We began another construction project in April. This project includes relocating our lab, upgrading our pattern shop and significantly increasing our pattern storage area. This will get all patterns into a fire rated structure. Although we have a similar fire rated structure currently, we have long since outgrown it. This is one of the intermediate steps which is part of our comprehensive five-year plan. It will be the last major step before being able to double our core room in 2019/2020. We are currently in our eighth five-year plan.

When I downloaded a copy of my Facebook data last week, I didn’t expect to see much. My profile is sparse, I rarely post anything on the site, and I seldom click on ads. (I’m what some call a Facebook “lurker.”)
—But when I opened my file, it was like opening Pandora’s box.

With a few clicks, I learned that about 500 advertisers—many that I had never heard of, like Bad Dad, a motorcycle parts store, and Space Jesus, an electronica band all had my contact information, which could include my email address, phone number and full name. Facebook also had my entire phone book, including the number to ring my apartment buzzer. The social network had even kept a permanent record of the roughly 100 people I had deleted from my friends list over the last 14 years, including my exes.

There was so much that Facebook knew about me, more that I wanted to know. After looking at the totality of what the Silicon Valley company had obtained about yours truly, I decided to try to better understand how and why my data was collected and stored. I also sought to find out how much of my data could be removed.

How Facebook collects and treats personal information was central when Mark Zuckerberg, the company's chief executive, answered questions in Congress about data privacy and his responsibilities to users. During his testimony, Mr. Zuckerberg repeatedly said Facebook has a tool for downloading your data that “allows people to see and take out all the information they’ve put on Facebook.” But that’s an overstatement. Most basic information, like my birthday, could not be deleted. More important, the pieces of data that I found objectionable, like the record of people I had unfriended, could not be removed from Facebook, either.

“They don’t delete anything, and that’s a general policy,” said Gabriel Weinberg, the founder of DuckDuckGo, which offers internet privacy tools. He added that data was kept around to eventually help brands serve targeted ads.

Beth Gautier, a Facebook spokeswoman, put it this way: “When you delete something, we remove it so it’s not visible or accessible on Facebook.” She added: “You can also delete your account whenever you want. It may take up to 90 days to delete all backups of data on our servers.”

Digging through your Facebook files is an exercise I highly recommend if you care about how your personal information is stored and used. Here’s what I learned.

When you download a copy of your Facebook data, you will see a folder containing multiple subfolders and files. The most important one is the “index” file, which is essentially a raw data set of your Facebook account, where you can click through your profile, friends list, timeline and messages, among other features.

One surprising part of my index file was a section called Contact Info. This contained the 764 names and phone numbers of everyone in my iPhone’s address book. Upon closer inspection, it turned out that Facebook had stored my entire phone book because I had uploaded it when setting up Facebook’s messaging app, Messenger.

This felt unsettling. I had hoped Messenger would use my contacts list to find others who were also using the app so that I could connect with them easily—and hold on to the relevant contact information only for the people who were on Messenger. Yet Facebook kept the entire list, including the phone numbers for my car mechanic, my apartment door buzzer and a pizzeria.

This felt unnecessary, though Facebook holds on to your phone book partly to keep it synchronized with your contacts list on Messenger and to help find people who newly sign up for the messaging service. I opted to turn off synchronizing and deleted all my phone book entries.

My Facebook data also revealed how little the social network forgets. For instance, in addition to recording the exact date I signed up for Facebook in 2004, there was a record of when I deactivated Facebook in October 2010, only to reactivate it four days later—something I barely remember doing. Facebook also kept a history of each time I opened Facebook over the last two years, including which device and web browser I used. On some days, it even logged my locations, like when I was at a hospital two years ago or when I visited Tokyo last year.

Facebook keeps a log of this data as a security measure to flag suspicious logins from unknown devices or locations, similar to how banks send a fraud alert when your credit card number is used in a suspicious location. This practice seemed reasonable, so I didn’t try to purge this information.

What bothered me was the data that I explicitly deleted but that lingered in plain sight. On my friends list, Facebook had a record of “Removed Friends,” a dossier of the 112 people I had removed along with the date I clicked the “Unfriend” button. Why should Facebook remember the people I’ve cut off from my life?

Facebook’s explanation was dissatisfying. The company said it might use my list of deleted friends so that those people did not appear in my feed with the feature “On This Day,” which resurfaces memories from years past to help people reminisce. I’d rather have the option to delete the list of deleted friends for good.

What Facebook retained about me isn’t remotely as creepy as the sheer number of advertisers that have my information in their databases. I found this out when I clicked on the Ads section in my Facebook file, which loaded a history of the dozen ads I had clicked on while browsing the social network.

Lower down, there was a section titled “Advertisers with your contact info,” followed by a list of roughly 500 brands, the overwhelming majority of which I had never interacted with. Some brands sounded obscure and sketchy—one was called “Microphone Check,” which turned out to be a radio show. Other brands were more familiar, like Victoria’s Secret Pink, Good Eggs or AARP.

Facebook said unfamiliar advertisers might appear on the list because they might have obtained my contact information from elsewhere, compiled it into a list of people they wanted to target and uploaded that list into Facebook. Brands can upload their customer lists into a tool called Custom Audiences, which helps them find those same people’s Facebook profiles to serve them ads.

Brands can obtain your information in many different ways. Those include:
Buying information from a data provider like Acxiom, which has amassed one of the world’s largest commercial databases on consumers. Brands can buy different types of customer data sets from a provider, like contact information for people who belong to a certain demographic, and take that information to Facebook to serve targeted ads, said Michael Priem, chief executive of Modern Impact, an advertising firm in Minneapolis.

Last month, Facebook announced that it was limiting its practice of allowing advertisers to target ads using information from third-party data brokers like Acxiom.

Using tracking technologies like web cookies and invisible pixels that load in your browser to collect information about your browsing activities. There are many different trackers on the web, and Facebook offers 10 different trackers to help brands harvest your information, according to Ghostery, which offers privacy tools that block ads and trackers. The advertisers can take some pieces of data that they have collected with trackers and upload them into the Custom Audiences tool to serve ads to you on Facebook.

Getting your information in simpler ways, too. Someone you shared information with could share it with another entity. Your credit card loyalty program, for example, could share your information with a hotel chain, and that hotel chain could serve you ads on Facebook.

The upshot? Even a Facebook lurker, like myself, who has barely clicked on any digital ads can have personal information exposed to an enormous number of advertisers. This was not entirely surprising, but seeing the list of unfamiliar brands with my contact information in my Facebook file was a dose of reality.

I tried to contact some of these advertisers, like Very Important Puppets, a toymaker, to ask them about what they did with my data. They did not respond.

Let’s be clear: Facebook is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what information tech companies have collected on me.

Knowing this, I also downloaded copies of my Google data with a tool called Google Takeout. The data sets were exponentially larger than my Facebook data. For my personal email account alone, Google’s archive of data measured eight gigabytes, enough to hold about 2,000 hours of music. By comparison, my Facebook data was about 540 megabytes, the equivalent of about 160 hours of music.

Here was the biggest surprise in what Google collected on me: In a folder labeled Ads, Google kept a history of many news articles I had read, like a Newsweek story about Apple employees walking into glass walls and a New York Times story about the editor of our Modern Love column. I didn’t click on ads for either of these stories, but the search giant logged them because the sites had loaded ads served by Google.

In another folder, labeled Android, Google had a record of apps I had opened on an Android phone since 2015, along with the date and time. This felt like an extraordinary level of detail. Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

On a brighter note, I downloaded an archive of my LinkedIn data. The data set was less than half a megabyte and contained exactly what I expected: spreadsheets of my LinkedIn contacts and information I had added to my profile.

Yet that offered little solace. Be warned: Once you see the vast amount of data that has been collected about you, you won’t be able to un-see it.

You know the document you receive in the mail from Capital BlueCross after you get medical care? It’s called an Explanation of Benefits or EOB for short. It shares important information you should know about your health plan benefits, and it should be easy to read.

So we made it simple.

The EOBs offer a clear summary of the medical services you received, as well as a detailed statement. The new statement shows you the portion of the claim covered by your health plan and how much you may owe the healthcare provider who delivered your care. Also, EOBs will now be bundled, meaning less paper to sort through and file. The bundles will include all health claims finalized during a 14 calendar-day period, with each claim separated by provider.
As always, you can access your EOBs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, through your secure member account at capbluecross.com.

The Truth About Back Pain: It might be a sharp stab. It might be a dull ache. Sooner or later, 8 out of 10 of us have back pain and back pain myths are almost as common. Let’s set the record straight about what you may have heard.

Myth: Always Sit up Straight - Slouching is bad, but sitting up too straight and still for long periods can be a strain on your back. Take breaks a few times a day. Lean back in your chair with your feet on the floor and let your back curve slightly. Even better: Try standing for part of the day, perhaps while you’re on the phone or reading.

Myth: Don’t Lift Heavy Things - It’s not necessarily how much you lift, it’s how you do it. Get directly in front of the object. Squat close to it, with your back straight and head up. Stand, using your legs to push up the load and your arms to hold it close to your middle. Don’t twist or bend your body or you may hurt your back. (Of course you shouldn’t pick up anything that might be too heavy for you.) Myth: Bed Rest Is The Best Cure - Yes, resting can help a recent injury or strain that causes back pain, but a day or two in bed can actually make it worse. Myth: Pain Is Caused by Injury - Disc degeneration, diseases, infections and even inherited conditions can make your back hurt, too. Fact: More Pounds, More Pain - Staying fit helps prevent back pain. As you might guess, extra pounds will put stress on your back. Back pain is most common among people who are out of shape, especially weekend warriors who push themselves hard after sitting around all week. Myth: Skinny Means Pain-Free - Anyone can get back pain. People who are too thin, such as those with an eating disorder like anorexia, may have bone loss. They’re more likely to get broken bones and crushed vertebrae. Myth: Exercise Is Bad for Back Pain - This is a big one. Regular exercise prevents back pain and doctors may recommend exercise for people who have recently hurt their lower back. They’ll usually start with gentle movements and gradually build up the intensity. Once the immediate pain goes away, an exercise plan can help keep it from coming back. Fact: Chiropractic Care Can Help - Treatment guidelines from the American College of Physicians and the American Pain Society recommend that patients and doctors consider other options with proven benefits for low back pain. These include spinal manipulation and massage therapy. Fact: Acupuncture May Ease Pain - The same organizations say acupuncture, yoga, progressive relaxation and cognitive-behavioral therapy may help when you don’t get relief from standard self care. Myth: Firmer Mattresses Are Better - In a Spanish study, people with ongoing general back pain who slept on a medium-firm mattress hurt less and were able to move better than those who slept on a firm mattress, one size doesn’t fit all. Choose your mattress based on your sleep habits, as well as the cause of your back pain.

Drinking Sugary beverages is associated with markers of accelerated aging and early signs of Alzheimer’s disease, a new study reports.

Researchers used data on more than 4,000 people over 30, examining their brains with MRI and measuring the memory with psychological tests. All completed well-validated food frequency questionnaires.

Sugary beverage intake is an indirect measure of how much sugar we get in our diets, which is difficult to measure precisely. The authors defined “sugary beverage” to include sodas as well as fruit juices, which many contain added sugars.

The study, in Alzheimer’s & Dementia, found that on average, the more sugary drinks consumed, the lower the total brain volume and the lower the scores on memory test. Brain shrinkage is tied to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Compared with those who drank no sugary drinks, those who drank one or two a day had a reduced brain volume equivalent to 1.6 years of normal aging, and lower memory scores equivalent to 5.8 years of aging. Those who drank more than two had decreased brain volume equivalent to two years of formal aging and lower memory scores by the equivalent of 11 years.

The researchers controlled for diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking and many other health and behavioral characteristics.

“Although we can’t prove cause and effect, this data suggests that we should be cautious about drinking sugary beverages,” said the lead author, Matthew P. Pase, a senior research fellow at Boston University. “They’re empty calories that contribute to weight gain and metabolic disease.”

Today’s pickups are safer and more comfortable and sales to women and families are on the rise. Could one be right for you?

Pickup truck sales are the hottest they’ve been in a decade and it’s no wonder: Driving one is no longer a bumpy, jarring experience that you have to endure. Truck makers today are building pickups with broader appeal, a softer ride and more safety, convenience and comfort features.

As a result, pickups are now attracting more buyers, including those who like the addition of backseats and more cab space and don’t seem to mind sacrificing some truck bed length for the extra room inside.

Although the pickup market remains overwhelmingly dominated by male buyers, the number of women who registered full-sized pickups increased 67% from 2008 to 2016 (reaching more than 47,000 trucks in 2016), based on data from IHS Markit. “Family trucks are 40 to 50% of our mix,” says David Elshoff, Ram brand spokesman. In the industry, a family truck is one with four full-sized doors in a mid-level or higher trim.

Additional seating has been a trend over the last 10 years and those bigger cabs mean more space for adults as well as kids, says Jen Stockburger, director of operations at Consumer Reports’ Auto Test Center in Connecticut. “In our tests, crew-cab pickups typically offer generous rear-seat room to install child seats,” she says.

The space needed for those seats means a tradeoff in the size of the pickup beds. Twenty years ago, the Ford F-150’s most popular combination was a regular cab with an 8-foot bed, according to Mel Yu, CR’s automotive analyst. Today the cabs are a lot bigger and the beds are smaller. Consumers don’t seem to mind: General Motors says the most popular combo now for the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 is a crew cab with a 5-foot 8-inch bed, the shortest available.

Family-Friendly Changes — Shoppers who choose a pickup as a family vehicle bring different needs to the segment than traditional buyers, says GM spokesman Nick Richards. Core truck capabilities, such as hauling, towing and off-road ability, are still priorities, he says, but “exterior appearance, safety and technology are now more important than ever.” It also doesn’t hurt that pickups sit fairly high off the ground, with acres of glass, giving drivers a good view of the world outside, although the long and tall hoods can make parking situations a challenge.

Ford has been evolving its F-150 for years, offering larger cab options, a quiet interior and more luxury features. “Given the versatility of today’s trucks, more are being utilized as a primary family vehicle,” says Dawn McKenzie, a Ford spokeswoman.

True luxury pickups are a real thing too. Hop up into a high-end truck these days and you’ll find leather seats, power-adjustable pedals, soft-closing tailgates, powerful infotainment systems and multi-zone climate control. Ram says demand for its high-end trims have doubled since 2009 to 20% of the mix.

“Among vehicles that cost more than $50,000 full-sized pickups are some of the most popular,” says Gabe Shenhar, associate director of the auto test program at CR. “These are $60,000 plus vehicles with amenities and swagger.” Despite the embrace by more families, the pickup truck segment hasn’t been as quick to adopt advanced safety systems as cars and SUVs.

Although pickups can be gas guzzlers, automakers have improved truck mpg by using more efficient engines and transmissions and by reducing weight. The Ram 1500 EcoDiesel is currently the most fuel efficient full-sized pickup, managing 20 mpg overall in CR’s testing. The F-150’s gasoline 2.7 liter V6 turbo gets an impressive 19 mpg overall.

Ford’s F-150 dropped 700 pounds when it switched to an all-aluminum body and Ford is adding a diesel version later in 2018 that the company says could reach 30 highway mpg. Smart Buying Advice—Pickup trucks have become more civilized, but make no mistake they still don’t ride or handle as well as cars or SUVs.

Most have a higher step-in and are more difficult to park. So unless you really need an open bed, a truck might not be for you, especially in an urban living situation.

If you’re buying a pickup for the first time, be careful not to get more truck than you need. The brawnier the truck, the more it can cost you in fuel. The burlier ones also tend to have the highest step-ups and the ride comfort will suffer.

For instance, if you’re not planning to frequently carry heavy loads or pull a big trailer, you probably don’t need a heavy-duty truck (3/4-ton or more) - stick with a light-duty version (1/2-ton)/1500-size). Even a compact truck, such as a Chevrolet Colorado, Honda Ridgeline or the upcoming Ford Ranger, could fit the bill.

If you rarely haul dirty cargo, large appliances or motorcycles, then a minivan or SUV might be the better choice. If you only truly need a pickup once in a while for a specific task, then you might be better off renting on those occasions.