www.tidbitscda.com For Ad Rates call: (208) 755-9120 evelyn2318@gmail.com

of Kootenai County, Idaho Issue #26 June 24th

by Janet Spencer After Spanish explorers established reg-ular trade routes with the Americas, a new indus-try was born: Pirating. Come along with Tidbits as we sail the high seas! •Piratingreacheditsheightintheyearsbetween 1650 and 1730. Pirate ships didn’t roam around hoping to chance upon a victim; they pa-trolled known shipping routes. During this time, many governments (particularly England) sup-ported piracy, encouraging it as a cheap way to get expensive goods into their country. Piracy became so prevalent that sea-faring trade nearly ground to a complete halt. At this point govern-ments began working against the plunder, track-ing down pirates and hanging them in public. The last pirate of this era ever hanged in England was strung up in 1840, and in 1862 the last one was hung in America. • In the mid-1600s, there were about50,000 British sailors making an honest living on the sea, and probably somewhere between 1,000 and 5,000 British pirates making a dishonest liv-ing at the same time. During this period, about 80 pirates served on each pirate ship. The career of a pirate generally lasted only a few years or so before they were drowned or killed or jailed. Al-though some made a fortune and retired, it was more common for the ones who made money to squander it in short order, necessitating another trip. turn the page for more

TIDBITS® CONSIDERSPIRATES

Page 2 Tidbits® of CDA www.tidbitscda.com

From the Publisher’s

DeskEvelyn Bevacqua

We are announcing a new network and looking for members who service people in the age group 40 plus. The focus will be to Educate, Support and Expand. We are committed to mak-ing a difference, living simply, giving and receiv-ing with care and respect. Rather than a monthly meeting we will come together to help support at least one of our fellow members with a function or event that they may be hosting, especially our not-for-profitmembers.Comingtogetherinthismanner will help us all. A fresh way to network! FOR MORE INFO CHECK OUT PAGE 4!

AnINVITATIONtoComeTogetherandCONNECT

MYTHS & LEGENDS •The image of the typical pirate that’sbeen passed down through history is partly true and partly false. Pirates often wore a scarf tied around their head to keep their hair out of their face and to prevent sweat from running into their eyes. They frequently went barefoot which gave them better traction on slippery decks. Pirates wore earrings because they thought it would im-prove their vision. (Acupuncturists say this isn’t far from the truth.) Burying their treasure is not something that happened often, although there are a few cases on record. Leaving a treasure be-hind left it vulnerable. Most often plunder was carried to the nearest port and sold. Likewise, walkingtheplankwasarareoccurrence.Infact,there are only two pirates known to have used thatmethod.OnewasMajorStedeBonnet,whois credited with inventing it, and the other was a Dane called Captain Derdrake. More commonly, men were simply thrown overboard. •Contrarytopopularbelief,apirateshiptended to be a fairly democratic workplace. A charter establishing ship rules would be drawn up at the start of each voyage with each sailor contributing to the list and expected to stick to it. Disability pensions were awarded for pirates wounded in battle. Usually, the captain was elect-ed by secret ballot and could be voted out of of-fice.Likewise,ships’officerswereoftenelecteddemocratically. Many pirate captains preferred to win their battles with a show of force rather than bloodthirsty slaughter. Booty was generally divided fairly, with the captain receiving a share andahalf;officersreceivingashareandaquar-ter;andcrewgettingoneshareeach.Nobodyonthe pirate ship got paid anything at all unless they captured something of value. Most ships carried musicians on board to provide entertainment.

Page 3 Tidbits® of CDA www.tidbitscda.comwww.tidbitscda.com

June 26Battle of the Bulls

208-263-8414

June 27CowgirlUpNetworkingattheRoadhouse

509.928.9664

June 29Bikes, Brews & BBQs

northidahofair.com

July 3Kiddies Parade cdadowntown.com

July 44th of July Festivals,

Parades and Fireworks

July 7OldTimersAnnualPicnic

208-691-9823

July 12-14Post Falls Days

postfallschamber.com

July 13Hayden Sprint Triathlon

haydentri.comJuly 13-14

Classic Boat Festivalwoodboatfestival.com

July 19-21Rathdrum Days

rathdrumchamberofcommerce.com

July 205th Annual Steak Fry

stvincentdepaulcda.orgJuly 20

3rd Annual Muddy Milesmuddymiles.org

July 20 CHaFE 150chafe150.org

July 21Ride the Pass-50 Miles at the Pass

familypromiseni.org

July 261stAnnual“Spay-ghettiandNo-Balls”

animalalliesid.orgJuly 26-28

Julyamsh•julyamsh.comJuly 26-27

OldTimePicnic•harrisonidaho.orgsJuly 26-27

HaydenDays•haydenlakerotary.org

July 27KidsDayinthePark•cdakiwanis.org

EVENTCALENDAR

• Family reunions are fun and worth-while. Being together with many generations is awonderfulexperience.Often,thesegatheringsare highly scheduled, but remember to set aside time -- and a designated place -- to simply sit and talk. Here are some other great family reunion tips from our readers. -- JoAnn •T-shirtsarefunforreunionmemorabil-ia, but we also did water bottle koozies this year, and they were a big hit. You can write your name in permanent marker on one side, and then you can keep track of your bottle. -- B.F. in Georgia •Wefindthatwhenplanningourreunion,the young adults really like theme parties, so we always have a mixer theme night to start. We had a scavenger hunt for the children, where we col-lected clues about some of our more senior fam-ilymembers.Tofigureoutwhoitwas,thekidswould listen to them tell stories and ask ques-tions. What a great time for all! -- T.E. •Makesurethatyouschedulesittersforthe little ones so that the adults can relax and participate. Last year, each adult with kids (and some who just wanted to help out) took shifts to beofficialkidwranglersandentertainers.Theydid an outstanding job, and the unscheduled par-ents had time to reconnect with adults without dividingtheirattention.Itfeltgoodthatsomeonewas designated "in charge." -- P.G. in California •Our familyhas severalmemberswithallergy restrictions and alternative food require-ments.Imadesuretowriteupalist,whichImadecopies of and passed along to all our planned food venues. This way, there was advance notice for those who needed gluten-free and vegetarian options. -- M.S. in Florida

Send your tips toNowHere's aTip, c/oKingFeaturesWeeklyService,P.O.Box536475,Or-

lando, FL 32853-6475 or e-mail JoAnn at heresatip@yahoo.com.

(c)2013KingFeaturesSynd.,Inc.

PIRATE WAYS •Inthelate1600s,whenmostofhuman-itywasstillilliterate,shipsflewflagswithpic-tures on them indicating their identity and inten-tion. Flags might depict an hourglass (indicating time running out for surrender), or a sword (indicatingwillingness tofight),ora skullandcrossbones, which was by far the most popular design.Thecolorofaflagalsosentmessages:Ablackflagmeantthepirateswouldgivequarter,and would spare the lives of the captured crew if thetreasurewashandedoverwithoutafight.Ifthe victims refused to lay down their weapons, aredflag(preferablydippedinblood)wouldberunup.Ifaredflagwasflying,itmeantnoquar-ter would be given and the crew could expect to die.Seeingthesightofaredflagwithskullandcrossbones was often all it took to convince the victims to give up and hand all their goods over. After all, the cargo on board usually didn’t even belong to them.Awhiteflag indicated surren-der. •TheFrenchphrase ‘joli rouge’means‘prettyred’whichisthoughttobethereasonthepirateflagiscalledtheJollyRoger. •Cannonshotwascarefullyaimedtode-stroy the sails and masts of the ships being cap-tured without damaging the ship itself. Pirates needed to immobilize the ship but did not want to destroy it. Treasure didn’t do much good if it was sitting on the bottom of the ocean, and the boat itself was a prize worth keeping. Cannon-balls were often made imperfectly on purpose because theywouldmakemore noise inflightif they were not perfectly round, and noisy can-nonballs were more intimidating than silent can-nonballs. •ThefierceGujarati piratesmade cap-tured merchants swallow an emetic called tama-rindi mixed with salt sea water which would cause them to vomit, throwing up any gemstones they may have swallowed prior to being caught.

Tidbits® of Dallas County Page 4 Tidbits® of CDA www.tidbitscda.com Page 4

A diet study has revealed some prom-ising news for those who are at "high vascular risk," meaning they have a greater chance of de-velopingAlzheimer'sdiseaseduetohighbloodpressure, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease or smoking. Spanish scientists found that a Mediterraneandiet canbenefitcognitive func-tion -- the ability to process thoughts -- more so than a plain low-fat diet. The participants (average age 69) were assigned different diets for six years. One, aMediterranean diet, included extra-virgin olive oil and mixed nuts. The results for those on that dietwere"statisticallysignificant."It'sthoughtthat the diet not only reduced cognitive impair-ment, but also slowed its progression to demen-tia. Additionally, heart attack, stroke and related deaths were down by 30 percent. The key ingredient: olive oil. Apparently, a chemical in olive oil (polyphenol) clears plaque buildup fromthebrainseeninAlzheimer'sdisease.The Mayo Clinic likes the Mediterranean diet, too.Itswebsitecitesresearchshowingthatthediet was associated with reduced risk of cardio-vascularmortality,cancer,Parkinson'sandAl-zheimer'sdiseases. What does the Mediterranean diet con-sist of? A lot of vegetables. Lots and lots of veg-etables.Specifically:Plant-based foods such as vegetables and fruits -- nine servings a day Grains, rice, pasta and no-salt nutsWhole-grain bread dipped in olive oilVirginorextra-virginoliveorcanolaoilinsteadof butterNosalt--insteaduseherbsandspicesRed meat no more than a few times a monthFish and poultry at least twice a weekFattyfish,suchasmackerel, tunaandsalmon,high in omega-3. Go online for recipes or check your li-brary for Mediterranean diet cookbooks. Ask if your doctor thinks this kind of diet would be ap-propriate for you.Matilda Charles regrets that she cannot person-ally answer reader questions, but will incorpo-rate them into her column whenever possible.

Send email to columnreply2@gmail.com.(c)2013KingFeaturesSynd.,Inc.

Mediterranean Diet

SENIOR NEWS LINEby Matilda Charles

Are you community minded, want to make a dif-ference, and are looking for a fresh new way to grow your business and yourself? We are proud to announce the expansion ofTIDBITSandanewopportunityforyouand your business or service: CONNECT, a bright new inclusive network now forming.We are looking for members who serve the 40 + age group and want to CONNECT and:

ForCONNECTparticularsandhowtobecomeamemberContact: Mary Thomas, at

Mail.mary.e.thomas@gmail.com or call Mary at: (208) 964-9357

AnINVITATIONto Come Together andCONNECT

EDUCATE BEKNOWNASTHEEXPERTYOUAREANDSHARETHISKNOWL-EDGE. Youwillbeafeatured‘Expert’onceeachmonth, answering questions, sharing informa-tion or updates about your business, or an-nouncing an event.SUPPORT MAKEADIFFERENCEINYOURBUSINESSANDINOURCOMMUNITY.Come together to support other members - es-peciallyournon-profits,beapartofwhatis happening in our community, and be of ser-vice. As we Give, we Receive!EXPAND GROWYOURBUSINESSANDGROWYOURSELF!Get affordable exposure to new customers and learn new practices that will keep you and yourbusiness fresh and exciting. Many are mightier than one! Join, have fun, and be ready to grow.

Looking fora Sales

Executivefor the Tidbits

newspaper. Please call

208.755.9120 for more

info.

TALK LIKE A PIRATE •Theword‘pirate’comesfromtheGreek‘peiran’meaning‘toattack.’ • The word ‘careen’ comes from theFrench word ‘carene’ meaning the keel of aship. Boats that collected barnacles and seaweed moved sluggishly in the water so they needed to be cleaned regularly, especially if they were pirate ships that needed to outmaneuver their victims. The boat would be tilted on its side to be scraped, repaired, and re-caulked. ‘Careen-ing’ has now come to mean lurching or swerving while in motion. •Coinscouldoncebecutintopiecestomake change. A dollar coin could be broken into eight bits. Two bits equaled a quarter of a dollar. That’s how pirates got pieces of eight and Eng-land got the halfpenny and the farthing, which wasoriginallya‘fourthings’orafourthofapen-ny. •After the discovery that vitaminC inlemons, oranges, and limes cures scurvy, sailors were supplied with citrus fruits during voyages, leadingtotheirnicknameof‘limeys.’ • Booty comes from the German root‘bute’meaning‘exchange.’

Page 5For Advertising Call (334) 505-0674For Advertising Call 208-755-9120www.tidbitscda.com Page 5

Onceuponatimeourliveswerespentdoingthephysicallabornecessaryforprovidingfoodfor our family. Each spring seeds were planted, grown, then harvested in the fall. They were canned or preserved to provide nourishment for the winter and spring. Life was about food. Grinding grain, kneading the dough to make bread, milking the cows and churning butter. Hours were spent tending afireunderapotorinastove,stirringthenourishingfoods.Foodwaseatenforlife,wedidn’tliveto eat. Today it’s all reversed. We live to eat. We don’t eat to live. Food is necessary to provide the raw materials the body requires to repair, rebuild, and to enable function. Yet what is commonly eatenarefoodsdevoidoftheserawmaterials.Whatfunctiondoesdonutsandcoffeeprovide?Ifwe spend more than a few minutes in the kitchen, we’re complaining. We skip meals, eat out, eat pre-packaged-nutrient-devoidfoods,andspendtherestofthetimesittinginfrontoftheTVorcom-puter.Wearenolongerphysicallyactiveinthefields.Wecompensatebywalkingintheeveningor working out at the gym. But is it the same? Weworkourbrains,whileourbodiesbecomeflabby.Thenwhenourbrainsfeelfoggy,wehead for the anti-depressants. Worse yet, those of us who prefer to eat real food – like it used to be – out of the garden, are the health nuts. We’re the freaks. All food at one time (and for thousands of years)wasorganic.Everyoneateorganic.Nowit’sreversed.You’reweirdifyoueatorganic.Ifyou prefer to spend time in the kitchen making your own whole wheat bread, you’re dubbed a hip-pie. What happened? Even when we eat well, we no longer have the healthy soil to provide the minerals as in days ofold.Ourtopsoilwhichusedtoaveragebetween12-16inchesisnowdowntolessthan6inches.Ittakeshundredsofyearstorebuildoneinchoftopsoil.Ourlandsareshrinkingatarateofalmost37,000 square miles a year because of the erosion of our soils. As a result, we are increasingly be-coming overfed, but malnourished. When vegetables are grown in the same place year after year, the soil is stripped of its vital nutrients, producing plants weaker and weaker in minerals. Chemical fertilizersfurtherdenaturethesoilandevensterilizeit.Whenwe“healthfoodnuts”desireorganicvegetables, which are grown in soils that are composted to enhance the nutritional content, we are denigrated. Having said all that about vegetables is discouraging. However, eating pre-packaged foods isevenmoredispiriting.Nexttimeyoutakeabiteoffood,askyourself“doesthisfoodcontaintherawmaterialsneededtobuildahealthybody,orisitjustplainemptycalories?”

Food for Life

Dr.HollyCarling is aDoctor ofOrientalMedicine,LicensedAcupuncturist,DoctorofNaturopathy,ClinicalNutritionistandMasterHerbologistwithover34 years of experience. Dr. Carling is currently accepting new patients and of-fers natural health care services and whole food nutritional supplements in her Coeurd’Aleneclinic.VisitDr.Carling’swebsiteatwww.vitalhealthandfitness.com to learn more about Dr. Carling, view a list of upcoming health classes and read other informative articles. Dr. Carling can be reached at 208-765-1994 and would be happy to answer any questions regarding this topic.

By Dr. Holly Carling

Tidbits® of Dallas County Page 6

Q: What is your your lifestyle?Notwhether you aremarried orwhereyou live, but rather, how are you choos-ing to live your life? What choices are you making to keep yourself and your familyhealthyandfinanciallysound?

A:Itisstartlingtolearnthatsomeofthe most prevalent causes of illness, dis-ease, and death-including cancer, heart disease, and diabetes - are all heavily influencedbylifestyle. For example,wedon't usuallythink of cancer as a lifestyle disease. We think a person is unlucky if they have cancer, and often we have a fatalistic outlook toward news that someone has developed cancer. But only approxi-mately 10% of cancers are based on ge-netics. The vast majority of cancer cases are very much related to how we live our lives - our environment, the food we eat, whether we exercise regularly, quality of our relationships and the career paths wechoose.OXIDATIVESTRESSANDWEALLHAVEIT!LOOKINGFORSOMEOPTIONS?

For more info call Terry Building Momentum Inc

208-651-1635

Why Advertising WorksDo this two-step process:1.Think of a distant acquaintance.2.Now,thinkofafriendyouseeoften. If twoof themwere in a roomfull of other people, who do you gravitate toward? For a ridiculous majority of us, we'llapproachour friend. It's the famil-iarity principle. That is, the more you see somethingprovided it'sunderapositivelight,themoreyoulikeit.Inotherwords,the more that people see your company (whether that's a newspaper ad,websitevisit,TVexposure,etc.)--subconscious-ly, themore they'll like it.And -- ifde-ciding between your brand and a more obscure one, guess who wins?Does Advertising Work For Ev-ery Company? For most part, yes -- if you do it right. Placing a Super Bowl ad for your new product, and hope that'll convert abilliondollars?Notachance.That'showinternet companies earlier this decade imploded: They threw all their marketing eggs into one basket, hoping the masses wouldlatchon.Theyneverdid.Instead,advertising takes a continuous "test-see-act" approach for your company.

For more information call Evelyn at 208.755.9120

Page 7For Advertising Call (334) 505-0674Tidbits® of CDA Page 7

Left to right: Evelyn Bevacqua, Dave Reed, John Hoffman Lori Chissie, Terry Peterson, Scarlet Kelso, Arthur Shaw, Barbara Smalley, Suzan Helmhout, Jacqueline Sergeant, Debi Melkonian

For more on CONNECTcall Mary at: 208-964-9357

Here is the CONNECT ‘hit’ list for two very worthy benefits in July. Saturday, July 20th,isthe5thAnnualSt.VincentdePaulSTEAK-FRY.Thefood,fun,andfestivitieswillbeheldattheKootenaiCountyFairgrounds.Awardwinning‘Pit-Masters’,JeffSelle and Jay Bremner will be doing their magic on the steaks. Yumm! Headlining the eve-ning’s entertainment is Kelly Hughes, with Colby Acuff and Justin Sherfey opening the show. Admissionis$25inadvanceand$30atthedoor.AllproceedsgototheSt.VincentDePaulNorthIdaho’sFamilyEmergencyPrograms.Comeoutandjoininthefunatthisgreatcom-munity event. Yahoo! Friday, July 26th,isthe1stAnnual‘Spay-ghettiandNo-Balls’fundraiserforAnimalAlliesofIdaho.Thisisanewnon-profitorganizationandtheirmissionissimpleandeffective:‘Ani-malAlliesofIdaho(AAID)wasestablishedinJanuary2013toAAIDourcommunityanditsanimalsbysustainingahealthypetpopulation. AAIDisestablishingalowcostspay/neuterclinicinCoeurd’AleneandraisingawarenessthroughoutNorthernIdahothatpetsterilizationbenefitsbothpeopleandpets.’Costis$25,anditwillbeheldatThePizzaFactoryinCoeurd’Alene.StaytunedformoreinformationonAAIDandthissuretobefun‘fun’draiser!Canwesay‘Bow-WOW’!

CONNECTmembersgatheredThursday,June20th,atthe1stAnnualCareBearGala,benefit-tingSt.VincentDePaul'scommunityprograms.TheeventwasheldatthenewlocationofCo-eurd'AleneGallery,213ShermanAve.CONNECTmemberandIronmanAlexLitzprocuredasupercoolbikeforraffle(seepicbelow).CONNECTmemberBarbSmalley,DevelopmentDirectorforSt.Vincent's,sendsabigTHANKYOUtoallwhoattendedandhelpedtomakeadifference in the lives of those struggling in our community. Hopeful winners attending helped toraise$450plusotherdonations.WaytoRIdeCdA!

From left to right: Debi Melkonian, Terri Peterson, Suzan Helmhout, Evelyn Bevacqua, Twila Sparti, Jana Pool, Alex Litz, Barbara Smalley, Marye Thomas, Arthur Shaw

CO

NN

EC

T

Tidbits® of Dallas County Page 8 Page 8

Susan Ashley MD is the owner of Family Medicine Liberty Lake, andisboardcertifiedinbothFamilyMedicineandAnti-AgingandRegenerative Medicine. She can be reached at 509-928-6700

by: Susan Ashley MDNumerousstudieshaveproventhetoxicityoffluorideandIneverrecommendit to my patients, including and especially, children. Several of these studies include: A study by Harvard and published in Environmental Health Perspectives, and

23otherstudies,showthatthemorefluoridechildrenareexposedto,thelowertheIQ. AccordingtotheCDC,41%ofchildrenages12-15havesomeformofdentalfluorosis-aconditioninwhichfluorideuptakeinteethcausestheenameltobecomemottledanddiscolored,with the end result being damaged teeth that have rotted from the inside out. The Journal of the AmericanDentalAssociationconfirmedfluorideasatoxicsubstancethatactuallydestroysteeth,especiallythoseofdevelopingyoungchildrenandbabies.A2006articleinLancetidentifiesfluo-rideasanemergingneurotoxicsubstancethatcausesseverebraindamage.TheNationalResearchCouncilstates"itisapparentthatfluoridehastheabilitytointerferewiththefunctionsofthebrainandbody." AnotherstudyatHarvardshowedalinkbetweenfluorideandbonecancer,withthehighestratesofosteosarcomainpopulationswithfluorideindrinkingwater.TheEPAfoundthatlong-termhighintakeoffluoridecanincreasetheriskofbrittlebones,fracturesandboneabnormali-ties, and that it has substantial risk of developmental neurotoxicity. Fluoride negatively impacts thyroid function, contributing to hypothyroidism. In one study patientswith osteoporosisweregivenfluoridetoattempttohardenthebones,buttheattemptledtoamuchhighernumberofhipfractures.•Fluorideisa*toxicindustrialwasteproduct,*whichmayalsobecontaminatedwithlead,arsenic,radionucleotides,aluminumandotherindustrialcontaminants.Thefluorideaddedtomunicipalwa-ter supplies is not pharmaceutical grade.•ThedailydoseoffluoriderecommendedbytheAmericanDentalAssociationresultsinthesameleveloffluorideinyourbloodshowntocausean8-pointdropinIQ.•Poisoncontrolshouldbecalledifyouswallowaquartermilligramoffluoridefromtoothpaste.MeanwhilejustONEglassofwatercancontainthisamountoffluoride.-Toremainwithin"safe"limits,you'dhavetousesuchasmallamountoffluoridatedtoothpastethat one tube would last you several years.•WaterfluoridationhasbeenbannedinnearlyallofEurope,andmanyothercountriesincludingChina,Germany,Sweden,NorwayandJapan.Andyet,fluorideisomnipresentintheAmericanfoodsupply,andisaddedtothewaterinmostmajorcities-but,thankfully,notSpokane.Ifyouthinkyoucanavoiditsimplybyusingawaterfilterandfluoride-freetoothpaste,thinkagain!Mostbeveragesthataresoldaremadefromwaterwithfluoride,andwealsofinditincannedsoups,babyformula,chickennuggets,teflon,juice,andmanypackagedandprocessedfoods. So how can we prevent dental caries, and keep our mouth and gums healthy? Brush your teethwithanon-fluoridetoothpaste,suchasTom's,andthentakeaprobioticcapsule,breakitopen,addalittlewatertoittomakeapaste,andbrushyourgumsandtonguewiththis.In2weeksyourdentistwillseethedifferenceandcavitieswillbecomenon-existent!Itisalsohelpful to chew gum with xylitol. For more information, read: The Case against Fluoride: How Hazardous Waste Ended Up inOurDrinkingWaterandtheBadScienceandPowerfulPoliticsThatKeepItThere<http://www.amazon.com/dp/1603582878?tag=cheeseslave-20&link_code=as3&creative=373489&camp=211189> by Paul Connett, James Beck, and H. Spedding Micklem

Tidbits® of CDAIs flouride really necessary to prevent dental de-cay, or is it a toxin?

Page 9For Advertising Call (334) 505-0674For Advertising Call 208-755-9120 Page 9

by Samantha Weaver

• It was American industrialist HenryFord who made the following sage observation: "Whether you think that you can, or that you can't,youareusuallyright." •IttookLeonardodaVincifouryearstocomplete his iconic painting the "Mona Lisa." •Ifyou'replanningatriptotheUnitedKingdom this summer, you might want to add a sidetriptoLlanfairinWales.Thetown'sWelshname is llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrnd-robwllllantsiliogogogoch, which means, rough-ly, "SaintMary'sChurch in a hollowofwhitehazel, close to a whirlpool and Saint Tysilo'sChurch and near a red cave." The sign at the rail-waystationthathasthetown'snameis20feetlong. •Thenexttimeyou'reaviatinginAlas-ka,keepinmindthatinthatstateit'sillegaltoview amoose from thewindow of any flyingvehicle. •What'sinaname?Well,agreatdeal,itwould seem -- at least according to those trying to make it big. Joan Crawford was born Lucille La Sueur, Roy Rogers was Leonard Slye, and DeanMartinwasDinoCrocetti.IssurDanielo-vitch (wisely) changed his name to Kirk Doug-las, and Archibald Leach decided he preferred to become famous as Cary Grant. •Before1948ontheislandofBermuda,cars were forbidden. •Youmightbesurprisedtolearnthatthecowboyhatwas not aswidespread in theOldWest as might be assumed from watching old movies. The most popular headwear on the fron-tier was the bowler hat. The bowler had the ad-vantageofstability;itwouldn'tblowoffinhighwinds.ItwaswornbyBatMasterson,BillytheKid, Black Bart and Butch Cassidy.

Thought for the Day: "The only way to get rid of a temptation is to

yieldtoit."--OscarWilde(c)2013KingFeaturesSynd.,Inc.

Tidbits® of Dallas County Page 10 Tidbits® of CDADear Auntie M.,

Why would a veteran not send in all sup-porting evidence at the time of filing a claimwiththeDepartmentofVeteransAffairs?Appar-ently it happens, because to help get faster deci-sions,theVAnowissettingupanewinitiative,and a new acronym: FDC, for Fully Developed Claim. Until now, you've had a choice of dif-ferenttypesofclaims:OriginalDisability,NewDisability,ReopenedDisability,IncreasedDis-ability, Secondary Disability and Special. Each has different requirements and evidence.Nowveterans can "simply submit all requiredrecords and documentation at the time they make their claim and certify that they have no furtherevidence,"accordingtotheVAwebsite.VeteransServiceOfficerswiththeAmericanLe-gionandDisabledAmericanVeteranswillpro-vide assistance. Itsoundsgood:TheFDCisan"effectiveway to ensure aVeteran's claimnever reachesthebacklog,"saystheVA,andcancutinhalfthetime it takes to process a claim.Meanwhile, the VA has begun to prioritizeclaims. Veterans whose claims have been sit-ting for more than a year have been given pro-visional decisions so they can begin collecting compensation. They have one year to submit ad-ditional information. Additionally, overtime has been mandated to process claims for homeless veterans, the terminally ill, former prisoners of war, Medal of Honor recipients -- and the Fully Developed Claims. For step-by-step instructions on creating a FDC, go online towww.benefits.va.gov/fdc/and follow the walkthrough link on the right.Bestbet:FileelectronicallyateBenefits.va.gov.If you need to do it by paper, you'll needVAForm21-526EZ,availableatyourVAregionalcenter. Call 1-800-827-1000 to get started and to findthelocationofyournearestaccreditedVet-eransServiceOfficer (VSO) tohelpwithyourclaim.

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.(c)2013KingFeaturesSynd.,Inc.

Speedier VA Claims

Ihopeyoucanhelpmemakeadecision.Lastyearwasaveryhardyear.Ilostbothmyhusband of 50 years and my best friend since grade school. To help me with my depression and grief my son and daughter-in-law got me a puppy. She is the sweetest thing, a little Maltese InamedNancie.Nanciehasmelaughingatherantics and wanting to wake up in the morning. TheproblemismychildrenthinkIshouldhaveherspayed. Iamsoafraidof losingher that Idon’twantto.ShewillsooncomeintoherfirstheatsoIneedtomakeadecisionnow.Ican’tstand the thought of them cutting her open and herbeinginpain,butIdowantwhat’sbestforher. Howdo I knowwhat is best for her andme?Worried in CdA,Dear Worried, First of all, please accept my condolences for the loss of two important people in your life. Being a widow myself, and having lost many friends,IwillsharewithyouthatIhavefoundsolace in the belief that there is no death in love; love is eternal. Nowontothenewloveinyourlife! Ican understand your apprehension. You have suffered enough loss and sadness, and it is only natural to be protective of your heart and this beautiful little life. Actually, you present an excellent ques-tion for all petowners to consider. Ingeneralneutering is recommended to stop over popula-tion, reduce the number of homeless pets, ad-dress behavioral problems, and most important-ly,providefuturehealthbenefits. ForyouandlittleNancie,thepossibilityoffuturehealthben-efitsmaywellbeyourdecidingfactor.AndthatiswhatIwouldaskmyself–willbeingspayedbe better for her in the long run? What is more important - your current fear or her future health. How would you advise a friend in the same situ-ation?

Serious questions welcomed. Ishallbefrankandhonestwithmyresponse

and provide resources where appropriate. Send your request to: Evelyn2318@gmail.com

by Freddy Groves

Tidbits® of CDA Page 11

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Trading Community.

YourITEXdollars are welcome.

509.482.2700