Tommy Contest Page 5
of the River Region
May 8, 2018 Published by PTK Corp.
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DOG BREEDS by Janet Spencer Come along with Tidbits as we figure out how different breeds of dogs were named! IT’S A FACT • The Pekingese was bred in the Chinese city of Peking (now called Beijing) and is one of the oldest breeds. It’s one of the breeds most closely related to the wolf, along with the Akita, Malamute, Basenji, and Shar-Pei. • The Shar-Pei is known for its deep wrinkles. The breed originated in Canton, China. The name means “sand skin” and refers to the texture of its short, rough, wrinkled coat. A Shar-Pei’s tongue is a blue-black color, making it the only other dog besides the Chow Chow that does not have a pink tongue. • The Corgi originates in Wales. In Welsh, the name means “dwarf-dog” from “cor” meaning dwarf and “gi” meaning dog. Corgis are closely related to Siberian Huskies. Despite their short stature, they were bred as herding dogs. Queen Elizabeth II has owned more than 30 Corgis since she was a young child. • The Papillon derives its name from the long and fringed hair on the ears that resemble butterfly wings, and the French word for “butterfly” is papillon. They were bred as rat-catchers. Marie Antoinette owned one who reportedly ran out from under her skirt after she was executed. • The Great Pyrenees was bred by Basque shepherds who inhabited the Pyrenees Mountains of southern France and northern Spain. The Pyrenees Mountains were named for Pyrene, a mythical Greek princess who was raped by Hercules, gave birth to a serpent, was killed by wild animals, and buried under the mountain range that now bears her name. • The Yorkshire Terrier is a small dog breed developed during the 19th century in Yorkshire, England, to catch rats in clothing mills. During World War II, a Yorkie named Smoky saved the lives of soldiers by dragging a communications cable through an 8-inch-wide, 60-foot-long drainage culvert. • The Chihuahua was named for the Mexican state of (Continued next page)
Vol 7 Issue 19 paul@riverregiontidbits.com
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Tidbits® of the River Region (Front page continued)
1. Is the book of Hebrews in the Old or New Testament or neither? 2. To whom did God say, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations”? Daniel, Jeremiah, Noah, Thomas 3. From 1 Chronicles 29, how many years did David reign over Israel? 7, 33, 40, 57 4. What do the seven lampstands represent in Revelation 1:20? Continents, Angels, Seas, Churches 5. What was Aquila’s profession in Corinth? Tentmaker, Harp player, Mapmaker, Servant 6. Manasseh was the elder of whose two sons? Matthew, Joash, Joseph, Timothy Visit Wilson Casey’s new Trivia Fan Site at www. patreon.com/triviaguy. (c) 2018 King Features Synd., Inc.
By Chris Richcreek 1. Who was the last Chicago Cubs pitcher in the modern era before Jake Arrieta (2015, ‘16) to toss more than one no-hitter? 2. In what year did Rickey Henderson pass Lou Brock as baseball’s career stolen base leader? 3. Adam Gase, in 2016, became the third Miami Dolphins coach to win six consecutive games. Who were the other two to do it? 4. Kentucky’s men’s basketball team holds the record for most official NCAA Tournament appearances (57). Which school holds the men’s mark for the most Final Four appearances? 5. Name the last rookie before Vancouver’s Brock Boeser in 2018 to win the MVP Award at the NHL All-Star Game. 6. How many consecutive 400-meter hurdles races did Edwin Moses win between 1977 and 1987? 7. In 2018, Bubba Watson became the third PGA golfer to win three times at Riviera Country Club in California. Name either of the other two golfers to do it. (c) 2018 King Features Syndicate, Inc.
Chihuahua. The word means “dry sandy place.” The Chihuahua is the smallest of all purebred dogs. A Chihuahua named Milly at 3.8 inches tall (9.65 cm) is the world’s smallest dog. At the age of 2 years old, she weighed 1 pound (.45 kg). In a comparison of brain to body size ratio, the Chihuahua has the largest sized brain. The Taco Bell dog’s name was Gidget and she was in many commercials (not all for Taco Bell). She died in 2009 at the age of 15. • The Bloodhound takes its name from the fact that it was bred to follow the trails of wounded animals. It has a keener sense of smell than any other breed and can pick up a scent from only one or two skin cells. • “Ticking” is a strong white material used to cover and protect mattresses and pillows. The Bluetick Coonhound has a white coat underneath a network of black spots, and the overall effect makes the dog look like it’s covered by blue ticking. If a dog has a white coat with brown spots, it’s called red ticking. The Bluetick Coonhound was bred as a hunting dog in the Southeastern U.S. and was only recognized as an established independent breed in 1946. • Basset Hounds were bred for the purpose of pursuing rabbits, using their keen sense of smell to track them down. Only Bloodhounds have a better sense of smell than Basset Hounds do. “Basset” comes from the French word “bas” for “low” and refers to the low-slung stature of the dog. It has the longest ears of any breed, with Bloodhounds a close second. The ears funnel scents to the nose. Because they are big-boned with heavy bodies and deep chests, they are poor swimmers. • There are two types of Husky: the Siberian Husky and the Alaskan Malamute. The word “husky” started out in the mid-1800s as “hoskey dog” or “esky dog” which both refer to “Eskimo dog.” The Siberian Husky originated in northeastern Siberia and was bred by the Chukchi Eskimos of northeastern Asia to pull heavy loads long distances across rough terrain in difficult conditions with very little food and no warmth. They were also used to herd reindeer and as watchdogs. Huskies have a thick double coat that keeps them well insulated. Their undercoat is short and warm, while the overcoat is long and water-resistant. Their almond-shaped eyes allow them to squint to keep out snow. • Pomerania is a region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Germany and Poland. The name comes from the Slavic “po more” meaning “by the sea.” It’s where the Pomeranian was bred. They were bred from the large sled dogs of the north, making them another breed closely related to wolves. • The word “terrier” comes from the old French “chien terrier” meaning literally “earth dog.” A cairn is a pile of rocks used to mark the way, from the Gaelic “carn” meaning “a heap of stones.” A cairn terrier was trained to flush small animals that live underneath and inside cairns. A cairn terrier named Terry played Toto in the 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz.” • The word “spaniel” comes from the Old French word “espaignol” meaning “Spanish dog.” Spaniels were bred as hunting dogs and have been around since the 14th century. Today there are 25 different types of Spaniels. One English breed was developed specifically for tracking woodcocks. These dogs are now known as Cocker Spaniels. Springer Spaniels were named for their ability to flush or “spring” game birds. King Charles Spaniels became popular due to their association with King Charles II of England, who ruled in the 1600s and had a fondness for the breed. • The story goes that the Chinese word “tsa” means “mix” and is pronounced “chow” as in “chow mein” with “mein” meaning “noodles.” The word “chow” also came to mean a meal, being a mix of food dishes. When dock workers were unloading ships laden with all sorts of Chinese goods, they referred to the cargo as “chow chow” meaning a mixed up mish-mash of items. When they unloaded a breed of Chinese dogs, the dogs also were called Chow Chows. Other people claim that “chow chow” is Chinese for “puffy lion dog.” Chows are famous for having black tongues, but a Chow’s tongue is pink at birth. • Cecil Rhodes was a British politician and businessman who bought up diamond mines in southern Africa, founded the DeBeers Diamond Company, worked to develop economic progress in Africa, and subsequently had a country named after him: Rhodesia. The country has since been split up and renamed, becoming Zambia and Zimbabwe. People working in Africa needed to protect their livestock from lions. They cross-bred European dogs with the dogs the local tribes used that were remarkable for the Mohawk-style ridge of backwards-facing hair that lined their spine. The Rhodesian Ridgeback, a type of hound, can keep a lion at bay.
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by Samantha Weaver * It was famed journalist and news anchor Edward R. Murrow who made the following sage observation: “Just because your voice reaches halfway around the world doesn’t mean you are wiser than when it reached only to the end of the bar.” * Thomas Jefferson was an inventor as well as a statesman, but he refused to take out patents on any of his ideas. He believed that inventions should benefit all of humanity, not just himself. * Many people know American counterculture figure Ken Kesey as the author of the 1962 novel “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” which presents a disturbing portrait of life in a mental institution. It’s less well known, though, that Kesey got an inside view of the system when he worked as a janitor in a mental hospital before he became famous. * Those who study such things say that a typical newspaper contains just 30 percent editorial content -- 70 percent of the paper you buy is taken up byÊadvertising. * The last country in the world to get telephones was the South Asian nation of Bhutan, and both television and the Internet were banned there until 1999. Incidentally, Bhutan also is the only nation in the world in which the wellbeing of the citizens is so important that the government measures the country’s Gross National Happiness. * The Beatles was not the first band in which John Lennon played. Those previous groups obviously didn’t work out, though; in fact, at one point Lennon broke a washboard over a bandmate’s head during a dispute. After the Beatles’ success, though, Lennon apologized in style: He bought the poor guy a supermarket. * In Germany, Rice Krispies don’t say “Snap, Crackle, Pop”; they say “Knisper, Knasper, Knusper.” *** Thought for the Day: “A hick town is one in which there is no place to go where you shouldn’t be.” -- Alexander Woollcott (c) 2018 King Features Synd., Inc.
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Tidbits® of the River Region
* On May 7, 1789, President George Washington attends a ball in his honor. The event provided a model for the first official inaugural ball, which later became an annual tradition. The record number of inaugural balls attended in one night by a president is 15, set by President Bill Clinton in 1997.
Thomas, Kavious Arnez Black/Male 6’3” 200 lbs Age: 27 Hair: Black Eyes: Brown
Outstanding Warrants: Forgery 3rd Theft of Property 4th
* On May 11, 1947, the B.F. Goodrich Company announces it has developed a tubeless tire, a technological innovation that would make automobiles safer and more efficient. In 1952, Goodrich won patents, and the tubeless tire quickly became standard on most new automobiles. * On May 13, 1958, anti-American demonstrators pelt then-Vice President Richard Nixon’s limousine with rocks in Caracas, Venezuela. Despite warnings not to send Nixon to Venezuela, where antiAmerican sentiment ran particularly high, he went anyway. * On May 12, 1963, Bob Dylan walks out on “The Ed Sullivan Show” after network censors rejected the song he planned to perform, “Talkin’ John Birch Paranoid Blues.” Sullivan had heard the song days before and had no concerns. * On May 9, 1971, the last original episode of the sitcom “The Honeymooners,” starring Jackie Gleason, airs. Although a perennial rerun favorite in syndication, only 39 episodes actually aired. * On May 8, 1984, the Soviet Union announces that it will boycott the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. It was a response to the United States’ decision to boycott the 1980 Moscow games. Thirteen other communist nations also refused to compete. * On May 10, 1990, the government of the People’s Republic of China announces the release of 211 people arrested during the massive protests held in Tiananmen Square in Beijing in June 1989. Observers viewed it as an attempt by China to dispel much of the terrible publicity it received for its brutal suppression of the 1989 protests. (c) 2018 Hearst Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Outstanding Warrants:
Fryer, Ashton Michael DOB: 12/02/1990 Black/Male 5’11” 150 lbs Hair: Black Eyes: Brown
Wanted for: Probation Revocation Fraudulent Use Credit Debit Card
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1. What two groups had hits with songs titled “Best of My Love”? 2. Who released “Circle in the Sand,” and when? 3. Which artist wrote and released “Bad Medicine”? 4. Name the duo who released “There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart).” 5. Name the song that contains this lyric: “We had a life, we had a love, But you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til you lose it.” Answers 1. The Eagles (1974) and The Emotions (1977). The two songs are very different, but both went to No. 1. 2. Belinda Carlisle, in 1988. The song was used on the “Grand Theft Auto 5” reissue. 3. Bon Jovi, in 1988. The song has made the rounds, from being used in “The Simpsons” to an alteredword version for a British soccer player by the name of Barry Venison. 4. The Eurythmics, in 1985. Stevie Wonder played a harmonica solo in the song. 5. “Something Happened on the Way to Heaven,” by Phil Collins, in 1990. The song is frequently misidentified by the line, “How many times can I say ‘I’m sorry’?” Legend says it was written for the film “The War of the Roses,” but was never used. (c) 2018 King Features Synd., Inc.
• In the early days of the telephone, phone numbers consisted of a series of words and numbers, and operators were required to complete a call. For instance, the fictional number of Lucy and Ricky Ricardo was “Murry Hill 5-9975.” Murray Hill denoted the town they lived in. The Elizabeth Taylor film “Butterfield 8” referred to the first digits of her phone number. • Later Bell Telephone replaced the words with letters, so Murry Hill became MU and Butterfield became BU. • As telephones rapidly gained in popularity, the engineers of Bell Telephone understood several things. First was that the spoken words and letters were easy to misunderstand. Second was that as the industry grew, it would be hard to hire enough telephone operators to complete every call. Third was that in any heavily populated area, they would quickly run out of phone numbers if only five digits were being used. Fourth was that a system of all numbers would be far more efficient. • In the 1940s, Bell Telephone began working with AT&T on the “North American Numbering Plan.” Today we know it as the area code. Gradually they began to transition the country into a ten digit system. • At the time, phones were rotary dial. The dial would click a certain number of times according to which number had been dialed: The number one had only a few clicks, and the number nine had many. It was much quicker to dial a low number than a high one. Area codes were assigned based on population, so that places with the highest call volumes could make the quickest calls. New York got 212, which had the fewest number of clicks possible on a rotary phone. Los Angeles got 213, while Chicago got 312, and Detroit got 313. Anchorage, Alaska got 907, which required 26 clicks. • Each area code had either a number “1” in the middle that denoted a region that had several area codes, or a “0” in the middle meaning the region had only a single area code. This made it easy for early computers to distinguish between long-distance and local calls. By leaving out numbers higher than 1 on the second digit, that meant that numerous area codes would be available in the decades to come. Similar area codes were separated by as many miles as possible such as Oregon’s 503 and Florida’s 305. • The first area code was put into use when New Jersey’s 201 area code went into effect in 1951. On November 10, 1951, the official rollout of area codes took place. With an audience of over 100 dignitaries and reporters, Englewood Mayor M. Leslie Denning dialed the ten-digit number of the mayor of Alameda, California. It took 17 seconds for the call to go through, and it happened without the assistance of an operator. The “New York Times” reported on the event saying, “the vine-like network of this small community’s telephone plant will grow tomorrow like an atomic-age descendant of Jack the Giant Killer’s beanstalk.” • Over the next decade, the plan steadily advanced until the entire nation had area codes in 1964. • The new system made it easy to route calls across the nation, then to regions of the network, and finally to local networks. • In the beginning, there were 86 area codes, but the system could grow up to 152 potential area codes before a new digit would need to be inserted in the area code. • Today, there are over 300 area codes in use. It’s estimated that the current ten-digit plan will be feasible until the year 2038, when phone numbers may need to become 11 digits long instead of 10.
Felecia Reneé Torbert Please call 334-202-7285 to claim your prize!
Tommy Count ______ This week’s winner receives
2 Dozen Glazed Doughnuts from
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Register to win by sending an email to entertommycontest@gmail.com or USPS to PTK Corp., PO Box 264, Wetumpka, AL 36092 with the following information: 1) Your name (first and last), and, 2) the number of times you find Tommy in the ads in the paper. From the correct entries a winner will be selected. You must be 18 years of age to qualify. The gift certificates will range in value from $25 to $100 each week. Entries must be received by midnight each Friday evening.
Last Week’s Ads where
Tommy was hiding:
1. Medac, p.3 2. Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, p.7
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TidbitsÂŽ of the River Region
“Be known before you’re needed” Advertise with Tidbits (334) 202-7285 Fabulous Food
OSCAR MAYER HOT DOGS
BIBLE TRIVIA ANSWERS:
1) New; 2) Jeremiah; 3) 40; 4) Churches; 5) Tentmaker; 6) Joseph
1. Ken Holtzman, in 1969 and 1971. 2. It was 1991 when he surpassed Brock’s 938 career steals. 3. Don Shula and Nick Saban. 4. North Carolina, with 20. 5. Pittsburgh’s Mario Lemieux, in 1985. 6. He had 122 consecutive wins. 7. Ben Hogan and Lloyd Mangrum.
• Oscar Mayer was 14 when he left Germany and came to America in 1859. As a young man he spent six years working for the Armour meat company in Chicago. • Meanwhile, his older brother Gottfried was becoming successful making sausages and hams in Germany. Oscar convinced his older brother to join him in Chicago, and together they leased the failing Kolling Meat Market. They sold German favorites bratwurst and liverwurst to the predominantly German neighbors that surrounded their market. • Five years later, it was a thriving success. It was so successful that the owner refused to renew their lease because he wanted to run the business himself. • The two brothers borrowed $10,000 and opened a new meat market two blocks away, naming it after Oscar, and the Kolling Meat Market went out of business within a year. • The brothers sent to Germany for a third brother, Max, who became their bookkeeper. By 1900 they had 43 employees. • Soon other area meat markets were stealing Oscar’s recipes but using inferior meats to create knock-off products. In response, Oscar Mayer began wrapping packages of hot dogs with a yellow band that bore the company name and an inspection stamp. This set their hot dogs apart from all other hot dogs, which bore no markings at all. They wanted people to ask for their product by name. The yellow band is still part of the company’s logo and appears on their packaging. • When the U.S. government implemented the Federal Meat Inspection Act in 1906, many meat companies fought the legislation and even denied inspectors access to their facilities. But Oscar Mayer became an early supporter of the bill, claiming it had nothing to hide. • In 1924 Oscar Mayer introduced a novel product: packaged pre-sliced bacon, for which they received a patent. • In 1936 they had an automobile built that was shaped like a hot dog, and they hired a midget to drive it to events, billing it as “the world’s smallest chef driving the world’s biggest hot dog.” Although many pint-size actors played the part, the very first one they hired was Meinhardt Raabe, who played the part of Little Oscar for several years and then headed to Hollywood where he landed the one and only film role of his career: as the munchkin coroner in “The Wizard of Oz” who declares the Wicked Witch of the East “really most sincerely dead.” • Raabe claimed to have been the person who suggested that Oscar Mayer sell sausages in tin cans so that the product would appear in two different places in the supermarket: the meat aisle and the canned goods aisle. Production began just at the start of World War II. The U.S. Government immediately realized that canned sausages were perfect for feeding hungry soldiers in the field, and almost the entire production was diverted to the war effort. This exposed many soldiers to Oscar Mayer products and ensured the continuing success of the brand. • Today there are six Weinermobiles and one WeinieBago on the road, generally driven by college students. • Oscar’s nephew Carl Mayer asked himself, “A giant hot dog was a hit, so why not a tiny one?” In 1958 every package of hot dogs came with a hot-dog shaped whistle. The whistles are still very popular today, with about 200,000 handed out every year. • By the time Oscar Mayer died at the age of 95 in 1955, his company employed thousands of people. It’s now owned by Kraft-Heinz.
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PHOTO CUTLINE: Tulip Time, Holland, Mich. Fresh-Air Fun --“Hey, come on, Donna, follow us ... we’re playing loop-de-loop,” shouted barefoot 5-year-old Eva gleefully, as she followed the freshly drawn trail in the damp sand that her older brother was marking ahead of her with his “magic” driftwood. Lured into the playful “follow the leader” game, I couldn’t help but feel their childlike freedom to run forever in the salty air. Spring is the season to get in the great outdoors and discover the elements of surprise that await your family. Here are some ideas for fresh-air entertainment: TIPTOE THROUGH THE TULIPS If you live near or enjoy traveling to Washington State’s Skagit Valley; Holland, Michigan; or even the Netherlands, take in the glorious colors of fields of tulips and daffodils in bloom. In colder climes, conservatories and greenhouses also provide an opportunity to walk pathways of spring’s first flowers. SKIP STONES On the shoreline of a calm lake or river, find flat stones. With bent knees, stand with feet parallel to the water’s edge. Throw a stone sidearm with a snap of your wrist so that it skips off the surface of the water. Keep practicing until your stone skips several times. PRACTICE CONCENTRATION When it’s time to take a break, sit around a circle and play “First one to laugh.” Choose a leader who tells everyone to keep a serious face. Then as he makes gestures, players have to imitate them without laughing. The last person left who keeps a straight face is the leader for the next round. Or, play the “silent game.” When the leader announces that the game begins, everyone has to remain quiet and listen to nature. The person who is silent the longest wins. Hiccups don’t count! CLASSIC SCHOOLYARD GAMES Play hopscotch, marbles, four square, kick the can, or set up a relay race. MAKE A TOUCH-AND-FEEL GUESSING GAME When you return from the outdoors, empty out nature finds and other items from the adventure. An older child or adult may sort through them and place interesting shapes and textures of things “players” will feel in separate tall containers. For example, dried seaweed from the beach in one container and shells, bark, feathers or leftover potato chips from lunch in another. Without peeking, each person places her hand in each container to determine what’s inside. Encourage players to describe what it feels like (prickly, puffy, smooth) as they guess the contents. *** Donna Erickson’s award-winning series “Donna’s Day” is airing on public television nationwide. To find more of her creative family recipes and activities, visit www.donnasday.com and link to the NEW Donna’s Day Facebook fan page. Her latest book is “Donna Erickson’s Fabulous Funstuff for Families.” (c) 2018 Donna Erickson Distributed by King Features Synd.
Tidbits® of the River Region