1 1/2 teaspoons margarine on medium. When margarine stops sizzling, pour or ladle 1/2 cup egg mixture into skillet.
4. After egg mixture begins to set around edges, about 25 to 30 seconds, with heat-safe spatula, carefully push cooked egg from side of skillet toward center, so uncooked egg can reach bottom of hot skillet. Repeat 8 to 10 times around skillet, tilting as necessary, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.
5. Cook until omelet is almost set but still creamy and moist on top. Place skillet handle facing you, and sprinkle one-fourth of asparagus and Gruy re on half of omelet.
6. With spatula, fold unfilled half over filling.
7. Shake pan gently to loosen any egg or filling from edge, then slide omelet to edge of skillet. Holding skillet above warm plate, tip skillet so omelet slides onto plate. Keep warm in oven. Repeat with remaining margarine, egg mixture, asparagus and cheese to make 4 omelets in all. Serve with toast and tomato wedges if you like.
Each serving: About 340 calories, 27g total fat (10g saturated), 22g protein, 2g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, 456mg cholesterol, 590mg sodium.
Chili Corn Chips
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon chili powder 1/8 teaspoon salt
2. In cup, mix cumin, chili powder and salt. Spray 1 side of each tortilla with nonstick cooking spray, sprinkle with chili-powder mixture.
3. Cut each tortilla into 8 wedges and place on ungreased large cookie sheet. Bake tortillas 8 to 10 minutes until crisp, cool on wire rack. If not serving right away, store in tightly covered container. Makes 4 servings.
By John Allen
DIAMOND LIL
by Brett Koth
Donald
NEXT WEEK in
TIDBITS HONORS THE MIGHTY
Holidays & Observances This Week
By Matthew Margolis
All Things Not Equal in a Dog Park
I do not take my dogs to a dog park. Dogs that have never been introduced are let loose to “play” with each other, with no regard to size, breed and temperament. And dog owners tend to let their guard down because they’re in a dog park -- when they should do the opposite.
But the following letter from a reader explains better than I could the perils of dog parks, where all things are not equal:
"You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time."
-- Abraham Lincoln
“I got my Chihuahua-Lhasa Apso mix when he was 4 months old. He was my first dog as an adult, and I was very devoted to him. I walked him twice a day, taught him many tricks, including roll over, shake and beg, and took him to the doggy park twice a week.
“I had discovered a new doggy park close to my home, and we’d gone there four times. I took him last week, and within minutes of our arrival, he playfully approached a pit-terrier mix that was lying down with a ball in his mouth. I was about 30 feet away, and their playing quickly turned into a fight. The other dog’s owner, who was right next to them, started to hit her dog with a ball catcher, and as I was running over to them, she finally grabbed her dog and pulled him off of mine. He had my dog by the back and was shaking him. We’re talking a difference of at least 40 pounds between the two dogs.
“There were no puncture wounds, but he had two swollen masses, golf-ball size, on the side of his back. He bit me for the first time ever when I picked him up, as I’m sure I was unknowingly causing more pain to his wounds. I took him to the emergency vet an hour later, and they diagnosed him as having hernias. I paid for the surgery and said goodbye to my sweet boy, expecting to pick him up at 6 p.m. the next day.
“I got home about 1 a.m. and received a phone call at 5 a.m. reporting that he was in surgery and it was much worse than expected -- he had two broken ribs, with damaged intestines, pancreas and kidneys. His chances were 50/50 with two weeks’ recovery time minimum. We were talking $5,000 to $10,000 more than what I had already paid. So I opted to put him down.
A show of hands, please: How many of us are already in a panic about just how we’re going to give holiday gifts to our family and friends this year? With the costs of everything seeming to go up by the day, how are we going to manage to stretch our budgets to include gifts?
And why do we want to, given our circumstances? Because we always have. Because it’s expected. Because it makes us feel good. Because we want to maintain the relationships we’ve had.
Whatever our reasons for wanting to give gifts, it’s going to be tough this year. But it can be done with a bit of thought.
If you search on the internet for “gift giving on a budget,” you’ll find thousands of ideas. Most of them seem to fall into one of three categories: experiences, time and love.
A family movie night can be an experience the grandkids long remember. Borrow a selection of age appropriate movies from the library,
make popcorn, buy drinks and order pizza. Or ask the local bowling alley about a family price for a few hours of lane time.
Then there’s the gift of time. Give a personalized coupon book you’ve made, good for a special outing, a home cooked meal, gardening help in the spring or hours of child care.
Best of all might well be the gift of love when you make your gifts: a platter of holiday treats, inexpensive glass jars filled with homemade candies, winter hats you knitted, a small bundle of favorite recipes you’ve printed on 3x5 cards.
The dollar store offers many ideas such as picture frames you decorate and fill with family photos or artwork. Look for items to create themed gift baskets.
Another idea is the wide selection of inexpensive unpainted wood items you'll find at the Hobby Lobby stores. Gift wrap them with some small jars of enamel paint and you've created an enjoyable project for the kids to work on.
So, gift giving can be accomplished -unless this is the year when you finally decide to say, “I just can’t afford to do this anymore.”
* * * Matilda Charles regrets that she cannot personally answer reader questions, but will incorporate them into her column whenever possible. Send email to columnreply2@gmail.com. (c) KingFeaturesSyndicate2025
“I’m just devastated by this and am wondering what I could have done differently to save him. He wasn’t neutered, and he would often initiate the playing with big dogs and then back down with yelping because he felt overwhelmed. But he had never gotten into a fight.
“For his daily walks, I would walk him around the park behind my home and let him walk off-leash for about half the walk, as he was really good about staying with me.
“I guess what I’m asking is: If and when I decide to get another dog, should I get him fixed? Should I not take a small dog to a dog park? And was I wrong to let him walk without a leash in a public park? I’m just wondering whether I was too carefree with my little guy. I just wanted him to be a ‘dog’ and not completely on lockdown all the time. I’m a free spirit myself, and I’m missing him terribly.”
My heart goes out to this reader for her sad loss. And in the hopes of preventing similar stories, I offer the following to all readers:
-- Get your dog fixed as soon as he is old enough.
-- Always keep your dog on a leash when he’s not in your home or in your secured yard.
-- If you choose to use a dog park, do your homework. Find out whether there has been any aggressive behavior with any dogs there. Read the park rules, and try to find a park that caters to your dog’s age, size and temperament. The extra investigation is worth the effort.
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.
YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY
by Tom Margenau
Benefit Adjustment at Full Retirement Age
I hear one or both of these rumors about Social Security benefits all the time from readers.
Rumor 1: “I have been told that if I take a reduced Social Security benefit at 62, when I reach my full retirement age, my benefit will be bumped up to my full retirement age amount.”
Rumor 2: “I have been told that if I take a reduced Social Security benefit at 62, but have some of my benefits withheld because I worked and earned over the annual threshold limit, all that money will come back to me when I reach full retirement age.”
The first rumor is absolutely false. If you take reduced benefits, you will always get reduced benefits.
The second rumor is also false. But I understand how some people might get confused because in some cases, a benefit rate might get adjusted slightly upwards when a Social Security beneficiary reaches full retirement age. And I’m going to spend the rest of this column explaining that.
There is a little-known Social Security rule that may benefit some individuals who began receiving Social Security checks before full retirement age and therefore took a reduction in their monthly benefits, but then decided to return to work. And now they wonder if their early retirement reduction is permanent. The answer is it might not be. And that’s because a software program built into the Social Security Administration’s computers kicks in after you reach full retirement age, which is designed to remove the reduction factor for any months you didn’t get a Social Security check because of the SSA’s earnings penalty rules. The program is called the Adjustment to the Reduction Factor, or ARF.
Before I explain how the ARF works, I’ve got to give a little background. And I will start out with a quick overview of the earnings penalty. The law says that one dollar must be withheld from your Social Security checks for each two dollars you earn over a certain threshold that changes every year. The 2025 threshold is $23,400.
Here is a simple example. Hank is 65 and getting Social Security, but he is working and plans to make $33,400 in 2025. That is $10,000 over the $23,400 threshold, so half of that, or $5,000, must be withheld from his Social Security checks in 2025.
Now, some more background. I’ve got to explain the reduction factors for early retirement. The law says if you start your Social Security checks before full retirement age, your benefit will be reduced five-ninths of one percent for each of the first 36 months of reduction and five-twelfths of one percent for any additional months. That’s a bit too convoluted for the examples I’m going to use in this column. So I am going to keep things simple by saying that your benefit is reduced by about one-half of one percent for each month you start benefits before full retirement age.
For example, let’s say that Hank’s full retirement age is 67. But he started getting reduced benefits when he was 65. That’s 24 months early,
so his Social Security benefit was reduced by about 12%. In other words, at age 65, Hank started getting about 88% of his full retirement age benefit.
And with that bit of background, I can close the circle on my ARF explanation. In my above example, Hank started getting an 88% benefit rate when he took his Social Security at age 65. And because his earnings exceeded the penalty threshold, I pointed out that $5,000 had to be withheld from his 2025 benefits. Let’s assume his monthly check is $2,500. In other words, the SSA held back two of Hank’s Social Security checks in 2025 because of his excess earnings. And let’s further say that Hank’s earnings in the following year caused two more of his Social Security checks to be withheld.
Once Hank turns 67, the ARF program kicks in. That program says Hank’s ongoing permanent benefit can only be reduced for those months he actually received a Social Security check before he turned his full retirement age. In our example, Hank only received 10 Social Security checks in 2025 and will get another 10 checks in 2026. In other words, he will have received 20 of his 24 Social Security checks before reaching full retirement age.
So instead of the initial 24 month, or 12% reduction, Hank’s ongoing benefit is adjusted to give him only a 20 month, or 10%, reduction. In other words, starting at age 67, Hank will get a two percent boost in his Social Security check. Actually, the ARF program usually isn’t finished running until several months after full retirement age, but it will be retroactive to the month of FRA.
And by the way, this ARF procedure is something that happens automatically after you reach full retirement age. You don’t have to apply for the increase. If you signed up for Social Security before your full retirement age but worked and had some of your benefits withheld due to the earnings penalty rules, several months after FRA, you will get an unexpected Social Security check in the mail that includes some back payments. I frequently hear from readers who ask me about this unexpected payment. I tell them to be patient and that a letter of explanation will soon arrive in their mailbox. The letter doesn’t use the term “ARF.” That’s a bit of in-house SSA jargon. But it does explain that
1. The book of Abaddon is found in the a) Old Testament b) New Testament c) Neither
2. From Matthew 12, when an evil spirit returns to a newly-cleansed person, how many others does it bring? a) Five b) Seven c) Twelve d) Legion
3. In which book's 22:18 does it state, "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live"? a) Exodus b) Job c) Isaiah d) Numbers
4. The 666 number of the beast is found in what chapter of Revelation? a) One b) Four c) Eleven d) Thirteen
5. From 1 Samuel 16, which king of Israel was tormented by an evil spirit? a) Elah b) Saul c) David d) Solomon
6. Who called the city of Nineveh the mistress of witchcraft? a) Ahab b) Nahum c) Jonah d) Abraham
(Answers on page 16)
www.TriviaGuy.com
your initial reduction factor has been adjusted because some of your benefits were held back while you were working.
If you have a Social Security question, Tom Margenau has two books with all the answers. One is called “Social Security -- Simple and Smart: 10 Easy-to-Understand Fact Sheets That Will Answer All Your Questions About Social Security.” The other is “Social Security: 100 Myths and 100 Facts.” You can find the books at Amazon.com or other book outlets. Or you can send him an email at thomas.margenau@comcast.net. To find out more about Tom Margenau and to read past columns and see features from other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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Understanding the Risk Reduction of Statins With Cholesterol
DEAR DR. ROACH: A cardiologist recently suggested that I should consider taking a statin because of my “borderline” cholesterol level. So, I took a dive into the details of statin therapy. I learned that although statins are thought to reduce the chance of a cardiovascular event by up to 50%, the actual reduction is very small.
I presented this information to the cardiologist and decided to forego statin therapy, which he endorsed. A better understanding of this difference would be very valuable to your readers. --
T.G.
ANSWER: The amount of absolute risk reduction from a statin in a person without known heart disease depends mostly on a person’s absolute risk of heart disease. This depends on the person’s risk factors such as age, sex, blood pressure, cholesterol level, smoking status, family history, and others. (When a person already has known heart disease, then the benefits of a statin are so large that this kind of analysis isn’t generally done.)
The relative risk reduction from a statin depends on the potency and dose of a statin, but a typically used number is about a relative risk reduction of 20%. (A 50% relative risk reduction isn’t achievable with the current medication.)
I normally go through this analysis with every patient when considering a statin, and it starts with estimating their absolute risk prior to treatment.
There are several calculators to give an estimate; I usually use tinyurl.com/PREVENTCalc and adjust it for any risk factors that are not considered by the calculator. (I should add that some people have difficulty understanding these numbers and simply ask me about my opinion, which is fine, but I prefer to work collegially.)
For example, a 75-year-old man who has a cholesterol level of 220 mg/dL and an HDL of 45 mg/dL with a blood pressure of 140/80 mmHg (all of which might be considered “borderline”), the calculator gives an estimated absolute risk of 19.4%. This is the risk of this person developing any kind of obstructive heart disease, including a heart attack or death, during the next 10 years. With a statin, a reasonable guess would be a drop of about 20% of the absolute risk (19.4% in this case), meaning a drop to 15.5%. The relative risk reduction is 20%, but the absolute risk reduction for this person is 3.9%.
A second example is a 50-year-old woman with the exact same numbers who has an absolute risk reduction of 3.6%. She would get the same 20% reduction, but this is only a 0.72% drop for a new absolute risk of 2.88%.
Clinicians and epidemiologists use another number called the “number needed to treat” (NNT), which is a function of the absolute risk reduction. In the examples above, about 26 75-year-old men would need to be treated for 10 years to prevent a case of heart attack or death, while 139 50-year-old women would need to be
treated to prevent one case.
The benefit of a statin or any other treatment to reduce heart disease depends on how much risk a person has to begin with. Whether this benefit is “worth it” to any given person depends not only on the absolute benefit, but also on their aversion to medicine and their level of worry about heart disease.
The cost of a statin ($5 or $10 a month) isn’t a big consideration for most. Serious side effects to statins are rare, but if they occur, there are alternatives.
* * *
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
Stolen Valor: When They Didn’t Earn It
Despite the Stolen Valor Act and the punishments for violating that act, there are still far too many who decide to take the chance on reaping the material gains of claiming benefits and wearing a uniform they didn’t earn.
A veteran on the east coast was nailed not only for scamming charities but for pretending to be a Purple Heart recipient. In a rare change from the usual in these cases, the veteran is a female.
She claimed she’d been injured in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack. The charity in question was one she had created to help low-income veterans and the homeless, all noble endeavors, if any of it had been true.
Instead, all the money donated by genuine charities went into her own pocket and paid for travel, a fancy car, gym membership and more. She’ll repay the money she scammed and spend a year in jail.
Then there was the former Marine who had the nerve to submit an application for a Purple Heart for himself. He based this on a fake case of PTSD and IED-caused brain injury while he stole in excess of a quarter of a million dollars in disability benefits from the VA. Over the years he’d been invited to speak at veterans events and made up stories in the press. However, for this he’ll only serve two years of supervised release.
Then there was the thief (again, a female) who claimed to have earned a Purple Heart for pulling people from a burning Humvee, needed surgery for injuries, damaged her lungs on burn pit smoke, then collected $250,000 from various charities -- all without ever having even served in the military. For this she got 70 months in prison.
To those who think they can pull off an impersonation of a true veteran, there are always people who will know when your salute isn’t right, who’ll know when your DD-214 looks forged and who’ll know when the ribbons on your fake uniform aren’t correct. And they’ll turn you in, hopefully to a proper sentence from a just and clear-thinking court judge, for the shame and punishment you deserve.
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.
How to Make a Home Safer and More Accessible as You Age
DEAR SAVVY SENIOR: What are some tips you can recommend for making an average home age friendly and safe? My husband and I are now in our seventies and want to remain living in our comfortable home for as long as possible. -- Homebody Hanna
Dear Hanna: Many older adults, like you and your husband, want to stay living in their own home for as long as possible. But being able to do so will depend on how easy it is to maneuver your living space as you get older.
There are literally dozens of simple adjustments and modifications you can do to help make your home safer and more accessible for aging-in-place. Here’s a summary of tips from the National Institute on Aging and AARP, which offers a free room-by-room guide with practical suggestions for older adults living independently.
ENTRYWAY
Have at least one exterior doorway with step-free access. If not possible, consider a ramp.
Add a bench in the foyer to sit on when removing shoes or to set down items while locking or unlocking the door.
BATHROOM:
Install a walk-in shower with a bench and nonskid decals or mats to prevent falls. Add a hand-held nozzle to the shower head to facilitate rinsing off while seated. Install grab bars on the shower wall and near the toilet
Install a taller toilet or add a toilet riser. Install a sturdy grab-bar on the wall immediately next to it.
Keep a low-wattage nightlight plugged in that automatically stays on when the room is dark.
BEDROOM:
If stairs are too difficult to manage, create a bedroom on the main level by transforming a den or an office.
Make sure the bed is easy to get in and out of. Purchase bed risers, if needed. Invest in an adjustable bed for extra comfort.
Keep a flashlight on your bedstand in case of a power outage.
KITCHEN:
Purchase a stove with safety features that alert the resident when a burner is on, or have automatic shutoffs.
Relocate appliances to make them easier to reach.
Add slide-out drawers or trays to existing cabinets for better access.
Install a lever-style, light-touch or sensor faucet, which is easier to use than a faucet with turn-knobs or handles.
FURNITURE & RUGS:
Get rid of furniture and clutter to make rooms easier to move around in.
Use chairs with armrests, which makes sitting and standing easier.
Avoid furniture with sharp corners, which can cause bruises and cuts when bumped up against.
Hide cords out of pathways — but don’t put them under rugs.
Area rugs, if used, should be secured to the floor with a nonslip mat or anti-slip rug tape.
For more tips, get a copy of AARP’s “HomeFit Guide” which is a 36-page fully illustrated guide and has more than 100 aging-inplace tips and suggestions that can be made to an existing house or apartment or incorporated into designs for a new residence.
Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior. org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.
The guide explains how a smartly designed or modified home can meet the varied and changing needs of its older residents. It also features easy-to-do, low-cost and no-cost fixes that lessen the risk of trip hazards and increase the safety of high-use areas like the bathroom, kitchen and stairway.
In addition, AARP also offers videos and a HomeFit AR app (available for iPhone and iPad) that can scan a room and suggest improvements to help turn your house into a “lifelong home,” free from safety and mobility risks.
Visit AARP.org/HomeFit to order or download a free copy of this guide, or to watch
Q: This is a photo of a clear glass bowl that belonged to my grandmother. It was given to her in the early 1940’s. So far, three generations, my grandmother, my mother and now I, have used it for serving potato salad. It is approximately 12 inches in diameter and still in perfect condition.
I plan to pass it along to my daughter and would appreciate more information about its history and monetary value.
A: Your bowl was made by Anchor Hocking. The company was founded in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1905 by the Collins brothers and several other investors.
The firm was named for the nearby Hocking River. They are known for the glass they made during the Great Depression, as well as “Fire King” and “Anchor Ovenware.”
In 1924, a fire destroyed the plant. Despite the devastating blow to the company, the owners managed to raise enough funds to rebuild. In the 1920s, they had the good fortune to acquire a 15mold machine that had the ability to produce 90 pieces of glass per minute. The result being they could sell tumblers two for 5 cents, which was a boon for them during the Depression. They could outsell and outmake many other glass companies.
The factory expanded to producing tableware and cosmetic containers. They bought several chinaware factories and added plants across the
country. In 1987, Newell Corporation bought Anchor Hocking. In 2001, they sold to Global Home Products. In 2006 both GHP and AH filed for bankruptcy.
The pattern of your bowl is “Stars and Bar,” and is also known as “Thousand Lines” and “Rainbow Stars.” It was made from 1940 to 1960. There were accessories that included cake plates, cream pitchers and sugar bowls, relish dishes, bowls, bud vases and candy jars.
Your circa 1940s bowl would probably be worth $25 to $40. ***
Q: I have enclosed the mark that is on the bottom of an antique silver butter dish. It stands about 9 inches tall with the handle that has a hook. The lid slides up and can be secured on the hook. There is a glass insert with a small opening to hold the butter. The dish is on an ornate base and both the base and dish are engraved with floral designs.
What can you tell me about my butter dish?
A: Meriden Britannia Company made your silver-plated butter dish in the late 1800s. They were founded in Meriden, Connecticut, in 1852 and merged with International Silver Company in 1898. Your Victorian Era butter dish would probably be worth $75 to $125.
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Antiques expert and columnist Anne McCollam has recently retired and no longer receives inquiries nor answers reader letters. Due to the popularity of her column, this publication will continue to reprint previous columns of interest to our readers.
* On Nov. 3, 1883, California bandit and stagecoach robber Black Bart, born Charles E. Boles and famous for his daring as well as his habit of occasionally leaving short poems at the scenes of his crimes, held up his last stagecoach. While he initially made a quick getaway, he was done in by the handkerchief with a laundry mark he’d inadvertently dropped. As a result, he spent four years in San Quentin prison.
* On Nov. 4, 1928, Arnold Rothstein, a legendary New York gambler with a fortune estimated at about $50 million, was shot during a poker game at Manhattan’s Park Central Hotel. He died in the hospital two days later without revealing the name of his assassin, though the fellow gambler who’d invited him to the game was tried for the crime, and acquitted.
* On Nov. 5, 2024, former President Donald Trump was elected to a second term in office, becoming the first president to serve nonconsecutive terms since 1892.
* On Nov. 6, 1977, the Toccoa Falls Dam in Georgia collapsed just hours after a volunteer fireman inspected it and found everything in order, with 39 people dying in the resulting flood.
* On Nov. 7, 1943, Roberta Joan Anderson, now known to the world as Joni Mitchell and dubbed the greatest female guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone magazine, was born in Fort Macleod, Alberta, Canada. She cemented her status in the music world as a composer rather than performer, with David Geffen of Geffen Records noting in 1994 that, “Even though we lost money on every one of her records, we always treated Joni as one of the most important artists in the world.”
* On Nov. 8, 1970, Tom Dempsey, a professional football kicker, though he was born with no toes on his right foot, launched a 63-yard field goal in his custom shoe and set a new NFL record, beating the previous record by seven yards.
* On Nov. 9, 1956, French philosopher and author Jean-Paul Sartre, a long-time admirer of the Soviet Union, denounced both the USSR and its communist system following the Soviet invasion of Hungary.
(c) 2025 King Features Synd., Inc.
When Oklahoma residents make humorous mistakes in speech, would people call those Soonerisms?
Anchor Hocking Glass Company was located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Meriden Silver Company was located in Meriden, Connecticut.
Batman (from page 3)
the police commissioner had a dedicated phone line, the “Batphone,” he used to summon the Caped Crusader, but in the event Batman didn’t answer, he relied on the Bat Signal.
• Batman’s souped-up vehicle, with the obligatory name the Batmobile, has undergone some changes over the years. In the comic book debut, Batman drove the same vehicle as Bruce Wayne, a red Cord convertible. Shortly afterward, the car was a blue roadster. In the movie serials of the 1940s, the Batmobile was a 1939 Cadillac, also driven by Bruce Wayne.
• It wasn’t until the 1966 TV series that the well-known Batmobile was introduced. It was designed by George Barris, who built the car from a 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car, with prominant tailfins suggestive of a bat’s wings. Barris was given three weeks to complete the conversion, which carried a price tag of $30,000, a hefty amount in 1955.
• Unlike the previous Batmobiles that had no distinguishing body style or special capabilities, the 1966 version was equipped with lasers, rockets, radar, a dash monitor, computer, police beacon, and a phone. It was also fitted with two rear-mounted 10-ft. parachutes, a smoke screen machine, and a nail spreader to blowout the tires of any pursuit vehicle.
• The Batmobile enters the Batcave via a secret entrance concealed by either a waterfall, pond, vegetation, hologram, or camouflaged door, depending on the era. The entrance allows access to a service tunnel to the underground hideout
• The original 1966 series Batmobile was auctioned at the Barrett-Jackson auction house in Scottsdale, Arizona in January 2013, selling to an enthusiastic buyer for $4.2 million.
(Related story page 5)
STAN SMITH'S TENNIS CLASS
Game Changers
by Jason Jenkins
Three
Right Hands
Ben Hogan had written in his Five Fundamentals book that he wished he had three right hands in his downswing, yet I see many amateurs fighting the right hand’s use in their own games. What did Hogan mean when he wanted to use his right hand so forcefully? The secret lies in the way the right hand moves from the top of the swing down into impact.
The right wrist should load into a flexed position by the top of the swing. When the forward swing starts, the right wrist may even go into a more flexed position as the right elbow goes into the side of the body.
The most challenging part is striking the ball with the right wrist still slightly bent. This implies the grip end is leading the clubhead into impact. When the right hand stays loaded like that, power is reserved and spent at the maximum time, thus Hogan wished he could apply the right hand’s influence three times over. He likened it’s action to throwing side arm like an infielder. Still great advice 60 years later!
