Great Job to Walt Lutcavage for his efforts in ensuring that the respiratory protection and forklift certification programs are maintained and that all testing is up-to-date. Thank you

Thank you to Lori Nafus, Sherry Steele & Lori McAndrew for picking up some of the communication responsibilities.

The Melt Department continues to have a strong production year setting production and productivity records through the first three quarters of our fiscal year. This is especially noteworthy, given the fact that we were short-handed at times.

Auto-grinders set production and productivity records during the fourth quarter of 2019. Auto-grinding represented 59% of the total tonnage ground.

Harry Miller – Thank you for helping out in the Quality Department during the past few weeks.

Outstanding Individual Production Performance During the Fourth Quarter of 2019:

Benton Foundry, in conjunction with Pennsylvania State University, has been awarded a grant under the Manufacturing PA Innovation Program entitled “Multiple Core Assembly Production Improvement and Enhancement” from the PA Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED). This will provide a grad student an opportunity in the “masters” program at Penn State University.

Benton Foundry’s Scholarship Program through Pennsylvania College of Technology awarded three scholarships for the 2019/2020 academic year. Scholarships were awarded to Brittan Kittle (son of Molding Supervisor Matt Kittle and grandson of retired molder Marv Kittle), Eric Malcein (Pattern Shop) and Michael McAndrew (Maintenance), son of Lori McAndrew in Order Entry.

Brittan’s field of study is Plastics & Polymer Engineering Technology.

Eric is studying Automated Manufacturing Technology with a 4.0 GPA.

Mike’s field of study is Electronics and Computer Engineering Technology. He currently holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science from Lock Haven University.

D

ata overages from your wireless carrier can add up quickly. Here’s how to keep your bill under control. When I signed my family up for our cellphone plan, I thought it contained more than enough data for us. How could any person possibly go over 5 gigabytes in one month? Then I got a notification saying one of our lines was over the limit, and I would need to purchase an extra gigabyte for $10 to keep going. I shrugged it off, bought it and went on with my life… until two days later, when I got the same notification again.

It turns out, my wife had disconnected from our house’s Wi-Fi without realizing it, and racked up a surprising amount of data watching Instagram stories — not something you would consider an obvious culprit, but it’s actually quite the data muncher. If this story sounds all too familiar and you’re dead set against shelling out for an unlimited plan, your phone offers a few tools to help you cut back.

First: Connect to Wi-Fi Whenever Possible

Let’s start with the most obvious, but most important tip: connect to Wi-Fi, especially when you’re at home.

OK, that may sound too painfully obvious to put in this article, but look at your phone right now: Are you connected to Wi-Fi? I’m shocked by how often I ask this simple question to friends and family only to find that they weren’t actually connected, even at their own home. (They’re often equally shocked.) Make sure that little Wi-Fi icon shows up at the top of your phone whenever you’re near a network. By connecting to Wi-Fi at home and work, you can eliminate a huge amount of data usage without changing your behavior at all. Just remember that free, public Wi-Fi isn’t as secure as the Wi-Fi at home, so check out these tips to stay safe while you’re out and about.

See Which Apps Are Using the Most Data

Next, it’s time to drill down and see where that data is going. Sometimes, it’s obvious: if you just spent three days in bed bingeing Netflix on your phone, you can bet money that’s your culprit. In other cases, you may not know where all those gigabytes went, and you’ll need to hunt down the biggest data hogs. If you’re using an iPhone, open the Settings app and head to the Cellular section. Scroll down, and you’ll see how much data it has used in the “current period.”

Here’s where things get confusing: Your “current period” isn’tyour current billing period. Instead, it is reporting all the data you’ve used since you last reset these settings. So if you haven’t manually reset them in a while (or ever), there is a good chance you aren’t getting useful information here. Scroll down to the very bottom, tap Reset Statistics and go about your life for another few days. Then you can come back to this screen and see which app is using the most data. (Note: If you see a large amount of data under the Wi-Fi Assist option on this page, you may want to turn it off – this feature is designed to fall back on cellular data when WiFi is weak, but can backfire in rare instances when you are connected to Wi-Fi.)

If you’re using a phone with Google’s Android software, open the Settings app and head to Network & Internet > Mobile Network > App Data Usage. (This location may vary depending on your phone – on Samsung devices, for example, you will find it under Settings > Connections > Data Usage > Mobile Data Usage.) You will see a graph of your data usage over the last month, along with the apps that have used the most data. If your billing cycle ends on a different day of the month (mine, for example, ends on the fifth), you can tap the gear icon to adjust the cycle date. You can also set an alert after a certain amount of data usage, so you aren’t caught off guard.

Tweak Your Apps’ Settings

Once you have an idea of the worst offenders, figure out ways to
dial back their data usage. Here are some common culprits and
how you can curb their appetite.

Dropbox, Google Photos and iCloud Photos:

If you take a lot of photos and videos, some apps allow you to automatically back those photos up as you go. By default, they shouldnt back up your photos unless you’re on Wi-Fi, but if you have changed these settings in the past, they may be eating up your data (remember, uploading counts against your data too). Check the app’s settings and turn off uploads while on cellular.

Facebook, Twitter and Instagram:

Many social networking apps have the ability to auto-play videos as you scroll through your feed, which can use data quickly. If you find this happening in your favorite social app, head to the app’s settings and look for the auto-playing video option – set it to Wi-Fi only, or turn it off altogether.

YouTube, Netflix and other video players:

You probably already know watching videos can blow through your data, but you don’t have to cut yourself off cold turkey. For a compromise, look through your binge watching app of choice for an option to lower the video quality. If you can stand to watch videos in standard definition (480 pixels or below) instead of HD (720 pixels and above), you’ll use less data.

Spotify, Podcasts and other audio apps:

While audio doesn’t use up nearly as much data as video, you can still chug through your allotment if you jam from sunup to sundown. Streaming apps like Spotify allow you to download playlists at home for offline listening. Use these features as much as possible: Next time you’re on Wi-Fi, download your favorite playlists and grab podcast episodes before you leave home.

App updates:

It’s a good idea to keep your apps up-to date, but letting automatic updates run wild on cellular data isn’t really necessary. On the iPhone, head to Settings > Your Name > iTunes & App Stores, and turn Automatic Downloads off under Cellular Data. On Android, open the Google Play Store, tap the three lines in the upper left corner, and head to Settings > Auto-Update Apps and choose Over Wi-Fi Only.

If the app in question doesn’t have a setting that does what you want, you may be able to limit it at the operating system level. On the iPhone, head to Settings, scroll down to the app in question and turn off Background App Refresh, which will limit it from using data in the background. Or, from that Settings > Cellular screen, you can toggle the switch next to any given app to prevent it from using cellular data at all, allowing it to work only over Wi-Fi.

Android users can tap on an app from the Mobile Data Usage screen to turn off background data.

Get a Better Deal on Your Data

If all else fails, it may be worth looking into a better data plan for you and your family. Unlimited plans have made a comeback in recent years, but if they are too expensive for you, see what other carriers have to offer for the same price. In fact, if you are still with one of the big four—Verizon, AT&T, TMobile and Sprint, you might be able to get better bang for your buck by switching to a mobile virtual network operator or MVNO, like Cricket Wireless, Mint Mobile or Metro. They use the same networks as their bigger competitors, but with lower prices. If you can get a bigger data plan for the same amount of money you are currently paying (while eschewing expensive features you don’t use), you won’t have to ration your internet usage like it’s 1993 dial-up.

Whitson Gordon
The New York Times
March 9, 2020

T

he National Lipid Association has released a comprehensive scientific review of the effects of low-carb and very low-carb diets on blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels, body weight and other cardio-metabolic risk factors such as blood sugar control and blood pressure. These diets, often called “ketogenic diets” dramatically restrict intake of carbohydrates, with or without restrictions on protein and fat intake. In a 2018 survey of Americans between 18 and 80 years old, 16% reported following some type of low-carb eating pattern in the past year.

In reviewing all current evidence, the researchers found that low-carb or very-low-carb diets appear to increase energy expenditure (calories burned) and that people following these diets reported lower appetite and hunger. They concluded that following a low or very-low-carb diet for six months or less may result in greater weight loss than a high-carb, low-fat diet.

Longer term, the effects of these two diets appear more similar (perhaps in part because low-carb diets are difficult to maintain).

Low-carb diets may improve triglyceride levels and help with glycemic control in people with pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes, but can also increase LDL (bad) cholesterol in some individuals and may severely restrict nutrient-dense foods associated with cardiovascula benefits. No clear advantages were seen for other cardio-metabolic risk markers.

The authors recommend talking to one’s doctor about risks and benefits of various weight loss options and choosing healthpromoting dietary changes that fit with personal preferences and lifestyle and that can be maintained long-term.

Health & Nutrition Letter
NewsBites
Tufts University (December 2019)

• Keep a consistent sleep schedule. Get up at the same time every day, even on weekends or during vacations.
• Set a bedtime that is early enough for you to get at least 7 hours of sleep.
• If you don’t fall asleep after 20 minutes, get out of bed.
• Don’t nap too long or too late in the day.
• Establish a relaxing bedtime routine.
• Make your bedroom quiet and relaxing. Keep the room at a comfortable, cool temperature.
• Limit exposure to bright light in the evenings, including screens. Bright light at night can confuse the brain and prevent the ramping up of melatonin.

• Turn off electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
• Don’t eat a large meal before bedtime. If you are hungry at night, eat a light, healthy snack.
• Exercise regularly and maintain a healthy diet.
• Avoid consuming caffeine in the late afternoon or evening.

• Don’t consume much alcohol at bedtime. While alcohol can make you sleepy, it is known to interfere with quality of sleep. Allow enough time for your blood alcohol level to drop before bed.
• Reduce your fluid intake before bedtime.
• Don’t check the clock. If the alarm has not gone off…go back to sleep!

Health & Nutrition Letter
NewsBites
Tufts University (February 2020)

Congratulations to Greg Woodside (above), Benton Foundry’s 1st shift Employee of the Quarter. Greg works in our Grinding Department as a Stationary Grinder. He has been employed since 2012. Greg lives in Benton with his wife Mary. He enjoys spending time with his family when he isn’t working.

Congratulations to Billy Green (below), Benton Foundry’s 2nd shift Employee of the Quarter. Billy has been employed at the Foundry since 2015. He works in our Melt Department as an Iron Pourer. Billy lives in Benton and is one of the many members of the Green family that have worked for generations here, starting with his grandfather, Roy Green. His father, Robert Green retired in 2011. Billy enjoys riding 4-Wheelers, snowmobiles and working on small engines in his spare time.