Pretty pricey sneakers
Would you buy someone else’s used sneakers? Well, someone did just that recently and paid $1.8 million for the privilege. But these were not some run-of-the-mill “kicks,” as your kids might call them; they once belonged to Kanye West. Who is Kanye West? He’s a rapper -- a performer who kind of chants rather than sings. Sotheby’s, the auction house, says the buyer was an outfit called RARES, an investment company that invests in sneakers. West’s Nike Air Yeezy 1 Prototypes broke the record for the most valuable sneakers on record and the first pair of sneakers to fetch more than a million dollars.
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House for sale gives new meaning to the word, space
Star Trek and Star Wars fans who may be in the market for a new abode may want to consider “the spaceship home” in Albuquerque, New Mexico, that’s up for sale. Marten Griego has lived in the home for more than two decades and over the years he has transformed it into what a local TV station calls “a real life spaceship.” The two-bedroom, two-bath abode is priced at $265,000. If you are interested, you’d better hurry. The realtors at Southwest Elite Realty say they already have a potential buyer.
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Close encounters of the scary kind
Five-year-old Rian Woodard had been riding her big wheel outside of her Castle Rock, CO home and when she came back inside she told her parents that she had been playing with a “giant cat.” Rian’s mom, Nicole, thought her daughter was being dramatic, but she decided to check their security camera footage, just in case. And, there was little Rian having a staring contest with a rather large bobcat. Says mom: "She thinks she's the bobcat whisperer now." By the way, bobcats are “fast and have sharp claws” and can grow to be almost two and a half feet and weigh 19 pounds, according to the experts. Pretty scary.
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House Calls
By Dr. Bala Simon
Associate professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine in the College of Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
Q. What is the difference between the three COVID-19 vaccines given emergency-use authorization in the U.S.?
A. The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are two-dose vaccines while Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen (recently placed on pause) is a single-dose one.
Both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, produced by different manufacturers, work using the same principle. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is given over approximately three weeks while the Moderna vaccine is given four weeks apart.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advise that when taking a two-dose vaccine, both doses should come from the same manufacturer because it is unknown whether mixing two would be effective.
All three vaccines are effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalization and death, according to the CDC and Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which has granted emergency-use authorization to all three vaccines.
The Pfizer vaccine is for anyone 16 years and older while the Moderna and the Janssen vaccines are for those 18 years and older.
Everyone is advised to get the vaccine when it becomes available to them. For those who have contracted COVID-19, it is advised to wait to complete their 14-day quarantine period or 90 days if you were treated with monocolonal antibodies.
Q. How does a COVID vaccine work?
A. While COVID vaccines are given to prevent an infection, they are unlike many other vaccines in that they do not contain any form — not even a weakened strain — of the virus they protect against.
The two-dose Pfizer and Moderna vaccines use messenger RNA, a genetic material that stimulates your body to make a small protein, similar to the one the novel coronavirus uses to attack your cells. The single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which was recently placed on pause in the United States, uses DNA and a modified adenovirus (a common virus-type that typically causes colds) to make that small protein. The vaccines then trigger your body to react with an immune response. This response trains your body’s immune system to recognize the virus if it enters your body and be ready and prepared to combat it. The vaccine converts the virus’s own weapon into an alarm that sets your body’s defenses against it into action.
In trials, some people reported having fatigue, headaches, fever, a sore arm or nausea following a vaccination. These symptoms are not signs of a COVID-19 infection; instead, they are a result of the activation of the immune system.
Q. Why were children not among those to receive COVID-19 vaccines earlier?
A. Ideally, both adults and children need to receive a vaccine to combat COVID-19. However, adults, especially older ones, were the priority because they were the ones who became the sickest. While children can become sick with COVID-19, they are less likely to become severely ill with the virus.
Another reason children weren’t initially eligible for the vaccine is because there are more stringent safety precautions when children are involved in clinical trials. A child’s immune system varies from an adult’s, so children may require vaccines with different dosage levels or formulations. The initial safety trials for the COVID-19 vaccines didn’t include children for these reasons.
Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech and Johnson & Johnson have all begun testing the same vaccines they created for adults but with the doses adjusted in children ages 12 to 17 years old. There are additional clinical trials for children as young as six months old to 11 years old.
In late March, Pfizer-BioNTech announced their vaccine was safe and 100 percent effective in children ages 12 to 15 years old, and they would seek emergency use authorization from the FDA for this age group.
Q. What does the term COVID-19 long-hauler mean?
A. National studies estimate that at least 30% of COVID-19 survivors have symptoms and other health issues that last long after their initial infection has cleared.
These survivors, described as long-haulers, include both the young and old and those who had mild symptoms as well as those who required hospitalization for severe illness. In fact, the person’s age and the severity of infection does not appear to be a factor in who becomes a long-hauler.
The most common lingering symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, cough, chest pain, joint pain and trouble with concentration, memory and thinking. Some of the most serious lingering issues are inflammation of the heart muscle, blood clots, problems with lung function and acute damage to the kidneys.
Right now, the medical community does not know why some people fully recover from COVID and why others see their symptoms linger. We also do not know how long these symptoms can last. It could be weeks, months or even years.
What we do know is that prevention is the best course of action. So continue to wear a mask, wash your hands often and physically distance from others. Avoid large gatherings, and when you’re eligible, get the vaccine.
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History Matters
A feature courtesy of
The Grateful American Book Prize
Showing our children that their past is prelude to their future
By John Grimaldi and David Bruce Smith
On May 5, 1961, Navy Commander Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. became the first American in space. It was just a 15-minute mission—memorable to the nation--but too late to outwit the competition. Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gargarin astounded the world when he orbited the earth—once—in the Vistok 1.
Shepard’s Freedom 7 capsule, however, foreshadowed America’s dominance; less than a decade later, the Apollo 11 mission “silenced” the Russians, and catapulted Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, and Michael Collins to the moon.
Shepard was ranked fifth to walk the lunar surface after the Apollo 14 mission.
The Grateful American Book Prize recommends Light This Candle: The Life and Times of Alan Shepard by Neal Thompson.
...
The American Revolution was an unexpected victory for the colonists. They won an immense land with a myriad of perks and perils, but the only way to traverse its complex vastness was to join a wagon train. It was a complicated and difficult crossing that many did not survive.
Then, on May 10, 1869, everything changed; two railroads completed the task of laying the tracks from “sea to shining sea”. The presidents of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads met at Promontory, Utah to drive the last spike into the rails of the nation’s first transcontinental railway.
Seven years earlier, land grants and loans from Congress had equipped them with the fiscal flexibility to build, but according to History.com, “In their eagerness for land, the two lines built right past each other, and the final meeting place had to be renegotiated.”
To learn more about how the West was subdued, the Grateful American Book Prize recommends Full Steam Ahead: The Race to Build a Transcontinental Railroad by Rhoda Blumberg.
...
In order to determine what it would require to mollify a newly acquired, undomesticated expanse of land, President Jefferson determined that a survey was imperative; he selected two explorers-- Meriwether Lewis and William Clark--to manage the mission.
America was just over 21 years old, but the Louisiana Purchase transaction suddenly added 828,000 acres, and the equivalent of approximately 15 states.
Lewis and Clark started their journey in St. Louis with 55 men on May 14, 1804.
According to History.com, “The expedition traveled up the Missouri River in a 55-foot- long keelboat and two smaller boats. In November, Toussaint Charbonneau, a French-Canadian fur trader accompanied by his young Native American wife Sacagawea, joined the expedition as an interpreter. The group wintered in present-day North Dakota before crossing into present-day Montana, where they first saw the Rocky Mountains.”
They met up with the Shoshone Indians when they reached Colorado, crossed the Clearwater and Snake rivers in canoes, and followed the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean on November 8, 1805.
Two and a half years later, the expedition returned--in triumph-- to St. Louis with thirty-three men. They had mapped out new lands and brought back journals about the Indian tribes they encountered; scientific notes of the flora and fauna they encountered, and a claim to the Oregon Territory.
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Medal of Honor : Army Pfc. Milton A. Lee
BY KATIE LANGE
Department of Defense News
Army Private 1st Class Milton Arthur Lee joined the service during the height of the Vietnam conflict when he was only 18. He didn't make it home, but his bravery and dedication saved the lives of several men in his platoon. For that, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
Lee was born Feb. 28, 1949, in Shreveport, Louisiana, where his parents lived. However, for reasons that are unclear, he and his brother, Ken, grew up with his grandparents in San Antonio. Lee was a member of the Youth for Christ, Harlandale Christian Church and the Young Republicans.
After graduating from Harlandale High School in 1967, Lee enlisted in the Army. He trained at Fort Campbell with the 101st Airborne Division and was eventually assigned to Company B, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry, 1st Brigade.
Lee arrived in Vietnam in January 1968 as the Tet Offensive was beginning. His unit was one that saw extensive combat during the war.
Spotlight: Commemorating the Vietnam War
On April 26, 1968, Lee was with Company C near Phu Bai, an Army and Marine Corps base near the Central Vietnam coast. He was serving as the radio telephone operator with 3rd Platoon, the company's lead element, when they were fired on by North Vietnamese soldiers hidden in well-concealed bunkers.
The attack killed or wounded about 50% of the platoon, so the remaining men quickly moved to find cover to help the wounded and reorganize. Lee, however, pushed through the heavy gunfire to reach wounded soldiers who were trapped and needed first aid.
Once his unit reorganized, they pushed forward to assault the enemy bunkers. Lee stayed in close radio contact with the company commander to relay clear, precise orders to his platoon leader.
As Lee was moving forward toward the bunkers, he saw four enemy soldiers preparing to ambush his platoon's lead element, which hadn't noticed them. Without hesitating, Lee handed off his radio and charged toward the concealed enemy soldiers. Single-handedly, he overran their position, killing all of the enemy soldiers while capturing four automatic weapons and a rocket launcher.
Lee pushed on to attack another enemy position despite a heavy barrage of gunfire. The 18-year-old suffered serious injuries, but he continued his attack, crawling forward so he could provide accurate cover fire for his platoon, which was able to get into place and overrun that second position. It wasn't until they were in the clear that Lee stopped firing. Soon after, he died from his injuries.
Lee's actions saved the lives of the lead element of his platoon, which couldn't have taken out those key enemy defensive positions without him. For that, he was quickly nominated and approved for the Medal of Honor.
Lee's body was returned home and buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio.
On April 7, 1970, less than a year after his death, Lee's grandmother accepted the nation's highest honor on his behalf. President Richard M. Nixon presented it to her during a White House ceremony.
Lee's name is well-known at Fort Campbell, the home of the 101st Airborne Division for which he fought. A post recreation center was dedicated to him in the early 1970s. More recently, in 2013, a center that helps soldiers transition back to civilian life was named in his honor.
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Are money issues ruining your relationship? 5 tips to resolve them
The COVID-19 pandemic has played havoc with families’ finances through lost jobs, squeezed budgets, increased debt, and missed payments.
Money and the decisions spouses make with it are one of the main sources of stress among couples, and sometimes money issues end relationships or cause divorce. But differences can be solved or managed if couples learn to listen to each other and work as a team to formulate a sensible plan, says financial planner Aaron Leak (www.eclpwm.com), the founder of ECL Private Wealth Management.
“No matter how long you have been together, financial issues can wreak havoc on a committed relationship,” Leak says. “When couples don’t agree about spending and saving habits, it causes arguments and resentment.
“But understanding what you’re fighting about and why helps you and your partner come up with solutions. By being transparent and honest with each other about your finances, you can not only prevent arguments that strain your relationship, but you will strengthen it.”
Leak offers these tips for couples to address and resolve financial issues:
Understand your money styles. Think of some extreme examples of money styles in your circle. Like your friend, the foodie, who won’t touch a bottle of wine that costs less than $75. Or your sister who constantly surfs Amazon. Or your mom who washes aluminum foil, then folds and reuses it. Everyone has a money style, and it’s helpful to talk about it without any name-calling or labeling involved. Understanding your partner’s spending habits often involves a deep-dive into money fears, scarcity memories and childhood traumas. Come up with a spending plan that works for both of you.
Decide how to divvy up the bills and save for future goals. You can both put all your earnings in a joint account and pay everything out of that. Or you can split bills down the middle and keep the rest of your own earnings for yourselves. Once you have decided how the bills get paid, you need to devise a plan for saving for your long-term goals. Remember that you need to work closely together as life changes arise – such as one of you losing a job or cutting back on hours to care for a parent. If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that contingency plans are always advisable.
Create personal spending allowances that stay personal. Having some personal money that’s designated just for you each month can really help how you feel about your relationship. It can also help avoid relationship-ruining behavior like “financial infidelity,” when one spouse hides money or purchases from the other. The personal spending allowance gives each partner the chance to spend their money however they wish, no questions asked.
Face and eliminate undesirable debt. Couples should employ a strategy to pay off debt, such as paying off the higher-interest debt first or paying off the smallest loans first (the snowball method). Payments on credit cards, car loans, and student loans can devour monthly budgets, so the sooner they are paid off, the better.
Set a budget you can live with. One of the best ways to keep in sync with your partner financially is to have a budget as part of your overall plan. The budget includes your household bills, your personal spending allowance, your debt-paying strategy, and your monthly budget for long-term goals like retirement.
“Relationships take consistent work in order to be happy and successful, and money management is a big part of it,” Leak says. “The best way to be sure you and your spouse are staying on the same page financially is to talk honestly and without judgment.”
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9 steps for turning your idea into a business
By Kim Preston
Rural Enterprise Assistance Project director
Center for Rural Affairs
You have a great idea for a new small business. Congratulations! Now, what do you do to turn that idea into a legitimate business? To celebrate National Small Business Week, May 5 to 11, 2021, here is a checklist with step-by-step actions to get you started.
1. Choose and register your business name. Check with the Secretary of State's office where you plan to set up shop.
2. Decide on a legal structure: Sole Proprietorship, LLC, Partnership, S-Corporation, etc. You may want to consult with an attorney and accountant regarding the legal and taxation ramifications.
3. Visit irs.gov for important information for small business start ups. They have publications to assist you in starting and running your business, including understanding a Federal Tax ID number and filing procedures.
4. Obtain a Federal ID Number (EIN).
5. Determine if you need to register your business with your state's Department of Revenue.
6. Determine if you need a Data Universal Number System (DUNS) Number. Most potential and existing U.S. government contractors, grantees, and loan recipients are required to obtain a DUNS Number for U.S. government registration purposes. It verifies the legal name, physical address, and trade style of each location and is key to starting the Central Contractor Registration process.
7. Make sure you have all the licenses and permits you will need. Check with your local (city, county) authorities regarding zoning regulations.
8. Determine your insurance needs. Discuss all your insurance needs (liability, property, etc.) with an agent who is familiar with your business industry.
9. Secure funding and prepare your finances. Make sure you can maintain positive cash flow and obtain financing. Consult with a local accountant or bookkeeper to assist with setting up your books correctly.
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Social Security Matters
By National Social Security Advisor at the AMAC Foundation,
the non-profit arm of the Association of Mature American Citizens
Ask Rusty – Will Taking 401K Distributions Affect My Social Security Benefit?
Dear Rusty: I’m 63 and retired from work, but not drawing Social Security. I have accumulated just over $300,000 in my rollover 401K IRA. My wife is still working full time, so we have medical, dental and vision coverage. I have a few questions:
1) When I take IRA distributions throughout the year, do those dollar amounts get reported to Social Security as income?
2) If not, will my SS benefit change (will I be penalized?) for not working and having zero income as I continue to withdraw investments and show no income?
3) If my benefit will drop because of the last few years of no income, would it be advisable to start drawing Social Security now? Signed: Planning Ahead
Dear Planning Ahead: Whenever you decide to claim Social Security, they will compute your benefit amount from your lifetime earnings history. They will adjust your earnings for inflation in all years prior to the year you turned 60, find the 35 years in which you had the highest (inflation-adjusted) earnings, and use that “average indexed monthly earnings” (AIME) amount to determine your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), which is your benefit entitlement at your full retirement age (FRA). From there, your age when you claim determines your final Social Security payment amount. Born in 1958 your FRA is 66 plus 8 months, and that is the age at which you will get 100% of your PIA. If you claim benefits before your FRA, your payment will be reduced; and if you wait until after your FRA to claim your benefit will be increased. If you wait until you are 70 to claim, your SS payment will reach maximum (about 27% more than your FRA benefit amount). Now, to your specific questions:
1) Distributions taken from your 401k or IRA are not reported to Social Security as “earnings” and do not count toward your Social Security benefit entitlement.
2) If you have already retired from working, having zero earnings now won’t further affect your final SS payment amount because your benefit will be based upon your 35 highest-earning years. However, if you have a recent benefit estimate from Social Security, that estimate assumed that you would continue to earn at the same level you most recently reported to the IRS until you reached your FRA. So, if you got the estimate while you were still working (or shortly thereafter), the estimate is higher than your actual benefit will be. If you received the estimate a year or more after you stopped working, the estimate is more accurate. In any case, your 401K withdrawals will not count as SS earnings.
3) Claiming now would result in a permanently reduced SS benefit amount because you haven’t yet reached your full retirement age. But claiming now wouldn’t be a hedge against your current lack of earnings, because your benefit will be based upon the highest earning 35 years over your lifetime.
If you don’t already have a full 35 years of SS-covered earnings they will still use 35 years in the benefit calculation, adding $0 earnings for enough years to make it 35. If that is the case, you could offset some of those zero years in your lifetime history by returning to work now, thus increasing your benefit when you claim. If you already have at least 35 years of earnings, enjoy your retirement!
One last thing to consider: if you predecease your wife, at her FRA she will be entitled to 100% of the benefit you were receiving at your death (if that is more than her own). In other words, when you claim your benefit will affect the amount your wife can get as your widow. The longer you wait to claim, the higher your wife’s survivor benefit from you will be.
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Key factors in your budget that will affect your retirement
COVID-19 prompted many people to restructure their monthly budget just to make ends meet. And for some who are planning for retirement in the next 10, 20, or 30 years, the pandemic was a wakeup call to review how their spending, expenses, and savings could impact their lifestyle when they’re no longer working.
Taking such a long view is important, but unfortunately many don’t, and that lack of analysis and planning can cost them lots of money that they could use in retirement, says John Smallwood (www.johnlsmallwood.com), president of Smallwood Wealth Management and author of It’s Your Wealth - Keep It: The Definitive Guide to Growing, Protecting, Enjoying, and Passing On Your Wealth.
“When it comes to wealth and retirement planning, everybody’s got an opinion,” Smallwood says. “Accountants say one thing, mutual fund advisors say another, stockbrokers and life insurance agents say something else.
“But most people don’t think big-picture. Wealth planning requires having a sound strategy, and a budget is integral to it. Without a budget and an overall plan, you’re flying blind toward retirement.”
Smallwood explains some key dynamics of wealth and retirement planning to take into account when budgeting:
Lifestyle. “Income minus savings minus debt equals lifestyle, or how much you have left to enjoy a certain lifestyle,” Smallwood says. “But if part of that debt is a credit card, then you’re probably spending more than you’re earning. You have to get your lifestyle aligned with long-term financial realities and goals. The mindset that we need less income in retirement than during our working years is wrong, and it creates an excuse for people. It keeps people from thinking about saving enough money.”
Savings rate. Smallwood says it’s wise to think of yourself as a business, with savings being a way to invest in yourself. The more saved, the more wealth grows over time,” he says. “If you’re not putting away a certain amount
of money every single year as a percentage of your salary, then financial pressures are actually going to push you backward before and during retirement.” He recommends that those making under $100,000 annually should save at least 10%.
Wasteful expenses. Expenses you can modify or eliminate today can make for a better retirement tomorrow. Smallwood recommends looking at margin of utility – a method to determine how much enjoyment one is getting from the things on which they spend money. “What expenses do you have that are not adding value?” he says. “I’ve seen clients’ budgets with hundreds of dollars a month in items that they had no idea they were spending money on, such as subscription-based services or products that are automatically charged to the credit card.”
Financial leaks. “People often don’t realize how much leakage they have on an annual basis and how it adds up,” Smallwood says. “Convenience fees on insurance for your car, house, or life; fees to banking institutions; late fees on credit cards. Let’s say you have $1,800 in excess charges in a year. Investing that in a way that it earns 5% interest over 25 years could return $85,000.”
“Building a long-term strategy takes time,” Smallwood says. “The only way to make improvements is to understand where you are to start with and then create good habits, as in a budget, that you can stick to for long-term success.”
Spring has sprung
Spring in Great Britain is a special time of the year for avid English gardeners but this year the COVID crisis and the cargo ship that got stuck in the Suez Canal have combined to put a damper on the season. It seems that the pandemic lockdown triggered an early and larger than expected demand for garden supplies and the ship that blocked the Suez Canal cut off the supply of the stuff garden gnomes are made of. Garden store manager Ian Byrne told the newspaper, The Guardian: “Raw materials are becoming a bit of an issue and unfortunately gnomes are a victim of that shortage … Gnomes of any type – plastic, stone or concrete – are in short supply. They’ve been very popular over the last couple of seasons, we’ve seen a massive upswing in the sales of gnomes and definitely a different clientele wanting gnomes too.”
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Bear with me
A 33-year-old teddy bear, by the name of Bearsun, got stopped by the cops recently while out for a walk in sunny California. The police only wanted to make sure that Jesse Lasios, the man in the bear suit, was okay. The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Office put out this explanation via social media: "This was a bear-y unique situation. You may have seen a large teddy bear walking through town. One of our deputies got to meet the individual inside the bear & learned his goal is to complete a walk from Los Angeles to San Francisco. We wish him the best of luck on his adventure."
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Profanity, thy name is…
It’s common knowledge that social media Websites are quick to censor users when they see fit. For example, an historic French village recently received a notification that its official Facebook page was being shut down because of a violation of its rules. It took the mayor of Ville de Bitche, Benoit Kieffer, by surprise. The odds are that Facebook misinterpreted the name of the village, confusing it with a bit of English-language profanity. Mayor Kieffer told reporters: “The name of our town seems to suffer from a bad interpretation … the most astonishing thing is that Facebook took so long to correct this.”
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Medal of Honor: Navy Cmdr. Ernest E. Evans
By KATIE LANGE
Department of Defense News
The Battle of Leyte Gulf, which helped the Allies recapture the Philippines during World War II, is one of America's greatest naval triumphs, thanks in large part to Navy Cmdr. Ernest Evans. Evans, who led the battle's biggest engagement, went down with the USS Johnston; the ship's wreckage was recently found more than four miles below sea level.
Based on that discovery, we thought it appropriate to highlight Evans, a Medal of Honor recipient who gave it all for the greater good.
Evans was born on Aug. 13, 1908, and lived with his sister and parents in Muskogee, Oklahoma. He was three-quarters Native American and grew up where tribes had been massacred by the Army just a generation before, so life wasn't easy. He experienced prejudices common to that era, which made his desire to serve his country after high school all the more impressive.
Evans initially wanted to be a Marine Corps officer, but he was denied entry to the Naval Academy due to a knee injury. Instead, he enlisted in the Navy. A year later, after winning a fleet competition, he earned the entrance he so desired into the U.S. Naval Academy. Nicknamed "Chief" due to his Native American heritage, Evans graduated in 1931.
Evans spent his first decade of service in San Diego, Pensacola and aboard seven ships. He was serving on his eighth in the East Indies when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, thrusting the U.S. into World War II.
Taking Command
Nearly two years later, he assumed command of the new destroyer USS Johnston. At the ship's commissioning in October 1943, Evans reportedly said to his crew, "This is going to be a fighting ship. I intend to go in harm's way, and anyone who doesn't want to go along had better get off right now."
No one did, and Evans meant what he said. He was known by his crew to be a role model and a rare leader who was calm, fair and gave his men the opportunity to fail so they could learn from it.
All of those lessons were needed on Oct. 25, 1944, during the Battle off Samar, the pivotal fight of the Battle of Leyte Gulf. That day, the USS Johnston and six other destroyers were on escort duty for a few small-deck escort carriers that were protecting Marines on the Leyte beachhead. As the destroyers sat off the coast, they saw the major units of the Japanese fleet on the horizon. The enormous contingent consisted of eight cruisers, about a dozen destroyers, and four battleships -- including the biggest one ever built, Yamato. The enemy fleet had supposedly been heading out of the area, but it changed direction overnight and surprised the smaller U.S. fleet.
Evans knew they had to defend the carriers and aircraft protecting U.S. Marines or retaking the Philippines would be impossible. He also likely knew what he was about to do was a suicide mission.
Regardless, Evans didn't wait for orders. He commanded the crew to begin a torpedo run. Followed by three other destroyers, the Johnson was the first to lay a smoke screen and open fire at the massive enemy fleet bearing down on them.
A Herculean Effort
The Johnston was able to draw fire away from the carriers, directly taking hits from three powerful 14-inch guns. Evans was undaunted by the damage and had his crew inflict its own. The Johnston shot off all 10 of its torpedoes and more than 200 rounds from its 5-inch gun, sinking a Japanese heavy cruiser. It also provided fire support for other ships in the group as they launched their torpedoes.
"His devotion to protecting the Marines fighting onshore went beyond providing them cover with the allotted amount of ammunition," said Sam Cox, a retired rear admiral and director of the Naval History and Heritage Command. "He often ordered his ship in so close to shore it was hit with small-arms fire. When Evans demanded more ammunition, he climbed into a wooden gig and motored over to the task group's flagship to request it in person."
Evans made sure the Johnston outshot and outmaneuvered the enemy by making repeated runs toward the Japanese fleet, despite being out of torpedoes and low on ammunition. When the ship lost engine power and communications with the steering area, he ran from the disabled bridge to the back of the ship and shouted through an open hatch to turn the rudder by hand.
After three hours of intense combat, the burning, shuddering Johnston could do no more. Surrounded by the enemy, a seriously injured Evans gave the order to abandon ship. The Johnston sank soon after, taking with it 186 members of the 327-man crew, Evans included.
In the end, three other American ships sank that day — escort carrier USS Gambier, destroyer USS Hoel and destroyer escort USS Samuel B. Roberts — taking a heavy toll on American lives. But the physical and psychological damage they inflicted won the day. The enemy fleet's commanders, who had lost two cruisers in the battle, thought they were fighting a much larger force than they were, so they turned back from the fight. Japan’s maritime might was massively diminished that day, and it never regained strength.
Winning Comes at a Cost
Evans' orders, along with the actions of the crews of the other destroyers and escorts, gave the U.S. carriers much-needed time to protect Marines on the beachhead. This led to the eventual retaking of the Philippines more than two years after it fell to the Japanese.
Tales about the heroics of the ships and crews involved in the Battle of Leyte Gulf could be told for days. ("The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors" by James D. Hornfischer offers an in-depth account.) But much of the credit went to Evans.
On Sept. 28, 1945, not long after World War II ended, the 17-year Navy veteran earned the Medal of Honor. It was presented to his wife, Margaret, in San Pedro, California, during a ceremony that his mother, sister and sons Jerry and Ernest Jr. also attended.
Evans was the first Native American to earn the Medal of Honor and one of only two World War II destroyer captains to attain it.
Evans was initially listed as missing in action before being declared dead. His name is inscribed on the Walls of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines with the names of 36,286 Pacific fighters who were never heard from again. According to the American Battle Monuments Commission, the cemetery contains 17,184 graves — the largest number of graves of U.S. military dead of World War II.
To honor Evans' life, the Navy named a destroyer escort commissioned in 1957 for him.
What's Lost Is Found
Evans' body was never recovered, but a recent discovery has brought his name back into the spotlight.
Earlier this month, explorers announced they had officially identified the wreckage of the USS Johnston, releasing new images that clearly show the ship's hull number, 557. The wreckage was first located on the edge of an undersea cliff in October 2019. Its bow was later located 21,180 feet deep.
At more than four miles below sea level, it's now considered the deepest shipwreck ever discovered.
The tech company that found and confirmed the wreck, led by retired naval officer Victor Vescovo, is working to provide the Navy with all the sonar data, images and field notes collected by the expedition.
Vescovo said he's proud to help bring clarity and closure to the Johnston, its crew and the families who were forever affected by the ship's loss.
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5 tips to stop fear from blocking your path to success
Fear has been a common emotion throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. But with vaccinations bringing hope of a return to normalcy, public confidence is making a comeback.
For many, however, fear was an obstacle well before the virus. And as new opportunities emerge in a changing economy, fear can prevent people from pursuing opportunities that could help them prosper, says Tim Mercer (www.timtmercer.com), ForbesBooks author of Bootstrapped Millionaire: Defying the Odds of Business.
“Fear, more than anything else, is what keeps most of us from succeeding,” Mercer says. “It stops us from going after opportunities we’re prepared for, and it keeps us from even preparing ourselves for opportunities. We can fear failure and success all at the same time, for a variety of different reasons.
“But if you know how to prevent fear from overpowering you, especially in these changing times, you’ll be prepared to seize new opportunities that can avail you as businesses continue to pivot.”
Mercer offers five points about understanding and overcoming fear in order to pursue opportunities such as starting a business, buying one, or making a bold career move:
Accept that a little fear is useful. “The proverbial thorns in your flesh – fear and anxiety – keep you humble,” Mercer says. “That fear and anxiety some experience will likely never go away completely. And if it does, it may not be such a good thing. Fear means that you still care. It keeps you sharp and engaged.”
Don’t run from the bully. Mercer says fear needs to be tackled head-on from the time it enters one’s mind. “Otherwise, it will become a debilitating problem that distracts from your work and ability to focus on solving problems,” he says. “Fear is like a bully in school. You can’t run from that bully forever, because he’s going to keep harassing you. It’s the same thing with fear. The harder you try to run away from it, the worse it gets. You have to attack it directly.”
Know what F.E.A.R. stands for. Mercer says there’s a great acronym for fear: false evidence appearing real. “The fear of the unknown really boils down to not knowing enough about the situation,” he says. “That’s why so many of us often find ourselves feeling anxious about our future, because it’s ultimately a complete unknown. When false evidence about what may happen appears real to us, it’s virtually impossible to come up with a viable solution to the dilemma. Fear stalls our progress by clouding our judgment and leading us off our path to greatness.”
Fight fear with knowledge. The most effective weapon against fear is knowledge, Mercer says. “Whether it be related to an individual or company, my finances, a business concept that’s foreign to me, legal issues, or something else, I try to do as much homework as I can until I feel more comfortable with the situation,” he says. “Knowledge is confidence, and while confidence may not be the complete absence of fear, it certainly helps you control it.”
Don’t be consumed by material success. “When you achieve great success, you obviously don’t want to lose what you have worked so hard to gain,” Mercer says. “And that desire to hold on to what you have built can become a crippling source of fear – a fear of loss – if you are not careful and begin to value the material things in your life too much.”
“You will sometimes have fears of one kind or another,” Mercer says, “but you will get better at managing fear on each occasion that you face it down.” Intelibox
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How to get off autopilot to move your career (and life) forward
FORT LAUDERDALE — Millions of people feel like they are living their life on autopilot. This is the word to describe when day in and day out, it’s the same thing, to the point that many feel they are sleepwalking through life. Polling by Strada Education Network finds that many people feel stuck in their career and don’t know what will help them improve their circumstances. In fact, 32% of those people say they don’t even know where to begin in order to make things better and become unstuck. The good news is there are things that can be done to get off of autopilot and move your career and life along in a better direction.
“Oftentimes, people simply suggest training or educational programs in order to move your career along, but there are plenty of other things you can do,” explains Katie Sandler, personal development and career coach. “We need to get off autopilot in life as a whole, not just in our careers. Once you do this, you will become more successful and ultimately enjoy life a lot more.”
Those who feel stuck, both in their careers and in life in general, can take action to change those feelings. It all comes down to knowing what to do and how to get started. Sandler has helped many people to move past such a place and says some of the things that people can do include:
Get help. First and foremost, people need to start recognizing that you cannot do it alone and you need to hire someone to be a coach, a sounding board, and a catalyst.
Set the intention. You must set the intention and energy around creating new shifts in order to move in a different direction or at a different pace. AKA you have to decide to get off of autopilot in the first place.
Discover yourself. Recognize that you need to become familiar with yourself and your patterns of being – again, something you cannot do alone - in order to be able to make adjustments. This takes time, and it takes working with someone to help you see your patterns, to draw connections, to build understanding, and then to support you in reprogramming for desired outcomes.
Answer to yourself. You also have to stop meeting society's ideals, your family's ideals, etc. and be open-minded and willing to do you, to be your authentic self and to honor what that means so that your career and life is filled with purpose and impact.
Making a decision. Oftentimes, people feel stuck because they are not sure what to choose. They consider various options and can’t decide what to do, so they don’t make any decision at all. That will keep you stuck, so make a decision so you can move forward with something.
Try new things. One of the most common reasons that people get stuck in life is that they don’t try anything new. They do the same things over and over, which ends up being autopilot. Make a point to try something new every month, whether it be for fun or for your career. This will help get you energized and so you can engage in life in a different way.
Start small. If you don’t like being stuck but fear making big changes, start small. Making small changes in various areas can add up to big results. Commit to the first small change, and then go from there as you get more empowered along the way.
“Nobody enjoys feeling like their life or career is stuck in one place,” added Sandler. “If that’s where you are, then it’s time to do yourself a favor and make shake things up. Working on honoring yourself will bring joy and peace to your life. Think of it as a gift to yourself, which ripples and benefits those around you as well.”
Sandler has provided professional support to many people to help them achieve their personal and professional goals. She routinely works with people to help them identify areas to focus on, paths for personal achievement, how to reach their life goals, and more. She also works with companies, providing impact trainings and workshops and developing and promoting purposeful and inclusive organizational cultures.
In addition to one-on-one coaching and corporate services, Sandler also offers low-key luxury impact retreats. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology, a master’s degree in mental health counseling, has a strong foundation in mindfulness-based stress reduction, and has worked in hospitals and private practice. She previously spent time as a research assistant while at Johns Hopkins focusing on purpose in life.
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5 skills every new entrepreneur needs (and how to get them)
ERIE, Colorado – According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, there are nearly 30 million small businesses in the country. Many of them are started by entrepreneurs who have an idea or a dream but may not necessarily know what it takes to start or keep a business going. The good news is that the skills needed to do just that can be learned along the way. Taking the time to learn what they are and adopt them will help entrepreneurs to be more successful with their business ventures.
“Nobody knows everything right from the start, but if you are willing to learn along the way, then you will have no problem gaining the skills you need to be successful,” explains Sara Khoudary, founder of Entrepreneurs of Success and the Mentor Momentum Community. “Entrepreneurs are a special group of people who are usually willing to do what it takes to see their business through.”
Having the skills it takes to be successful can make running a business easier and keep it less stressful. It can also make it easier to find your way around challenges that arise, such as those we have had to deal with over the last year with the pandemic. Not having important skills can leave entrepreneurs feeling overwhelmed, stressed, and stuck where they are.
Here are 5 skills every new entrepreneur needs, as well as tips on how to get them:
Communication skills. Being able to effectively communicate is essential in every business, whether you are selling to the public or other businesses. Improve upon your business communication skills by reading books on the topic, taking an online class, or even joining a group such as your local Toastmasters.
Patience. Not everything is going to happen overnight. Even the most successful businesses take time to grow. Overnight successes usually have years under their foundation before they suddenly take off. Learn patience by being mindful and celebrating the small milestones. It’s important to realize that things take time, and to focus more on the progress being made along the way.
Stress management. Being an entrepreneur can be stressful. If you don’t do something to manage the stress, then you may quickly become burned out or it can lead to health issues. Do something regularly that helps you reduce stress, such as meditation, hiking, exercising, journaling, etc.
Networking abilities. When you have a solid network, you will be able to get advice from others. A mentor or group of people that you can turn to with questions, to vent to, or to hear advice from can be golden. Find a mentor or join at least one group, such as Entrepreneurs of Success, that will put you in touch with others who are successful.
Hiring abilities. Many entrepreneurs need to hire people, but they are not familiar with such a task. Hiring the right people will make a huge difference in your business and can be the difference between thriving and diving. Learn hiring skills by reading books, discussing it with mentors, and attending conferences on the topic.
“Our mission is to help entrepreneurs be more successful,” added Khoudary. “When you have a support group that you can turn to, such as with our mentoring program, you will find that you get the answers you need to move forward, overcome challenges, and continue to grow.”
Entrepreneurs of Success offers a close-knit community for entrepreneurs. Members of the group are able to tap into unlimited support by a group of successful mentors, access special tools, collaborate, book club, network, and more. Memberships start at just $15 per month. The group also has a “Leaders of Impact” program that awards top mentors each year who are nominated by the community. To get more information or become a member, visit the site: https://entrepreneursofsuccess.com/.
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Social Security Matters
By National Social Security Advisor at the AMAC Foundation,
the non-profit arm of the Association of Mature American Citizens
Ask Rusty – Can I Claim My SS Now and Switch to Spouse Benefits Later?
Dear Rusty: I am 62 and have been a homemaker for much of my adult life. I have a small Social Security account from working years ago. My husband is older, has been the major wage earner and will have a good amount in Social Security when he claims.
I have been told that I should claim my social security now. It’s a small amount - about $475 per month if I claim it now, and $550 after I'm age 66 - so it’s not a life changing difference. But if I claim mine now, when my husband reaches his full retirement age can I switch to claiming spousal benefits on his account? I understand I would no longer get mine, but I'm pretty sure my benefit from him will be a much larger amount. Signed: Inquiring Homemaker
Dear Inquiring Homemaker: The simple answer to your question is: yes, if you claim your own small benefit now you can later switch to a higher spouse benefit from your husband when he claims his SS. But there are always consequences for claiming SS benefits early. The maximum spousal benefit you can get from your husband is 50% of the benefit amount he is entitled to at his own full retirement age (FRA). But you only get that full 50% if you delay claiming your own Social Security until you reach your own FRA. That doesn’t mean you can’t claim your own reduced benefit early, but it means that when you later get your spousal benefit it will be less than 50% of your husband’s FRA benefit amount. And here’s why:
Your spouse benefit, when you receive it, will consist of your own earned benefit plus a spousal boost to bring you to your spousal entitlement. Your spousal boost will be the difference between your FRA benefit amount (regardless of when you claim) and half of your husband’s FRA benefit amount, and it will be reduced if you haven’t yet reached your FRA when your husband claims. That reduced spousal boost will be added to your own actual benefit (reduced if you claim at 62), which will yield a spouse benefit less than 50% of your husband’s FRA benefit. Said another way, when your husband claims at his FRA, you’ll get a reduced spousal boost added to your own already reduced age 62 SS retirement benefit. I can’t put this into dollar terms for you without knowing your husband’s FRA benefit amount.
FYI, if your age 62 benefit amount is $475 then your personal benefit amount at your FRA should be about $670. Essentially, the longer you wait to claim your own SS, the more your spousal benefit will be because the spousal boost will be added to the benefit you’re already receiving. Your spousal benefit reaches maximum (which is 50% of your husband’s FRA amount) at your FRA but remember that your husband must be collecting his SS for you to claim a spouse benefit.
So, here’s the bottom line: you can claim your own SS at age 62 but the benefit amount you get will be reduced by 29%. If your husband claims at his FRA, you will get a spousal boost at that time, but the amount of the spousal boost will be reduced because you will not have reached your FRA at that time. The only way you will get the full 50% of your husband’s FRA benefit amount is by waiting until your own FRA to claim Social Security. However, since your spousal benefit will be the highest amount available to you, waiting and claiming yours at the same time your husband claims his, would also be a prudent strategy to lessen the “penalty” for claiming your benefits early.
One final caution: Any time SS benefits are claimed early (before FRA) there is an “earnings test” which limits how much can be earned from working before SS takes back some benefits. Please keep this in mind if you should decide to go back to work at any time before you reach your full retirement age.
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The art of compliance: Doing what’s right, not just what’s required
The rest of society got a taste of what corporate compliance officers go through when the pandemic forced restrictions and requirements on the entire population.
Suddenly, people were told to wear masks, social distance, and wash their hands more regularly and thoroughly than ever before. Plenty of people didn’t like that, trying to dodge the new rules or openly defying them, even as clerks, store managers, police officers, and health professionals firmly reminded them they needed to comply.
In somewhat the same way, compliance officers for a business may appear to act as the resident scolds, reminding people when their plans or actions come into conflict with state or federal rules and regulations that govern their industries.
It doesn’t always go over well.
“People often resist compliance because they don’t like to be told what to do,” says Steve Vincze, president and CEO of Trestle Compliance (www.trestlecompliance.com) and author of the upcoming book Winning with Compliance: Strategies to Make Commercial Compliance Your Competitive Advantage.
“But compliance is about doing what’s right, not just what’s required.”
Companies can face hefty fines when they fail to comply with rules that govern their activities, whether the non-compliance was inadvertent or intentional. A couple of examples: In 2020, Capital One was fined $80 million for a data breach that exposed customers’ personal information the previous year. The Cheesecake Factory came under scrutiny and reached a $125,000 settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over the SEC’s allegation that the company misled investors about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its business.
So,whether you are the CEO of the company or a compliance officer, how do you make sure people are doing what they need to do? Vincze offers a few tips:
Listen. If you want people to listen to you and embrace your advice, you need first to listen to them, to understand their fears, their challenges, and their motivations, Vincze says. “You need to be able to answer the ‘why’ behind the what,’ “ he says. “Why do I need to comply? What’s in it for me if I do? When it comes to compliance, the key message is that you have to listen well, hear what they are saying, and then mirror back to that person that you understood them.”
Inspire and motivate. Logic alone doesn’t always win out, which may be frustrating for some leaders, but that’s when the art and science of compliance and of leadership must come to the fore, Vincze says. “You need to touch both hearts and minds to inspire and motivate people,” he says. “The trick is to get people to want to comply. Depending on who you are speaking to, you may be able to reach them rationally and sensibly. But sometimes you may need to go deeper and find out what motivates them. For example, if you are dealing with young people fresh out of college, you might show them how compliance connects to a broader purpose, that it’s not just about following some rule but about helping people in some way.”
Be tough. Eventually, though, you may need to get tough. “You have to draw limits,” Vincze says. “You have to discipline people if they don’t comply and put themselves and others in jeopardy. You have to know where to draw the line, but you have to do it consistently and fairly, and you must communicate the limits very clearly.”
“At the end of the day, effective compliance boils down to understanding people as human beings, and using that understanding as an effective leader to inspire the desired behavior,” Vincze says. “You have to connect compliance and each individual’s role to a cause greater than any one person, a cause greater than themselves. Connect with their passion and you will inspire their compliance. Fundamentally, most people are good and want to do what is right. Apply that understanding to win them over to start winning with compliance.”
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5 Surprising Ways The Pandemic Could Change Your Child's Education For The Better
The shift to remote learning during the pandemic caused angst for parents, but it also led to unexpected benefits that they may find hard to let go of as their children return to school.
While pandemic-era schooling has been difficult, parents' have come to appreciate the unexpected benefits of distance learning, says Emily Greene (www.emilygreene.com), the author of School, Disrupted: Rediscovering the Joy of Learning in a Pandemic-Stricken World.
Some benefits are so positive, she says, that parents are reluctant to slide back into the pre-pandemic status quo of in-person schooling without making some improvements.
"The dialogue has shifted as parents and students reflect on the last year and think carefully about what they hope to carry forward to improve the school experience," Greene says.
Greene, herself a working mother of three children, says the pandemic jostled parents into thinking differently about "traditional schooling." "Distance learning in a pandemic has changed our expectations," Greene says, "and parents want to apply what we've collectively learned to help our children thrive as they return to school."
Here are five benefits that Greene says parents hope to carry forward:
More free time. Before the pandemic, many families' lives were overscheduled, Greene says. The lockdown helped families reconnect with the joys of free time, playtime, and downtime. This took the stress off children overwhelmed with homework, extracurriculars, and overly structured schedules and opened the door for natural curiosity to flourish. Scientists say free time is essential to the developing brain and is tied to curiosity, creativity, and imagination. "Looking back on the past year, many parents notice an increase in their children's natural curiosity, creative expression, and imaginative thinking," Greene says. "By pushing through the boredom that can come with free time, children learn to use their imaginations, think inventively, solve their problems, and express themselves."
More time outside. During lockdowns, people suffering from cabin fever longed to leave their houses, but indoor public places were problematic. So, families connected with the outdoors in new ways, such as walking, biking, or simply eating lunch outside. "Parents do not want their children to lose their newfound levels of outdoor activity. They understand now that one short recess per day is not enough," Greene says. Before the pandemic, she notes, many children spent less time outdoors than prison inmates. One survey of 12,000 parents in 10 countries found that half of children ages 5 to 12 were outside less than an hour each day. In comparison, inmates at U.S. maximum-security prisons are guaranteed at least two hours of daily outside time.
Less standardization, and more personalization. A traditional in-person classroom follows a standardized schedule, leaving little room for independent work or passion projects. However, distance learning offered gaps in the day for children to explore their passions and interests. Many parents saw their children expressing new interests, exploring and deepening existing hobbies, and making and building things. "Between the middle of March and the middle of April 2020, Google searches for 'How to make' doubled, as did searches for 'DIY,' "Greene says. "In a world that abruptly became more virtual than we were accustomed to, children wanted to be hands-on in new ways."
More connection with what their children are learning. With students working remotely, parents were privy to an up-close view of what their children are learning. "While at first many parents felt overwhelmed with supervising distance learning, they eventually came to value this connection," Greene says. "Now, many parents have a deeper level of engagement that they do not want to lose." In some cases, she adds, parents were impressed with what their children were learning. In other cases, parents were surprised to discover the details of their children's school experience and began asking questions they never asked before, like "Is this relevant?" Or "How is this helping my child?" She predicts this new level of parent engagement will trigger long-overdue updates to the standardized curriculum, as well as more options for children.
An increased focus on balance and wellbeing. Because of the disruption the pandemic caused, Greene says, children have been "wrung through the wringer," with social, emotional, and mental impact. "Parents want balance and wellbeing at the forefront," she says. "That means less menial homework, less time wasted on irrelevant standardized tests, and more focus on curiosity, creativity, and joy in the classroom." For many parents, this means holding onto distance learning as an option and giving students the flexibility to attend in-person or distance learning to support wellbeing. "Now, as children are returning to school, we don't want to be forced to choose between in-person learning or distance learning," Greene says. "Both should be options. Learning should be blended."
"When society lives through a disruption, it rarely returns to the way it was before," Greene says. "The next few years will be an inspiring time in education as parents, students, and teachers begin to apply what we've learned."
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"Believe it or not"
Ayanna Williams of Houston, Texas, finally got a manicure. Big deal, you say? It is indeed a very big deal when your nails haven’t been cut for three decades. Ayanna’s nails grew to a total length of 288.8 inches over those 30 years-- more than 24 feet in total. It was enough to make news and to break the Guinness record for the world’s longest fingernails-- a record, by the way, that Ms. Williams broke in 2017 when her nails were just a total of 226.9 inches long. But she didn’t cut them at that time. Her clippings are destined to become an attraction at Ripley's Believe It or Not! Orlando Odditorium in Florida.
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A seriously expensive comic book
A comic book that cost a mere ten cents when it was first published sold at auction recently for a whopping $3.25 million. It was the highest price ever paid for a comic book, but this was no ordinary comic book. It was a first edition 1938 issue of the Action Comics #1 book in which the character of Superman was introduced. "This is an 83-year-old comic book in near-pristine condition—and it's a sight to behold. Not to mention, this book launched the superhero genre that's such a huge part of
