Meet the dad who is riding his bicycle across the country to support Ronald McDonald House

• July 30, 2024

“I’m so proud of you,” whispered Hailey Bekos as she hugged her father before he left on a 4,600-mile, cross-country bike ride to honor her and celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Jeff Bekos hopped on his endurance bike Monday morning, July 29, and left the parking lot of the Ronald McDonald House in Orange. Amid cheers from supporters, he turned north on Batavia Street and headed for Philadelphia.

He hopes to raise $5 million for the charity, which supports families with sick children, as he bikes from California to Pennsylvania.

“This will help approximately 254,000 families,” said Jeff Bekos.

Over the next 77 days, Bekos will stop at 26 Ronald McDonald houses spread among 15 states sharing his family’s story.

In July 2013, at the age of 13, Hailey Bekos woke up and, “within about 15 seconds stopped talking,” said Jeff Bekos. She had multiple seizures and fell into a four-month coma.

Hailey Bekos, now 24, was diagnosed with Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis, an autoimmune disease where the body creates antibodies against the NMDA receptors in the brain. She said she needed to relearn to walk and talk.

“Basically, my brain shut down entirely,” said Hailey Bekos.

Jeff Bekos said he has a mission of giving back.

“We lived at the Ronald McDonald house for 254 nights when Hailey was fighting for her life, and what a better way to give back,” he said.

He plans to arrive in Philadelphia, the birthplace of Ronald McDonald House, on Oct. 14, a few days shy of the nonprofit’s 50th anniversary celebration.

Follow his progress or donate at onedadsmission.org

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​ Orange County Register 

Crowds take to Venezuelan streets to protest what they say is president’s attempt to steal election

• July 30, 2024

By JOSHUA GOODMAN and REGINA GARCIA CANO

CARACAS, Venezuela — Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Venezuela on Monday to protest what they said was an attempt by President Nicolás Maduro to steal the country’s disputed election a day after the political opposition and the entrenched incumbent both claimed victory.

Shortly after the National Electoral Council, which is loyal to Maduro’s ruling party, announced that he had won a third six-year term, angry protesters began marching through the capital, Caracas, and cities across Venezuela.

WASHINGTON MONITORING: Blinken says US has serious concerns on Venezuela vote results

In the capital, the protests were mostly peaceful, but when dozens of riot gear-clad national police officers blocked the caravan, a brawl broke. Police used tear gas to disperse the protesters, some of whom threw stones and other objects at officers who had stationed themselves on a main avenue of an upper-class district.

The demonstrations followed an election that was among the most peaceful in recent memory, reflecting hopes that Venezuela could avoid bloodshed and end 25 years of single-party rule. The winner was to take control of an economy recovering from collapse and a population desperate for change.

“We have never been moved by hatred. On the contrary, we have always been victims of the powerful,” Maduro said in a nationally televised ceremony. “An attempt is being made to impose a coup d’état in Venezuela again of a fascist and counterrevolutionary nature.”

“We already know this movie, and this time, there will be no kind of weakness,” he added, saying that Venezuela’s “law will be respected.”

There was no immediate comment from the opposition, which had vowed to defend its votes. Opposition leaders planned to hold a news conference later in the day.

In the capital’s impoverished Petare neighborhood, people started walking and shouting against Maduro, and some masked young people tore down campaign posters of him hung on lampposts. Heavily armed security forces were standing just a few blocks away from the protest.

“It’s going to fall. It’s going to fall. This government is going fall!” some of the protesters shouted as they walked.

“He has to go. One way or another,” said María Arráez, a 27-year-old hairdresser, as she joined in the demonstration.

As the crowd marched through a different neighborhood, it was cheered on by retirees and office workers who banged on pots and recorded the protest in a show of support. There were some shouts of “freedom” and expletives directed at Maduro.

Elsewhere, some protesters attempted to block freeways, including one that connects the capital with a port city where the country’s main international airport is.

Officials delayed the release of detailed vote tallies from Sunday’s election after proclaiming Maduro the winner with 51% of the vote, compared with 44% for retired diplomat Edmundo González. The competing claims set up a high-stakes standoff.

“Venezuelans and the entire world know what happened,” González said. But he and his allies asked supporters to remain calm and called on the government to avoid stoking conflict.

Several foreign governments, including the U.S. and the European Union, held off recognizing the election results.

After failing to oust Maduro during three rounds of demonstrations since 2014, the opposition put its faith in the ballot box.

The country sits atop the world’s largest oil reserves and once boasted Latin America’s most advanced economy. But after Maduro took the helm, it tumbled into a free fall marked by plummeting oil prices, widespread shortages of basic goods and hyperinflation of 130,000%.

U.S. oil sanctions sought to force Maduro from power after his 2018 reelection, which dozens of countries condemned as illegitimate. But the sanctions only accelerated the exodus of some 7.7 million Venezuelans who have fled their crisis-stricken nation.

Voters lined up as early as Saturday evening to cast ballots, boosting the opposition’s hopes it was about to break Maduro’s grip on power. The official results came as a shock to many who had celebrated, online and outside a few voting centers, what they believed was a landslide victory for González.

Gabriel Boric, the leftist leader of Chile, called the results “difficult to believe,” while U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington had “serious concerns” that the announced tally did not reflect the actual votes or the will of the people.

In response to criticism from other governments, Maduro’s foreign affairs ministry announced it would recall its diplomatic personnel from seven countries in the Americas, including Panama, Argentina and Chile. Foreign Minister Yvan Gil asked the governments of those countries to do the same with their personnel in Venezuela.

He did not explain what would happen to the staff members of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, including her campaign manager, who have sheltered for months in the Argentinian embassy in Caracas after authorities issued arrest warrants against them.

Machado said the margin of González’s victory was “overwhelming,” based on tallies the campaign received from representatives stationed at about 40% of ballot boxes.

Authorities postponed releasing the results from each of the 30,000 polling booths nationwide, promising only to do so in the “coming hours.” The delay hampered attempts to verify the results.

González was the unlikeliest of opposition standard bearers. The 74-year-old was unknown until he was tapped in April as a last-minute stand-in for opposition powerhouse Machado, who was blocked by the Maduro-controlled supreme court from running for any office for 15 years.

Authorities set Sunday’s election to coincide with what would have been the 70th birthday of former President Hugo Chávez, the revered leftist firebrand who died of cancer in 2013, leaving his Bolivarian revolution in the hands of Maduro. But Maduro and his United Socialist Party of Venezuela, which controls all branches of government, are more unpopular than ever among many voters who blame his policies for crushingly low wages that spurred hunger, crippled the oil industry and separated families due to migration.

The president’s pitch this election was one of economic security, which he tried to sell with stories of entrepreneurship and references to a stable currency exchange and lower inflation rates. The International Monetary Fund forecasts the economy will grow 4% this year — one of the fastest in Latin America — after shrinking 71% from 2012 to 2020.

But most Venezuelans have not seen any improvement in their quality of life. Many earn under $200 a month, which means families struggle to afford essential items. Some work second and third jobs. A basket of food staples to feed a family of four for a month costs an estimated $385.

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The opposition managed to line up behind a single candidate after years of intraparty divisions and election boycotts that torpedoed their ambitions to topple the ruling party.

A former lawmaker, Machado swept the opposition’s October primary with over 90% of the vote. After she was blocked from joining the presidential race, she chose a college professor as her substitute on the ballot, but the National Electoral Council also barred her from registering. That’s when González, a political newcomer, was chosen.

González and Machado focused much of their campaigning on Venezuela’s vast hinterland, where the kind of economic activity seen in Caracas in recent years never materialized. They promised a government that would create sufficient jobs to attract Venezuelans living abroad to return home and reunite with their families.

Associated Press Writer Fabiola Sánchez contributed to this report.

​ Orange County Register 

Rep. Lou Correa joins task force to investigate assassination attempt of former President Trump

• July 30, 2024

Rep. Lou Correa was appointed to a bipartisan task force entrusted with investigating the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump.

The members of the task force — seven Republicans and six Democrats — were announced by House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries on Monday, July 29, following a unanimous vote by the House last week to establish the group.

Correa, the only California member on the task force, prioritizes national security in Congress. The Anaheim Democrat serves on the House Judiciary and Homeland Security committees and also sits on the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement and Intelligence.

He was part of a delegation of lawmakers last week who visited Butler, Pennsylvania, the site of the attempted assassination.

Trump was struck with a bullet in the ear at a July 13 rally in Butler, according to the FBI. One of the bullets killed 50-year-old Corey Comperatore, a firefighter who was sitting on the bleachers behind Trump, and two other attendees were seriously hurt. The 20-year-old gunman was killed by a Secret Service counter sniper.

“It appears there were a number of security lapses — and it appears that this may not have been the first major security lapse for a national political candidate,” Correa said. “Some of the witnesses I spoke to insinuated that the lines of command were not clear between the campaign and the Secret Service.”

Calling the incident “unacceptable,” Correa said he’s committed to working with his colleagues to “develop policy solutions to ensure we never face a close call like that again.”

“I’m not looking to point the finger at the Secret Service. I want to know how procedurally decisions are handled,” he said.

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle was grilled by Republican and Democratic lawmakers at a congressional hearing on July 22 about the Secret Service’s failure to protect the former president. She resigned the following day.

According to a press release, the goal of the task force is “to understand what went wrong on the day of the attempted assassination, to ensure accountability and to prevent such an agency failure from happening again.”

Correa stressed that the task force and its duties are “not about any one political party.” His goal is to come up with a system that will better protect all candidates across the country, especially those at the national level, Correa said.

“This is not political, this is real,” he said. “Our success will make our democracy stronger. We will not leave any stone unturned as we think about how to make political candidates safe.”

While not the target of an assassination attempt, Correa said he felt his life was threatened on Jan. 6, 2021, when the Capitol was attacked by rioters following Trump’s election loss. That attack left a “clear imprint” on his psyche, Correa said, and he doesn’t want that to be the experience of aspiring elected officials.

“I feel like Jason Bourne whenever I’m at an event. I make a note of where the exits are, what my plan A is, what my plan B is,” said Correa. “That’s the sad part of the situation we have. We’re a democratic country, we’re a democracy, and to have people intimidated to run (for office) — that’s just sad.”

The 12 other members appointed to the task force are Republican Reps. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania who will serve as chairman; Mark Green of Tennessee; David Joyce of Ohio; Laurel Lee of Florida; Michael Waltz of Florida; Clay Higgins of Louisiana; Pat Fallon of Texas; and Democratic Reps. Jason Crow of Colorado; Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania; Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania; Glenn Ivey of Maryland; and Jared Moskowitz of Florida.

The task force is required to submit a report on its findings to the House by Dec. 13, “including any recommendations for legislative reforms necessary to prevent future security lapses,” according to the resolution voted on by the House.

It’s not yet clear when the task force will first meet, and how often it will meet. Correa said he and his staff are working out the details of the schedule and next steps.

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​ Orange County Register 

It’s Summer Time In Paris – Canada’s McIntosh swims away with 400 IM at the Olympics

• July 30, 2024

PARIS – For decades Olympic swimming venues have been a reflection of the long held notion that the sport has two super powers, Australia and the United States, and all the nations are just the supporting cast.

But the Paris La Defense Arena, the swimming venue for these Olympic Games, had a distinctly different feel to it Monday night. Instead Melbourne or Orange County, the arena looked more like Yonge Street or Portage and Main.

Among the sea of Canadian flags and fans face-painted red, white and red – rouge, blanc, et rouge – a spectator held up a sign: “It’s Summer Time In Canada.”

It’s also Summer Time in Paris.

Summer McIntosh, the Toronto 17-year-old filled with patriotism, won the Olympic Games 400-meter individual gold medal Monday night with perhaps the most dominating performance so far in the Paris 2024 swimming competition.

McIntosh touched the wall in 4 minutes, 27.71 seconds, well off the world record of 4:24.38 she set at the Canadian Olympic Trials in May, her nearly six-second margin of victory over American Katie Grimes (4:33.40) was the largest in an Olympic women’s 400 IM final since the 1984 Games in Los Angeles.

“I’m just trying to make team Canada proud,” McIntosh said “and set the tone.”

McIntosh’s victory in the opening event of Monday’s evening session also set the tone for a big night for teenagers at the Olympic pool.

Romanian 19-year-old David Popovici’s victory in the 200 freestyle was as razor thin as McIntosh’s triumph was lopsided.

“It was a pure dogfight,” Popovici said. We all fought up until the last stroke with every atom in our bodies.”

Just two-hundredths of a second separated Popovici and runner-up Matthew Richards of Great Britain – 1:44.72 to 1:44.74 – with Luke Hobson of the U.S. finishing only another five-hundredths back for the bronze medal.”It’s historic,” Popovici said. “First gold in men’s swimming for our country. I’m very happy. I couldn’t do it without the country standing behind me and with me. But at the end of the day, I managed this because I did it for me.”

McIntosh first emerged three years ago when, at 14, she was the youngest member of the Canadian team in Tokyo, where she finished fourth in the 400 freestyle.

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A year later she won the 200 butterfly and 400 IM at the World Championships.

Then on March 28, 2023, she stunned her nation and the swimming universe by breaking the world record in the 400 freestyle with a 3:56.08 and then came back three days later to lower the 400 IM world record. Saturday she claimed her first Olympic medal, a silver in the 400 freestyle.

“I think just because I have been doing this since I was 14,” McIntosh said. “I mean, obviously it’s very different back in Tokyo two years ago, but every single time I get to race on the world stage I learn more and more about handling it mentally and physically and emotionally. I’m trying not to get too high or too low. So yeah, I mean, obviously I’m super happy.”

​ Orange County Register 

Kitchen remodel: A young couple’s major re-do yields new organizing tips

• July 30, 2024

When most expectant parents would be nesting, my daughter and her husband were mid-remodel. Sawdust swirled and workers buzzed while every dish, glass, pot, pan and appliance sat in the adjacent family room as if someone had tossed in a grenade.

When Baby George arrived four days ahead of schedule, Paige and Adam had just finished hurriedly moving items back in. Grateful for their beautiful new kitchen and new baby, having everything in just the right place was not a priority.

Except to me.

At the risk of being that mother-in-law (who me?), I wait until the second day of my visit to mention that I know a great kitchen organizer in the area whom I’d be happy to call

“I mean, not to meddle,” I whisper to Paige and Adam, so I don’t wake the baby. “And not to suggest you haven’t already set up your kitchen perfectly — logically! But it’s just that this organizer could suggest ways to better arrange your kitchen that could save you time.”

I regretted the presumptuous offer the minute I made it. What made me think this idea would land well? George opens his eyes, makes a small squawk. Paige and Adam look at each other, look at me and then, probably due to their profound sleep deprivation, shrug and say, “Sure!”

I met Mary Rogers, a cooking educator and kitchen organizer from Boulder, Colo., 20 years ago. I was living in Colorado and invited her to my home to get tips for one of my columns. She taught me to observe how I moved in the kitchen.

“It’s math,” Rogers said. “Taking five more seconds to get an ingredient, a bowl or utensil may not seem like much, but soon those five seconds add up to 20, then a minute; over a week it becomes 10 minutes, and in a month, an hour.” She set up my coffee station, so I could make coffee without moving my feet.

“If your kitchen isn’t efficient, you’re not going to want to cook,” she said. “If cooking is a pain, you’re not going to make healthy meals.”

After looking Paige and Adam’s kitchen over, Rogers noted how much they had gotten right on the fly. They had edited cooking supplies down to only what they used. “In most homes, decluttering is the first step,” she said. They knew what critical appliances and foods they wanted close and had put silverware, glasses and dishes near the dishwasher.

She then made the following moves to better streamline the couple’s new kitchen:

Put food where you cook. Cooking ingredients, such as oils, spices, vinegars and canned goods belong close to the stove. Paige and Adam had their spices in a drawer near the stove, but when you opened the drawer, you looked down on their lids. You had to pull each spice out to see what it was. Rogers suggested either labeling the lids or getting angled spice racks made for drawers. Paige and Adam got the racks.Arrange spices alphabetically.

Eliminate pantry treks. Seeing cooks walk back and forth to their pantry is one of Roger’s top peeves. Reserve the pantry for storing backups of condiments, canned goods, paper towels, etc., and for lesser-used serving pieces. Snacks aren’t needed for cooking, so Rogers relocated them there.

Thin the caddy. Many kitchens have a caddy to hold cooking utensils, which get crammed with gadgets cooks rarely use, Rogers said, “so when you pull out one, three more come with it.” Thin the canister so it holds only the six to 10 utensils you reach for most.

Keep dishes, glasses and flatware by the dishwasher. The second-best place is near the kitchen table, so table setting is more convenient. If you can achieve both, even better. Similarly, store dishtowels near the sink, potholders by the stove.

Clear the counters. Unless an appliance is heavily used, keep appliances off counters, especially in the cooking triangle, that busy area between sink, refrigerator and stove. The kitchen will look better, and you’ll have more room to chop and mix ingredients.

Weave in prettiness. Rogers applauds any move that makes the kitchen a place you want to be, including adding functional décor like handsome salt and pepper grinders, a beautiful fruit bowl and pretty linen dish towels.

Use bins strategically. Paige and Adam had labeled bins for flour, sugar, dog treats and nuts, but Rogers saw opportunities for more, including one under the sink for cleaning supplies. “Products are easier to access, when they live in a bin you can pull out.”

Afterward, Paige said, “I loved my new kitchen before but now it’s even better.”

Marni Jameson has written seven books, including the newly released “Rightsize Today to Create Your Best Life Tomorrow.” Reach her at marni@marnijameson.com.

​ Orange County Register 

Paris Olympics Day 3: Nadal loses in what is likely his final singles match of storied career

• July 30, 2024

By JENNA FRYER, AP National Writer

PARIS (AP) — On the clay court where he won 14 French Open titles, Rafael Nadal likely bid adieu to Roland Garros on Day 3 of the Paris Olympics.

Nadal was feted Monday by a rowdy crowd as he met Novak Djokovic in the second round of the men’s tennis tournament for a record 60th — and probably final — time.

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The Spaniard wouldn’t say if he plans to retire after the Olympics, but his 6-1, 6-4 loss to Djokovic showed just how diminished his game has become at age 38. The chants of “Ra-fa! Ra-fa!” began as soon as Nadal walked on the court and even helped him win four consecutive games in the second set, including a forehand winner to break to make it 4-all.

After the defeat, the two-time Olympic champion was weary of being asked about his future. He’s still playing at the Olympics, pairing with Carlos Alcaraz in doubles for Spain, and what comes next he does not know.

“I cannot live every single day with the feeling that it’s going to be, or not going to be, my last match. I come here, I try my best, I play. And when I decide to stop playing, or when I decide to keep going, I will let you know. I don’t know,” Nadal said. “If I feel that I am not competitive enough to keep going or physically I am not … ready to keep going, I will stop, and I will let you know.”

Coco cruises

Coco Gauff is making it look easy at the Paris Olympics so far, adding a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Maria Lourdes Carle of Argentina in the second round of singles to her growing collection of lopsided results.

Gauff had more than twice as many unforced errors, 26, as winners, 11. She only put 55% of her first serves in play and wound up with six double-faults and zero aces. And even though it took nearly 1 1/2 hours for the reigning U.S. Open champion and No. 2-ranked Gauff to finish off an opponent who is ranked 85th, has never won a tour-level singles title and owns an 0-2 career record at Grand Slam tournaments, she was satisfied.

“You can’t argue with the scoreline, to be honest,” the 20-year-old American said.

Super swim

Canadian phenom Summer McIntosh claimed her first gold medal with a dominating victory in the 400-meter individual medley. The 17-year-old McIntosh collected her first medal of any color on the opening night of swimming, taking a silver in the 400 freestyle behind Ariarne Titmus — and ahead of Katie Ledecky.

She pushed the pace hard through the first half of the grueling race — the butterfly and backstroke legs — to leave everyone in her wake except American Katie Grimes.

Grimes, who is also swimming the open water event in Paris, held on to claim the silver and the Americans also grabbed the bronze when Emma Weyant touched third.

Another teen rules

David Popovici made the teenagers 2 for 2 on the night when he pulled off a thrilling victory in the men’s 200 freestyle.

The 19-year-old Romanian was among three swimmers who swapped the lead back and forth on the final lap. Popovici mustered everything he had to get to the wall a mere two-hundredths of a second ahead of Britain’s Matthew Richards, with American Luke Hobson just 0.07 back to earn the bronze.

The top four were separated by a mere 0.15 seconds.

Australia wins again

Mollie O’Callaghan and Ariarne Titmus made it a 1-2 finish for Australia in the women’s 200-meter freestyle.

O’Callaghan’s victory denied Titmus her second consecutive gold of these Games. Titmus won the gold on Saturday in the 400-meter freestyle.

Men’s team all-around final

The Japanese men’s gymnastics team claimed Olympic gold with an epic comeback over its top rival.

With China looking poised to claim its first Olympic title in 12 years with one rotation to go, Japan surged ahead to win the men’s team competition after an intense and nail-biting duel.

Daiki Hashimoto, of Japan, gets hugged by teammates after performing on the horizontal bar during the men’s artistic gymnastics team finals round at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

The Japanese overtook their rivals on the final rotation, after China’s Su Weide fell twice off the horizontal bar. Japan won with a small margin of 0.532 points.

The Americans, meanwhile, earned bronze for their first medal since 2008.

After qualifying in fifth place, the U.S. men ended a 16-year drought to the delight of the dozens of fans waving American flags who chanted “USA! USA!” throughout the evening.

The Americans posted a total of 257.793 points to edge Britain for the bronze.

U.S. women’s water polo loses

The U.S. women’s water polo team was handed a rare loss at the Olympics, falling 13-11 to Bea Ortiz and Spain in a rematch of the final at the Tokyo Games.

The U.S. is going for its fourth consecutive gold medal. No team — men or women — has won four straight water polo titles at the Olympics. It was the program’s second loss at the Olympics since it dropped the 2008 final. It went 5-0-1 in London, 6-0 in Rio de Janeiro and 6-1 in Tokyo.

After its 10-9 loss to Hungary in group play in 2021, the U.S. ripped off four straight wins by a combined score of 63-26. That included a dominant 14-5 victory over Spain in the final.

China dominates diving

China passed the one-time powerhouse United States for the top spot in gold medals in diving when Lian Junjie and Yang Hao breezed to victory in synchronized 10-meter platform. It was the 49th gold medal in China’s history.

China came into the Paris Games favored in all eight events and essentially a sure thing to take down the American record for most golds. The Big Red Machine is now 2 for 2 at these Olympics as it looks to become the first country to sweep all eight events since the program was doubled at the 2000 Sydney Games.

China’s Lian Junjie and Yang Hao celebrate on the podium after winning the gold medal in the men’s synchronised 10m platform diving final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Since that expansion, China has won 40 of 50 golds, including seven of eight at each of the last two Summer Games.

There hasn’t been a diving sweep since the U.S. claimed gold in all four events at the 1952 Helsinki Games.

Canada Soccer appeals penalty

Canada appealed being docked six points by FIFA in a drone-spying scandal at the women’s soccer tournament, and a verdict is expected hours before the team plays its last group-stage game Wednesday.

FIFA punished Olympic defending champion Canada on Saturday — and banned coach Bev Priestman and two assistant coaches for one year — for allegations of using a drone to spy on New Zealand’s practices.

The expected legal move by the Canadian soccer federation and Olympic body was formally registered Monday by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in a fast-track case.

CAS said it aims to have an appeal hearing Tuesday with its panel of three judges giving a verdict by midday Wednesday. The coaches’ bans are not part of this case.

Canada plays Colombia in Nice on Wednesday night and needs to know where it stands before the game starts.

Triathlon swimming canceled, again

Concerns about the water quality in the Seine River led officials to call off the swimming portion of an Olympic triathlon training session for a second straight day.

Organizers overseeing the event at the Paris Games are optimistic that triathletes will be able to swim in the city’s famed waterway when the competition starts Tuesday.

The sport’s governing body, World Triathlon, its medical team and city officials are banking on sunny weather and higher temperatures to bring levels of E. coli and other bacteria below the necessary limits to stage the swim portion of the race, which also includes biking and running.

World Triathlon made the decision to cancel the swim workout early Monday following a meeting over water quality in the Seine, which is closely linked to the weather. Rain deluged Friday’s opening ceremony and showers persisted Saturday.

​ Orange County Register 

Gardeners share their favorite tools to use while gardening

• July 30, 2024

Most gardeners would cite their pruners as their favorite tool, probably because pruners are one of our most utilized tools. I never go into my garden without my pruners. Interestingly, my informal survey of master gardeners, members of the Marin Garden Club and friends yielded four different brands.

Not surprisingly, several people liked a couple of brands of Japanese pruners. The Japanese are known for their long-lasting tools. If you haven’t been there, check out the Japanese tool shop Hida Tool & Hardware Co. in Berkeley. I bought a pole pruner there a couple of decades ago, and someone dropped it and somehow broke a part, which they promptly fixed for $15. There’s also a wonderful Japanese hardware store Soko Hardware in Japantown.

Many gardeners use Swiss pruners, which are pretty much the industry standard because of their wide range of sizes and replaceable parts. One friend told me that she uses a little pink pruner she paid $1 dollar for. She lives in a condo but has a large deck with huge pots of succulents, which certainly need occasional pruning, along with indoor plants.

I keep an extra pruner in my car along with a bucket and a large bottle of water in case I happen to buy flowers and have other errands to run. You never know when you might find nice flowers.

A collection of hand tools that can be used in the garden. (Diane Lynch/Marin Master Gardeners)

A keen gardener I know swears by cardboard to wipe out small patches of weeds. She cuts weeds to the ground, covers them with several cardboard layers, wetting them down to conform to the terrain, and covers them with mulch. She also loves a little hand rake that acts like an extension of her arm to reach under plants for cleanup and to spread mulch.

Another avid gardener always carries her pruners and hori hori knife, which are handy for cutting errant roots, scraping, digging and planting bulbs and other plants. The Dutch are known for their wonderful array of small garden tools, including trowels with specific purposes and hori hori knives.

I’ve talked to a couple of people recently who have small battery-powered chain saws. One friend, whom I didn’t imagine using a chain saw, said she loves it because it’s quiet, lightweight and will cut branches up to about 3 inches.

Another friend told me that he uses a post-hole digger for planting small plants. Genius! I wish I’d asked him earlier, but this is a great way to plant tomato plants after removing the lower leaves. Tomatoes are one of the few plants that will sprout roots along the stem, so you should cut the lowest leaves and plant them deep, which allows them to conserve water and develop a large root system.

The three-legged orchard ladder is much more stable than the four-legged variety. (Diane Lynch/Marin Master Gardeners)

Here’s another great idea. As we age, our skin sometimes gets thin and fragile. A garden club friend with a huge garden in Ross loves her shin guards from any sports store, which protect her legs from nasty bruises and cuts.

I have a small tool with a double-sided head: a chopping blade on one side and a short little rake/cultivator on the other. It’s great for mixing compost into pots and other small chores.

A couple of other gardeners mentioned Grampa’s Weeder, a device that grabs the weed as you step on the little pedal that wrenches it out.

“Very satisfying,” one commented.

Loppers are a favorite tool of many gardeners and several favor the lightweight bypass ones. Older loppers are great for strong people, but the wood handles make them quite heavy. One person told me she loves to prune with her loppers and finds it “almost therapeutic.”

No one mentioned the orchard ladder, so I’ll put in a pitch for this essential tool if you prune above your head. Three legs make it sit level even on uneven or slightly sloped terrain. Mine are old wood ones, but there are newer aluminum ones that look pretty nifty. The ladder is probably the most dangerous tool we use in the garden. Years ago, I heard about someone’s mother who fell off a ladder and spent an entire year in the hospital after tearing her heart. A friend recently spent several weeks in the hospital and rehab after a nasty fall.

Remember to keep your tools clean, sharp and oiled. They’ll last a long time and serve you well.

Sponsored by UC Cooperative Extension, the University of California Marin Master Gardeners provides science- and research-based information for Marin home gardeners. Email questions to helpdesk@marinmg.org. Attach photos for inquiries about plant pests or diseases. Please call 415-473-4910 to see when a master gardener will be at the office or drop off samples 24/7 in the sample box outside the office. To attend a gardening workshop or subscribe to Leaflet, a free quarterly e-newsletter, go to marinmg.ucanr.edu.

​ Orange County Register 

In an arena full of Oscar and Grammy winners, Simone Biles will be Olympic final’s star attraction

• July 30, 2024

PARIS – It was a familiar site: Anna Wintour, the longtime Vogue editor-in-chief, sitting in a place of prominence amid a constellation of stars from the entertainment industry next to a Parisian runway.

Only this wasn’t Paris Fashion Week but the opening day of the Olympic Games women’s gymnastics competition.

“It is important always to have really original talent,” Wintour once said. She was talking about designers, but she could have just as easily been speaking of Simone Biles, the most original and transformative talent the sport of gymnastics has ever seen.

Wintour is expected to be among the who’s who of Oscar winners and nominees, Grammy winners, super models and heads of state at the Bercy Arena Tuesday on a night the sport has waited three years to watch Biles and the U.S. attempt to reclaim the Olympic team gold medal.

And an audience that is expected to include Tom Cruise, John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, will see Biles in all four acts of Tuesday’s epic.

While there was speculation that Team USA might hold Biles, the 27-year-old four-time Olympic and 23-time World champion, out of one of the four rotations Tuesday after she limped through parts of Saturday’s opening round after straining a calf muscle in training, USA Gymnastics confirmed that she will compete in all four events in the team final.

Jordan Chiles, Biles’ training partner and one of four returning members of Team USA’s silver medal squad at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo, will start the Americans off on the vault, followed by Jade Carey, the Olympic floor exercise champion three years ago, and Biles. Chiles and Biles will set up reigning Olympic champion Suni Lee on the uneven bars. Biles will anchor the U.S. on the final two rotations, the balance beam and floor exercise. Chiles is scheduled to lead off on the beam followed by Lee with the pair switching the order on the floor.

“She’s bringing the sport to a whole new level,” Sanne Wevers, the 2016 Olympic beam gold medalist for Netherlands, said of the 2016 Olympic all-around champion. “It’s not just the level (of skills) she shows, but also the awareness she brings about things like mental health. That makes the sport even better.”

Despite the sore calf, Biles became the first female gymnast to successfully land–or even attempt – a Yurchenko double pike vault also known as the Biles 2.0. Her 59.566 all-around score was the highest among all of Saturday’s qualifying sub-divisions.

“It was pretty amazing – 59.5(66), four for four, not perfect,” said Team USA coach Cecile Landi, who also coaches Biles at World Champion Centre in Spring, Texas. “So she can improve even.”

Improvement has been a recurring theme within a Team USA determined to erase the bitter memory of a controversial silver medal finish in Tokyo.

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On the opening rotation of the team final, Biles suffered “the Twisties,” a psychologically induced gymnastics form of vertigo, on the vault and had to cut her routine a rotation short. She touched down but still found no direction of home. How could she with so many pointing her in so many different directions?

Biles withdrew from the remainder of a team competition in which the U.S. finished second to Russia as well as the individual all-around, vault, uneven bars and floor exercise finals.

“This is definitely our redemption tour,” Biles said. “We all have more to give and our Tokyo performance wasn’t the best. We weren’t under the best circumstances either, but I feel like we have a lot of weight on our shoulders to go out there and prove we’re better athletes, we’re more mature. We’re smarter, more consistent.”

​ Orange County Register