TIDBITS® EXAMINES SOMEFORMER OCCUPATIONS

by Kathy WolfeEven famous people had to start somewhere, as you’ll soon see. This week, Tidbits has researched some of their early jobs — before the famous became famous. • After being expelled from high school for riding his

motorcycle through the halls, actor Marlon Brando was enrolled in military school, which resulted in another ex-pulsion some months later. He went to work as a ditch digger, which he followed up with a position as an eleva-tor operator in a New York City department store. Next came a stint as a night watchman before he finally en-tered acting school.

• It’s hard to imagine James Bond as a milkman, but that was actor Sean Connery’s first job during his youth in Scotland. He went on to serve in the Royal Navy, fol-lowed up by positions as a lifeguard and ditch digger.

• Five-time Oscar winner Clint Eastwood held a number of positions before making it big. He labored as a lum-berjack, lifeguard, golf caddy, aircraft factory worker, steel mill employee and gas station attendant. At one point, he was cleaning swimming pools by day and au-ditioning for bit parts by night. He was nearly 30 by the time he got his breakthrough part as Rowdy Yates in the CBS series “Rawhide.”

• FOX news commentator Mike Huckabee has worn many hats over the course of his lifetime. As a young man, he was a Baptist minister and the youngest president ever of the Arkansas Southern State convention for that denomi-nation. At 41, he was elected governor of Arkansas, be-coming one of America’s youngest governors. Huckabee moved on to become a presidential candidate in the 2008 election and has written two books since that time. He is also a musician, playing the bass in his band Capitol Of-fense, and he performs regularly on his news magazine program.

• Before her show-business success, Whoopi Goldberg had a job in a funeral parlor putting makeup on em-balmed corpses. Goldberg enjoyed the job because her clients, “never complained about how they looked.”

• That “wild and crazy guy” Steve Martin’s first job was selling concessions at Disneyland before he advanced to performing magic tricks, juggling and creating balloon animals at the park. He attended UCLA, majoring in phi-losophy and theater, before becoming a writer for variety entertainers such as Glen Campbell, the Smothers Broth-ers, Dick van Dyke and Sonny & Cher. Martin was in his mid-20s when he first branched out into stand-up com-edy. He’s appeared in more than 50 movies and is an ac-

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• Ashton Kutcher’s father Larry was an employee at an Iowa General Mills factory, so it figures Kutcher would have a job at the Cedar Rapids cereal plant while pursu-ing a degree in biochemical engineering. While a student at the University of Iowa, he was recruited by a scout to enter a modeling competition. After winning the state contest, he traveled to New York where he got his start in Calvin Klein ads. His first television role came along in 1998 on “That 70s Show.”

• Michael Dell secured his first job at age 12, washing dishes in a Chinese restaurant. During high school, he was selling subscriptions to the Houston Post. At 15, he made a choice that launched his destiny — He pur-chased his first computer and took it apart to see how it worked. At 19, as a pre-med student, he started up a side business “PCs Unlimited,” which upgraded customers’ computers. Within months, he had incorporated as “Dell Computer Corporation.” In 1992, when Dell was 27, he was the youngest CEO with a company on Fortune magazine’s list of the Top 500 corporations. By 1996, the company was experiencing sales of $1 million a day from online sales. Today, he is ranked the 44th wealthi-est person in the world, with a net worth of $14.6 billion.

• Jack Nicholson, voted Class Clown by his Class of 1954, worked as a lifeguard before taking a job as a messen-ger boy for the animation department at MGM studios. When it was discovered he had significant artistic abil-ity, he was offered a job as an animator, which he turned down to pursue an acting career. This choice led to 12 Oscar nominations, with three wins.

• While studying English and philosophy and doing a lit-tle acting at Wisconsin’s Ripon College, megastar Har-rison Ford was expelled three days before graduation for failure to complete a required thesis. As a talented self-taught woodworker, he was contracted to construct an out-building for Brazilian musician Sergio Mendez, and the word spread of Ford’s talents. He was on a construc-tion job for a casting director when the gentleman helped him get a part in 1973’s “American Graffiti.” It was on to “Star Wars” in 1977, followed by the first of the Indiana Jones series, “Raiders of the Lost Ark” in 1981.

• Prior to “St. Elsewhere” and “Deal or No Deal” fame, Howie Mandel was a carpet salesman. He was so good at it, he opened his own store and by age 24, owned several stores in the Toronto area. In his free time, he was trying his hand at stand-up comedy, and it soon blossomed into a new career.

• Television journalist and legal commentator Nancy Grace is a former Georgia state prosecutor who made the decision to enter law school after the murder of her fiancé. She moved to “Court TV” from there, then on to CNN. Her first job, however, was working the candy counter at the Macon Sears Roebuck store.

• The name of Madonna Louise Veronica Cicconi is most often associated with her frequently controversial sing-ing career. But her money-earning career began at a Times Square Dunkin’ Donuts shop. Madonna arrived in New York at age 20 with $35 in her pocket and a lot of ambition. Today, in addition to her music, she is a noted fashion designer, children’s book author, film director and producer.

• In 1986, little did the managers at Hollywood’s El Pollo Loco restaurant know that their newest hire would go on to reign as People magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive.” Brad Pitt’s first job in Hollywood was standing on the curb out front of the restaurant dressed in a chicken suit waving at customers and handing out flyers.

1. Which group released “In Memo-ry of Elizabeth Reed” in 1970?2. In what consecutive years were these Elvis singles released: “Heart-break Hotel,” “All Shook Up” and “Don’t”?

3. Name the group that had a No. 1 pop hit with “Pick Up the Pieces.”4. Which group released “Heartache Tonight” and “In the City”? Bonus for knowing the name of the album both songs appeared on.5. Who had a No. 1 R&B hit with a cover of “Show and Tell” in 1989?6. Which Motown group had a hit with “It’s the Same Old Song,” and when?

Answers1. The Allman Brothers. The album version was seven minutes, but it was stretched to 13 minutes on the live “At Fillmore East” double album.2. 1956, 1957 and 1958, respectively. All were No. 1 hits on the U.S. pop charts, while “Heartbreak Hotel” also made it to the top of the country charts.3. The Scottish group Average White Band, in 1974. The song went to No. 5 on the R&B charts, too.4. The Eagles, in 1979, on their “The Long Run” album.5. Peabo Bryson. He’s won two Grammys, both for movie themes for “Beauty and the Beast” and “A Whole New World.”6. The Four Tops, in 1965. The group has been around since 1953.

Garden Pilaf“Help! My garden is being overtaken by zucchini!” That seems to be the battle cry of most gardeners right about now. If you too have been overblessed with a bountiful crop of this vigorous squash member, then stir up this delicious recipe. You may be so pleased that you just might ask your friends for their extra zucchini!

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1. In a large skillet sprayed with butter-flavored cook-ing spray, saute zucchini and carrots for 6 to 8 minutes. Add chicken broth, parsley flakes and black pepper. Mix well to combine. Stir in uncooked rice. Bring mix-ture to a boil.2. Lower heat, cover and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, or until rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally. Makes 6 (2/3 cup) servings.

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THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTI-FULHope was shocked and deeply hurt by the news that Liam and Steffy were engaged. Ridge felt torn and decided not to take sides as Brooke

and Taylor feuded. Bill sent a photo of Steffy’s engagement ring to the press. He later arranged for his son to fly off to Aspen with Steffy on a romantic getaway. Hope accompanied Rick to Aspen in search of her former fiance -- and her nem-esis. Katie was furious to learn that Bill was so devious. Liam had second thoughts during his dinner with Steffy and decided to spend the night alone. Wait to See: Eric surprises Stephanie with a candlelit dinner.

DAYS OF OUR LIVESSami was upset to learn that it was Rafe who personally ar-rested John. Maggie enthusiastically said yes to Victor’s pro-posal. Jack told Jennifer that he didn’t leave their marriage willingly, that he had been held hostage in Afghanistan. Brady bought out a cosmetics company but allowed its exist-ing CEO, Madison James, to oversee the business. EJ asked Nicole to be his campaign manager. Carrie agreed to defend John, which would mean opposing her own husband, Austin, in court. Sami found she had a lot in common with Madison, her new boss. Wait to See: Maggie is shocked to learn that she is somehow connected to Alice’s secret.

GENERAL HOSPITALFranco stalked Jason and Sam on their Hawaiian honeymoon. Kate felt left out when Sonny and Olivia visited their son in the hospital. Matt and Patrick continued to squabble at work. Tracy and Luke tried to pick up where they left off. Elizabeth encouraged Maxie to focus on Matt. Danger loomed over Sam and Jason. Dante insisted on remaining a cop despite Lulu’s objections. Lucky was deeply affected by Siobhan’s letter. Mi-chael overheard Carly talking about the drugs and decided to take matters into his own hands. Elizabeth and Matt contin-ued their flirtation, which didn’t go unwitnessed. Wait to See: Kristina receives some surprising news.

ONE LIFE TO LIVETomas allowed Todd to flee after he shot Irene on the docks. Later, Blair found Todd injured at the cabin. Jessica secretly held a copy of Liam’s paternity test as she babysat him for Natalie. Clint walked in on Tina and Cord getting reacquaint-ed. Starr and Jack fought over who was responsible for Vic-tor’s death. Jessica told Ford what she was keeping secret from Natalie. Blair and Todd reminisced about the past. Starr wondered what Jack was hiding. Wait to See: Rama threatens to have Kim arrested. THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESSPhyllis sarcastically thanked Sharon for bringing Avery back into her life. Katherine collapsed while arguing with Jack about Jabot. Ronan had Abby arrested for trying to kill Tucker. Avery was a stickler about making Phyllis visit Daisy in pris-

on. Tucker overheard Jill say that Devon was his son. Cane saw Billy secretly visiting Katherine in the hospital. Wait to See: Sofia learns who fathered her baby.

PHOTO: Drake Hogestyn stars as “John” on “Days of Our Lives”

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1. MOVIES: What famous Hollywood couple starred in the 1967 movie “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?”2. TELEVISION: What was Lurch’s job on “The Addams Fam-ily”?3. MUSIC: What is Jo Jo’s hometown in the Beatles’ song “Get Back”? 4. RELIGION: On what date is All Saints Day celebrated in Western Christianity?5. PHYSICS: Who is known as “the Father of the Hydrogen Bomb”?6. PRIZES: Who won the 1939 Pulitzer Prize for history with his biography “Abraham Lincoln: The War Years”?7. HISTORY: Which French king abdicated during the Revo-lution of 1848? 8. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: When did the first Yankee Sta-dium open?9. INVENTIONS Who invented the electric battery? 10. LITERATURE: Where does Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet” take place?

Answers 1. Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn 2. Manservant 3. Tuscon, Ariz. 4. Nov. 1 5. Edward Teller 6. Carl Sandburg 7. Louis Philippe 8. 19239. Alessandro Volta 10. Verona, Italy

Q: I really loved Ann-Marie Johnson on “In the Heat of the Night.” What can I see her in now, and is she married with children? -- Virginia,

C.A: I can’t even begin to list Ann-Marie’s film and TV credits, as there are way too many of them, but I can tell you the first series I remember seeing her in was “Double Trouble” back in 1984. Since then, she has been featured in “Hill Street Blues,” “I’m Gonne Get You Sucka,” “In Living Color,” “Melrose Place,” “Ally McBeal,” “The X-Files,” “JAG,” “Pursuit of Happyness” and “NCIS.” Her most recent projects have been “Leverage” and “Fairly Legal.” Ann-Marie, 51, has been married to actor Martin Grey since 1996, and they have no children.***Q: I was watching an older movie called “Dracula III” with Rutger Hauer as Dracula, and I could have sworn the red-haired vampire also plays the assistant D.A. on “Law & Order: SVU.” Are they the same person? Also,

was Mariska Hargitay, also of “SVU,” ever on the TV show “Freddy’s Nightmares”? -- Kevin B., Edmore, Mich.A: You are correct on both counts. Diane Neal did indeed play Elizabeth Blaine in the straight-to-video vampire movie “Dracula III,” starring alongside Rutger, Roy Schieder and Jason London. And back before Mariska was detective-extraordinaire Olivia Benson on “SVU,” she did indeed have a role in one of the “Freddy’s Nightmares” episodes, playing medical student Marsha, whom Freddy -- played by the always-scary Robert Englund -- harasses on Halloween, driving her to the brink of madness.***Q: The TV show “The Mentalist” shows Ashley Gable as producer. Is she a daughter or granddaughter of Clark Gable? -- Juanita S., St. Clair Shores, Mich.A: Ashley Gable, who recently took over as executive producer of the CBS crime drama, is not related to the iconic actor, known best for his role of Rhett Butler in “Gone With the Wind.” Clark had two children: a daughter with actress Loretta Young named Judy Lewis, who has a daughter named Maria, and a son with actress Kay Williams named John Clark Gable, who has a son named Clark James and daughter named Hayley. Ashley Gable -- who, again, is no relation to

Clark Gable -- is a prolific writer and producer, working on such shows as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Xena: Warrior Princess,” “Crossing Jordan” and “The Mentalist,” to name just a few.***Q: Will the horror series “The Walking Dead” be back for another season? -- Donna C., Warner, Okla.A: AMC has rewarded “The Walking Dead” with a 13-episode second season (up from a six-episode first season), which is scheduled to begin Sunday, Oct. 16, at 9 p.m. ET. For those unfamiliar with the critically acclaimed series, it is based on the comic-book series of the same name and centers on a group of people who’ve survived a zombie apocalypse and are searching across America for a new, safe home away from all the killer zombies.

PHOTO: Ann-Marie Johnson

HOLLYWOOD -- What time is it? It’s time for yet another version of “The Three Musketeers.” This will be the sixth or seventh reboot of the famous Alex-andre Dumas classic. The cast is mostly English and unknown here. Logan Ler-

man will be D’Artagnan. He was the star of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief,” “3:10 to Yuma,” the 2009 films “Gamer” and “My One and Only,” and the upcoming “Perks of a Wallflower” with “Harry Potter” star Emma Watson, Paul Rudd, Kate Walsh and Dylan McDermott.English stage actor Matthew Macfadyen will play Athos. He was in 2005’s “Pride and Prejudice,” STARZ eight-part mini-series “The Pillars of the Earth,” “Frost/Nixon” and “Robin Hood.”Ray Stevenson will be Porthos. He was in “Book of Eli” in 2010 and recently in “Thor.”Welsh actor Luke Evans will be Aramis. He was in the 2010 films “Clash of the Titans,” “Robin Hood” and played Zeus in “Immor-tals.” He’ll shoot the two-part “Hobbitt” film that Peter Jackson is mounting in New Zealand.Add Milla Jovovich as Milady de Winter, Oscar-winner Chris-toph Waltz as Cardinal Richelieu and Orlando Bloom as the Duke of Buckingham, and you’ve got a classic cast. ***What happens to a film released in Europe that runs out of money to release in the U.S.? “Fireflies in the Garden” premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in 2008 and then disappeared -- until now. “Fireflies” will open in the U.S. on Oct. 14. Julia Roberts and Willem Dafoe are a married couple with family problems. It also stars Ryan Reynolds, who has made 10 films since this one. But before you wonder if he and Julia have any love scenes, she plays his mother, mostly in flashbacks, with Jayden Boyd (of 2005’s “Sharkboy and Lavagirl”) as the younger Reynolds who ages in the film to his mid-40s. It also has Emily Watson, Oscar-nominat-ed for the 1996 film “Breaking the Waves.”***The 34th Annual Kennedy Center Honors have been chosen for this year. Leading the pack is Broadway’s Barbara Cook, star of the original “Music Man” with Robert Preston. Symphony fans will be thrilled that Yo-Yo Ma is being honored, as will jazz en-thusiasts who appreciate saxophonist Sonny Rollins. For pop and movie fans, we’ve got singer Neil Diamond and one of our greatest actresses, Meryl Streep. While they’re all great artists and deserve to be honored, it seems they’re in the middle of their careers, like Oprah Winfrey was when she was honored last year. Why haven’t they honored someone like Don Rickles or Doris Day? I’ll bet Rickles could do an hour on Day’s vestal virgin im-age in her movies of the 1950s!

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Answers1. Barry Bonds, Jimmie Foxx, Luis Gon-zalez, Babe Ruth, Sammy Sosa and Hack Wilson. 2. Dante Bichette led the National League with 40 homers in 1995.3. San Francisco’s Roger Craig, in 1985.4. North Carolina, with 27 seasons (1975-2001).5. Jonathon Blum was the 23rd overall pick by Nashville in 2007.6. Texas A&M, 2009-11.7. Bernhard Langer, in 1986.

1. In 2010, Toronto’s Jose Bautista became the seventh player in major-league history to have at least 50 homers, 100 walks and 30 doubles in a season. Name three of the other six to do

it.2. When was the last time before 2010 that a player won the N.L. home run season title with fewer than 47 round-trippers? 3. The Rams’ Marshall Faulk (1999) was the second running back in NFL history to have 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in the same season. Who was the first?4. What school holds the NCAA men’s basketball record for most consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament?5. Name the first California-born and -raised player to be a first-round NHL draft pick. 6. Which was the first school to post dual (men’s and women’s) three-peat championships in NCAA track and field?7. In 2011, Martin Kaymer became the second German to take the top spot in the world golf rankings. Who was the first?

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Two-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart, who suffered an erratic regular season, is surging now in the Chase with suc-cessive victories at Chicago and New Hampshire. (John Clark/NASCAR This Week photo)

Stars Align for Stewart

A fairly common script device ap-plied to Tony Stewart and, for that matter, Clint Bowyer, in New Hampshire.Role reversal.

In the race a year earlier, Bowyer won largely as a result of Stewart’s car running out of gas at the end. The fortunes reversed this time.“It’s amazing it happened like that,” Stewart said. “Clint was one of the first guys who called last year, and as happy as he was (that) he won the race, he knew how disappointing it was for us.“You don’t want to win them that way, and you don’t want to see guys lose them that way. This is a sport where guys have a lot of respect for what happens and how it happens. Having a win get away from you that way is disappointing for anybody.”People talk about irony all the time. Most of the time, it’s coincidental, not ironic. Irony has been in place on the Sprint Cup circuit recently, however.It wasn’t long ago that Stewart, frustrated and dejected, all but wrote himself off, questioning whether his team even belonged in the Chase. The turnaround -- and a rather pleasant need to eat his words -- occurred quickly.“It happened in a week,” Stewart said. “We went from five laps down at Bristol to running third at Atlanta the next week. No, you don’t see it coming. It’s not like we say, ‘OK, this is what happened, this is what’s wrong and this is what you have to do to fix it.’“There have been races where we just missed it, couldn’t get happy, couldn’t get the car happy. There have been races where we’ve had a top-five, top-three or winning car and something stupid happened. ... The potential’s been there all year. You wonder when the bad luck is going to stop.”

No more wondering now.The question is whether Stewart can now avoid the erratic nature of his regular season for the remainder of the Chase. If anything can temper the optimism associated at the moment with a bid for a third champi-onship, it’s that Stewart figured to do well in the first two races, based on his record at Chicagoland Speedway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway.Stewart has proven ever since he first climbed into a stock car that he can win anywhere. The chief issue from here on out will be whether or not his No. 14 Chevy can win anywhere. Stewart can be his own worst enemy. As a general rule, however, it’s not when he’s behind the wheel.In victory lane, an exultant Stewart spoke of how he had gotten rid of some “dead wood” at Stewart Haas Racing. When asked about it later in the media center, he turned surly and wouldn’t discuss it. Earlier, his crew chief, Darian Grubb, had said he didn’t know what the boss was talking about, and Stewart retreated a bit by saying no one had lost his or her job in the wood cleaning.Who knows? Maybe it was a rotting stack of cedar out back.Whatever it was, it worked.

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¥ On Oct. 19, 1869, work begins on one of the most ambitious West-ern engineering projects of the day: a 4-mile-long tunnel through the solid rock of the Comstock Lode mining district in Nevada to divert water. The tunnel drained some 2 million gallons of water from the mines per year.

¥ On Oct. 23, 1925, John William Carson, who would become fa-mous as the longtime host of the popular late-night TV program “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson,” is born in Corning, Iowa. Carson hosted “The Tonight Show” on NBC for 30 years, from 1962 to 1992.

¥ On Oct. 20, 1944, U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur wades ashore onto the Philippine island of Leyte, fulfilling his promise to return to the area he was forced to flee in 1942 under orders from Presi-dent Franklin Roosevelt. He had left behind 90,000 American and Filipino troops, only one-third of whom survived to see his return.

¥ On Oct. 22, 1957, U.S. military personnel suffer their first casual-ties in Vietnam when 13 Americans are wounded in three terrorist bombings of Military Assistance Advisory Group and U.S. Informa-tion Service installations in Saigon. The rising tide of guerrilla activ-ity in South Vietnam reached an estimated 30 terrorist incidents by the end of the year.

¥ On Oct. 17, 1968, Olympic gold medalist Tommie Smith and bronze medalist John Carlos are forced to return their awards be-cause they raised their fists in a Black Power salute during the medal ceremony in Mexico City.

¥ On Oct. 18, 1977, in the sixth game of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees outfielder Reggie Jackson hits three home runs in a row off of three consecutive pitches from three different pitchers. When the game ended, the field flooded with fans. They had a new hero: Reggie Jackson, now known as “Mr. October.”

¥ On Oct. 21, 1988, “Mystic Pizza,” a romantic comedy starring Julia Roberts, Annabeth Gish and Lili Taylor as three young women who work at a pizza parlor in Mystic, Conn., opens in theaters. Matt Da-mon, then 18, also made his big-screen debut in the film.

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MONEY MINUTIAEKeep the change! This week, we’re talking about the changes that U.S. currency has undergone since it was first issued in the 17th century. • America has had paper money since before it was

even a nation. The Massachusetts Bay Colony issued it first in 1690. In 1775, in the midst of the Revolutionary War, paper currency was issued to finance the conflict, with the anticipation of tax revenues to cover it. The paper notes soon devalued, due to a lack of strong financial backing and the ease of counterfeiting.

• Beginning in 1877, all U.S. currency was printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, an agency of the Treasury Department. The bills were 25 percent larger than present-day money. In 1929, the size was reduced, and all bills conformed to the style of having a portrait on the front and a monument on the back.

• Can you name the individuals on the front and the item on the back of each denomination of currency? Of course, you know Washington is on the $1 bill, but did you know that the Great Seal of the United States is on the back? Lincoln is on the front of the $5 bill, with the Lincoln Memorial on the back. The $10 bill features the portrait of Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasury, with the U.S. Treasury Building on the flip side. Seventh President Andrew Jackson’s face graces the front of the $20 bill, with the White House featured on the back. Civil War general and 18th President Ulysses Grant is on the $50 bill with the U.S. Capitol on the back, and Benjamin Franklin can be seen on the $100 bill, with Independence Hall on the reverse.

• The average $1 bill will be in circulation about 42 months. The life span of the $5 and $10 denominations is 16 to 18 months and 24 months for the $20 bill. A $50 bill will last about 55 months, with the $100 bill’s span averaging 89 months.

• 1946 was the last year that $500, $1,000, $5,000 and $10,000 bills were printed.

• Washington, D.C.’s Bureau of Printing and Engraving occupies 25 acres of floor space. There is an additional printing plant in Fort Worth, Texas. During Fiscal Year 2010, the Bureau printed about 6.4 billion notes, including 1.86 billion $1 bills and about 2.27 billion $20s. That’s approximately 26 million bills a day. Nine tons of ink are used daily to print the day’s total face value of about $974 million. 95 percent of that amount is being used to replace notes already in circulation. It costs about 9.6 cents to print each bill.

• The Bureau’s offset printing presses are over 50 feet long with a weight of more than 70 tons. They spit out about 10,000 sheets of currency per hour.

• We call it “paper money,” but it’s actually made of 75 percent cotton and 25 percent linen, not like regular paper, which uses wood pulp. Because of its durability, a bill can be double-folded (first forward, then backward) 4,000 times before it will tear.

• Currency began a redesign process in 2003 to make it more difficult to counterfeit. Background colors and watermarks were added, as well as a 3-D security thread that glows under an ultraviolet light.

Many Ways to Treat Atrial Fibrillation

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Will you please discuss heart fibrilla-tion? I take a medicine for high blood pressure. Medicines for atrial fibrillation made me wild. I also take warfarin for the fibrillation. I’d

appreciate any information you have. -- M.L.

ANSWER: Atrial fibrillation is one of the most common heartbeat irregularities. The atria are the two upper heart chambers, the site of origin for the electric signal coming from the heart’s inborn pacemaker and producing each heartbeat. Fibrillation is a rapid twitching of the heart muscle. The atria are not contracting; they’re squirming. This de-creases the heart’s pumping power.More dangerously, it also leads to clot formation. Blood stagnates in the squirming atria. Stagnated blood clots. Those clots can be carried in the circulation to a brain artery, which they block. That’s a stroke. That’s why you take warfarin (Coumadin) -- to prevent clotting (anti-coagulation).Aging, high blood pressure, heart artery disease, heart valve disorders and an overactive thyroid gland are some of the things that lead to fi-brillation.The goals of therapy are to slow the heart, establish a normal heartbeat and prevent a stroke. Sometimes, simply slowing the heart will restore normal heart pumping without ending the irregular beat. Anticoagula-tion (blood thinning) is still needed.I can’t mention all the medicines used to control fib; there are too many. In place of medicines, a shock to the heart sometimes can restore a

normal beat. Heart specialists also use a technique called ablation. They thread into the heart a special catheter that has the capability of creating tiny scars with radio waves or ultrasound waves or by freezing tissue. The scars form an impenetrable barrier to the renegade electric signals causing fibrillation. The booklet on heartbeat irregularities discusses atrial fib and the more common abnormal heartbeats. Readers can obtain a copy by writing: Dr. Donohue -- No. 107W, Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. En-close a check or money order for $4.75 U.S./$6 Canada with the recipi-ent’s printed name and address. Please allow four weeks for delivery.***DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Many months ago, my feet turned numb. The numbness has spread up to my knees. It has made me quite unsteady when I walk. My doctor can’t find a cause or treatment for this. Can you suggest anything? -- L.O.ANSWER: Your description fits peripheral neuropathy, a deterioration of nerve function, often of the leg nerves. The causes for it are many. Frequently, however, a precise cause can’t be determined.You need to make an appointment to see a neurologist as soon as you can.***DEAR DR. DONOHUE: What does it mean when there are bubbles in the toilet after urinating? Every time I urinate, foaming bubbles appear on the surface of the water. Is this an indication of a medical problem? If so, what should I do? -- W.G.ANSWER: When you pour one liquid from a height onto another, bub-bles form. That’s normal.If the bubbles are dense and as extensive as a head of beer, that can be an indication of protein in the urine. For those kinds of bubbles, a uri-nalysis, one of the cheapest lab tests, will confirm or refute the presence of urinary protein.

Medicare Enrollment

Medicare enrollment begins and ends early this year. The annual period to sign up or make changes to your plan begins on Oct. 15, 2011, a month early. The most important change is the cutoff date: Circle the date on your calendar, because the enrollment period now ends on Dec. 7, 2011. This way you’ll have your card at the beginning of the New Year.As always, you only have this one time per year to make any changes to your coverage for

2012. Changes can include Medicare Advantage, your drug coverage, Medigap supplemental or your regular Medicare.There are a number of changes you’ll need to figure into your decision-making:-- Drug coverage (Part D) will cost a bit more. At this point, however, they don’t know how much that will be for the premiums and deductibles, but you can find out at the website or phone number below.-- Part B premiums will increase a bit as well. Watch the news, as the cost of living adjustments (COLA) are generally an-nounced sometime in October each year.-- “Doughnut hole” coverage has a few changes. When you reach the limits of coverage, you’ll get a 14 percent discount on generic drugs and a 50 percent discount on brand names.No matter what type of plan you have, beware. There could be changes to all parts of your coverage. Be sure to check the fine print so you know what you’re getting.Read your Annual Notice of Change carefully. To learn more about all the changes, go online to www.medicare.gov and look for the publication called “Medicare & You 2012.” To find a plan in your area, click on Resource Locator, then scroll down to Medicare Plan Finder. You also can call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).

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¥ It was American artist and illustrator Florence Scovel Shinn who made the following observation: “The game of life is the game of boomerangs. Our thoughts, deeds and words return to us sooner or later with astounding accuracy.”

¥ In 1811 and again in 1812, earthquakes caused the Mis-sissippi River to temporarily reverse course.

¥ You might be surprised to learn that about a million Americans say they drink Coca-Cola for breakfast.

¥ Dominique Bouhours, a Frenchman who lived in the 17th century, was a priest, an essayist and a grammarian. The love of language may have been closest to his heart, though; it’s been reported that the final words he uttered on his deathbed were, “I am about to -- or I am going to -- die; either expression is used.”

¥ The beaver is a rodent.

¥ If you’re like the average adult, when you’re sitting in a relaxed position, you inhale about one pint of air with every breath.

¥ The United States isn’t the only country that has an ac-colade to recognize excellence in the film industry. Here the awards are known as the Oscars, but other nations have their own names for the awards: In Canada they’re known as Genies, in France they’re Cesars, in Russia they’re called Nikas, in Mexico they’re Golden Ariels, in Spain they’re known as Goyas, and in the United Kingdom they’re called Orange British Academy Film Awards.

¥ Those who study such things say that millions of trees are planted accidentally when absent-minded squirrels forget where they buried their nuts.

¥ In ancient Rome, if you had a hooked nose you were considered to be a born leader.***Thought for the Day: “Four-fifths of all our troubles would disappear, if we would only sit down and keep still.” -- Calvin Coolidge