Larry Wilson: A storm brews from Mar-a-Lago

• October 26, 2024

To live in a world, the insane one that is our own, in which workers for a federal agency charged with bringing relief to victims of a devastating hurricane are threatened with their lives by gun-toting fellow countrymen who believe, egged on by an actually elected official, that one major political party creates the bad weather to be mean to them, is to despair.

And to witness the presidential candidate of the other major party not tell his partisans to get real but rather to see him gin up the crazies by also disparaging their relief work is to see that despair cubed.

That candidate was given the opportunity to at least act sane when he was asked whether it was a good idea to criticize hurricane relief workers after the Federal Emergency Management Agency was forced to pause work in the Carolinas because of threats from a militia.

The candidate responded by repeating the plain lie that the hurricane response was hampered because FEMA spent its budget helping people who crossed the border illegally.

It is true that no truckloads of bazookaed militias were ever found. But a North Carolina man faces a charge of “going armed to the terror of the public” after he threatened FEMA workers and was arrested in Rutherford County, North Carolina last week. The local sheriff said the weather denier had a rifle and handgun on him at the time of his arrest. He was immediately released on a $10,000 bond. Wonder what he’s up to tonight.

Criticism from the candidate who was there campaigning in the state and making up more stories? There was none.

It is also true that it was not the presidential candidate himself but rather his fervent supporter Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, who said of the Democrats after Hurricane Helene swept her region: “Yes they can control the weather. It’s ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can’t be done.”

Sure thing. So ridiculous.

In the next couple of days the lying grifter’s running mate went to Greene’s district to call her “a great friend of mine”  and told her constituents they had “another great, strong, woman leader in Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene … She’s a loyal person, and you guys have a hell of a congresswoman here in Marjorie.”

Hell of a congresswoman. The kind of person really sane, responsible American politicians would want to associate themselves with.

The scary buffoon of a presidential candidate allowed himself to be introduced at a campaign rally Wednesday by a scary buffoon of a former journalist, Tucker Carlson, who said a second administration would be like an angry father who would give  a “vigorous spanking” to his disobedient daughter, i.e. the rest of us Americans.

He said the country now was like a kid who’d “smear the contents of his diapers on the wall of your living room,” or a “hormone-addled 15-year-old daughter” who gives her parents the finger and slams her bedroom door.

But everything will be fine in the household, because “When Dad gets home, you know what he says? ‘You’ve been a bad girl, you’ve been a bad little girl … This is going to hurt you a lot more than it hurts me. And you earned this. You’re getting a vigorous spanking because you’ve been a bad girl.”

The crowd, as they say, went wild.

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If his surrogates are like bad weather personified, like steaming-hot Gulf waters brewing up a new kind of hurricane, the candidate himself is of course the storm. This past week saw two former key aides — both extremely conservative Republicans and top military leaders — literally call him “fascist.”

And it gets a bit personal when a man who would be president, in expressing his dislike for the press and its right to use confidential sources, says: “When this person realizes that he is going to be the bride of another prisoner shortly, he will say, ‘I’d very much like to tell you exactly who that was.”

“There is every reason to believe that Donald Trump would seek to use criminal enforcement and the FBI as leverage for his personal and political ends in a second term,” says — no, not me — says Peter Keisler, a founder of the Federalist Society.

Worth thinking about between now and Nov. 5.

Larry Wilson is on the Southern California News Group editorial board. lwilson@scng.com.

​ Orange County Register 

Two historic Philadelphia churches offer lessons for an America divided today and in its infancy

• October 26, 2024

By LUIS ANDRES HENAO

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — George Washington. Benjamin Franklin. Betsy Ross. The two Founding Fathers and the seamstress of the American flag all once worshipped on the now centuries-old wooden pews of Christ Church.

It’s the site of colonial America’s break with the Church of England — and where the U.S. Episcopal Church was born.

Less than a mile south, past Independence Hall, Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church stands on the oldest parcel of land continuously owned by Black Americans. It’s the mother church of the nation’s first Black denomination.

Two churches, across the centuries. Generations after their birth in this nation first envisioned in Philadelphia, both churches continue to serve as the spiritual home for hundreds in the city.

Choir members sing hymns at Christ Church in Philadelphia at a service on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)

Church members see the role of their congregation as crucial, a beacon ahead of a contentious presidential election in Pennsylvania — the most pivotal of swing states. They also express concerns about political division that the Founding Fathers once feared could tear the nation apart.

“We’ve grown as a nation, but I think at this point, we’re at a standstill. We’re terribly divided,” said Christ Church parishioner Jeanette Morris. A registered Republican, she previously voted for former President Donald Trump, but plans to back Vice President Kamala Harris on Nov. 5 because of her support for reproductive rights. Morris is concerned about health issues following the repeal of Roe v. Wade.

“Nothing is getting done in Washington because nobody can agree on anything,” she said after a recent service. “I pray every Sunday that we can get past this all.”

Mother Bethel AME Church member Donna Matthews, center standing, claps next to her husband, Keith Matthews, during a service in Philadelphia on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)

Today’s list of divisive issues is long: from abortion and immigration to taxes, climate change and the wars abroad. It’s also the first presidential election since an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, an act of political violence steeped in the lie that the 2020 election was stolen.

“I think things have changed: Slavery is abolished. The Civil Rights Act was put in place. But still, deep down, the denizens of the United States haven’t really come together,” says Keith Matthews, 61, a Mother Bethel AME parishioner. “There’s still a lot of hatred and misunderstanding amongst the races.”

The nation’s church was at the center of it all

At its infancy, the United States of America also was deeply divided. And some members of Christ Church — from Washington to the parish rector — seemed to be at the center of it all.

“What we’re going through right now is certainly unprecedented politically. And there’s a huge amount of potential instability and concern that a lot of people have in this church and the United States,” says Zack Biro, executive director of the Christ Church Preservation Trust. “And Christ Church is a perfect example of kind of weathering that storm.”

The Christ Church steeple, financed and built through a lottery spearheaded by Benjamin Franklin, rises into the sky in Philadelphia on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)

The church was founded in 1695 by a group of Philadelphia colonists as the first parish of the Church of England in Pennsylvania. Congregants later included slaves and their owners, loyalists and patriots. They listened to sermons favoring and opposing independence.

Anglican clergy loyal to the British king led weekly prayers for the monarch. But on July 4, 1776, Christ Church’s vestry crossed out the king’s name from the Book of Common Prayer — a defiant act of potential treason. The book is preserved today in an underground museum, a testament to the church’s revolutionary spirit on Independence Day.

“We tend to think that the early American republic was a time of great unity, but, like today, the political culture was deeply polarized,” says John Fea, a professor of American history at Messiah University in Pennsylvania.

Christ Church congregants sing during a service in Philadelphia on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)

During the 1780s, Fea said via email, debate raged about how to apply revolutionary-era principles such as liberty or freedom to all Americans. From the pulpit, the Rev. Jacob Duché, the church’s rector, was seen as a moderate and led prayers as the first chaplain of the Continental Congress. But then he sided with the loyalists.

When the British occupied Philadelphia in 1777, the rector wrote a letter to Washington urging him to surrender and reach a deal with the British. After the letter became public, Duché traveled to England. Pennsylvania officials later labeled him a traitor and banned his reentry. His successor, the Rev. William White, became the first presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church. He’s praised for keeping the unity of his congregation during times of turmoil.

Christ Church’s current senior pastor is the Rev. Samantha Vincent-Alexander, the first woman to serve as rector in its more than 300-year history.

“The idea of what do we do in this political environment right now and how do we deal with that is an incredible challenge,” she says. “Most of our congregations are not a unified voting bloc. They represent different people much like at the time of the American revolution.”

“We had people who were loyalists and people who supported independence, and the clergy at the time had to find a way to keep the congregation together.”

Congregant Andy Halstead prays during a service at Philadelphia’s Christ Church on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)

Congregants remain proud of Christ Church’s crucial role in America’s freedom. But they also grapple with contradictions. Some church members traded slaves and are buried in the church yard near signers of the Declaration of Independence. Franklin’s tomb is in the nearby Christ Church burial ground.

“While we’re very proud of our history, these people were not perfect. Sometimes we tend to think of them that way, but they weren’t,” says Harvey Bartle, a congregant for more than 30 years. “What they were doing is trying to promote democracy. … At least they advanced the ball beyond the divine right of kings, so that the society, rich and poor, educated and uneducated, could advance the system.”

Children look at the penny-covered gravestone of Benjamin Franklin at the Christ Church Burial Ground in Philadelphia on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)

One church member, Absalom Jones, attended services at a sister congregation while enslaved to a man serving in the church leadership. Jones bought his freedom and eventually became ordained by the Christ Church rector as the first Black priest of the Episcopal Church. He also went on to co-create the Free African Society of Philadelphia, which Fea says “sought to apply the rights secured from the American Revolution to the 2,000 or so free Black men and women living in the city at the time.”

Methodism was the fastest growing denomination in America in the 1790s. But some Methodist Episcopal Churches still segregated Black worshippers during services to the upstairs galleries. This prompted free Black Americans to start their own congregation.

A framed portrait of the Rev. Absalom Jones, who became ordained as the first Black priest of the Episcopal church, is displayed at the Christ Church Neighborhood House in Philadelphia on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)

Mother Bethel AME fought for freedom from the start

The African Methodist Episcopal Church has been involved in the struggle for freedom and equality from its roots.

Its founder, the Rev. Richard Allen, was born into slavery in Philadelphia in 1760 before buying his freedom in Delaware before he was 20. He returned to the city in the 1780s and became a minister.

After white leaders at a Methodist church segregated Allen, Jones and other Black worshippers to the upstairs galleries for a prayer service, the group left the church and formed what would eventually become Mother Bethel AME. The church became a place of refuge for Black people fleeing slavery along the Underground Railroad and later a major gathering point for the Civil Rights Movement.

By creating Mother Bethel, Allen “carved out a space where Black people could resist … at a time where during slavery in the Deep South, Black people could not even congregate without the presence of a white man in between them,” says Bethel AME’s pastor, the Rev. Mark Tyler.

Today, the AME Church has more than 2.5 million members and thousands of congregations in dozens of nations worldwide.

A statue of Mother Bethel AME Church founder stands on the oldest parcel of land continuously owned by Black Americans in Philadelphia on Oct 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)

“Certainly, we’ve made progress,” says Tyler, citing Kamala Harris’ campaign to become the country’s first Black female president. But he also believes that much more needs to be done to bridge America’s racial inequality and he worries about the potential of another Trump presidency. The AME Church, he says, has not “outlived its usefulness.”

“The fact that we have a person who openly embraces white supremacists, who has been president once and potentially could be president again in the 21st century, is all the evidence that you need to know that we still need places for Black people to come together and organize like the Black Church,” he says.

During a recent Sunday service, Tyler encouraged his congregation to vote. Some members later reflected on America’s beginnings and its progress and shortcomings.

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“Two things can be said at the same time: They were brilliant in the development of this nation. But they still carried slavery ideas, women were not allowed to vote, and that needed to be changed,” parishioner Donna Matthews said about the Founding Fathers.

“Who are ‘We the people’? I think people need to ask themselves that,” said Matthews, 63, who attended the service with her husband, Keith, and their young grandson, Ezekiel. “It’s everyone. And it’s the essence of why this church was started.”

At the end of the service, parishioner Tayza Hill, 25, led groups on a tour of the church’s museum. It preserves an original wooden pulpit used by the Rev. Allen and Black leaders including abolitionist Frederick Douglass and civil rights pioneer W.E.B. Du Bois when they addressed the congregation.

Hill says she has been hearing the same question in radio shows as the election approaches: “Is the sun rising, or is the sun setting on democracy?” She remains hopeful and believes the continuity of her church is vital.

“Seeing that there’s still a building that has the history and is continuously being told is important because it’s refusing to be erased from history,” Hill says. “As a nation and as a church, it’s really up to us to defend the rights and the respectability of those who are withheld the full opportunity of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.”

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

​ Orange County Register 

Conversations over property hint at changing dynamic

• October 26, 2024

As commercial real estate practitioners, we spend our days advising owners and occupants of locations. These may be office, retail or industrial.

I’ve expanded my trade industrially for over four decades in Orange County and the Inland Empire. Over time, I’ve seen some wild swings in market activity — also known as buying and leasing.

The early 90s were mired in a deep sleep caused by the invasion of Iraq and the savings and loan implosion. We dealt with tepid demand until the middle part of the decade when velocity returned. The dot-com bubble bursting and the financial adjustment of the early- and mid-2000s caused quite a ruckus as well.

What followed was a spate of activity like no other we’ve seen until, well, 2020-2022. Now, we sit with a lack of demand precipitated by uncertainty. Recall, I wrote about that last week .

Today, I’d like to discuss a simple way to figure in which way we’re headed — up or down — with the scale pushed in favor of occupants or owners.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that gauging the market isn’t just about looking at vacancy rates or rent trends, it’s about understanding the balance of power between owners and occupants.

A simple, albeit informal, method I’ve used is what I call the “Sentiment Index.” Essentially, it’s a measure of who feels the pain — or the confidence — more sharply: those with the space to lease or sell, or those seeking to occupy it.

Right now, what I’m seeing and hearing suggests the scales are tipping in favor of occupants.

How do I know? Conversations with landlords have turned from boastful pride to cautious consideration. When owners and their representatives are more eager to have a “productive chat” about lease terms, you know we’re moving into a phase where flexibility and concessions might be on the horizon.

Subtle shifts in conversations

In fact, these shifts in tone can often signal broader trends before the numbers catch up. Let me give you an example.

Back in the early 1990s, during what many in the industry refer to as the post-Savings & Loan era, the signs of a cooling market weren’t apparent in the stats just yet. But for those of us on the ground, it was clear as day.

What tipped us off? The tone of conversations with owners changed from assertive to inquisitive: “What’s happening out there?” took the place of “We’re holding firm at this price.”

Today, I’m noticing a similar shift.

In the Inland Empire, where logistics had been king over the last five years, conversations that were once about jockeying for the best price per square foot have turned into careful discussions on structuring deals that create longer-term value.

For example, some owners are asking about the implications of rent abatement periods or tenant improvement allowances — areas where, in stronger markets, the negotiation wasn’t as flexible.

Indicators beyond the numbers

But why focus so much on sentiment? Because market reports and metrics, while useful, can lag behind the reality on the street. When deals are being renegotiated, terms are becoming more flexible, and incentives are starting to creep back in, it suggests that demand is softening relative to supply. And that’s exactly what I’ve been noticing lately.

For example, last month, I saw a deal come together for a mid-sized logistics tenant in Riverside. The lease was inked at a rate that, six months ago, would have raised eyebrows among the ownership crowd. But with looming uncertainty, the landlord chose certainty of occupancy over a speculative holdout for higher rents. To me, that’s an early indicator of where we’re headed.

Window into demand dynamics

On the occupant side, I find their actions can tell us just as much about market direction. When they start negotiating harder on expansion options or holding off on committing to large leases, it’s clear they’re sensing future uncertainty.

Right now, I’m seeing this play out with clients in the Inland Empire who are recalibrating their growth strategies to align with supply chain volatility and interest rate hikes.

If you ask an occupant why they’re hesitating, they won’t often point to market reports. Instead, you’ll hear things like, “We’re waiting to see if interest rates stabilize,” or “We’re worried about carrying costs if demand slips.” These concerns are less about where the market is now and more about where it’s headed.

In commercial real estate, the market doesn’t always shout its intentions—it whispers them through subtle cues. Right now, the whispers are pointing to a delicate balance, one that could easily tip in favor of occupants if uncertainty persists. The key is listening closely and responding proactively.

So, if you’re trying to gauge market activity, don’t just look at the metrics. Tune in to the conversations and observe the changes in sentiment. Those shifts can tell you more about where the market is headed than a spreadsheet ever could.

Allen C. Buchanan, SIOR, is a principal with Lee & Associates Commercial Real Estate Services in Orange. He can be reached at abuchanan@lee-associates.com or 714.564.7104. 

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​ Orange County Register 

After 20 years at the top of chess, Magnus Carlsen is making his next move

• October 26, 2024

By MARK LEWIS

STAVANGER, Norway (AP) — Few chess players enjoy Magnus Carlsen’s celebrity status.

A grand master at 13, refusing to play an American dogged by allegations of cheating, and venturing into the world of online chess gaming all made Norway’s Carlsen a household name.

Few chess players have produced the magical commodity that separates Norway’s Magnus Carlsen from any of his peers: celebrity.

Only legends like Russia’s Garry Kasparov and American Bobby Fischer can match his name recognition and Carlsen is arguably an even more dominant player. Last month, he beat both men to be named the International Chess Federation’s greatest ever.

But his motivation to rack up professional titles is on the wane. Carlsen, 33, now wants to leverage his fame to help turn the game he loves into a spectator sport.

“I am in a different stage in my career,” he told The Associated Press. “I am not as ambitious when it comes to professional chess. I still want to play, but I don’t necessarily have that hunger. I play for the love of the game.”

FILE – Norwegian Magnus Carlsen, left, of SG Alpine Warriors plays against Poland’s Jan-Krzysztof Duda of Chingari Gulf Titans during Global Chess League in Dubai United Arab Emirates, on July 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File)

Offering a new way to interact with the game, Carlsen on Friday launched his application, Take Take Take, which will follow live games and players, explaining matches in an accessible way that, Carlsen says, is sometimes missing from streaming platforms like YouTube and Twitch. “It will be a chiller vibe,” he says.

Carlsen intends to use his experience to provide recaps and analysis on his new app, starting with November’s World Chess Championship tournament between China’s Ding Liren and India’s Gukesh Dommaraju. He won’t be competing himself because he voluntarily ceded the title in 2023.

Carlsen is no novice when it comes to chess apps. The Play Magnus game, which he started in 2014, gave online users the chance to play against a chess engine modeled against his own gameplay. The company ballooned into a suite of applications and was bought for around $80 million in 2022 by Chess.com, the world’s largest chess website.

Carlsen and Mats Andre Kristiansen, the chief executive of his company, Fantasy Chess, are betting that a chess game where users can follow individual players and pieces, filters for explaining different elements of each game, and light touch analysis will scoop up causal viewers put off by chess’s sometimes rarefied air. The free app was launched in a bid to build the user base ahead of trying to monetizing it. “That will come later, maybe with advertisements or deeper analysis,” says Kristiansen.

While Take Take Take offers a different prospect with its streaming services, it is still being launched into a crowded market with Chess.com, which has more than 100 million users, YouTube, Twitch, and the website of FIDE the International Chess Federation. World Chess was worth around $54 million when it got listed on the London Stock Exchange.

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The accessibility of chess engines that can beat any human means cheating has never been easier. However, they can still be used to shortcut thousands of hours of book-bound research, and hone skills that would be impossible against human opponents.

“I think the games today are of higher quality because preparation is becoming deeper and deeper and artificial intelligence is helping us play. It is reshaping the way we evaluate the games,” especially for the new generation of players, says Carlsen.

At the same time, he admits that two decades after becoming a grand master, his mind doesn’t quite compute at the tornado speed it once did. “Most people have less energy when they get older. The brain gets slower. I have already felt that for a few years. The younger players’ processing power is just faster.”

Even so, he intends to be the world’s best for many years to come.

“My mind is a bit slower, and I maybe don’t have as much energy. But chess is about the coming together of energy, computing power and experience. I am still closer to my peak than decline,” he said.

Chess has been cresting a popularity wave begun by Carlsen himself.

He became the world’s top-ranked player in 2011. In 2013, he won the first of his five World Championships. In 2014, he achieved the highest-ever chess rating of 2882, and he has remained the undisputed world number one for the last 13 years.

Off the table, chess influencers, like the world No. 2, Hikaru Nakamura, are using social media to bring the game to a wider audience. The Netflix series “The Queen’s Gambit” burnished chess’ unlikely cerebral sex appeal when it became one of the streamer’s biggest hits in 2020.

And in 2022 Carlsen’s refusal to play against Hans Niemann, an American grand master, who admitted to using technology to cheat in online games in the past, created a rare edge in the usually sedate world of chess. There is no evidence Niemann ever cheated in live games but the feud between the pair propelled the game even further into public consciousness.

Whether chess can continue to grow without the full professional participation of its biggest celebrity remains to be seen.

​ Orange County Register 

Orange and black — and pink and purple. Some twists for creative Halloween parties

• October 26, 2024

By KIM COOK

“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers,” says the heroine in L.M. Montgomery’s book “Anne of Green Gables.”

All we autumn aficionados feel the same, right? The season usually takes its star turn in October, with peak leaves, sweater-worthy days, and the heady aromas of spice, apples, pumpkin and woodfire.

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And for many people, stirring Halloween into that mix just makes it yummier.

Throwing your own Halloween party is a great outlet for getting creative with the season, and it doesn’t have to be all monsters and mayhem (though that’s fun). There are themes that bring a party mood and style to the table and the room, while still evoking Halloween’s mystery.

You don’t need to go all out on a home full of décor. I do a simple mantelscape in my living room that’s just a few décor pieces in autumn colors, a string of festive lights and a banner with a seasonal message. The vibe’s just enough Halloween for me, and when it’s over I can easily edit the elements for Thanksgiving.

Some party and decor trends:

Whimsigoth and pinkowe’en

Claire Brito, House Beautiful’s social media editor, says she’s seeing people leaning into a flirtier, more feminine interpretation of the darker goth aesthetic.

It’s a nod to pop culture’s TV witches of the ’90s — Buffy, Sabrina, et al — and to the lifestyle vibe of cottagecore with its boho, natural, nostalgic vibe. Brought together, you’ve got “whimsigoth.” The look leans into moody purples and dusty pinks as well as vintage florals and plaids.

This photo provided by Olive & Cocoa shows a pink skeleton in an entryway. ‘Whimsigoth’, and ‘pinkowe’en’ are two of this year’s hot Halloween holiday décor trends. (Olive & Cocoa via AP)

Another seasonal decor look with a goofy nickname: Say boo! to decor’s “pinkowe’en.”

Brito says it echoes the trends of biophilia and the Year of Pink, with blush-toned pumpkins, lacy tableware and mismatched glassware. Adding indoor plants inside Mason jars and making stacks of books will create an “old greenhouse” and “romantic library” mood – both ideal for a Halloween gathering.

Macabre mysteries

House Beautiful’s deputy managing editor, Olivia Hosken, likes a good old-fashioned murder mystery, and recommends games that get everyone teamed up.

Masters of Mystery’s game kits set the crime in different eras and environments — among them, the Wild West, Broadway, a palace, a pirate ship and the 1920s. There are also mysteries themed around “Bridgerton,” “Rocky Horror,” James Bond or outer space.

The game maker suggests how to set the scene for your murder mystery, including décor, menus, music and costumes.

For the Roaring Twenties, for instance, use a black-and-gold color scheme, with cocktail glasses filled with gold beads, strands of pearls, and black feathers for decorative elements. Era-popular deviled eggs, shrimp cocktail and icebox cake could be on the menu.

Victorian vibes

Author Lesley Bannatyne, who writes often about Halloween, says it was the Victorians who began turning Halloween into a celebration. Jack-o’-lanterns on porches, blazing community bonfires, and doors hung with cornhusks and apples welcomed guests to the party.

Queen Victoria’s obsession with the supernatural fed a fascination with mystics and fortune tellers.

This image provided by Joni Cohen shows a white Capiz skull and pumpkins handmade using pearl shells. East Coast designer Joanna Buchanan suggests creating ‘a dark and stormy table by candlelight.’ (John Bessler/Joni Cohen via AP)

Try creating a 19th century look for your Halloween party. Think tarot cards, palmistry, astrology and astronomy art; glass jars filled with curiosities like toy critters, paper butterflies, silk flowers; black or gold painted twigs; cobwebs made of chunky yarn or cheesecloth.

Get the family candlesticks out, and set them with black taper candles.

“Light them an hour before the party starts, so they’re extra drippy,” Hosken says.

Add dark purple or deep red flowers, and Spanish moss. When the party’s over, most of these items can be repurposed.

Toasting time

Some bottles ideal for the Halloween party table:

19 Crimes is an Aussie brand named for the number of crimes it took for 18th century British convicts to be shipped off to Australia. The wines are named after colorful real-life rebels, with vintage photos on the labels. Scan the QR code on the back of the bottle to watch an augmented reality clip of the character’s story.

This photo provided by The Prisoner Wine Company shows a bottle from their ‘Unshackled’ line of reds and roses, with metallic labels evoking a vintage combination lock. (Prisoner Wine Co via AP)

And California’s The Prisoner Wine Company has released an “Unshackled” line of reds and rose, with metallic labels evoking a vintage combination lock.

New York-based writer Kim Cook covers design and decor topics regularly for The Associated Press. Follow her on Instagram at @kimcookhome.

​ Orange County Register 

‘I probably wouldn’t even be here.’ At 28, she learned she had breast cancer. Then came the biggest decisions of her life

• October 26, 2024

When 28-year-old Candace Frederick felt a bump under her armpit, she thought it was an ingrown hair.

Not long after, though, a bit of blood discharged from her nipple.

Frederick didn’t know what to make of her experiences, but she knew something wasn’t right.

She arrived at an imaging center to get a mammogram, but the staff told her that because she was so young, they would give her an ultrasound.

“They said if we see anything, then you will get a mammogram,” she said. “And then they called me back in to do a mammogram.”

From the ultrasound, mammogram, and eventual biopsy, Frederick learned she had calcifications on one side and a tumor on the other. She received a dual diagnosis: Stage 3, invasive cancer, in one breast and Stage 0, an early form of cancer, in the other. An oncologist came up with a treatment plan: the removal of her lump and some radiation.

But then, something happened that changed everything: Frederick underwent genetic testing.

Cancer survivor Candace Frederick, right, dances at her remission party in her Miramar, Florida, backyard on Saturday. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

The role of genetic testing

Genetic testing is done with blood, saliva, or cheek swabs and analyzes a person’s DNA for gene mutations that increase the risk of developing diseases. The past decade has seen a rapid expansion of genetic tests that also inform patients about their risk of breast cancer and recurrence and guide their treatment. Anyone over 18, especially someone with a family history of breast cancer, is eligible. Newer panel genetic tests now look at a dozen or more genes, including seven mutations with risk factors for breast cancer.

“It’s a simple test, but the results can alter someone’s life plan,” said Memorial Regional Healthcare geneticist Tammy Adar.

Frederick had a family history of breast cancer on her father’s side. Her test results revealed she is one of 400 people with a BRCA1/BRCA2 gene mutation. Usually, BRCA genes prevent breast cancer by helping to repair DNA breaks that can lead to cancer and tumor growth. When those genes don’t work correctly, it is called a mutation. People with BRCA mutations carry a higher risk of getting breast cancer.

Having a BRCA gene mutation has various implications:

You are more likely to develop breast cancer and more likely to develop cancer at a younger age.
You are more likely to develop cancer in the opposite breast in the future.
You are at risk of developing ovarian cancer as well.

Gene mutations can be passed onto and through men and women, Adar said. If a man has a BRCA mutation, he becomes more at risk for pancreatic, breast and prostate cancer. Adar said that genetic information can help guide screenings and treatment.

Facing big decisions

After receiving her results, Frederick needed to make some choices that would affect everything from her treatment plan to her timeline to have children, to whether to do genetic testing of her future embryo, to which family members should get tested.

With a cancer diagnosis and the knowledge she had a BRCA mutation, the 28-year-old revised her treatment plan, opting for chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, and then radiation. She also needed to consider family planning. The gene mutation puts her at a higher risk for ovarian cancer, so she needs to consider future surgery. Frederick had been in a one-year relationship and faced decisions on her fertility timeline.

“For someone with the BRCA mutation, it’s recommended to have your ovaries and fallopian tubes removed between ages 40 and 45,” Adar said.  “There are no good screening tools for ovarian cancer, and it usually arrives in the fallopian tubes.”

Frederick wants to have a family before that type of surgery and recognizes the childbirth process for her is more complicated and the timeline shorter. She takes three hormone therapy pills daily to prevent cancer recurrence and gets a monthly shot.

“I know I will have to stop my medication regimen that I am on and coordinate with my oncologist, fertility specialist and my gynecologist. We all have to coordinate to figure out how to make a baby,” she said.

Another complication may force choices, too. She has a 50% chance of passing the BRCA gene mutation to her children. If Frederick’s spouse or partner also has a BRCA mutation, their children have a higher chance of a genetic disorder called Fanconi anaemia. This can lead to shorter growth, a smaller head, and underdeveloped thumbs. It also puts the child at higher risk for early childhood cancers.

Again, she would have to make decisions.

“She could use IVF and have the embryos checked for a gene mutation,” Adar explained. “An embryo that does not have the gene mutation could be transferred to the womb, and the pregnancy continues as usual.”

Candace Frederick had shirts made for the guests at her remission party. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Should everyone do genetic testing?

Adar says everyone should learn their family medical history. “Filling in gaps in knowledge can be critical,” she said.

If someone’s family history reveals cancer in first-degree relatives, it could be a reason to get genetic testing.  As a genetic counselor, Adar uses test results to guide patients on whether to notify other family members to pursue genetic testing, too.

Frederick says she has become passionate about urging others to listen to their instincts about their health.

Her primary care doctor had put her on a long wait list for an appointment, so she had asked her gynecologist to order her first mammogram.

“By the time it was caught, it was already stage three for me, and so if I waited until when I could get into my primary care doctor, what would my life have been like?” she said. “I probably wouldn’t even be here because the cancer had already spread so fast.”

Now, at 30, Frederick celebrated a year of remission by throwing herself a party. A behavioral health therapist, she credits her mental strength as the biggest contributor to her survivorship, even as the youngest patient in waiting rooms for her breast cancer treatment.

Her message to others is, “Don’t take no for an answer. Don’t let your age be why you don’t get your screening. Really advocate for yourself.”

​ Orange County Register 

Switching jobs? There’s more to do with your 401(k) than just rolling it over

• October 26, 2024

By STAN CHOE

Job hopping is one of the best ways workers have to increase their pay, and a surprisingly solid job market means they still have opportunities. That’s great news for workers, but remember: Make sure you’re setting aside as much into your new 401(k) plan as your old one.

When a worker moves to a new job, they have to take the extra step of signing up for their new employer’s 401(k) plan and deciding how much of their paycheck to contribute. Otherwise, if they’re lucky, they’ll end up getting automatically enrolled into the plan and contributing whatever the employer decided as the default percentage of pay.

At nearly half of the 401(k) plans with automatic enrollment that Vanguard keeps records for, that default is 3% or 4%.

For first-time workers just starting their careers, that kind of contribution might make some sense, even if the rule of thumb is to save 10% to 15% of your pay. Many 401(k) plans will also automatically increase that savings percentage by 1 percentage point per year.

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But for a worker in the 10th or 20th year of their career, that could mean they’re suddenly contributing just 3% or 4% of their pay instead of the 15% they had been in their prior job. Even worse, for workers whose new jobs don’t automatically enroll them in the retirement savings plan, they could see their contributions drop all the way to zero unless they sign up.

The total hit to a worker’s nest egg could amount to $300,000. That’s according to a recent study by Vanguard, which estimated what a retirement savings slowdown could mean for a worker earning $60,000 at the start of their career who switched jobs eight times across employers. That’s enough to fund an estimated six additional years of spending in retirement.

The Vanguard researchers found that the typical U.S. worker has nine employers over the course of their career. Each switch sees a median 10% increase in pay but a drop of 0.7 percentage point in their retirement saving rate.

“The current design of many 401(k) plans does not account for repeated job switches,” the researchers wrote in their report.

How many people is this affecting? A little more than 3 million U.S. workers quit their jobs during August, according to the most recent data available from the U.S. government. Those are generally workers who wanted to leave their employer, and a big number is seen as a sign that workers are feeling comfortable enough to switch to another job.

It’s been trending down since hitting a peak above 4.5 million two years ago, but it remains well above its bottom of 2 million reached during the pandemic. The next update on how many U.S. workers are quitting their jobs will arrive on Tuesday.

A little more than half of all U.S. households have a 401(k) or similar plan or an individual retirement account, as of 2022, according to Congressional Research Service.

​ Orange County Register 

Newport Harbor among four O.C. teams seeded first for CIF-SS boys water polo playoffs

• October 26, 2024

Newport Harbor’s undefeated boys water polo team is seeded first in a new-look Open Division for the CIF-SS playoffs.

The Sailors (27-0) top a 12-team Open Division that features four, three-team pools. The winners of each pool advance to the semifinals.

The 12-team field in the Open Division represents four more entries than the previous Open playoffs, which followed a bracket-style tournament.

The Open Division debuted in 2021. The previous eight-team size followed the Division 1 format that had shifted to eight teams in 2017.

The changes arrives in the first year that the section used the Massey power ratings to help construct the brackets.

The larger field in the Open grabbed most of the top teams in Orange County: defending champion and No. 2 seed JSerra (23-3), Corona del Mar (23-5), Mater Dei (17-8), Santa Margarita (16-8), Foothill (19-8) and San Clemente (20-7).

All the county teams were ranked in the top-11 in the final Massey ratings.

The Open Division begins on Tuesday.

Westlake and Long Beach Wilson fell just outside the top-12 and claimed the top-two seeds in Division 1. San Juan Hills (19-7) is seeded fourth.

Division 1 begins on Thursday.

One of the top matches pits Laguna Beach against Los Alamitos.

Three other O.C. teams earned top seeds. Trabuco Hills (Division 3), Santa Ana (Division 4) and Garden Grove (Division 5) are seeded No. 1 in their respective divisions.

Divisions 1-6 feature bracket play. All the section finals will be played at Mt. SAC in Walnut on Nov. 16.

The Open Division semifinals are Nov. 9. The semifinals in the other divisions will be Nov. 12.

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​ Orange County Register