Laguna Woods Juneteenth celebration lets freedom, joy ring

• June 25, 2023

A brass trio played Dixieland jazz. A ragtag group of revelers followed, twirling parasols, waving handkerchiefs and dancing to the music, in a traditional New Orleans-style second line parade.

“This is a Juneteenth celebration. This is the feeling of pure happiness. We are free.”

So began the Laguna Woods African American Heritage Club’s third annual celebration of Juneteenth – a holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States – in Clubhouse 5 on June 17.

A multicultural crowd of more than 350 came in their finest finery, and a joyous vibe prevailed. All rejoiced together: “We are free.”

Annie McCary, president of the African American Heritage Club, welcomed the guests, and the Black anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing” rang through the room. Laguna Woods Mayor Cynthia Conners delivered a welcoming note in praise of liberty and justice, and Bishop Willie Phillips led the crowd in prayer.

More music, dancing and rejoicing followed as the young Soul Sisters Dancers displayed their talent to African rhythms.

Then came the food, sumptuous soul food – chicken, brisket, yams, collard greens, mac ‘n’ cheese and cornbread – prepared by Luscious Jimmy’s Catering.

Doug Starks and his Higherground band rounded out the evening with soul music.

“Music, food and dance are an important part of our culture,” McCary said. “It is part of the total experience of who we are.

“The evening gave us an opportunity to invite other cultures,” she added.

Juneteenth, a combination of June and 19th, marks the day in 1865 when news reached slaves in Galveston, Texas, that they were free – more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.

The day has been celebrated in the Black community for more than a century, and it became a federal holiday in  2021, celebrated on June 19 each year.

Phillips summed up the spirit of the evening. “For me, Juneteenth is a reminder that we tend to waste so much time perpetuating bad, ugly stuff when there’s so much good and beautiful stuff to enjoy,” he said in an email. “When you get right down to the bare bones of it, we people (in general) have more in common than we may want to admit. …

“We had fun, we mingled, we laughed and broke bread and built bridges together. I love you all and there ain’t nothing you can do about that.”

​ Orange County Register 

Doing just ‘one more thing’ can put you on the path to freedom

• June 25, 2023

There is a day we can all celebrate. It’s not a national holiday, and we will have to declare it for ourselves.

It’s called “one more thing” day. It can be declared every day, once a week or once in a while. It is our day for our personal pleasure and triumph. It is a day that leads to freedom and victory over the small, distracting things in our lives.

To get ready, we will have to make a list of those things we’ve meant to do but haven’t. Come on, you know what they are. You may even have made that list before.

Things on the list may be small and in themselves insignificant. They just niggle for our attention and distract us when we are doing more important things. Move that flower pot, write that email, clean out the sock drawer, things like that.

They are like little puffs of air into a balloon. The balloon keeps getting bigger and bigger until it is full and stretched to its limit. Our mind may feel so full of these little undone tasks we don’t even know where to start. That is when we declare a “one more thing” day.

Clear your calendar, make sure you have treats to inspire you throughout the day, and pick one thing from your list and do it. On this day, they don’t have to be in order – just do it.

Taking care of our list one item at a time is like letting the air out of the balloon little by little. When you finish one task, say to yourself, “Just one more thing.”

Steve Jobs made this phrase famous as he introduced new Apple products. He would finish his presentation and then, as he turned away, would turn back and say, “One more thing …” and would introduce his latest innovation.

By taking care of the little distractions in our lives, we find ourselves with more time and energy to devote to what truly matters. Do things in small doses with treats in between, and when you can’t do another thing, simply declare this “one more thing” day is complete.

You may not have gotten all of it done, but you are completely successful, and your mind will recognize that and look forward to your next declared holiday.

Oh, and happy One More Thing Day to you.

The Rev. Linda McNamar is a Laguna Woods Village resident.

​ Orange County Register 

Laguna Hills senior center director warns of scam calls using her name

• June 25, 2023

The director of the Florence Sylvester Senior Center in Laguna Hills is warning seniors about a fraudulent phone call in which the caller uses her name and position to sell Medicare plans.

Director Aimee Roberts sent out an email to around 1,000 people on the center’s email list.

“I wanted to reach out to you personally to let you know I would never call you, nor would any Age Well staff or volunteer call you and ask for any personal information or engage with you to discuss your Medicare choices,” Roberts wrote in the email. Age Well is the company that runs the senior center, at 23721 Moulton Parkway.

The calls make it sound as if  “I’m moonlighting as a Medicare agent trying to get them to change their plans,” Roberts said in a phone interview June 9. She added that the caller mispronounces her first name by putting the emphasis on the first syllable.

“If you do receive any calls of this nature, please ask for the number to return their call and call me directly at 949-380-0155 ext. 21. Or if you prefer not to engage at all, please hang up,” Roberts told seniors in the email.

“People feel impolite to just hang up on someone, and that’s exactly what they need to do,” Roberts said later.

The calls came to light when a woman told Roberts that she had received three such calls, even though she hung up each time. The woman wrote down all three numbers, and Roberts called each one. One of the calls went straight to a music loop, and the other two were disconnected numbers.

“I take this very, very seriously, because who knows how many people got these calls” using her name, Roberts said.

Roberts said she called the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and a deputy dropped by the senior center and took down the numbers.

However, she was told that there was not much the department could do about the phone calls unless a crime happened, or the caller went to the person’s home. The calls are virtually untraceable, probably coming from Florida or Baja, and spoofing local numbers.

The scam calls can be harmful to those who get them as well as to herself, with the potential to destroy her integrity and credibility, Roberts said.

“The first thing is, I don’t want anyone to fall for it. And using my name is such a deceitful thing to do,” she said.

“People respect what I say, and they’re not worried that I would give them bad information,” she said. “At the end of the day, that’s all I have – my name and the characteristics associated with my name. It’s upsetting.”

Roberts is working with the Sheriff’s Department, the Council on Aging, community partners and local experts to bring a presentation to the senior center on all kinds of fraud and scams, and how to identify them and avoid becoming a victim.

Meanwhile, she reminded seniors in the email: “We do everything we can to protect you and vet all partnerships we associate with very carefully. We do not give out your contact information. Please do not give out your information directly to anyone who may say they are representing Age Well.”

​ Orange County Register 

Tips for growing herbs (you don’t even need a garden)

• June 25, 2023

Culinary herbs are among the easiest plants you can grow. They only need sunlight, water, and well-draining soil with a neutral pH.–

You don’t even need a garden. Many herbs, such as rosemary, basil, cilantro, lemon balm, oregano and mint will grow well in containers. In fact, mints should only be grown in containers, unless you don’t mind a garden takeover.

Related: Don’t have a garden? Grow your plants in containers

To get started, test your soil. Buy a pH test kit online or at your local garden center and follow the instructions. A reading of 7.0 is ideal, but anything between 6.0 and 7.5 is generally acceptable for growing herbs. If the soil tests lower, add garden lime to raise it. If it’s too high, add elemental sulfur to lower it. Follow package directions for dosages and instructions.

If growing herbs in containers, use a potting mix intended for edibles. The package label should include information about its pH level.

Select a site that receives at least six hours of direct sunlight daily. If your garden has sandy or heavy clay soil, incorporate a moderate amount of compost into the top 6-8 inches to stabilize drainage. If the soil is perpetually soggy, remove the top 12-15 inches of soil, then add a 3” layer of crushed stone to the bottom of the hole. Mix some compost with the soil you removed and use the combined medium to refill the hole, creating a mound at the top (it will settle in time).

If you’re using seedlings, whether started indoors or purchased at the nursery, plant them according to the spacing recommendations on their plant tags or seed packet. Some herbs are well-suited for direct sowing into the garden; check seed packs for guidance.

Herbs will not grow well in wet conditions, so allow the soil to dry out slightly between waterings.

They also taste better when grown without fertilizer. For this reason, don’t overdo the compost when amending the soil to improve drainage. Chervil, summer savory, fennel and lovage are exceptions, as they do benefit from modest fertilizer applications.

Annual herbs complete their life cycles – from seed to senescence, or death – in a single growing season. They include basil, cilantro, dill, chamomile and marjoram.

Perennial herbs, which return for multiple growing seasons, include rosemary, thyme, sage, tarragon and oregano.

Biennials, like caraway and parsley, live for two growing seasons, producing only foliage during their first year, then flowers and seeds in their second before dying.

However, if they aren’t hardy enough to survive your winters, you may have to treat some listed perennials as annuals. In my New York garden, that’s usually rosemary, although I have gotten lucky after a few mild winters. Your results may vary.

For the most potent aroma, harvest herbs in the morning, after the dew has dried but before the sun gets intense.

Use fragrant basil as an ingredient in tomato dishes. Add rosemary to poultry, pork and lamb recipes. Make tea with the tiny daisy-like flowers of chamomile. Add chives to salads and dishes calling for onions. Dill shines in Greek recipes, sour cream dips and with cucumbers. Sage elevates poultry, sausages and stuffings. Thyme complements meat and fish dishes. And parsley will freshen your breath when you chew it.

There are some interesting varieties to seek out, too. Pineapple sage carries the aroma of its namesake fruit, as do cinnamon and lemon basil, and strawberry and apple mint. There’s even a chocolate mint, which is lovely when added to milkshakes or cocktails.

Jessica Damiano writes regular gardening columns for The Associated Press.

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California must prepare for a recession

• June 25, 2023

The U.S. and California economies are headed into a recession later this year, according to Chapman University’s 2023 Economic Update Forecast, delivered June 23 by President Emeritus Jim Doti.

There are four factors causing the slump.

First, despite strong jobs growth of 339,000 nationally in May, it’s slowing compared to a year ago.

“It’s going to continue slowing the rest of the year,” he said. One silver lining is that job growth is at least expected to continue, rather an go negative.

Second, a key measure of money, M2, which basically is checking accounts, is dropping fast.

“The Federal Reserve played the white knight and came to the rescue,” during the COVID doldrums of 2020, he said.

M2 zoomed up 15%, adjusted for inflation, from 2020-22. But the past year, it has dropped 9.5%.

Both the up and down spikes were something the United States hasn’t seen in generations.

“We’ve had nothing like that since World War II,” said Doti.

The record rise in the money supply contributed to inflation peaking at 9.1% a year ago.

Inflation since has dropped to 4% last month.

The drop occurred as the Fed has boosted interest rates from zero to 5.25% over the past year.

That has crimped lending for homes, cars, etc., which in turn contributed to a slowdown in sales.

The third factor is declining housing starts.  Whether or not homes are being constructed can be a key measure of the health of the economy.

By the end of the year, the country will see 1.2 million starts, compared to 1.7 million in 2022, according to Doti.

For perspective, the 1.2 million housing starts is still more than double what it was at the nadir of the Great Recession over a decade ago.

Even so, a decline is a decline.

The fourth factor cited by Doti is a technical change called a “negative interest rate spread,” meaning the 10-year Treasury bond is less than the Federal Funds rate.

Also lurking in the background are factors like the excess savings that Americans put away during the COVID pandemic. According to Doti, Americans had $3 trillion in excess savings by the end of 2021. Those excess savings have since dwindled to $1 trillion by last measure and are expected to be spent by the third quarter of this year.

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In sum, the economy will dip into negative territory in the third quarter this year, with real GDP down as much as 5% from the previous year, before heading back upward.

For California, Doti expects jobs growth to decline sharply from 2022’s robust 5.6% to just 1.3% for 2023. But he also warned of something new: Based on IRS data, those making $200,000 or more are leaving at such a high rate that adjusted gross income for the state has dropped $20 billion since 2018.

Higher-income Californians are taking their money with them: $5.6 billion to Texas, $4.4 billion to Nevada and $3.5 billion to Florida — all with no state income tax, compared to this state’s top 13.3% rate.

As the recession digs in, now is the time to reform the state’s tax system so it doesn’t drive away its major producers and job creators. Now is the time for governments to show fiscal restraint and discipline in negotiations with government unions. And now is the time for elected officials to think long-term, not just until the next election.

​ Orange County Register 

Senior Moments: When the sun comes out, I run for the roses

• June 25, 2023

Clearly, the deprivation of sunshine was affecting me. I actually started to giggle with delight on my recent walk in Descanso Gardens after weeks of May Gray and June Gloom. It was the kind of day that called to me to drop to the ground and do a salute to the sun right there in the middle of the rose garden.

No, I didn’t do it. The truth is I never mastered the yoga posture, and that is an understatement. I’m not any better at it now than when I was first introduced to it in BB’s yoga class 35 years ago. However, I love the elegance of the symbolic gesture. I love it enough that I didn’t want to ruin it for anyone who might be smelling the roses as I tumbled into them.

But sitting on a bench, wrapped in sashes of sunlight, I could picture myself doing a perfect salute. Sunshine always smells of possibility. A line from a John Denver song was playing in my head:

“Sunshine almost always makes me high.”

The return of a sunny day is like seeing the remake of a hit Broadway musical. You couldn’t imagine it was going to be any better than the first time, but when the curtain goes up, you fall in love all over again. As it turned out, love was being celebrated in the Rose Garden that afternoon where a bride and groom exchanged vows, the warmth of the sun joining them together like a prayer shawl.

“How you’ve grown,” I said to the climbers that now covered most of the trellises where George and I had first seen them planted many years ago. Another of the sun’s gifts, they had flourished into romantic canopies.

I hummed my way under the rose-covered arches and paid a nostalgic visit to the gazebo where George and I liked to sit and rehearse lines for his upcoming shows and ended the walk with a little soft shoe over to the fountain where I had spent decades of pennies in exchange for wishes.

Sometime, I must have wished for a sunny day.

Email patriciabunin@sbcglobal.net. Follow her on Twitter @patriciabunin and at patriciabunin.com.

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Hairy moles may provide antidote for baldness, UCI researchers find

• June 25, 2023

The guy whose naked skull is pale and shiny — save that discolored mole shaped like Cuba near his ear, which inexplicably bristles with hair — may harbor an antidote to baldness.

Researchers at UC Irvine say they’ve zeroed in on the molecule responsible for hair strands sprouting from moles like that. Their peer-reviewed study, published June 21 in the respected scientific journal Nature, is being touted as a major baldness breakthrough.

File photo of Maksim Plikus, a Ph.D., professor of developmental and cell biology at UCI. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

“This is a game changer for hair loss for a couple of reasons,” said Maksim Plikus, professor of developmental and cell biology at UCI and study lead.

“Instead of studying only mouse fur — research in this area is usually done with mouse fur — we said, ‘Enough of that. Let’s look at human hair. The solution to human hair loss is in humans.’”

Millions of people have skin growths — “nevi,” in scientific-speak — with hair growing out of them, “a really cool experiment that nature created itself,” he said.

“We looked at these hairy moles and were weird enough to care about them,” Plikus said. “Why is hair growing? We totally didn’t know. It was one of those medical mysteries. It takes people who look at the weird things and say, ‘Why is that?’”

Over some 10 years of work, the researchers identified a chemical released by a mole’s pigmented cells that “potently stimulates hair follicle stem cells for robust hair growth.” That molecule is osteopontin.

It was super hard to pin down, Plikus said, but reverse-engineering eventually bore fruit. Or hair, if you will.

Study published in Nature

“Dermatologists, hair biologists and our patients have long recognized that some nevi induce luxurious hair growth, and this article elegantly demonstrates a novel mechanism for this phenomenon,” Dr. Luis Garza, professor of dermatology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, said by email. He was not involved with the research.

“After careful animal testing and human trials — that could take years — this work could lead to new medications that help patients with hair loss,” Garza said.

How it works

A critical difference between a hairy mole and adjacent skin (with short hairs) is that the moles contain those aforementioned pigmented cells. They’re older cells, done dividing. The science-speak for them is “senescent.”

Now, senescent cells are often viewed as, you know, sort of useless — detrimental to regeneration, driving the aging process. But this research shows the old dog can do some cool tricks.

These senescent cells don’t just sit there taking up space. They “linger around and secrete a bunch of stuff,” as Plikus put it. “They use molecular language — you can’t shut them up. They keep talking talking talking, communicating with non-aged cells, including stem cells.”

The bit of molecular language that’s important here is the aforementioned osteopontin, which apparently tells target stem cells to go full Rapunzel. The secreted osteopontin interacts with a molecule on the stem cells called CD44, apparently flipping the hair-growing switch to “gonzo.”

Plikus envisions a next-generation medicine that can trigger massive hair growth delivered via microinjection to scalps, say, once every six months or so. Sort of on a Botox schedule.

The researchers plan to study other molecules to fully understand what’s going on, and see if there are other potential pathways to hair regrowth. In addition to the team at UCI, research partners hail from all over the place, including China, France, Germany, Korea, Japan and Taiwan.

Commerce

Maksim Plikus, left,professor of developmental and cell biology at UC Irvine, with Yingzi Liu, a postdoctoral researcher, after their SCUBE3 paper in 2022. The image behind them shows a three-dimensional view of mouse skin. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

You may recall Plikus and the crew from their research from last year, which likened seemingly-dead hair follicles to a sea of sleeping 3D printers, just waiting for the command to power up. They figured out how to issue that command — by micro-injecting a protein that sounds a bit like “Scooby Doo” into mice.

“Our results identify SCUBE3 as a hair-growth activator,” said their paper, published in the journal Developmental Cell. “When microinjected for 4 days … recombinant human SCUBE3 induced significant hair growth in mouse back skin.”

To suggest that there’s enormous commercial potential here is an obscene understatement. More than 80% of men and nearly half of women will have significant hair loss during their lifetime, according to New York University’s Langone Health.

UCI’s Plikus is also co-founder of a private, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company called Amplifica Holdings Group. Amplifica has an exclusive licensing agreement with The Regents of the University of California covering these inventions, and is readying pre-clinical and clinical trials to assess their safety and tolerability.

Amplifica has administered osteopontin to human hair follicles in skin grafts, inducing new growth by human hair follicles, the company’s president and CEO Frank Fazio said.

Fazio has spent 30 years in the aesthetics market, including as a core team member for Juvéderm, the popular hyaluronic acid dermal filler that plumps up skin, thus reducing wrinkles. He has seen a lot of excitement, but not quite like this, he said.

In the first 24 hours after the Nature paper was published, he got hundreds of phone calls from people wanting to participate in clinical trials, he said. They’ve been surprisingly candid about their hair loss “journey,” what they’ve been trying to do to correct course, and why they’re looking for a solution, he said.

“It’s remarkable,” Fazio said.

This work was supported in part by grants from the LEO Foundation, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, W.M. Keck Foundation, National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, the Simons Foundation and California Institute for Regenerative Medicine Shared Research Laboratory.

“It’s inspired by true human biology,” Plikus said. “Not every mole grows hair — yet another one of nature’s secrets. Even more information will come when we start comparing hairy and hairless moles.”

Stand by!

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​ Orange County Register 

Why square dancing offers potential benefits for older people

• June 25, 2023

Q. Do you have any information or opinions on how square dancing affects aging? L.D.

Indeed, there is a body of research that examines the impact of square dancing on aging and particularly on cognitive functioning in later life. The findings are positive. Note that dance in almost any form is considered a plus that can significantly improve muscular strength and endurance, balance. This is particularly relevant for older adults. 

Here are the results of a few research studies. One led by a Colorado State University researcher shows that “kicking up your heels can actually be good for your noggin.” This was in reference to a study of participants in a dance class, most likely square dancing by its description and the picture accompanying the study. Researchers saw “improved white matter integrity in an area of the brain related to memory and processing speed.” White matter is made up of a large network of nerve fibers that allows the exchange of information and communication between different areas of your brain. That broadly translated into improved cognitive functioning. 

Square dancing is an emerging form of aerobic exercise in China, especially among middle-aged and older people. In reviewing the results of 24 studies, researchers explored the effects of square dancing on the physical and mental health among Chinese older adults. The results indicated significantly lower risk of coronary heart disease and increased leg muscles. A caveat is that there may be some biases in the study according to MDPI, a publisher of peer-reviewed articles.

Another study conducted by West China Hospital, Sichuan University found that among approximately 2600 participants, square dancing was positively correlated with brain function, suggesting that cognitive functioning increased. 

Line dancing in particular may be beneficial for cognition since it requires memorizing the choreography as it is danced with others in unison as the song plays. It requires memorizing the moves while with square dancing, the instructions are announced by the caller. 

The Better Health Channel owned by the State of Victoria, Australia identified several benefits to dance and specifically included square dancing. Here are just a few: increased muscular strength and endurance; improved strength, stronger bones, better coordination and agility and improved balanced. Add to that improved mental functioning, greater confidence and self-esteem as well as better social skills.

Square dancing is related to mathematics according to Krin Rabe and Gre Morre, both theoretical physicists who combine their passion for math and modern Western square dance. Both are callers and dancers. They explore the underlying mathematical structures in this form of dance and presented this as a topic for a seminar they conducted. 

I recently had a conversation with Carol, aged 78, who spends time square dancing averaging about 15 hours or more over a five-day period. She finds it exhilarating and never wants to miss a class. Here are some additional benefits she has experienced. “Square-dancing helps me think clearly given that it involves math. It gives me a chance to work with different people, often requiring patience while developing new interpersonal skills. Since it’s social have made lots of new friends.” She also finds square dancing helps her memory since she has to memorize the calls and remember the sequence, particularly in line dancing. The physical activity keeps her body in perfect shape and consequently doesn’t feel stale or old, she added. Her final comment: “If I am going to go, it’s on the dance floor with a smile on my face.” 

For those of us who are new to square dancing, writer Tyler Hughes wrote a helpful piece about it, which I am sourcing: Here are some facts that may entice some of us to try it: 

Square dances are forgiving. There typically is a beginner’s floor so folks don’t have to be afraid or be embarrassed. Also, it is not competitive.
There generally is no dress code. Cowboy boots typically are not required nor are gingham shirts or cowboy hats. 
Square dancing is for everyone. There is no concern about dancing with partners of the same sex. Welcoming organizations include International Association of Gay Square Dance Clubs and the U.S. Handicapable Square Dance Association.
Square dances are everywhere. In the early 2000s, nearly every city in the United States had at least one square dance club with larger cities having two or more. 
Square dancing is fun. That’s it! It’s a great way to connect with others with no technological filter. 

Thank you L.D. Your question may inspire some of us to engage in a new physical activity that is fun, social, helps with cognition and overall functioning. 

Stay well everyone and be kind to yourself and others—on and off the dance floor.

Helen Dennis is a nationally recognized leader on issues of aging and the new retirement with academic, corporate and nonprofit experience. Contact Helen with your questions and comments at Helendenn@gmail.com.  Visit Helen at HelenMdennis.com and follow her on facebook.com/SuccessfulAgingCommunity

​ Orange County Register