1. Central Park 2. Acrobat 3. The Beach Boys 4. Dr. Seuss’s 5. Baltimore, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington 6. Bullwinkle J. Moose of “Rocky and Bullwinkle” 7. The War of 1812 8. Google 9. Johann Strauss II 10. Papaya 11. The Smithsonian Institution 12. 19th 13. Romaine 14. The Tony Awards 15. Rhubarb 16. “Vogue” 17. 1975 18. Muhammad Ali 19. The nightclub is in NYC and the beach is in Rio de Janeiro 20. Yosemite Page 20 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 2022 Savvy Seniory Senior Is Skin Cancer Hereditary? BY JIM MILLER Dear Savvy Senior, Is skin cancer hereditary? My 63-year-old brother died of melanoma last year, and I’m wondering if I’m at higher risk. Younger Sister Dear Younger, While long-term sun exposure and sunburns are the biggest risk factors for melanoma – the deadliest form of skin cancer – having a sibling or parent with melanoma does indeed increase your risk, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation. Each year, around 100,000 Americans are diagnosed with melanoma, and about 7,500 people will die from it. While anyone can get it, those most often diagnosed are Caucasians, age 50 and older. And those with the highest risk are people with red or blond hair, blue or green eyes, fair skin, freckles, moles, a family history of skin cancer and those who had blistering sunburns in their youth. Skin Exams The best way you can guard against melanoma and other skin cancers (basal and squamous cell carcinomas) is to protect yourself from the sun, and if you’re over age 50, get a full-body skin exam done by a dermatologist every year, especially if you’re high risk. Self-examinations done every month or so is also a smart way to detect early problems. Using mirrors, check the front and backside of your entire body, including the tops and undersides of your arms and hands, between your toes and the soles of your feet, your neck, scalp and buttocks. Be on the lookout for new growths, moles that have changed, or sores that don’t heal, and follow the ABCDE rule when examining suspicious moles. • Asymmetry: One half of a mole doesn’t match the other. • Border: The border is blurred or ragged. • Color: The mole has uneven colors, often shades of brown, tan or black, with patches of pink, red, white or blue. • Diameter: The lesion is new or at least a quarter inch in diameter. • Evolving: The mole is changing in size, shape or color. For more self-examination tips and actual pictures of what to look for, see SpotSkinCancer.org or use a skin cancer detection app like Miiskin.com, MoleMapper.org or SkinVision.com. In the spring and summer, there are also a variety of places that offer free skin cancer screenings, like the American Academy of Dermatology (spotskincancer.org) and the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (asds.net/skincancerscreening.aspx), which offer screenings done by volunteer dermatologists across the U.S. Sun Protection Even though you can’t change your skin or family history, there are some proven strategies that can help you protect yourself. For starters, when you go outside put-on broad-spectrum SPF 30, water-resistant sunscreen on both sunny and cloudy days. If you don’t like the rub-on lotions, try the continuous spray-on sunscreens which are easier to apply and re-apply and less messy. Also, seek the shade when rays are most intense — between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. You can also protect your skin by wearing a wide-brimmed hat, and long sleeves and pants when possible. The best clothing options are tightly woven fabrics that help prevent the sun’s rays from reaching your skin, or you can wash in an invisible shield sun protection into your clothes with SunGuard laundry additive (see sunguarduv.com). You can even buy a variety of lightweight clothing and hats that off er maximum UV protection in their fabric. Coolibar.com and SunPrecautions.com are two good sites that off er these products. Treatments If caught early, melanoma is nearly 100 percent curable. But if it’s not, the cancer can advance and spread to other parts of the body where it becomes hard to treat and can be fatal. Standard early treatment for melanoma is surgical removal. In advanced cases, however, immunotherapies and targeted therapies have shown positive results, or chemotherapy and radiation may be used. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.r sical Festival in Boston along with others, including the fi rst time African American 1. June 24 is National Take Your Dog to Work Day; Balto was a Siberian husky who led dogsled runs of serum to Nome; there is a statue of Balto in what wellknown park? 2. What profession did Jules Léotard, the namesake of the leotard, have: acrobat, ballet dancer or swimmer? 3. What group is credited with inventing the California sound? 4. What children’s author’s last book was “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!”? 5. On June 25, 1951, CBS televised the fi rst commercial color television show, “Premiere,” from NYC to what four major eastern USA cities? 6. What animated TV series character lived in Frostbite Falls? 7. On June 26, 1812, the Massachusetts House voted against what war? 8. What company had “Don’t be evil” as its motto but changed that to “Do the right thing”? 9. In June 1872 what composer of “The Blue Danube” performed at the World’s Peace Jubilee and International Mu“singers [were] included in a big musical production” in the country – the Fisk University Jubilee Singers? 10. What tropical fruit is known as a meat tenderizer? 11. On June 27, 1829, British scientist James Smithson died, who bequeathed funding for what establishment to spread knowledge? 12. In what century did the circus clown develop: 17th, 18th or 19th? 13. What is cos lettuce also called? 14. On June 28, 1946, actress/director Antoinette Perry died; what is she the namesake of? 15. In a 1947 court case regarding import tariff classifi cations, what spring plant was decided to be a fruit rather than a vegetable? 16. What Madonna song name-checks 16 Hollywood celebrities? 17. June 29 is National Camera Day; the first digital camera was invented in what year: 1963, 1975 or 1984? 18. Reportedly, in 1992, Lonnie, the wife of what sports celebrity, incorporated Greatest of All Time, Inc. – what would become known in popular culture as GOAT – to license her husband’s intellectual properties? 19. Are the Copacabana Night Club and Copacabana Beach in the same city? 20. On June 30, 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill to create what park that includes the Mariposa Grove, Glacier Point and Hetch Hetchy? ANSWERS BHRC | FROM PAGE 19 these crimes to the law on the statute of limitations for other sexual assaults. Supporters said that under existing law the offender cannot be criminally punished. “I am pleased that my colleagues in the House voted to pass [the bill] as it will establish protections for vulnerable patients and criminalize medical or healthcare professionals who knowingly and falsely claim sexual contact for a medical purpose,” said sponsor Rep. Kate Hogan (D-Stow). “This legislation provides necessary updates to Massachusetts’ sexual assault laws.” MASSACHUSETTS COALITION OF POLICE (H 2163) — The House gave initial approval to a measure that would allow members of the Massachusetts Coalition of Police to be paid when attending executive board meetings of their group without having to use accrued time off for their absence. Supporters said that current law allows for members of the Massachusetts Police Association, a fraternal organization, to be excused from duty while attending executive board meetings. “The Massachusetts Coalition of Police is the largest police union in the commonwealth,” said sponsor Rep. Jessica Giannino (D-Revere). “Currently, [its] executive board members must use accrued time off from their departments to attend executive board meetings. This bill aff ords the same courtesy as those in other organizations in being excused from duty to conduct this important business.” QUOTABLE QUOTES “The Senate stands in recess subject to the call of the chair. We’ll come back when we feel like it.” — Sen. William Brownsberger (D-Belmont) adding a little humor to the Senate session. “The gang’s all here.” BHRC | SEE PAGE 21
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