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Two friends paid $1,500 each for Super Bowl tickets. When they arrived at the game, they noticed an empty seat next to them, with an older

woman sitting on the other side. A few minutes into the game, one of the men asked the lady if she knew why the seat was empty.

“We paid $3,000 for ours,” he continued. “It was my husband’s,” she replied. “He died recently,

so I decided to come to the game by myself to honor him.”“Uh-huh,” said the man, “But couldn’t you have given the

ticket to a friend or maybe a family member?”“I offered it to everyone I knew,” she replied. “Really, I did.

But they all decided to go to the funeral instead.”

Arguably the most important annual sporting event in the world, the Super Bowl has grown into a two-week-long circus that draws millions. In this edition of Tidbits, we’ll take a whirlwind look at the 42 games played so far.• Technically, there was no Super Bowl I – it was billed as the World Championship Game. Held at Memorial Coliseum in L.A. on January 15, 1967, the NFL’s Green Bay Packers defeated the AFL’s Kansas City Chiefs 35-10. In those days, teams ran the ball more, but Pack-ers quarterback Bart Starr was MVP with 250 yards passing and two TDs. To ensure maximum viewership, the game was broadcast on both CBS and NBC.• Starr and the Packers returned to defeat the Oak-land Raiders in Super Bowl II. The game was held in Miami’s Orange Bowl, the stadium which would go on to host three of the fi rst fi ve Super Bowls.• SB III was the fi rst one that really excited the fans. It seemed obvious that the NFL had superiority over the AFL, but the younger league spoke up through the voice of Jets QB Joe Namath, who guaranteed victory over the Baltimore Colts. He delivered the win and be-came a sports legend overnight.• In 1970, the game was played in New Orleans for the fi rst time, at Tulane Stadium. (This was before the Su-perdome was built.) The Chiefs rebounded from losing the fi rst Super Bowl to defeat the Minnesota Vikings.• Super Bowls V, VI and VII were all about “righting the ship” for teams that had previously lost the big game. In Super Bowl V, the Colts – previously shocked by Namath’s Jets – handed the Dallas Cowboys a 16-13

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THE SUPER BOWL (continued):

loss. (Dallas linebacker Chuck Howley won the MVP award, the first for a non-QB as well as the first for a player on a losing team.) In Super Bowl VI, the Cowboys returned to defeat the Miami Dol-phins.• Miami then repeated Dallas’ turnaround, but did them one better. After coming up short in SB VI, the Dolphins dominated in 1972, going unde-feated. They topped the Washington Redskins in SB VII, which was (at the time) the fourth-most-watched TV show in U.S. history. SB VIII was held at Rice Stadium in Texas for the first time. In the game, Miami beat the Vikings, joining the Packers as the only teams with back-to-back wins.• The Pittsburgh Steelers took care of Minnesota in SB IX. The Steelers again emerged victorious in 1976, beating the Cowboys in SB X. A year later, SB XI placed the team that lost SB II (the Raiders) against a team that had lost three Super Bowls al-ready (the Vikings). Oakland made Minnesota the first team to lose four Super Bowl games.• The Cowboys, the only team other than the Vi-kings to lose multiple Super Bowls, won their second in 1978 against the Denver Broncos (who would go on to lose their first four Super Bowls, just like the Vikings). For the first time, co-MVP awards were given, as the heart of Dallas’ defense – Har-vey Martin and Randy White – shared the honor.• The Steelers won back-to-back Super Bowls once again by defeating Dallas in SB XIII and the Los Angeles Rams in SB XVI. Pittsburgh QB Terry Bradshaw matched Bart Starr by winning the

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THIS IS A HAMMERBy Samantha Mazzotta

Septic Tank MaintenanceQ: I have a septic system, and in the five years that I’ve lived in this house, I have never put in RID-X (a bacterial treatment for septic tanks) until this month. How do I know if I need to do this? Is it really neces-sary to do it every month? I don’t know how long the septic tank has been in. -- Valerie B., Edwardsville, Ill.

A: Septic-system additives claim to keep bacteria lev-els in the system high, as bacteria play a role in pro-cessing the waste in a septic tank. The jury is out as to whether regular monthly application of these additives really helps maintain the system. I have used additives to kick-start a septic system that had been unused for several months, but didn’t need to add more in the months afterward.The best way to make certain your septic system works well is to have it cleaned and inspected by a septic service. As it has been more than five years since you moved in, with no maintenance done, it’s probably time for a pump-out. If you’re using additives because frequent backups are occurring, it’s definitely time for a pump-out.Find out as much about your tank as possible from the service technician during the visit. How big is your tank? Its size, the number of occupants in the house and state guidelines on septic tanks will determine how often the tank needs maintenance. Does your system have a septic field, or holding tanks? Once this maintenance is done, you can keep the sys-tem healthy a number of ways. Additives are one meth-od, but you also can keep the tank’s bacteria count high by not using too much water and not dumping bacteria-killing cleaners or chemicals down the drain. Never flush cat litter, cigarette butts, coffee grounds, dirt, latex or prescription medicines down the drain.

HOME TIP: Each state has different guidelines on when a septic tank needs draining. Contact your state’s health department or visit its Web site for this information, or ask a licensed septic-system profes-sional.

Send questions or home-repair tips to [email protected], or write This Is a Hammer, c/o King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Or-lando, FL 32853-6475.

(c) 2009 King Features Synd., Inc.

A Trip Back in Time to Rockingham

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. -- It wasn’t NASCAR, but it looked like NA-SCAR back when ma-jor races were run at

North Carolina Motor Speedway.Now it’s called Rockingham Speedway, and on New Year’s Day the famed mile track hosted the Polar Bear 150, a Street Stock race.What the Street Stocks lost in speed to their modern counterparts, they more than made up for in close competition. Why? Because the track was crowded with 67 starters that lined up three abreast at the start.The Indianapolis 500 is most noted for three-car rows, but that’s the way the Southern 500 at Darlington began back in the early years.Among the entries was a Dodge Charger that looked very much like -- practically identical to -- the No. 71 K&K Insurance cars of Harry Hyde and Nord Krauskopf. Among those who drove the car “back in the day” were Bobby Isaac (who won the Grand National title in 1970, back before it was known as Winston Cup), Dave Marcis and Buddy Baker. Bobby East drove the No. 71 on New Year’s at Rock-ingham.Some of the names were recognizable -- Sprint Cup crew chief Jimmy Elledge was in the race as a driver -- but most were obscure.There were classic stock car names -- Jason Leatherwood, Roscoe Thompson, Waylon Fly-nn, Wally Leatherwood, Duke Bare -- but there were also names that could’ve been 1950s movie stars -- Tab Boyd -- and even one with star power in ragtime music: Scott Joplin drove the No. 53 and started 55th.

Based on their names, some drivers could’ve been making their Formula One debuts (Stoyan Zutich) or had their likeness on a pinup calen-dar (Ragina June).This was a race for purists, men and women willing to brave the elements at an almost for-gotten race track when they could’ve watched wall-to-wall football in the comfort of their own homes.About 5,000 fans showed up to watch Chuck Barnes of Louisville, Ky., win the Polar Bear 150.***Monte Dutton has covered motorsports for The Gaston (N.C.) Gazette since 1993. He was named writer of the year by the National Mo-torsports Press Association in 2008. His blog NASCAR This Week (http://nascar.rbma.com) features all of his reporting on racing, roots mu-sic and life on the road. You can e-mail Monte at [email protected].

(c) 2009 King Features Synd., Inc.

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PHOTO CUTLINE: Teams get ready for the race on the starting grid at Rockingham Speedway on New Year’s Day. (Monte Dutton photo)

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THE SUPER BOWL (continued):

MVP award for both games. In 1981, the Oakland Raiders handily beat the Philadelphia Eagles in SB XV.• The 1982 game was the fi rst held in a coldweather location. Luckily, Michigan’s Pontiac Silverdome was well insulated. SB XVI also brought two new teams into the game for the fi rst time in a decade. The San Francisco 49ers beat the Cincinnati Bengals 26- 21. Dan Ross caught 11 passes, a record since tied but not bettered.• Miami lost to Washington in 1983 to even its Super Bowl record at 2-2. The Redskins failed to repeat, however, and lost SB XVIII to the (then-Los Angeles) Raiders. The trophy then hopped across the Bay as the 49ers topped Miami to win SB XIX.• Two ‘new’ Super Bowl teams faced off in 1986. The Chicago Bears rode their “Super Bowl Shuffl e” to a decisive 46-10 victory over the New England Patri-ots. At the time, this was both the most points scored and the largest victory margin for the winning team.• Denver returned to play in SB XXI, but fell to the N.Y. Giants despite a record 204 rushing yards from rookie Timmy Smith. Although the Broncos made it back to the big game the following season, Denver became the second team to lose back-to-back Su-per Bowls when the Redskins took SB XXII.• SB XXIII was a rematch of the 1982 game, and the 49ers beat the Bengals again. MVP Jerry Rice set a still-intact record with 215 receiving yards. San Fran-cisco repeated against the Broncos in 1990; it was the 49ers’ fourth win, and Denver’s fourth loss.• The early 1990s belonged to the Buffalo Bills, who reached four consecutive Super Bowls beginning in 1991. Unfortunately, the team lost the game each time. The Giants won SB XXV while the Redskins took SB XXVI. The Cowboys topped the Bills in both 1993 and 1994, the fi rst time the same two teams played consecutive Super Bowls.• The 49ers played in the Super Bowl for an unprec-edented fi fth time in 1995, beating the San Diego Chargers. SB XXX gave the Cowboys an opportunity to avenge two previous losses to Pittsburgh. Dallas won for the third time in four seasons and set a re-cord by appearing in their eighth Super Bowl.• In 1997, Green Bay got to the big game for the fi rst time since the NFL-AFL merger. The Packers beat the Patriots as the Super Bowl made its fi rst appear-ance on the Fox TV network. The Broncos surprised the favored Packers a year later in SB XXXII, winning for the fi rst time. Denver won again the following year over the Atlanta Falcons.• Two relocated teams matched up in 1999, as the St. Louis Rams beat the Tennessee Titans (who came up just a yard short of tying the game on the very last play). Another moved franchise, the Balti-more Ravens, beat the Giants in 2000 to win in its fi rst Super Bowl.• Since then, you probably know the story. The New England Patriots have appeared in four of the last sev-en Super Bowls, winning three of them. The Steelers, Giants, and Colts returned to win Super Bowls too. Also victorious was one fi rst-time entrant, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who took SB XXXVII in 2002. The Eagles, Bears, Raiders and Rams lost in that stretch, as did the Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers. Who will win this year’s game in Tampa? You’ll fi nd out when SB XLIII kicks off on February 1!

The End

(getting over the weirdness) Dear Dave,I’m starting a photography business on the side to help generate extra income. I have friends who’ve told me they’d like to use my services. However, I feel weird about charging them, be-cause they’re friends. How do I get past that?

DanielDear Daniel,I understand how you might feel weird taking money from friends, yet you’re providing a ser-vice, and you’ve opened this business to make money. They’re going to pay another photogra-pher if you don’t do the job, so why shouldn’t they have the fun of working with someone they already know and like?There’s a psychology at work here. If you comp or discount them now, they may never see you as a true professional. But if you charge them a fair price, you’ll be establishing yourself as a pro.Still uncomfortable? Tell them you’ll do the work free of charge this time if they’ll help you fi nd six new clients. There’s nothing wrong with a trade, especially when you’re starting out. Just make sure you get something worthwhile in the deal!

- Dave

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(determining when to sell)

Dear Dave,I make $60,000 a year, and I have two cars. One is paid for, and I owe $23,000 on the other. These are my only vehicles. I’d like to sell the one I still owe money on, but no one wants to pay that much. I have enough money in savings to cover the difference on one of the offers, but I was wondering if there’s a rule of thumb to determine whether to sell a car in this kind of situation?

JoshDear Josh,Here’s how I look at it. If you really love the car, and by really focusing and saving like crazy you can pay off everything else in your life – except the house – in 18 to 24 months, then I’m okay with keeping the car. If you can’t, it’s time to sell!It also may be time to sell if the if the total value of all your vehicles – cars, trucks, boats, jet skis, and their sisters – is equal to half, or more than half, of your annual income. These are things that depreciate like crazy. You don’t want half of your income wrapped up in things that are going down in value.Josh, you can pay this thing off in two years or less if you haven’t got a bunch of other debt. But if you don’t like the car, or you don’t want to work that hard to keep it, then sell the thing and write a check for the difference. Then re-build your savings in a hurry by putting what would have gone for car payments into your bank account!

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How Old Do You Feel?

A show of hands, please: How many of us feel signifi cantly younger than our real age?Many seniors feel, on average, about 13 years younger than we really are. So says a large study that was done over the course of six years with participants aged 70 and older. The mirror told a different story, though. It’s not surprising that women felt closer to their real age when it comes to appear-ance. We can blame Madison Avenue for that one, I’m sure. In certain circles there’s a negative stereotype about older women, and unfortunately some of us buy into it. Men don’t seem to have the same self-image problems, according to the study. And given the same age between men and women, women perceived themselves to be on average four years older than the men. By the end of the study, however, it was

the men whose satisfaction with them-selves decreased more than the women’s did.Perceptions in general changed as the study went on. By the end of the study, many reported a decrease of a few years in the difference between real and per-ceived age.There was a link between feeling young and healthy and living a long life, of course. Those who had a positive attitude about aging in general had the greatest discrep-ancy between real and perceived age. Those who started the study with health issues perceived their age to be closer to what it actually was.I’m not sure I like the attitude of one of the researchers, though. She was quoted as saying that the 13 years is an “illusion.” Of course it is. But so are the images that are put before us by Madison Avenue. As long as we’re happy and healthy, does it matter what “number” we assign our-selves?

Matilda Charles regrets that she cannot personally answer reader questions, but will incorporate them into her column whenever possible. Write to her in care of King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475, or send e-mail to [email protected].

(c) 2009 King Features Synd., Inc.

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Widows Are Due Reimbursement

Since 1996, the Department of Vet-erans Affairs has been demanding reimbursement for

benefi t checks sent during the month that a married war veteran died. It shouldn’t have done this. Twelve years ago, a law was passed that directed the VA to allow spouses to keep those fi nal benefi t and disability checks.Yet untold hundreds of thousands of widows (possibly as many as 50,000 per year) were dinged for the money just at the time they needed it most. Either the widows paid it back or started making payments when they re-ceived demand letters -- or the government got into their checking accounts and took it back. Sometimes it was both.The VA says the problem was caused by a computer glitch that was never fi xed. When the new law took effect, automated letters de-manding repayment just kept rolling out.

Now that the problem has come to light, the VA plans to fast-track a fi x and get checks out starting in February.If you know a widow to whom this might apply, clip this column for her. If you’re in a service organization such as the American Legion and you’ve had married members pass away, talk to the widows and ask if they had to pay back the last benefi t check they received. While the VA says it will send the money (once it sorts out who’s to get it), chances are there will be many widows who slip through the cracks, possibly for something as simple as an address change. It might only involve $100, or it could be thousands. Doesn’t matter. If the war veteran died after Dec. 31, 1996, the mon-ey from the last check belongs to the widow.The VA’s number is 1-800-827-1000.

Write to Freddy Groves in care of King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475, or send e-mail to [email protected].

(c) 2009 King Features Synd., Inc.

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THE KITcHEn DIvA By Angela Shelf Medearis

I love football, and the big game on Feb. 1 is the perfect time to gather together with family and friends. I’m not at all surprised by a survey where 72 percent of the participants remembered what they ate, but couldn’t remember who won the game the year before. According to the National Football League, Super Bowl Sunday ranks second behind Thanksgiving as the biggest day of food consumption. It’s also the most popular “at home” party event of the year, surpassing even New Year’s Eve.I’ve discovered an easy way to feed a houseful of hungry football fans. I use a pre-cooked, smoked brisket and a good-quality, packaged salsa like the Pace brands. From

these two main ingredients, I can create a smorgasbord of delicious dishes on a budget. This super game-day menu uses brisket in a variety of ways and features a jicama salad with a spicy, salsa dress-ing. The recipes are quick, easy and guarantee that you’ll be free to enjoy the party along with your guests.

Salad- 1 small jicama, about half a pound- 4 radishes, thinly sliced1 small purple onion, thinly sliced- 5-6 small cherry tomatoes, quartered- 1 ripe avocado, sliced- 1 small cucumber, seeded and sliced into quarter-inch slices- 1 cup sweet white or yellow corn kernels, cooked and chilled (or frozen)- 1 teaspoon salt- 1 teaspoon pepper

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Slice and/or cube all the vegetables. Mix together all dressing ingredients. Add to vegetables. Toss to combine, refrigerate for 30 minutes and serve chilled.***Angela Shelf Medearis is an award-winning children’s author, culinary historian and the author of five cookbooks. Her latest cookbook, “The New African-American Kitchen,” is in bookstores now. She’s known as The Kitchen Diva and is the executive producer and host of “The Kitchen Diva!” television cooking show. Visit her Web site at www.divapro.com. (c) 2009 King Features Synd., Inc.

FOOTBALL MEnU ScORES A TOUcHDOWn

Saturday, January 24th vs. Tri-City 6:30 7:00Friday, January 30th vs. Chilliwack 6:30 7:00Saturday, January 31st vs. Kootenay 6:30 7:00Friday, February 6th vs. Vancouver 6:30 7:00Sunday, February 8th vs. Kelowna 5:30 6:00Saturday, February 14th vs. Edmonton 6:30 7:00Sunday, February 15th vs. Prince George 5:30 6:00

SPOKANE CHIEFS 2009 SCHEDULE

To have your community event listed in this section of TIDBiTS, email us at: [email protected]. Free space is limited.

TICKETS FOR ALL SPOKANE CHIEFS HOME GAMES ARE AVAILABLE BY CALLING THE CHIEFS TICKET OFFICE AT (509) 535-PUCK

Wednesday, February 18th vs. Seattle 6:30 7:00Friday, February 27th vs. Portland 6:30 7:00Saturday, February 28th vs. Tri-City 6:30 7:00Wednesday, March 11th vs. Everett 6:30 7:00Friday, March 13th vs. Tri-City 6:30 7:00Sunday, March 15th vs. Kelowna 5:30 6:00

PHOTO CREdIT: Photo courtesy of Pace Foods, www.pacefoods.com

dRESSIng- 1/2 cup Pace Salsa verde- 1/4 cup olive oil- 1/3 cup lime juice- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard- 1 teaspoon salt- 1 teaspoon pepper

SalSa BRISKETBrush the pre-cooked brisket with 1 1/2 cups of Pace Triple Pepper Salsa. Follow the baking directions on the brisket package. Allow the heated brisket to cool before slicing. Serve half of the sliced brisket with a bowl of the Triple Pepper Salsa and a basket of rolls. Shred the rest of the brisket, and use it in the recipes below.SaSSY SalSa FaJITaSWrap a small portion of the shredded Salsa Brisket in a warm, flour tortilla and top the fajita with shredded lettuce and cheddar cheese, or some of the Jicama Salad below, and top with Pace’s Four Cheese Salsa Con Queso.SalSa JOESCombine the shredded Salsa Brisket with Pace’s Pico De Gallo. Pile the meat mixture on toasted hamburger buns, or in pita bread.SalSa BEEF SaladCombine the shredded Salsa Beef with Pace’s Pico De Gallo. Pile the Salsa Beef on top of pita or tortilla chips, top with some of the Jicama Salad, and sprinkle with Cheddar cheese.SalSa QUESadIllaSPre-heat the oven to 425 F. Take 10 (6-inch) flour tortillas and place them on a large baking sheet that has been lightly sprayed with oil. Heap several tablespoons of the shredded Salsa Brisket in the center of each tortilla. Add 2 tablespoons of Pace’s Four Cheese Salsa Con Queso and 3 tablespoons of shredded Cheddar cheese. Fold the tortillas in half. Bake 10 minutes until golden and crisp. Cut each quesadillas into thirds. Serve warm with a bowl of Pace Salsa. Makes 30 appetizers.SalSa STUFFEd BaKEd POTaTOESBake the potatoes at the same time you’re heating the pre-cooked brisket or microwave the baking potatoes until soft. After baking, wrap the potatoes in aluminum foil to keep warm. Serve the baked potatoes with individual bowls of Pace’s Four Cheese Salsa Con Queso, broccoli, shredded cheese and the vegetables of your choice as toppings. This is a great recipe for your guests who are vegetarians. Non-vegetarians will also enjoy these baked potatoes stuffed with the shredded Salsa Brisket.JICaMa Salad WITH SalSa VERdE dRESSIngJicama also is known as a Mexican Potato or a Chinese Turnip and is high in vitamin C. This salad is also delicious as a topping for the Salsa Fajitas.

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Brain Bleed causes Stroke at Young Age

dEaR dR. dOnOHUE: When my brother was 47, he died of a stroke caused by bleeding in his brain. He was fi ne one min-ute, and the next he was in a coma. an autopsy showed he had had an aneurysm that ruptured. I have four other brothers and three sisters. Should we all be checked for an aneurysm? I am now 66. -- W.C.

anSWER: an aneurysm is a weak spot on an artery wall. It looks like a blister. aneurysms can develop on any artery, but they are mostly found on the aorta and on brain arteries. Should the aneurysm break, bleeding can be catastrophic.Ruptured brain aneurysms account for 10 percent of strokes, and frequently they occur in younger people, ones not thought to be at risk of a stroke. The story is much like your brother’s. a person, apparently in good health, complains of having the worst headache ever. Then he might lapse into unconscious-ness briefl y. He might have a seizure. The mortality of a rup-tured brain aneurysm is high, more than 50 percent.First-degree relatives of a person who had a brain aneurysm have an increased risk of also having one, but the risk is rel-atively small, about 1 percent to 4.7 percent. A fi rst-degree relative is a parent, brother, sister or child. The best way to detect a brain aneurysm is a special kind of scan called mag-netic resonance angiography. It’s a magnetic resonance imag-ing -- MRI -- scan with dye injected into the arteries to outline any aneurysm. Most authorities don’t recommend screening

TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH

by By Paul g.

donohue, M.d.

FITNESS

&

HEALTH

fi rst-degree relatives, because their risk is small and the procedure carries an equally small danger.The booklet on stroke explains this common and sometimes crippling condition. Readers can obtain a copy by writing: Dr. Donohue -- No. 902W, Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Enclose a check or money order (no cash) for $4.75 U.S./$6 Canada with the recipient’s printed name and ad-dress. Please allow four weeks for delivery.***dEaR dR. dOnOHUE: I recently read that nausea and gas are symptoms of pancreatic cancer. I have both. Could I have pancreatic cancer? I am 79. -- E.B.anSWER: Pancreatic cancer’s average age of onset is 65. The risk of coming down with it increases with age. about 34,000 new cases of it occur yearly in the United States. It is the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths.What makes pancreatic cancer such a peril is its lack of signs and symptoms in its early stages. Symptoms, when they do arise, include loss of appetite, a drop in weight, stomach discomfort or pain, nausea and a sensation of full-ness after taking only a few bites of food. as the cancer grows, it blocks the drainage of bile, and the skin and whites of the eyes turn yellow.Your symptoms are common to many things, and pancreatic cancer is not high on the list. However, I have learned one thing about medicine: When a person brings up a diagno-sis, I can’t dismiss it, no matter how remote the chances of having it are. See your doctor. You and I will sleep better if you do.* * *Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Readers may also order health newsletters from www.rbmamall.com.

(c) 2009 North America Synd., Inc.All Rights Reserved

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PAWS cORnERBy Sam Mazzotta

Betta Fish Didn’t Have to DieDEAR PAW’S CORNER: I’m writing regarding the col-umn about the children who didn’t take care of their pet fi sh. It seems to me that the consequence of failing to take care of the Betta fi sh was that the fi sh died. Teach-ing the kids to be responsible is a wonderful thing; the parent was not being responsible.I didn’t see the original letter, but apparently the fi sh wasn’t being fed. The mother should’ve put it in her routine to accompany the kids daily to their pet-care chores and verify they were being accomplished. If the kids didn’t want to do those chores, she could’ve given the fi sh away. And if she was unable to fi t overseeing the pet care into her schedule, she should have never gotten the fi sh in the fi rst place.I’m not accusing the mother of intentional animal cru-elty, but defi nitely of being irresponsible. How can she

teach responsibility when she wasn’t responsible her-self? In the long run, if neglect is the cause of the fi sh’s death, she, not the children, is responsible. On the positive side, she is correct to not allow the kids to have another pet. Good for her on that count. -- BethBETH: That’s a sensible answer, Beth, and thanks. I got quite a few letters on this issue, many fairly hys-terical. While I don’t condone the death of a pet due to neglect, I’m also quite sure the mother felt badly about what happened. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t have asked me for advice on getting another pet.That leaves one remaining question for my readers: How can her children prove to her that they are ready for another pet?Send your tips, questions and comments to Paw’s Corner, c/o King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475, or e-mail them to [email protected].

(c) 2009 King Features Synd., Inc.

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Littering the West

With DeaD MaLLs anD Vacant superstores

It’s no secret that as corporate chains have taken over much of the retail economy, they’ve left a wake of half empty downtowns, shuttered family businesses and neighborhood resi-dents dependent on driving to strip malls and “big box” stores for staple items.

Now these same chains are dealing communities a second blow-- vacating existingstores to build bigger outlets, leaving huge empty shells and acres of asphalt behind.

Dead malls and empty superstores now litter the Western landscape. New Mexico is home to eight empty Wal-Mart carcasses alone. Aurora, Colorado one of five communities with abandoned Wal-Marts, has two. Both exceed 100,000 square feet--more than twice the size of a football field and three times the size of large supermarket. And that’s not counting their vast parking lots.

Alamosa, Colorado, already scarred by an abandoned Kmart, will soon have an empty Wal-Mart, too. The company is doing what Kmart did years ago---moving into an even bigger box down the road.

Chain stores are multiplying at a staggering pace and have created a glut of retail space. Nationwide, fully half a billion square feet of retail space sits empty—the equivalent of about 4,000 shopping malls. In the last 12 years alone, per capita retail space has increased 34 percent, from 15 to 20 square feet. Many communities have more retail space than residents can support, so vacancies inevitably follow.

Compounding the problem, corporate chains reinvent themselves every ten years or so, abandoning existing outlets for new for-mats. First there were small strip malls, which gave way to enclosed malls, then came successive waves of ever-larger regional malls. Hundreds of malls then closed following the first wave of big box stores in the 1980s.

In the 1990s the big boxes themselves began to shed their skins, vacating existing stores to build still larger outlets. Wal-Mart is one of the worst offenders with nearly 400 of its stores-many less than a decade old—sitting empty. That’s more than 30 million square feet of vacant retail space surrounded by thousands of acres of asphalt-the refuse of just one corporation. Wal-Mart plans to “relocate” another hundred stores this year as it creates “supercenters”, that combine general merchandise and a supermarket under one giant roof.

This wasteful phenomenon not only concerns residents in impacted communities, but also has caught the attention of real es-tate interests. PricewaterhouseCoopers recently advised investors to shun big box developments, noting that too many already exist and that America is “over-retailed” advice worth heeding for any community considering such developments. To be continued…(source: http://amiba.net/articles.html). By Stacy Mitchell and Jeff Milchen