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Pension debt continues to rise

by Venturans for Responsible & Efficient Gov’t

Ventura’s unfunded pension liabilities continued to grow in 2019 to $218.6 million. The City of Ventura continues to sink deeper into debt to pay for city employees’ present and future retirement benefits. Unfortunately, the economic reality of the city’s current public pension liabilities is not receiving the attention it demands.

Revised Unfunded Liability Figures
The new unfunded pension liabilities figures come from the 2018-2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR). Ventura added $3.5 million to its unfunded liabilities. Simultaneously, the market value of Ventura’s assets held by CalPERS dropped to 66.7%, a multi-year low.

A Political Hot Topic
Discussions about pensions get emotional because we’re talking about people’s future and security. Let’s be clear. We respect the work city employees do. There is no denying that fire and police perform a vital job that is both dangerous and requires a high level of training and responsibility.

Our concern is not about their work. We’re uneasy about how the city structures, accumulates and pays retirement benefits.

Neglecting The Unfunded Pension Liabilities Doesn’t Make Them Disappear
For ten years, Ventura has done little to remedy the unfunded pension liability. During that time, there have been four different City Councils. Yet, they made only a modest effort to solve the problem. Then-Mayor Bill Fulton and City Manager Rick Cole claimed in 2011 that the City of Ventura had tilled new ground by requiring the city employees to pay something toward their retirement – 4 ½%.

Yet, closer scrutiny showed employees pay their 4 ½% retirement contribution toward the employers’ portion (i.e., The taxpayers’ portion) of what Ventura sends to the CALPERS retirement plan. This accounting maneuver explicitly increases the employee’s total compensation, meaning the “contribution” counts as the employee’s income to calculate the employee’s retirement benefit when they retire.

Suggestions For Addressing Unfunded Liabilities
There are two other choices for our City Council to consider if they have the political will.

1. Make beneficiaries pay more. Capping the employer contribution at a fixed percentage of salary would cut pension costs for the city. As pension costs increase over the years, the employees will pay all the growing costs.

2. Change when retired city employees may begin collecting pensions. This alternative solution applies to new employees only. What if police and fire could vest their generous pensions in full by age 50 or 55, as they do now, but the payments did not start until age 65? At current official pension growth rates, that would more than double the fund’s value over those ten years. Also, the retirement payment period would be ten years shorter, given the same life expectancy.

Public sector employees may resist the changes but this solution makes sense. Private sector employees don’t get their full social security until 65 or even 67, depending their birth year.

Raw Political Power Behind Unfunded Pension Liabilities
Ventura’s city employee unions negotiate higher and higher salary increases disregarding any concern that the money may not be available to pay their pensions once they retire. Union negotiators believe a virtually ironclad guarantee exists for the workers to whom the city promised the pension benefits. Many Councilmembers accepted the same thing, although it’s no longer valid. A Federal Bankruptcy Court ruled otherwise in January 2015.

The impact of this decision is that CALPERS cannot stop cities from modifying pensions. Yet, the Ventura City Council appears unaware of the findings.

Editors Comments
Past retirement pension negotiations were based on union bargaining and raw political power, creating a gap between what politicians promised and what cities can really pay. It will take political will to bring the retirement benefits back to reality. Changing the system is the only way these promised benefits can be sustainable and dependable for retirees. It’s also the only way that taxpayers can afford to pay for them.

Good News!! BAA Exhibits Still Showing

We may be isolated, but we’re not alone!

SpiceTopia
New BAA Member Show — January 3-March 7
576 E. Main Street, Ventura — Hours 11-6 daily
Continuing exhibits of BAA Artist work at the downtown SpiceTopia location.

Harbor Village Gallery & Gifts
New BAA Member Show — January 15-March 15
Friday thru Monday, 11-6
All locations require customers to wear masks and maintain social distancing.
Occupancy is limited at both locations.
Hand sanitizer, gloves, and spare masks may be available.
. . . . . . . .

Buenaventura Gallery Closed
The Buenaventura Gallery (at the Bell Arts Factory location) is closed at least for the duration of the stay-at-home order. Stay tuned for more info regarding that location.

Lorna Amundson

Lorna Amundson: For years I painted plein-air every summer in Yosemite. During this pandemic I have dipped back into my 30-year trove of photographs instead. I am sharing Rafters on the Merced River.

Meryl Goudey

Meryl Goudey: I painted colorful roses to honor my loving mom’s birthday, on December 18. I will have two paintings in a color show for the new year at Gitana Gallery in San Fernando.

Vol. 14, No. 08 – Jan 13 – Jan 26, 2021 – The Pet Page

∙Several pet food products have been recalled after 28 dogs died, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced. Three brands of Sportmix products for dogs and cats made by Midwestern Pet Foods may contain potentially fatal levels of the toxin aflatoxin, according to the FDA.

The FDA said it is aware of at least 28 deaths and eight illnesses in dogs that ate the recalled pet food.

The Missouri Department of Agriculture tested multiple samples of the food and found “very high levels” of aflatoxin, which is produced by a mold that can grow on corn and other grains used in pet food, the FDA said.

Midwestern Pet Foods has committed to recalling nine lots of Sportmix products, the FDA said. The FDA and Missouri Department of Agriculture are working to determine if any others need to be recalled.

The lot code, which begins with the letters “Exp,” is located on the back of the bag.

Phelan beat out a greyhound to be the world’s fastest dog.

∙ A mixed-breed dog won an American Kennel Club contest and was named the nation’s fastest dog.

Wailin’ Phelan The Bearded Lass, a rescue adopted by Krista Shreet and Ted Koch, competed against 116 other dogs in the inaugural Fast Course Ability Testing (CAT) Invitational. The fastest dogs of each breed, as ranked by prior kennel club events, met in Orlando for the competition December 9-11.

The Fast CAT is a 100-yard sprint in which dogs chase a lure on a string down a grassy field.

The dogs ran three times and their speeds were converted into miles per hour and averaged. Phelan ran an average of 32.3 miles an hour, beating a greyhound named Dagnabit, which came in second at 31.2 miles per hour.

The slowest dog at the race was a Pekingese named Buster who averaged 7.8 miles per hour. While Buster was slow relative to other dogs, Buster is the fastest Pekingese in the country.

Phelan is categorized as a large All-American dog, a term the club uses to describe mixed-breeds and unrecognized breeds. She is 4-years-old, and a genetic test shows she is part greyhound, part borzoi and part Scottish deerhound.

∙ This was published online Sept. 16 in the journal PLOS ONE.

Despite the deep desire to help your dog age gracefully and stay mentally sharp, new research suggests that even the best diet and training won’t slow the ravages of time for your furry friend.

Just like their human owners, dogs can experience thinking declines and behavioral changes as they age. They might display less curiosity about novel objects and show decline in social responsiveness, memory and attention, the researchers explained.

Studies have suggested that lifelong training and an enriched diet could slow dogs’ mental aging, but few have explored aging in pet dogs in real-life settings.

In this latest study, an international team of researchers led by Durga Chapagain, from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, Austria, found that middle-aged to elderly dogs who were trained throughout their life and fed a nutrient-enriched diet for a year performed no better on thinking tests than dogs who received less training and ate a regular diet.

The study included more than 100 pet dogs over the age of 6 years and of varying breeds. The participating dogs were split randomly into two groups: half were fed a nutrient-enriched diet, including antioxidants and omega fatty acids, while the other half consumed a regular diet. The researchers also collected information from the pets’ owners about their dogs’ previous training.

After a year on the diet, the researchers evaluated the dogs’ mental capacities using a cognitive test that is designed for older canines.

Sadly, diet and training were found to have no significant impact on mental decline, the study authors said.

The aging dogs experienced declines in four particular areas: problem-solving, sociability, boldness and dependency. However, the findings showed that their trainability and activity independence appeared to remain sharp.

∙ It’s not uncommon for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder to wait years for a service dog because of lengthy waiting lists.

As these waiting lists continue to grow, a scientist at Purdue University continues to lead first-of-its-kind research revealing how exactly these dogs are helping veterans and the people around them – providing quantifiable data as they wait for a dog of their own.

Maggie O’Haire, an associate professor of human-animal interaction in the Purdue College of Veterinary Medicine, is revealing how service dogs can offer both physiological and behavioral benefits to veterans with PTSD.

“We continue to hear that service dogs are saving veterans’ lives,” O’Haire said. “Our research is intended to measure this. We see that the dogs are helping, but now the challenge is answering how exactly service dogs are helping and what to expect once you have one of them in your household. Service dogs for PTSD are not a cure, but for some veterans they can offer benefits that make PTSD symptoms easier to manage.”

O’Haire led a preliminary study that took place in 2015-16, which showed that overall symptoms of PTSD were lower among war veterans with service dogs. The study examined 141 veterans — with 76 of them having a service dog and 65 being on a waiting list for a dog. O’Haire led that study with the help of K9s For Warriors, a nonprofit organization that provides veterans with service dogs.

O’Haire’s work provided scientific evidence of mental health benefits experienced by veterans with PTSD who have service dogs. The findings during that study also went beyond behavioral benefits and assessed cortisol levels because it is a biomarker in the stress response system, O’Haire says. For veterans with service dogs, their cortisol levels grew higher in the morning than those who were on the waiting list. Healthy adults without PTSD typically have rising cortisol levels in the morning as part of their response to waking up. O’Haire’s research has revealed that for veterans, having a service dog was also associated with less anger, less anxiety and better sleep.

In preparation for the clinical trial, O’Haire co-led a study that showed what trained tasks service dogs perform the most often and which ones are most helpful to veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. The study found that the task of disrupting episodes of anxiety ranked among the most important and most often used. Support for the work was provided by Merrick Pet Care.

O’Haire and her research team will continue to analyze and learn from the data collected from the recently concluded clinical trial, which includes studying how veterans are partnering with their dogs and what trained tasks continue to be the most important.

“Our goal is to advance rigorous science instead of relying on intuition when it comes to how service dogs are helping veterans,” O’Haire said.

Vol. 14, No. 08 – Jan 13 – Jan 26, 2021 – Opinion/Editorial

Lord Acton 1887 “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

Like all Americans (I wish) I was ashamed, embarrassed, shocked, angry and tearful watching what Trump (and some of his relatives) has brought upon this country by Inciting an insurrection that left 5 Americans dead. I certainly hope that he is prosecuted for his actions.

This was simply terror and anarchy from those who belong to the party of “law and order.” Responding to their mentally unbalanced leader.

Some have accused me of not loving America because of my criticism of him but my criticism is because I love America. He doesn’t love America, his allies, the constitution, his country he only loves himself. Look how he quickly abandons anyone who doesn’t do what he demands of them or opposes him in any way and throws them under the bus.

Trump said in a statement after Congress certified his loss. “I have always said we would continue our fight while this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history. The sad part is that he really believes this.

Take VP Pence who has kissed his ass for 4-years and Trump asked him to take an action that he couldn’t even legally do so Trump just dumped him. Trump said to have told Pence ‘I don’t want to be your friend’ after the vice president refused to block Biden’s election certification.

Even as his fans were running wild through the Capitol he tweeted “These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots.” He told rioters to “go home now,” but added “we love you” and “you are special.”

The only relief of the day was the speech that Biden made. In it he encouraged Trump to condemn the Trump army but when Trump did speak he basically praised them and called them heroes. He even said he loved these traitors and anarchists who attempted to destroy our democratic processes.

As a defense lawyer and a so-called right-leaning legal commentator on Fox News Catherine Cherkasky stated,” I am very sensitive to claims of unfairness or illegality in our nation’s institutions and processes, particularly in our elections. In this case, however, these violent protests are not about a breakdown in the election process rendering the outcome invalid. They are about nothing more than the bruised ego of President Donald Trump, who lost an election then failed to present any tangible legal grounds upon which it should be reversed.”

Trump’s eldest sons threatened Republican lawmakers at a large rally outside the White House on Wednesday, pledging that their family would continue to dispute the results of the 2020 election just hours before Congress was set to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory.

“To those Republicans, many of which may be voting on things in the coming hours: You have an opportunity today,” Donald Trump Jr. told the crowd gathered for the “Save America March” on the White House Ellipse. “You can be a hero, or you can be a zero. And the choice is yours. But we are all watching. These guys better fight for Trump. Because if they’re not, guess what? I’m going to be in your backyard in a couple of months!” Donald Trump Jr. said, suggesting he would support primary campaigns against Republicans who did not side with his father.

The whole world is watching, folks. Choose wisely.”

Indeed, the whole world was watching, how I wish they weren’t. Here are a few of hundreds of comments made by the leaders of other countries condemning these actions. And saying America no longer has the right to condemn other countries.

“American democracy is obviously limping on both feet. This, alas, is actually the bottom. I say this without a shadow of gloating. America no longer charts a course and therefore has lost all rights to set it — and even more so to impose it on others.” — Konstantin Kosachev, head of the foreign affairs committee in Russia’s upper house of parliament.

“The scenes from the U.S. Capitol show how dangerous the rhetoric of hatred is. Contempt for democratic institutions erodes citizens’ rights and can undermine political order.” — Slovakian President Zuzana Caputova.

The good news is that many many of these traitors are being arrested and more will be. The man who appeared in a viral photo carrying House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s lectern has been arrested.

Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Friday that Donald Trump should resign the presidency immediately and that if the Republican Party cannot separate itself from Trump, she isn’t certain she has a future in the Republican Party.

Twitter has suspended President Donald Trump from its platform. “After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence.” I only hope that other social media follow suit and TV stations never mention him after he is out of office and maybe he will just fade way,

Critics inside and outside of the platforms have been pleading with the social media firms for years to restrict or take down Trump’s accounts, arguing that Trump’s peddling of dangerous disinformation and incitements to violence outweighed any free-speech concerns.

Former White House communications director Alyssa Farah said Friday that President Donald Trump lied to the American people about the 2020 presidential election results and said that he should “seriously consider” resigning from office after Wednesday’s deadly insurrection at the US Capitol.

Farah said on CNN’s “New Day” that she holds Trump responsible for inciting the mob that stormed the US Capitol in an attempt to stop Congress’ certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College win and allowing this “lie to take a life of its own that the election might be overturned.”

Farah’s statement joins former White House chief of staff John Kelly in calling for Trump to either step down or be removed from office in his final days, an extraordinary rebuke of a sitting President from once high-ranking administration officials.

In an exclusive interview, Rep. Paul Mitchell, Republican of Michigan, told CNN that his disgust and disappointment with President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the election have led him to request that the Clerk of the House change his party affiliation to “independent,” and to notify GOP leaders in a letter that he is withdrawing his “engagement and association with the Republican Party at both the national and state level.”

Republican Sen. Ben Sasse said he was not opposed to removing President Donald Trump from office through impeachment for the president’s encouragement of an “insurrectionist mob” that stormed the Capitol Wednesday. “Donald Trump has acted shamefully. He has been in flagrant dereliction of his duty and he will be remembered for having incited this and for having drawing more division into an already divided people. That is who Donald Trump is. That is what his legacy is going to be.”

President-elect Joe Biden said President Donald Trump’s decision to skip his inauguration is “one of the few things he and I have ever agreed on. It’s a good thing, him not showing up,” Biden told reporters.

“He exceeded even my worst notions about him. He’s been an embarrassment to the country, embarrassed us around the world. He’s not worthy to hold that office,” Biden said.

However, Biden said he is glad Vice President Mike Pence will attend his inauguration.

___

Vol. 14, No. 08 – Jan 13 – Jan 26, 2021 – Movie Review

Streaming Spotlight by Cindy Summers
Like a Boss
Epix & Amazon Originals

3 out of 4 palm trees
Breeze rating from 1 to 4 palm trees, 4 being best.

Mia and Mel were best friends since grade school and now 22 years later own their custom cosmetics business. The business had great online success, but after opening a storefront had been struggling financially to the point they may have to close their entire business. Quite by luck they get approached by Claire Luna, the owner of a major cosmetics company, to invest in their business but her intentions are not transparent and test their lifelong friendship.

Mia (Tiffany Haddish) and Mel (Rose Byrne) were basically inseparable since they were kids, even now as adults living together in the house Mia’s mom willed to them when she passed away. After attending college they started their own cosmetic business Mia & Mel out of their garage. Mia was the creative cosmetics genius while Mel was in charge of the finances.

Claire Luna (Salma Hayek), owner of Ovieda Beauty Enterprises International, had been watching their business progress and sent her assistant Josh Tinker (Karan Soni) to inform them that she was interested in meeting with them and investing in their company. Claire’s original offer to Mia and Mel was to cover their current debt of $500,000 for 51% of their company, but Mia refused so Claire changed the deal to 49% continent upon them maintaining their friendship.

Having been friends for so long, Mia and Mel said that nothing could come between their friendship, so took the deal not knowing that Claire (who believed from past experience that money damages friendships) planned was to drive them apart if they didn’t end up doing to themselves. Claire immediately forced them to fire their cosmetic production specialist Barret (Billy Porter), who they not only had a longstanding friendship with but also had been with the business since it’s beginning.

Claire tried to pass off Mia and Mel’s best product “One Night Stand” to Greg and Ron from Get Some Cosmetics by just repackaging the contents and turning her finances and focus to the guys, even though Claire told Mia and Mel that she was trying to promote feminism. Mia and Mel finally figure out Claire’s bad intentions and teamed up with an old ally of Claire’s, Shay Witmore (Lisa Kudrow), to take back their business and become more successful than their wildest dreams.

Like a Boss has very clever comedic writing that also occasionally sneaks in current social issues like when Mia (Tiffany Haddish) broke a drone and told Mel “Put it in your purse, you’re a white woman, you will not go to jail, two different laws, you got that white privilege, they won’t care.” This light comedy provides lots of laughs in revealing the inside conversations of best friends and is filled with hilarious comedic gestures from all the actors, making it very visually amusing. Tiffany Haddish is a brilliant physical actor doing crazy stunts like slipping over the ledge at Ovieda corporate and planking dozens of stories above the lobby until drug to safety by her feet and the ghost pepper scene is hysterical.

Rated: R (Drug Use|Crude Sexual Material|Language)
Runtime: 1h 23m

Vol. 14, No. 08 – Jan 13 – Jan 26, 2021 – Ventura Music Scene

We all have high hopes for 2021, so don’t let the first week of political turmoil get you down. I’ve been thinking about Ventura’s music scene over the past decade and at one point there were over 30 venues available for live music from the East end of town to the Harbor to Downtown to the Avenue. I miss places that would pack the joint like Bernadette’s, Billy O’s, Zoey’s, Blackbeard’s at the Harbor, Amigo’s, Green Art People, Surf Brewery, the Winery, Yolies, and now the Hong Kong Inn.

As we grapple with Covid-19, it will still be a while before we’re able to embrace live music like we use to do. And when we can, it’s totally up to music lovers to support the scene. If you ask any one of the past owners of any one of the venues who had to shut their downs this past decade, they would tell you there was nothing like offering live music to a packed house with people spending money to keep their doors open. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, it takes three elements to make a music scene, the artists, the venues, and us music lovers. We can do this!

Guy Martin in his Black Couch Studios

Meanwhile, I thought I would check with Ventura’s own, Guy Martin to see what he’s been up to the past year. You can’t get much more homegrown than Guy, from the bands and projects he’s been a part of for over three decades, he’s seen it all. And now he has put together his own studio, Black Couch Studios, as another choice for musicians to record.

Pam: How has the pandemic affected you personally?

Guy: I’ll keep this one short because I have my own personal views on this pandemic, that could be argued otherwise. However, with my day job as a contractor, it has had no effect. Music on the other hand, we all know it has had a tremendous effect on this business. I’m lucky, I have my “essential” day job to lean back on. My other peers and colleagues that actually rely on music and performing to make a living….well, they are really feeling the effects of this pandemic. I feel bad for the entire performing arts industry. It’s going to be hard moving forward for anyone relying on performing to make a living. It’s so sad. I could go on and on about how I feel about these strict lock downs…but that’s another story for another day. It truly is a bit of a downer mentally for a lot of people, including me at times. We just have to persevere and keep our heads up as much as we can. Love your family, love your close friends, and while you’re at it…just love everybody. Love always wins.

Pam: It seems your Black Couch Studios has been doing well. Who has been in there recording new music this past year?

Guy: I am blessed to have such a professional and functional studio in my own home. I literally count my blessings every time I walk into my studio. With the shutdown of the performing industry, I feel blessed to still be able to keep my feet in the pool with use of my studio, both for my own projects and other’s as well. The pandemic has slowed the projects coming into the studio for sure. As of late, I did a project with a young talented player named Jayden Secor. He just released his debut EP, of which was recorded, mixed, and mastered here at BlackCouch. There is another artist, Court Kellum that is in the process of tracking some of his original songs here as well. He is another talented vocalist trying to release his music to the world…soon. For now, that’s about all. I’ve had several consultations with other artists about recording here at BlackCouch. That was before the pandemic hit, so a lot of artists are on hold with that. They are at home fine tuning their material with small bedroom setups, hopefully getting ready to record in a pro facility when they feel safe to do so.

Pam: What extra precautions (if any) have you been taking to ensure client’s safety?

Guy: I wouldn’t call it “extra” precautions, other than the usual. If both the client and I have been tested negative and feeling well, then it’s business as usual. If a client feels more comfortable with a mask during a session, then that’s what we do. Of course, everything is cleaned on a daily basis in the studio. Everything from drum sticks to microphones.

Pam: What projects have you been working on personally? Who have you been collaborating with?

Guy: Ah…my personal projects. You mean the projects we’ve discussed in the past, maybe 3 years ago that aren’t finished yet? Those projects? Lol. I have a whole album worth (and more) of original material that is just waiting to be finished. GOOD STUFF too!! I can’t wait to release a full-length record again. It’s been since 1997 since that has happened for me. So sad once you really think about it. But it will happen…soon, I promise. I still have a couple covers that are waiting to be released as well. One of them being “Gimme Shelter” by the Stones. Such a cool version too.

Collaborations have come to a halt with the pandemic in play. But that doesn’t stop us from talking about it and planning for it down the road. I plan on collaborating with a lot of my local peers and friends. Players like Shawn Jones, Alastair Greene, Mikey Mo, Jen Leigh… just to name a few. Jayden Secor is even on board for some future works. Looking forward to that all happening.

Pam: What do you miss most this past year?

Guy: Most? Just being normal, which encompasses a lot of things rolled into one. Hanging with friends without worry or issue. Dining out, going to a movie, and most of all…being on stage. I’ll admit, I started to get a little burned out on the “scene” and the politics of playing out and getting gigs. But now that it’s not even an option currently, I miss it so much. I can’t wait to make people happy with some guitar playing again, hopefully soon.

Do you have any music-related news or upcoming shows (online or live) you want help publicizing? Please send all information short or long to [email protected], and for updated music listings daily, go to www.VenturaRocks.com.

10 tips for eating healthy on a budget

Even when you know what healthy foods to choose, being able to pay for them can be hard, especially if you are on a fixed income. Start by deciding how much you can afford to spend on food.

There are websites that can help you plan a food budget. For example, the U.S. Department of Agriculture supports Iowa State University’s Spend Smart-Eat Smart. This website also has inexpensive recipes based on the Dietary Guidelines.

Once you have a budget, find store ads in the newspaper or grocery store websites to see what is on sale. Try to plan some meals around featured items and pick up some extra canned goods or staples that are on sale. And check the expiration or use-by date. A product might be on sale because it is almost out of date. Choose items with dates farthest in the future.

While shopping, make use of these budget-wise 10 tips.

Diet and exercise: Choices today for a healthier tomorrow infographic icon. Click through for full text.

Read and share this infographic to learn more about lifestyle changes you can make today for healthier aging.

Ask about discounts. Ask your local grocery stores if they have a senior discount or a loyalty or discount card. Besides getting items at a lower price, you may also get store coupons.

Use coupons when you can. Remember, coupons only help if they are for things you would buy anyway. Sometimes, another brand costs less even after you use the coupon.

Consider store brands—they usually cost less. These products are made under a special label, sometimes with the store name. You might have to look on shelves that are higher or lower than eye level to find them.

Be aware that convenience costs more. You can often save money if you are willing to do a little work. For example, buy whole chickens and cut them into parts, shred or grate your own cheese, and avoid instant rice or instant oatmeal. Bagged salad mixes cost more and might not stay fresh as long as a head of lettuce.

Look at unit prices. Those small stickers on the shelves tell you the price but also the unit price—how much the item costs per ounce or per pound. Compare unit prices to see which brand is the best value.

Image of Make Smart Food Choices for Healthy Aging infographic.

Read and share this infographic to learn about making smart food choices for healthy aging.

Try to buy in bulk, but only buy a size you can use before it goes bad. If you buy meat in bulk, decide what you need to use that day and freeze the rest in portion-sized packages right away.

Focus on economical fruits and vegetables like bananas, apples, oranges, cabbage, sweet potatoes, dark-green leafy vegetables, green peppers, and regular carrots.

Think about the foods you throw away. For less waste, buy or cook only what you need.

Resist temptations at the check-out. Those snack foods and candy are put there for impulse buying. Save money and avoid empty calories!

Sign up for meal delivery. While some older people have trouble finding enough money to buy food, others need help preparing meals. There are a variety of groups around the country that deliver meals to people who have trouble getting out of their homes. These groups usually offer one hot meal a day. One of the largest is Meals on Wheels America.

National Resources for Locating Help with Food Costs

There are several ways to learn more about programs that offer help with meals or food costs. Use one of these services:

Vol. 14, No. 08 – Jan 13 – Jan 26, 2021 – Mailbox

Opinions:

I read the letter from Larry Dote. I see that Mr. Dote is misinformed on some important issues. I wonder where he got this information from?

Right wing talking points aren’t facts. And the fact that millions of Americans believe this stuff is disturbing to say the least.

I hope for Mr. Dote and his ilk receive education from those around them that they trust. I hope their friends and family will take the time to explain to them that dear leader lost fair and square and their continued belief in lies will lead them down a dark and dangerous life.

Or… Their grandchildren will read about the Foxnews/OAN/Breitbart/Newsmax educated members of his base in their american history text books and realize why they never met their grandparents.

Tim Hansen
Ventura

Breeze:

Well, if we watched TV yesterday it opened the afternoon with a very dismal and dark episode in our country’s history.  As the Sun set this period became very dark and gloomy.  But, as has been said by someone else the night becomes darkest before the dawn.

Yesterday evening, while the East Coast was shrouded in darkness, our nationally elected congress gave our nation a new bright light as they exercised their constitutional duties to declare the Electoral Vote as valid; thereby turning on another bright light to chase away the dark and gloomy events of the day before.

It was one of the worst moments in American history I have ever experienced, or read about in history, but in the end our forefathers who wrote and framed our constitutional documents created a master piece of governmental writing.  With that we should be good for another 245 years.

If the rest of the world actually watch the events from start to finish, the rest of the world can still see a shining light at the top of the hill.

Michael Gordon

Editor:

Why do you say 2021 isn’t good?  Looks like a good start to a new year. Trump is leaving Office, Biden is coming in. We will get money and there is a vaccine coming. So far its been a dry, fire free, winter–No floods, no power outages. and the lockdowns will end when the injections start to cut down hospitalizations–Should be over May or April.

I am optimistic for the first time in a long time. The Washington DC riot was the last hoorah of the Trump people and in two weeks the Hate Trump drum beat can stop as he slips into a comfortable retirement.

We have half the signatures to dump Newsom and if that happened we will have lots to talk about–like who to replace him?   Change is coming–dramatic change. Some good, some bad but all different. We have avoided Civil War and  all is going good for now.

Richard Senate

If we overrule the voters, we can damage the republic forever.
~ Mitch McConnell Senate Republican Majority Leader

Positive mood in older adults suggests better brain function

Aging BiologyCognitive HealthMental & Emotional HealthNeuroscience

Previous research has led to findings that support links between a positive mental outlook and physical health benefits such as lower blood pressure, less heart disease, and healthier blood sugar levels. In a recent study of mood changes in older adults, scientists also have discovered that healthy brain function may result in maintaining a positive outlook.

A happy older couple at a park, sitting close together on the ground, and the woman has her arm around the man. For this study, which was funded in part by NIA and published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry in September 2020, scientists proposed a potential neurobiological connection between an older adult’s mood with changes, over a period of time, in white brain matter and cognitive ability. White matter is where information is transmitted from one brain region to another. As we age, changes can occur in the white matter that may lead to thinking, walking, and balance problems.

The scientists first examined measures of executive function, the ability to perform complex tasks such as planning or decision-making that require attentional focus, and then imaged the white matter of the brain. They found that the integrity of the white matter and stable executive function appear to be important for maintaining healthy mood states in late life.

Research participants included 716 community-dwelling adults who were assessed to have normal cognitive and neurological function. Mood was measured using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). The neuropsychological assessment included tests of executive function, memory, and processing speed (the time it takes to comprehend information and respond). A subset of 327 participants also underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) within six months of completing the GDS and neuropsychological assessments.

The investigators found that mood improved with increasing age until around the early 70s, at which point the positive effect of age on mood plateaued, and eventually reversed. Stable white matter integrity, along with stable executive function and processing speed, appeared to protect against this reversal of positive mood.

Because the study was observational, these findings cannot be interpreted to show causation. Further research is needed to determine whether the brain-mood relationships are bidirectional. Another caveat is that the participants were mostly white and highly educated. Observed relationships between mood, age, white matter integrity, and cognition need to be evaluated in racially and educationally diverse groups. The researchers also suggest that future studies of the links between brain health, cognition, and mood should be large-scale, longitudinal, and use methods to allow capture of the full range of neurodevelopment. Results of such studies could inform interventions across a variety of neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric conditions.

This research was supported in part by NIH grant R01AG032289.

Reference: Cotter DL, et al.; the Hillblom Aging Network. Aging and positive mood: longitudinal neurological and cognitive correlates. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 2020;28(9):946-0956. doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2020.05.002.