tidbits 40 cda

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of Kootenai County, Idaho Issue #40 Sept. 29th 2014

TIDBITS® LOOKS AT SEAGULLS

by Janet SpencerOn October 1, 1919, the Mormon church of Salt Lake City unveiled a monument to a bird. Mor-mon settlers were tending their ripening crops in 1848 when a plague of crickets descended, threatening to ruin the harvest. Fortunately, flocks of seagulls arrived, eating all the crickets. The Seagull Monument, designed by Brigham Young’s grandson, is thought to be the world’s only monument to a bird. The seagull is now the state bird of Utah. Come along with Tidbits as we go birdwatching!

SEAGULL FACTS• The term “gull” refers to a group of 23 North American species belonging to the family Lari-dae, which comes from the Greek word meaning “ravenous sea bird.” • Seagulls usually mate for life, but researchers say they do get “divorced” sometimes. Their di-vorce rate is about 3 to 5% a year. • A seagull’s feet stay at only 32°f. while the rest of the body’s temperature is 100°f. • When gulls get mad, they yank grass up by the roots to displace their aggression.• The herring gull has 63 different calls.• Gulls can live for up to 32 years.

(Continued next page)

www.tidbitscda.comTIDBITS of Kootenai County, Idaho Issue #40 Sept. 29th

SEAGULLS (cont’d)• Seagulls have been seen stamping their feet in unison to imitate rainfall to trick earthworms to come to the surface.• Gulls are able to drink both fresh and salt wa-ter. Most animals are unable to do this, but gulls have a pair of glands above their eyes designed to flush the salt from their systems through open-ings in the bill. This makes it possible for them to spend days at sea without returning to land for fresh water. Given a choice, seagulls prefer fresh water over salt water because processing the salt is an energy-intensive process.• Adults of many gull species have prominent spots on their bill that serve as visual cues to youngsters. In order to induce adults to regurgi-tate food, nestlings peck this spot.• They have a small claw halfway up their lower leg that makes it easy for them to sit on high ledges without getting blown off.• Gulls nearly went extinct on the East Coast when they were hunted for their feathers.• Many species of gulls are ‘klepto-parisitic’ meaning that they steal their food from other birds to feed themselves, often using simple intimidation tactics which cause other birds to abandon their meal.• Seagulls have excellent vision, even better than human’s. They are one of the few birds with eyes that can move in their sockets. • Gulls often drop clams or other hard-shelled mollusks onto hard rock surfaces to break them open. Researchers found that gulls instinctively know the exact height required to drop a clam so it breaks open. Otherwise, they are wasting energy.• The most common seagull species is the ring-billed gull, one of the most abundant spe-cies across North America. The population is es-timated at 3-4 million. (more on next page)

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EVENT CALENDAR

ARTWALK5-8pm every second Friday from April -

December, stroll through beautiful Down-town Coeur d’Alene and enjoy local and

nationally acclaimed artists. Visit support-ing galleries, shops, restaurants and busi-nesses with your friends and family. A

family-friendly, free event! Apr 11, May 9, Jun 6, Jul 11, Aug 8, Sep 12, Oct 10,

Nov 14, Dec 12

Oktoberfest Coeur d’AleneFriday, September 26: 4:00 – 9:00 PM

Saturday, September 27: 1:00 – 8:00 PMThe Coeur d’Alene Resort comes to life with harvest season activities beginning in late September. Join in the festivities of Oktoberfest Coeur d’Alene with live entertainment, beer sampling and Ger-

man fare in downtown Coeur d’Alene or take a scenic bike race/tour throughout the

Coeur d’Alene area in Coeur d’Fondo.

Scarywood Haunted NightsOctober 3 - November 1

Silverwood Theme Park transforms into an eerie, fun-filled land of frightful crea-tures for the season. Open on select dates

through October.

Sunday October 19Join us for!Salud!

Wine Tasting Gala 2014 from 4-7 pmTickets are $25.00 each Fundraiser benefit for The Coeur d’ Alene Tribe’s STOP Pro-gram For information: thefamilyguide.org

TIDBITS of Kootenai County, Idaho Issue #40 Sept. 29th

SEAGULL FACTS• In a gull colony, when one gull sounds the alarm, the entire flock will take to the safety of the skies. However, some gulls are more skit-tish than others and frequently sound the alarm when it’s not necessary. Observers report that the alarm calls of the jitteriest gulls are routinely ignored by the rest of the colony, just like the boy who cried wolf.• One ornithologist noted that gulls can be can-nibalistic at times, feeding not only on the young of other species of gull, but also occasionally eating their own offspring. The researcher fur-ther noted that cannibalism inevitably increased every single Sunday. Why? Because one of their main food sources came from following fishing trawlers on the ocean. None of the trawlers went out on Sundays because they were all at church.• A scientist who was capturing and banding gulls was frequently bombarded by angry mobs of the birds who resented the intrusion. Other people could walk through the colony without arousing any attention from the birds, but whenever he set foot near them, they would gang up on him. He tried disguising himself by wearing different clothing and wigs, but they always recognized him. Finally he donned a mask, and the problem was solved. He concluded they recognized him by his facial features. • Almost half of the bird/plane collisions in the U.S. are due to gulls. Eisenhower was aboard Air Force One when it lost an engine due to a gull being sucked into the engine.•Orca whales at the Vancouver Aquarium learned that they could train seagulls to come take bits of fish out of their mouths. • Seagulls in Cambridge, Maryland, habitually bombed cars with oyster shells after a parking lot was built over their nesting ground.

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

STRANGE BUT TRUEby Samantha Weaver

It was French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte who made the following sage observation: “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.”

Given the notoriety Las Vegas enjoys as a place for quick weddings, you might be surprised to learn that, technically, it is illegal in that city for a mustachioed man to kiss a woman.

In 1923, a man named Frank Hayes earned the distinction of becoming the first (and so far only) person to win a horse race posthumously. Hayes was actually a trainer rather than a jockey, and he was riding a 20-1 underdog named Sweet Kiss. It seems that Hayes suffered a heart attack in the midst of the race, but his body stayed in the saddle while Sweet Kiss beat the odds to cross the finish line first. For the rest of her life, the horse he rode was nicknamed “Sweet Kiss of Death.”

In his spare time, Jim Cummings, a successful voice actor, calls sick children in hospital wards and talks to them as some of his most famous characters, including Winnie the Pooh and Tig-ger.

Some state names have come to the English lan-guage through roundabout routes. Take Alaska, for example. The state name comes from the Aleut word “alaxsxaq,” which in turn comes from the Russian meaning “the object toward which the action of the sea is directed.”

Those who study such things say that even fish can have distinct personalities. Within a single species, scientists have observed that some fish are quite adventurous, willing to go to great lengths to obtain food or a mate, while others are much more timid, eschewing daring feats al-together.

Thought for the Day: “If a man does his best, what else is there?”

-- General George S. Patton

(c) 2014 King Features Synd., Inc.


SEAGULL FACTS & FASCINATION• A company golf driving range was opened for employees of Smith and Wesson in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1984. It had to close in short order when flocks of seagulls mistook the white golf balls for edible clams. The gulls picked up the balls and dropped them from heights, bom-barding executives, motorists, and innocent by-standers with falling golf balls.• When an estimated 7,000 seagulls took up resi-dence at the Monmouth County landfill in New Jersey, officials decided to drive them away by using trained falcons to hunt them. The entire flock of seagulls subsequently vacated the land-fill, and moved into a local neighborhood. They roosted on rooftops and bombarded the vicinity with poop, often hitting pedestrians. The falcons were removed from the landfill after officials de-cided it was best to have 7,000 seagulls pooping in a landfill than pooping in a subdivision. • The smallest gull species in most of North America is called the Bonaparte’s gull, named after Charles Lucien Bonaparte, a nephew of Napoleon, who was a leading ornithologist in the 1800s. This is only one of a very few species of gull that prefers to nest in trees.• The lava gull has adapted to volcanic islands and is black from bill to wingtip. The swallow-tailed gull, native to the Galapagos Islands, is actually nocturnal—which is far from the norm. This bird often specializes in hunting squid, swooping down in the moonlight to capture its prey.• The California gull has a unique way of catch-ing alkali flies which congregate in dense clus-ters along the shores of salty lakes in the Great Basin. It starts at one end of a huge raft of flies sitting on the beach and runs through the flies with its head down and bill open, snapping up flies.

For Advertising Call (334) 505-0674www.tidbitscda.com

Tidbits® of Dallas County www.tidbitscda.comTIDBITS of Kootenai County, Idaho Issue #40 Sept. 29th

By Dr. Holly Carling

Dr. Holly Carling is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Licensed Acupunctur-ist, Doctor of Naturopathy, Clinical Nutritionist and Master Herbologist with over 34 years of experience. Dr. Carling is currently accepting new patients and offers natural health care services and whole food nutritional supple-ments in her Coeur d’ Alene clinic. Visit Dr. Carling’s website at www.vi-talhealthandfitness.com to learn more about Dr. Carling, view a list of up-coming 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.

, without the nutritional reserves or daily resources to buoy up their performance, will become ex-hausted. Function drops slowly, until it has dropped so much that now it affects normal life activities. Eventually, when it becomes severe enough, it is given a disease label. The point of detoxification is to give the body a helping hand. A proper detox involves 3 steps: First, to eliminate the junk that is contributing to the toxic overload (sugar, caffeine, preservatives, additives, hydrogenated fats, artificial sweeten-ers, etc.); Second, use a stimulus (herbs and foods) to cause the organs involved in detoxification to purge their harmful waste; and third, to nourish the body (eat good, whole, unprocessed, REAL food). I am often asked who should detoxify. Well, if you live in the U.S., probably everyone! Anyone who suffers from fatigue/ low motivation, has difficulty sleeping, has food cravings (especially sugar), has difficulty losing weight, suffers from reduced men-tal clarity or low libido, low immune function, poor digestion (any digestive difficulty), has problems with allergies or sinus congestion, sore joints or muscles, in fact, most health challenges qualify. Further, if you are exposed to industrial inhalants, such as, varnishes, paints, any fumes, work in con-struction or mining, had recent house remodeling or upgrade (especially paint, new carpets or floor-ing), or other such exposures, you can If your diet has contained hydrogenated fats, artificial sugars, packaged foods, if you eat out more than twice monthly, consume genetically modified foods, charbroil or grill foods, drink alcohol, soda or cof-fee, or consume other foods known to cause dis-ruption to health. Most people will benefit from a properly administered detoxification!

WHY SHOULD WEDETOXIFY?When trying to achieve optimal health, a person naturally looks towards cleansing the body of ac-cumulated waste, known as detoxifying. "Detox" is a process the body goes through every moment of every day, transforming toxic substances from our environment, diet, and even our bodies, into less health-threatening substances, and then excret-ing them. Thankfully, we have multiple organs to help this process - the liver, gallbladder, intestines, lymph, blood, lungs, skin and kidneys. But what happens when they get overloaded? Our world today is so full of harmful chemicals, many of them carcinogenic, that our body's natu-ral detoxification system gets overwhelmed. When overwhelmed, the immune system suffers, degen-eration occurs and the stage is set for many types of cancer and other diseases. Couple that with the fact that most people eat poorly, and are so nutri-tionally depleted, that they don't have the resources to function properly. Is it any wonder cancer, heart disease, diabetes - pretty much ALL diseases - are skyrocketing? Liken this to someone who does physically de-manding hard labor, given nothing but some broth for food for weeks. Their body becomes so physi-cally exhausted that they tire out easily, become less effective at their job and more errors are made. In short, they can hardly perform their labor ad-equately. A body that has an abundance of labor to do (detoxify the excess garbage accumulated daily)

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By Dr. Holly Carling


Tidbits® of Dallas County Page 8FITNESS TIP OF THE WEEK

John Caylor is a body transformation expert at Precision Fitness in Hayden and Certified Nu-trition Coach with Venice Nutrition. John has been voted Best Personal Trainer in Northern Idaho in 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014 by the North Idaho Business Journal and is available for personal training and nutrition consulting by calling (208) 755-9099 or via email at [email protected]. You can follow John on his Facebook personal training page at http://www.facebook.com/johncaylorpersonaltraining.

Exercise #3: LungesThe lunge is arguably the best leg exercise, as it works pretty much every leg muscle as well as your glutes. There are quite a few variations to the simple lunge, but to do the basic lunge, stand up straight and tighten your core.Step forward several feet with your right foot, lightly landing heel first. Bend both legs down until bent at 90 degrees (never more) and your left knee is about an inch above the floor. Your knee shouldn't extend further than your toes. Keep your body upright, tighten your core and work to keep your balance by not wobbling from side to side. Lift your body up and bring your hips forward until you're standing straight. Repeat on the other side, lunging forward with your left foot. Complete 20 lunges per leg. Exercise #4: Step-UpsStep-ups are great because they mimic move-ments you perform in daily life. Thisexercise works your legs and also gets your heart pump-ing. When you step-upsyou can hold a dumbbell in each hand to increase resistance. In addition, you'll need some sort of step such as a bottom stair, sturdy box, or low stable chair. Step up with your right foot and then bring your left foot up. Step back down,so both feet are on the floor. Repeat, stepping up first with your left foot. Continue doing this 20 times with each leg.Incorporate these moves into your routine to tone your legs, lift your buns,strengthen your core, and to encourage healthy weight loss.

Legs are one of the most common problem areas that clients complain about.Can you relate? Do you avoid wearing shorts and hate the thought of a bathing suit? If your thighs rub together, buns jiggle and dim-ples appear, it's time to stepup your leg routine. Whatever you'd like to improve about your legs, it isn't going to fix itself.The best strategy for get-ting killer legs is to include strength training for your lower body in your regular exercise routine. To tone and sculpt your legs, incorporate the fol-lowing four exercises a few times a week and see the difference they make. Stick with it and you'll be showing off those legs in no time. Exercise #1: SquatsA properly done squat is a powerhouse of an ex-ercise. In one movement you work your glutes, hips and thighs. Talk about hitting all the prob-lem areas! Here's how to do a proper squat. Position your feet shoulder-width apart. Keeping your back straight, core tight, and chest up, squat down like you're going to sit in a chair. Bend at the knees until your thighs are parallel to the floor, keeping your knees from extending past your toes. Hold this position, and then exhale as you stand back up. Repeat for 20 repetitions without resting. As your endurance builds, feel free to add resistance by holding weights at your sides. Exercise #2: Mountain ClimbersThis rocking leg exercise mimics the movement of climbing a steep mountain. The faster you move your legs, the more of a cardio workout you’ll get as well. Get into a push-up position: hands and toes on the floor holding up your body. Holding in your abs, lift your right foot, and bring your right knee toward your chest.Tap the floor with your right foot, and then extend your leg back to starting position. Repeat with your left leg, bringing your left knee up toward your chest and tap the floor. Return to start posi-tion. Repeat with both legs for 20 repetitions.

Buddy Monk, Corona, CA12 week transformation

Start weight: 168End weight: 135

Overall Figure Champion at 2014 Em-pire Classic Bodybuilding, Figure, and

Bikini Championships.


4 Exercises For Strong, Sexy, and Shapely Legs

For Advertising Call (334) 505-0674 Page 9TIDBITS of Kootenai County, Idaho Issue #40 Sept. 29th

1. Name the artist who released the 1960 song “He Will Break Your Heart.”2. Who wrote and recorded “Stay”?3. What was on the b-side of Iron Butterfly’s first single, “Don’t Look Down on Me,” in 1968?4. What band released the glam-rock song “Fox on the Run”?5. Name the song that contains this lyric: “Such a brief moment, a small time to spend, The danc-ing will slow soon, the music will end; In real life we’re plastic, nature’s unfair, How can we breathe life, how can we share The knowledge and insights hidden in tombs.”

Answers1. Jerry Butler. Butler still performs, while he serves on a county board of commissioners in Il-linois. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991.2. Maurice Williams, who penned the tune in 1953 at age 15. The song made it on the “Dirty Dancing” soundtrack in 1987.3. “Possession.” 4. The Sweet, in 1974.5. “The Music Box Dancer,” by Frank Mills in 1974. The Mills version was an instrumental that didn’t get much airplay until it was accidentally sent to radio stations, where it took off in 1978. A year later, bandleader Ray Coniff added the lyr-ics and put it on his “I Will Survive” album.


On Oct. 4, 1937, legendary blues singer Bessie Smith is buried near Philadelphia. Smith was killed a few days earlier when the old Packard she was driving hit a parked truck near Coaho-ma, Mississippi. In 1923, Smith had released her first record, “Down-Hearted Blues.”

On Sept. 30, 1949, after 15 months and more than 250,000 flights, the Berlin Airlift officially comes to an end. The daily airlift supplied tons of food and other goods. Without firing a shot, the Americans foiled the Soviet plan to hold West Berlin hostage.

On Sept. 29, 1954, Willie Mays, centerfielder for the New York Giants, makes an amazing over-the-shoulder catch of a fly ball hit by Cleveland Indians first baseman Vic Wertz to rob Wertz of extra bases in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series. The catch has gone down as one of the greatest in baseball history.

On Oct. 1, 1962, Johnny Carson takes over from Jack Paar as host of the late-night talk program “The Tonight Show.” Carson went on to host “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” for three decades, handing over the reins to Jay Leno in 1992.

On Oct. 2, 1971, “Maggie May” becomes Rod Stewart’s first No. 1 hit and tops the U.K. and U.S. pop charts simultaneously. “Maggie May” was a last-minute addition to the album “Every Picture Tells a Story” and was originally re-leased as the “B” side to the single “Reason to Believe.”(c) 2014 King Features Synd., Inc.

Tidbits® of Dallas County www.tidbitscda.com

Dr Ashley is board certified in Family Medicine and in Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine. She provides a mix of traditional with alternative medicine and specializes in bio-identical hor-mones for both men and women.

Q&A with Susan Ashley, MD

Supplement of the Week

Susan Ashley MD Family Medicine Liberty Lake, 509-928-6700 www.healthylivingll.com

Pectasol-CCancer. One in three women and nearly half of all men will have some form of cancer in their life-times. Unless you've been hiding under a rock you know about these dastardly statistics. So.. what can be done? How about prevention! What are you eating? What toxins are you exposed to? Does your body have the raw materials it needs to detoxify efficiently and effectively? What can you do to keep yourself from becoming one of these statistics?Start with the fuel you use to power your machine. Are you eating enough plants? I mentioned last week that 1/2 of all vegetables consumed in this country are in the form of fries and ketchup.. That is not going to help keep your body cancer free.To help your body function optimally, and promote healthy cell growth, add Pectasol-C to your daily supplementation. This easily absorbed Modified Citrus Pectin boosts your detoxification and promotes a healthy cardiovascular system. Studies have shown Pectasol-C Modified Citrus Pectin to slow the progression of multiple types of cancers, especially after the tumor has been poked by a needle for biopsy. If you feel it's necessary to biopsy, take Pectasol-C to help bind with some of the cells that leak out. For more information on detoxification please attend one of our free seminars: October 16th, 22nd and 28th at 6:00PM here at Healthy Living.


Lithium can also help protect your brain against aluminum by helping to "chelate" it so that it can be more easily removed from the body. Exercise - both physical, and mental exercise is important for optimal brain health. Sleep - we need 8 hours of sleep each night, and as we age our sleep becomes disrupted. This can increase the risk of dementia or memory im-pairment. Try natural sleep aides first, such as GABA, kavinace, valerian root, passion balm, and melatonin before resorting to drugs, as sleep meds also increase risk of dementia. We also use CES - cranial electrical stimulation, which a person can use at home for better relaxation. Arterial flow - brain artery support is crucial for healthy brain aging and preventing dementia. The stiffness of the arteries is directly correlated with cardiorespiratory fitness: the more fit peo-ple are, the more elastic their arteries. Because arterial stiffening is a cause of reduced brain blood flow, stiff arteries can lead to a faster rate of cognitive decline and an increased chance of stroke, especially in older adults. To increase arterial elasticity, and decrease plaque build-up, we use 2 things: pomegranate juice, 1/4 cup per day works better than most drugs, and a supple-ment called vasophil. Vasophil is a combina-tion of citrulline and L-arginine and has been shown to improve endothelial dysfunction, or in other words, decrease arterial stiffness. Coconut oil and MCT oil - I tell my patients to use coconut oil every day in their diet, it's great for heart and brain health. Read Alzheimers what if there is a Cure by Dr Mary Newport for more information.We can measure brain functioning with a spe-cialized EEG, called a quantitative EEG (qEEG). Done easily in the office, it can help us deter-mine causes of memory impairment, and help with diagnosis and treatment of dementia, de-pression, anxiety, PTSD, traumatic brain inju-ries and chronic fatigue.

The Aging BrainA common complaint as people age is forgetful-ness. Why did I walk into this room? Where did I put my keys? The word I want to say is on the tip of my tongue... What's that person's name again? Most of us over 50 can identify with this.Our most important organ is our brain, and we must do all we can to protect it from deteriora-tion.There are simple things you can do to improve brain health, such as: Omega 3's - 9% of the brain is omega 3, and most of us are low in this vital fat. Take 3000-4000mg of fish oil daily, and make sure that it is mercury free, and not rancid. Often, stores that sell fish oil with a buy one, get one free ad, know that the oil is getting old and turning rancid. Melatonin 1-3 mg at night is very protective for the brain and heart health. If it causes vivid dreams, cut the dose in half. Lithium orotate 10-20 mg at night - neuropro-tective, protecting against natural brain erosion, cell death and brain shrinkage that occurs with age. Researchers have reported that lithium in-hibits beta-amyloid secretion, and also prevents damage caused by beta-amyloid protein once it's been formed. 20-23 Beta-amyloid peptide is a signature protein involved in Alzheimer's dis-ease: the more beta-amyloid protein, the worse the Alzheimer's becomes.

For Advertising Call (334) 505-0674 Page 11

Susan Ashley MD Family Medicine Liberty Lake, 509-928-6700 www.healthylivingll.com

Tidbits® of Dallas County www.tidbitscda.com

“Wax drippings from candles can be scraped off of most hard surfaces with the side of a credit card.” -- T.E. in Kansas

To prevent garbage cans from filling with water during rainstorms, drill several holes in the bot-tom, near the sides. This also will help bags to come out of the can easier.

“Use fluoride toothpaste on a facial blemish for overnight relief. Just dab a tiny bit of your regu-lar toothpaste on a pimple, and cover with a ban-dage. It should relieve redness and swelling. If you have very sensitive skin, don’t try this trick, as it can make it worse.” -- B.B. in Tennessee

If you have wood floors, you might already know about felt furniture pads -- the little self-stick felt circles you put on furniture legs to reduce scratches on your floors. You might not know that these same pads can reduce scuff marks that appliances make on countertops. It also makes it easier to scoot around a heavy mixer or other appliance.

“Here’s a great tip if you need to pack up some-thing fragile: Use a shredder to shred sheets of newspaper. It works far better than just wrap-ping in paper, and it costs much less than pack-ing peanuts. Also, you can reuse these shredded newspaper pieces in the garden, or put them in your compost pile.” -- R.C. in Minnesota

“If you’re looking to save money, don’t ignore the dollar store. You can find a lot of personal-care and home-care items there for, well, a dol-lar. I save quite a bit of money this way.” -- R.L. in Texas

Send your tips to Now Here’s a Tip, c/o King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Or-lando, FL 32853-6475 or e-mail JoAnn at [email protected].


Going Green ... With Cat Lit-terDEAR PAW’S CORNER: My cat’s current lit-ter works fine, but I am reading some worrying things about the ingredients and how they might harm him. Plus there’s the environmental im-pact. Is there a good “green” cat litter available? -- Suzy G., via email

DEAR SUZY: You’re not alone in your concern about litter and the health of your cat. Accord-ing to a report in Scientific American a couple of years ago, many litter products contain silica dust -- which can cause respiratory problems in cats. “Clumping” type litters may use a sodium bentonite clay, which swells up as it absorbs liquid -- however, it may cause gastrointestinal problems if ingested by cats, such as when they lick their paws to clean them after using the lit-ter box.There are also issues around how certain clays are mined, and the size of the “carbon footprint” surrounding production of cat litter, including how far a product travels to reach store shelves.Sure is a lot to consider when you’re just trying to find a better place for your cat to pee. In response to consumer concerns, there are a few “green” litter products on store shelves. Look for a product like Yesterday’s News, litter made from recycled paper; SchweatScoop Natu-ral Wheat Litter; World’s Best or Benovo, made from corn; or even litter made from wood shav-ings and sawdust.If you’re feeling adventurous, look into creating litter yourself from old newspaper.But don’t jump fully into “green” litter without consulting your cat: Test out a new product for a few days to see if your cat will use it. If it doesn’t adapt to one, try another.

Send your questions or comments to [email protected].



For Advertising Call (334) 505-0674www.tidbitscda.com TIDBITS of Kootenai County, Idaho Issue #40 Sept. 29th

Tidbits® of Dallas County www.tidbitscda.comTIDBITS of Kootenai County, Idaho Issue #40 Sept. 29th

Famous CanadiansBRIDGET STUTCHBURY• Bridget Stutchbury is one of Canada’s fore-most ornithologists. She was born in Montreal and raised in Toronto. She is now professor of biology at York University and is affiliated with numerous organizations that seek to preserve bird habitats.• Sutchbury gained a lot of notice after her groundbreaking research into the sexual antics of birds made international headlines. But she is perhaps best known for her book The Silence of the Songbirds.• Many species of migratory songbirds are dis-appearing at an alarming rate. Surveys in Cana-da shows that between 1966 and 2007, Canada warblers declined by 2.6% a year and olive-sided flycatchers declined by 3.7% a year. This amounts to a cumulative loss of 50 and 75%, re-spectively, in a single lifetime. • One of the main problems for migratory song-birds is that they may travel 6,000 miles (10,000 km) or more between their summer habitat and southern climates. In between, they need places to stop to rest and feed. Due to steadily declin-ing levels of forested cover, it becomes increas-ingly difficult for birds to find the sanctuary they need. • Stutchbury explains that the boreal forest is home to 3 billion migratory songbirds and 25% of the world’s intact forests. Almost 1 million hectares are cut each year. Less than 15% of Canada’s boreal forest has been protected and nearly a third has been allocated for logging, mining and development. Clear-cutting forces birds to move elsewhere. • A study comparing the birds of Pukaskwa Na-tional Park in Ontario with surrounding logged landscape found the population of ovenbirds and warblers was 50% to 90% lower outside the

by Freddy Groves

Phoenix VA Hospital Investi-gation EndsEarlier this year, a physician whistleblower at the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Phoenix said that 40 veterans died while waiting for care. He claimed that schedules were jerry-rigged and falsified. The topic exploded into 225 more allegations in Phoenix and 445 around the country.The VA Office of the Inspector General began investigations at 93 other facilities. Its report concluded that scheduling problems are “a na-tionwide systemic problem.” The scandal led to the resignation of VA chief Eric Shinseki.The investigation revealed that in Phoenix alone, 3,500 veterans likely never received an appoint-ment because of falsified wait lists. Patients who were new to the Phoenix area, had recently been in the ER or who’d been hospitalized had dif-ficulty getting appointments.In detailed case studies, patients waited months with uncontrolled diabetes, waited seven months for a cardiology appointment that would disclose the need for bypass surgery, waited six months for an appointment that would reveal a brain tu-mor ... and more. Conclusion: Patients encoun-tered obstacles that affected their care and cer-tainly didn’t help their overall outcomes.However, the bottom line in Phoenix is that in-vestigators found no proof that those 40 veter-ans died because of delays in care.The OIG came up with a number of recommen-dations. For example, the health-care facilities will review the detailed case studies for disclo-sure to patients and families, ensure continuity of mental-health care, make changes to ensure timely access to primary care and establish a process whereby facility directors notify the Under Secretary of Health when the standards aren’t met.To read the whole document, go online to va.gov and search for 14-02603-267, the file number for Review of Alleged Patient Deaths, Patient Wait Times, and Scheduling Practices at the Phoenix VA Health Care System. Freddy Groves regrets that he cannot personally answer reader questions, but will incorporate them into his col-umn whenever possible. Send email to [email protected].(c) 2014 King Features Synd., Inc.


BRIDGET STUTCHBURY (cont’d)• At the other end, Latin American countries clear cut about 4 million hectares of tropical forest an-nually. More rainforest has been cleared since 1950 than during the entire 200 years previous. On the northwestern corner of South America, where many boreal songbirds overwinter, forest loss stands at 70% or more.• Stutchbury maintains that a primary cause of the deforestation of Latin America is coffee. North Americans drink some 300 million cups a day and import over 3.3 billion pounds (1.5 billion kg) of beans each year. To meet demand, shade trees in coffee plantations have been cut down to make way for “sun coffee” which turns a quicker profit than coffee grown in the shade. Most com-mercial coffee farms resemble a cornfield rather than a forest, and farmers cannot grow sun cof-fee without heavy chemical inputs of fertilizers and pesticides. Only a few migratory songbird species can endure these conditions.• A shade-coffee plantation is a lifeboat for mi-gratory songbirds because it provides a mini-ecosystem with towering tropical trees that shel-ter the coffee plants below, fertilize the soil, and prevent soil erosion during heavy downpours. Shade coffee farms provide alternative habitat for plants and animals which normally live in tropical forests.• “In the swirling steam that rises from your cof-fee cup could be the ghosts of warblers flitting among the orchids, orioles sipping nectar from spectacular bouquets in the treetops, and thrush-es flipping up leaves on the forest floor,” says Stutchbury. She encourages all bird lovers to drink only shade-grown organic fair-trade cof-fee to give birds a fighting chance in southern regions, and to fight for conservation rights in northern areas so all bird species will always have a place to come home to.

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Dear Tamara,I am a veteran who returned home 8 months ago after being in the Middle East for 24 months. I started losing my hair while on active duty but I didn’t see a doctor about it until I got home. The Doctor did a test and told me that I have a parasite in my hair follicles called Demo Follicle. I’m still confused. Could you please explain to me what Demo Follicle is?Concerned

Dear Concerned,First off, let me say ‘Welcome Home’ and thank you for your service; for keeping us safe and for protecting the freedoms we enjoy here in the United States.Now let’s get down to hair business. The parasite you have is a mite, a microscopic organism that lives in or near hair follicles, and is called Demodex Folliculorum. We humans have Sebaceous Glands which are found con-nected to our hair follicles in hair covered areas. The sebaceous glands secrete sebum, an oily, waxy substance that lubricates the follicle, the hair, and the skin. It is believed that the sebum supplies necessary nutri-ents and elements for hair growth and that it can help carry toxins and pollutants out of the follicle. Over, or underproduction of sebum can form sebaceous plugs which are comprised of follicular debris. The Demo-dex Folliculorum basically invades the hair follicle and feeds on the sebum. This mite lives and dies in the follicle promoting fol-licle deterioration, hair minimization and hair loss. The mite cleverly covers itself in sebum which fools the immune system into not recognizing it as invasive. There is no known cure for this mite but there are recommended treatments available at this time. There are certain shampoos and scalp nutrients that you can use daily to treat this condition.Call me and I’d be happy to discuss them with you.

www.tidbitscda.comTIDBITS of Kootenai County, Idaho Issue #40 Sept. 29th BIRD EGGS• Eggs are egg-shaped instead of round so that if they roll around, they will roll in a circle instead of rolling away from the nest.•The pattern of dots and splotches of camouflag-ing color on each bird egg is as individual as a fingerprint.• Some birds can lay an egg a mere 24 hours after mating.•When plenty of food is available, birds will tend to lay a larger clutch of eggs.• Some birds will continue to lay eggs until the nest feels full. They can be tricked into laying eggs continuously if the eggs are removed from the nest. A flicker tricked in such a manner once laid 71 eggs in 73 days.• The robin’s egg may be colored blue in order to reflect damaging rays of the sun.• The main ingredient of eggshell is calcium car-bonate, the same stuff in chalk, limestone, shells, coral, and pearls.•A female pigeon in solitary confinement will not lay eggs. Pigeons must be able to see other pi-geons in order to become fertile. Their own re-flection in a mirror does the job nicely.• The kiwi of New Zealand lays the largest egg relative to body weight. A single egg, which takes 4 to 5 days to be laid, weighs about a pound (.5 kg). The mother only weighs about 4 lbs. (1.8 kg) herself. After she lays the egg, the male takes over incubation, guarding the egg for the next 10 weeks.•Although the endangered whooping crane usu-ally lays two eggs, it will only bring one egg to term. In order to boost the whooping crane popu-lation, ornithologists remove one egg and put it in the nest of a sandhill crane instead. The sandhill crane becomes the surrogate parent of the whoop-ing crane chick. (continued next page)

By Samantha Mazzotta

Cleaning Chimney Not a DIY ProjectQ: Can I clean my own chimney? I don’t want to spend tons of money and be told I have to make expensive repairs just to use the fireplace. -- Rich C. in Portland, Maine

A: Your reluctance is understandable, because the chimney cleaning industry, like other con-tractor services, has suffered in recent years from scams. Unscrupulous scammers often target new homeowners or seniors, advertising unbelievably low prices for a chimney cleaning. They then sock the homeowner, after a cursory (or even no) inspection of their chimney, with a huge cleaning and repair bill.Still, if you want to safely use your fireplace, an annual cleaning and inspection is extreme-ly important. Contact more than one chimney cleaning service (three or more if possible) and get a price quote. Don’t agree to any work un-til you’ve seen estimates from a few services. Don’t be pressured into a sale you’re not ready for.Your home’s furnace is another item that should get a checkup from a heating professional. Again, if the contractor inspecting your furnace says repair work needs to be done, get multiple estimates before agreeing to anything.Those concerns aside, you can do some basic in-spection and maintenance tasks yourself. These don’t replace the contractor, but help you get fa-miliar with your house’s heating systems.You can visually inspect the firebox and damper, and check the bottom part of the chimney flue. Open the damper and use a flashlight to look up the flue, checking for debris like leaves or nests, as well as creosote buildup. This black, sticky gunk is extremly flammable and is one of the things professional sweeps take care of. It’s also difficult to remove without the right equipment.Clean the damper and firebox by removing ashes and unburnt wood (when they’re fully cooled) and brushing ashes and residue from the visible parts of the fireplace.Get ready to turn on the heating system now, as well. Buy replacement filters and schedule the furnace’s annual inspection. Clean dust and de-bris from the registers and the air intake cover.

HOME TIP: To improve a furnace’s heating

efficiency, consider addinginsulation to heating ducts.

Send your questions or home tipsto [email protected].


www.tidbitscda.com TIDBITS of Kootenai County, Idaho Issue #40 Sept. 29th

BIRD EGGS (cont’d)•In the early 1980s, scientists were eagerly watching a pair of rare California condors who were incubating their single egg. Unfortunately, the pair got into an argument over whose turn it was to sit on the egg. As they each jostled for position, horrified scientists watched as the egg rolled off the cliff to smash on the rocks below. The condors mated again and laid a second egg within a few weeks. However, ravens raided the nest and that egg was lost too.• Homing pigeons usually fly about 50 m.p.h. (80 km/hr). One way to get a female racing pigeon to fly faster in a race is to take her newly-laid eggs away from her and replace them with eggs that are just about to hatch. When she is then re-moved from the nest and shipped to the starting point of the race, she will fly as fast as she can to get back to her nest before the eggs hatch.•All female ostriches lay their eggs in a single large nest, which is then protected by the domi-nant hen. But she can only incubate about 20 eggs at a time. She pushes all the surplus eggs out of the nest, where they perish. But she never, ever pushes her own eggs out of the nest. Scientists marked eggs and rearranged time and time again in order to prove that she always pushes other eggs out, but never her own. It is not known how a female ostrich recognizes her own eggs, unless it is by the pattern of pits on its surface that allow the chick inside to breathe.• During World War II when eggs were scarce, researchers in the British Isles tasted other bird eggs trying to find a successful substitute. In blind taste tests, the hen’s egg received the high-est rating, followed by a three-way tie between the coot, moorhen, and gull. At the bottom of the list were the eggs of the warbler and wren.

1. GEOGRAPHY: The Yakima River flows through which U.S. state?

2. TELEVISION: What was the theme song to the sitcom “Friends”?

3. MUSIC: What pop music group had a hit al-bum in 1969 titled “The Age of Aquarius”?

4. COMICS: Which comic strip featured a char-acter called “Dragon Lady”?

5. MEDICINE: How long is the average adult’s spinal cord?

6. FOOD AND DRINK: What fast-food fran-chise featured the story of Jared S. Fogle, who lost a lot of weight eating their products?

7. LITERATURE: Where did the Grinch live in the Dr. Seuss story “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!”?

8. MOVIES: What was the name of the mad sci-entist in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”?

9. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: What is the sig-nificance of the acronym ROY G BIV?

10. FAMOUS QUOTES: What comedian and actor once said, “A day without sunshine is like, you know, night”?

Answers1. Washington2. “I’ll Be There For You” (The Rembrants) 3. The 5th Dimension4. Terry and the Pirates5. 17 to 18 inches6. Subway7. Mount Crumpit8. Dr. Frank-N-Furter9. A mnemonic device to remember the colors of the rainbow10. Steve Martin(c) 2014 King Features Synd., Inc.


Q: I am a small business own-er. My wife thinks I should get life insurance for myself and my business partner. We are both in good health - Is this re-ally necessary? A: We all like to think that we will never die, but the truth is we all will. As a business owner

you owe it to your family and your business partner to consider the possible conditions under which each of you could leave the business - and that includes death. The loss of an owner can be devastating to a small business. A com-pany-owned life insurance policy proceeds can help both the family of the deceased and the business in several ways, i.e.: funding a Buy-Sell Agreement, insuring cash flow to keep the business afloat, and replac-ing lost income for the deceased's family. Now is the perfect time to get the information you need to make a con-scientious, educated decision.

I would be happy to provide more information. Nathan Thurman, LUTCF,

Financial Advisor, 208-228-5040 ext. 1.

Insurance 101Q: Do College Students Need Renters Insurance? A: Are your kids or grand kids go-ing off to college? The last thing many parents consider is renters insurance. For the uninitiated, renters insurance offers a surpris-ing amount of protection and is very inexpensive.

The short answer is YES. Your away from home student needs their own renters insurance. Here is why. If your son or daughter lives in on-campus housing, in general, your home owners policy would cover them up to 10% of the personal property cov-erage you carry on your home owners policy. HOWEVER, consider this. If you were to file a claim arising from your son or daughter it would be subject to the deductible listed on your home policy which tends to be higher. Also the claim would follow you and your home owner policy. Now if your son or daughter had their own renters policy it would come with a lower deductible and the claim would not follow you or your home owners policy. College students renting an off-campus apartment, condo, or house should have their own renters insurance policy since they aren't eligible to get coverage from mom and dad's renters or homeowners policy. Don't make the mistake of thinking that students are too poor to protect. Most students living off-campus have thousands of dollars worth of per-sonal items, such as electronics, computers, furniture, bicycles, clothing, and textbooks that make buying renters insurance worthwhile. How Much Does It Cost? You might be surprised to learn that the average cost of a renters policy is only about $10.00 per month. That's a really inexpensive financial safety net that no renter should be without. Call 208-773-0504 today and we can also show you how this can help you save you on your auto insurance rates!!

www.tidbitscda.com TIDBITS of Kootenai County, Idaho Issue #29 July 14th

I have been advertising in Tidbits for some time now and love it. Positive people and a great paper, I'd recommend Tid-bits as an affordable op-portunity for business growth in any industry.

TIDBITS of Kootenai County, Idaho Issue #30 July 21stTIDBITS of Kootenai County, Idaho Issue #40 Sept. 29th

www.tidbitscda.comTIDBITS of Kootenai County, Idaho Issue #40 Sept. 29th Dear Auntie M.,

Please send your questions or com-ments to DearAuntieMmm@gmail.

com. I shall be frank and honest with my response and provide resources

where appropriate.

I’m a 27 year old single mom. I got pregnant just af-ter high school and raising Devon, now 8, by myself. It has not been easy. De-von’s father and his parents lobbied for an abortion and severed all contact and re-sponsibility when I refused. My parents allowed me to stay at home until Devon was born. It was hell. I had terrible morning sickness and my mother could only say ‘You burned your ass and now you have to sit on it.” When I went into labor they dropped me off at the hospital and went out to dinner. Luckily my mother’s brother opened his heart and his home to us and helped me get my AA degree in Business. With their help Devon and I have made a good life for ourselves. Recently I started dating a man I’ll call Jim. Jim is older and has been married four times. He loves his motorcycle and rides every chance he gets. Jim wants me along and wants to go on overnight rides. I love going but it means finding Devon somewhere to stay. Ron and Clarice are not supportive of my leaving Devon and that hurts me. I work full-time and Devon is in school now. I just want to have some fun and feel free if only for a few hours or a weekend. Is this unreasonable? Still Young in Sandpoint

Dear Still Young,Yes, you are still young - and yes, you are be-ing unreasonable. You have taken on the chal-lenge of being a single parent admirably, and, you are not done. Nothing has changed; you still have all the responsibility for your child. This responsibility goes on for 18 years - not 8. These are formative years and your son needs your love, time and attention. His be-ing 8 doesn’t give you permission to take off as Jim dictates. Hasn’t being disowned by his father and grandparents been destructive enough? Must you now abandon Devon for a few hours of pleasure? Sure Jim and his motor-cycle are fun. And yes, you do deserve to have fun - but not at the expense of your son. You don’t mention Jim wanting to spend time with Devon. There’s a reason he’s been married 4 times - ever think of that? Seriously, break this off before you hurt the innocent and those who love you. Your time will come.

www.tidbitscda.com TIDBITS of Kootenai County, Idaho Issue #25 June 16th

www.tidbitscda.com TIDBITS of Kootenai County, Idaho Issue #40 Sept. 29th

A Computer Tablet Made for SeniorsIf you're still wary of using computer technology because of the complications, or if you use the computer at the library because the cost keeps you from having your own, AARP has good news for you -- the RealPad tablet, specifically designed for seniors.Here are a few things that make the RealPad good for hesitant seniors:There's an intuitive interface to help you send email and photos, browse the Internet and even have video chats. It comes already loaded with apps (applications, or programs) and tutorial videos on how to use the touch screen, browse the Internet and set up a video call or email.The RealQuick Fix feature has one button that helps you view the status of your tablet and iden-tify what might be wrong (for example, if your WiFi goes out) and fix it with one click.Customer service is 24/7 -- and free. Call the toll-free number, and you'll get help with any questions.The price is $189, and it includes a year member-ship in AARP (or a year extension on a current membership), plus a one-year limited warranty on the tablet.Here are some of the things that stand out on the list of specifications: ¥ powered by an Intel Atom processor, which means it's fast.¥ a 7.85-inch touch screen¥ WiFi (You'll need WiFi in your home, or use a free one in stores, libraries and many other places.)¥ front- and rear-facing cameras (front for your video chats and rear for your own photos)¥ 16 gigabytes of storage¥ built-in speakers

RealPad was available to pre-order early in Sep-tember, and it will be in Walmart stores in mid-October. To see the RealPad, go online to www.aarprealpad.org. Matilda Charles regrets that she cannot personal-ly answer reader questions, but will incorporate them into her column whenever possible. Send email to [email protected].(c) 2014 King Features Synd., Inc.

TIDBITS of Kootenai County, Idaho Issue #35 August 25th

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