Tommy Contest Page 5
of the River Region
June 11, 2019 Published by PTK Corp.
The Neatest Little Paper Ever Read® To place an Ad, call: (334) 452-9296 TIDBITS® CELEBRATES THE
SUMMER SOLSTICE by Kathy Wolfe
This year, the Summer Solstice will fall on Friday, June 21, and will be the Northern Hemisphere’s longest day of the year and the Southern Hemisphere’s shortest day. It’s when the sun reaches its highest position in the sky, and the Earth’s North Pole tilts directly toward the sun. After this day, the length of days decreases as the season progresses toward the next solstice. Follow along as Tidbits sets its sights on that event and other happenings that have occurred during this Solstice week over the years. • On the June solstice, in the Northern Hemisphere, the solstice is used as the start of the summer season. The tilt of the Earth’s axis is most aligned with the sun, providing us with the most daylight of any day of the year. South of the Antarctic Circle, there is no direct sunlight whatsoever, known as Polar Night. • Every year, thousands gather at Stonehenge, the stone circle in Wiltshire, England, to watch the sun rise above the circle’s Heel Stone. Stonehenge’s age is estimated at 4,500 years, and the Neolithic stone circle is well-known for its alignment with the movement of the sun. The sunrise of the summer solstice and the sunset of the winter solstice align with Stonehenge. • This week was significant in amusement park history. On June 16, 1884, America’s first roller coaster opened on Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York. The Switchback Railway, as it was called was a 600-foot (183-m) wood structure that traveled at about 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/ hr). At the cost of a nickel per ride, the coaster (Continued next page)
Vol 8 Issue 24 shannon@riverregiontidbits.com
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Tidbits® of the River Region (Front page continued)
1. Is the book of Jeremiah in the Old or New Testament or neither? 2. In a vision that convinced Peter to share the gospel, in what were the creatures let down to earth? Great sheet, Cloud, Well, Wind 3. Who was instructed to eat bread while he lay for 390 days on his side? Moses, Ezekiel, Methuselah, Samson 4. From Matthew 5, what did Jesus tell His disciples they were the salt of? His glory, Mankind, The earth, Conversation 5. Who survived the bite of a viper as described in Acts 28? Paul, Matthew, John the Baptist, Stephen 6. From Genesis 35, who died in giving birth to Benjamin? Anna, Leah, Martha, Rachel “Test Your Bible Knowledge,” featuring 1,206 multiple-choice questions by columnist Wilson Casey, is available in bookstores and online. (c) 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.
generated $600 a day, and had paid for itself in just three weeks. Although the coaster was torn down, Coney Island’s famous Cyclone roller coaster sits on the same site. The Cyclone, which opened in 1927, reaches speeds of 60 mph (96.5 km/hr), and has an 85-foot (26-m) drop. It’s one of America’s oldest coasters still in operation. On June 21, 1893, the Ferris wheel made its debut at Chicago’s Columbian Exposition. Measuring 250 feet (76.2 m) in diameter and requiring 100,000 parts, with 36 cars each carrying 60 people, the wheel was the brainstorm of a 33-year-old Pittsburgh engineer named George Ferris, Jr. For the 19 weeks of the fair’s operation, more than 1.4 million people rode the Ferris Wheel, paying 50 cents for the 20-minute ride. Unfortunately, the wheel created several legal issues for George Ferris, who was bankrupt just three years after the fair closed. He then contracted typhoid fever and died at age 37. The Ferris wheel became an integral part of the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, but two years later, it was dynamited and sold for scrap. • June 16, 1903 was a big day in the business world. It’s the day that Henry Ford and his 12 stockholders gathered in Detroit to sign the paperwork to incorporate the Ford Motor Company. It had been seven years since Ford had built his first gasoline-powered vehicle in the workshop behind his house. • One month after the Ford Motor Company was established, the first Ford vehicle was assembled at a Detroit plant. Elsewhere in the business world, on the same day in New Bern, North Carolina, Caleb Bradham was registering the official trademark for his invention, Pepsi-Cola. Originally known as “Brad’s Drink” and served at Bradham’s downtown drug store, it was a mixture of sugar, water, caramel, lemon oil, and nutmeg. He renamed it Pepsi-Cola, taking the term from the word dyspepsia, meaning indigestion. Bradham claimed it was a healthy drink, and used the slogan, “Exhilarating, Invigorating, Aids Digestion” • All eyes were on the television screen on June 17, 1994, as a white Ford Bronco raced down a California freeway, chased by Los Angeles policemen. They were chasing former football great O.J. Simpson, who had been charged that morning with the murder of his wife Nicole and her friend Ronald Goldman. Simpson was scheduled to surrender at 11:00 AM, but instead fled in the Bronco to the Santa Ana freeway, where he engaged police in an hour-and-a-half pursuit before surrendering in the driveway of his Brentwood home. He was arraigned on June 20, 1994, and “The Trial of the Century” began, ending in Simpson’s acquittal in 1995. • On June 18, 1983, astronaut Sally Ride stepped aboard the space shuttle Challenger, the first American woman in space, as well as the youngest American astronaut at age 32. The physicist and engineer had answered an ad in the Stanford University student newspaper, announcing the search for applicants for the U.S. space program. At age 27, she was chosen by NASA to join the program. After leaving NASA in 1987, Ride returned to Stanford, this time to work at the Center for International Security (Continued next page)
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and Arms Control. She later became a physics professor at the University of California. • Sally Ride wasn’t the first woman in space. That honor belongs to Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, who rocketed into space aboard Vostok 6, almost 20 years to the day before Ride, on June 16, 1963. Prior to her career in space travel, Tereshkova was a textile factory worker and amateur skydiver. • The French ship Isere cruised into New York Harbor on June 17, 1885, bearing the 350 individual pieces of the Statue of Liberty, a gift of friendship from the people of France. Once reassembled, the 450,000-lb. (204,116 kg) statue was taller than any NYC structure at the time. It was officially dedicated in October of 1886 • The College of Philadelphia (today’s University of Pennsylvania) granted America’s first medical diploma on June 21, 1768. Dr. John Archer graduated from the Department of Medicine, but strangely enough, began practicing law the following year rather than pursuing a medical career. He was instrumental in organizing troops for the Revolutionary War, became a major in the Continental Army, and was elected to the U.S. Congress three times from the state of Maryland. • June 21, 1939 was a sad day in baseball history when the New York Yankees announced the retirement of their first baseman Lou Gehrig. Gehrig’s performance on the field had been declining for several weeks that Spring, and after undergoing six days of intensive testing at the Mayo Clinic, Gehrig was informed he had an incurable disease called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis that would lead to paralysis, and eventually death. Gehrig played his final game on April 30, the 2,130th consecutive game of his career. He died at age 37 on June 2, 1941, the anniversary of the beginning of his consecutive game streak.
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Tidbits® of the River Region
REMARKABLE PEOPLE:
BRENDON BURCHARD “No matter how small you start, start something that matters.” That’s wisdom from Brendon Burchard, the motivational speaker who is Tidbits’ focus this week. • If Montana-born Burchard hadn’t had a lifechanging event at age 19, he might not have become the inspiration that he has become to millions. After surviving a near-fatal car accident, Burchard identified what he felt were life’s three vital questions, which have served as the inspiration for his teachings: “Did I live fully? Did I love openly? Did I make a difference?” He has made it his life’s purpose to help others live, love, and matter. • In order to “make a difference,” Burchard urges practicing generosity, not just with money, but also with time, attention, love, patience, forgiveness, and energy. • Burchard has built his life around some simple advice he received from his father: “Be yourself. Be honest. Do your best. Take care of your family. Treat people with respect. Be a good citizen. Follow your dreams.” He advocates, “Be an example of the kind of conduct you wish to see in the world. Do not expect love, excellence or generosity if you do not radiate such things.” • The near-death experience moved him to write his first book Life’s Golden Ticket. During his 20s, he studied psychology and leadership while working at a consulting firm. His second book, The Millionaire Messenger, shot up the “New York Times Best Seller List,” enabling Burchard to strike out on his own as a performance coach and motivational speaker. • The online course he developed has been completed by more than 1.5 million students in 192 countries. Burchard has the #1 selfhelp series, “The Charged Life,” on YouTube. It’s his desire that everyone reach their full (Continued next page)
Outstanding Warrants:
McKinney, Stephen DOB: 04/30/1956 White/Male 5’7” 165 lbs Hair: Brown Eyes: Brown
Wanted for: Unemployment Compensation Violation
by Samantha Weaver * It was beloved American author Ursula K. LeGuin -- perhaps best known for her “Earthsea” series -- who made the following sage observation: “What sane person could live in this world and not be crazy?” * The skateboard was invented in California in the 1950s by surfers who wanted to continue their favorite activity even when they weren’t in the water. * It’s hard to imagine what life was like before the widespread availability of refrigeration, isn’t it? Some people have decided to find out -- and you might be surprised at how many. Although 99.5% of all households in the United States have a refrigerator, that still means that more than 1.5 million households are fridgeless. * What we call coffee beans are actually the pits of the coffee beans. * With an area of less than 1,000 square miles, the tiny Western European nation of Luxembourg is one of the smallest countries in the world, and it is the world’s only remaining sovereign Grand Duchy. Considering the country’s longstanding adherence to tradition, it is perhaps unsurprising that the national motto is “We want to remain what we are.” * Those who study such things claim that the hair on people of European descent tends to whorl in a counterclockwise fashion, while on most Japanese people it whorls in the opposite direction. * Statistics show that for every 71,000 skydiving jumps made, there is only one fatality. That might not seem surprising until you put it in context: You have a one in 20,000 chance of dying from a regular fall right here on solid ground. *** Thought for the Day: “The problem with being sure that God is on your side is that you can’t change your mind, because God sure isn’t going to change His.” -- Roger Ebert (c) 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.
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potential, and has made it his objective to help people set high performance goals. The first step is to define the mission, and define what stands in the way of achieving it. A person should set three small life-changing goals for each day, starting the day with an attitude of anticipation. Study up on individuals who have mastered the same mission and pay attention to successful people. • Burchard has identified three specific kinds of fear and pain experienced by most people – loss, hardship/disaster, and disappointment. Many resist trying new things because of fear of losing status, power, or relationships. Others fear the pain of disappointment when things don’t succeed as desired, while some fear the struggles and doubts that come from trying to change. His mantra is to ask oneself, “What if instead of fearing disappointment, I can imagine a positive future?” or “What if instead of hardship, I can honor or enjoy the learning process?” • Burchard recommends setting boundaries by saying “no” to false obligations. Eliminating ineffective habits and negativity and replacing them with positive new rituals and high performance habits will help people focus on their mission. • He credits much of his insight to the thousands of comments, stories, and feedback from his students, which has equipped him to understand the struggles and habits that helped them develop. • “Be aware of the information that’s entering your mind. Seek empowering information that moves your life forward.” -- Brendon Burchard
By Chris Richcreek
1. Since 1970, five college baseball teams have won back-to-back College World Series. Name three of them. 2. True or false: Although Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer gave up 303 home runs during his 19-year major league career, he never surrendered a grand slam. 3. Who is the only Florida State football player to be the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft? 4. Name the player who holds the NBA record for most playoff games played? 5. Who was the last NHL player before Calgary’s Johnny Gaudreau in 2019 to have a six-point game? 6. Who holds the record for most career medals in Olympic speedskating? 7. In 2019, golfer Dustin Johnson became the fifth player in the past 50 years to reach 20 career PGA wins before the age of 35. Name two of the other four to do it. (c) 2019 King Features Syndicate, Inc.
Barbara Waters Please call 334-452-9296 within 7 days of this issue to claim your prize!
Tommy Count ______ This week’s winner receives a
$25 Dollar Gift Certificate from
Farmers Market Cafe 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. Carter Electric Service Company LLC,p.1 2. Summer Tutoring, p.6
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TidbitsÂŽ of the River Region
Credit Cards Now Accepted
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JAWS
BIBLE TRIVIA ANSWERS:
1) Old; 2) Great sheet; 3) Ezekiel; 4) The earth; 5) Paul; 6) Rachel
1. Southern Cal, Stanford, LSU, Oregon State and South Carolina. 2. True. 3. Quarterback Jameis Winston, in 2015. 4. Derek Fisher, with 259 playoff games. 5. Dallas’ Jamie Benn, in 2013. 6. Ireen Wust of the Netherlands, with 11 medals (2006-18). 7. Phil Mickelson, Johnny Miller, Tom Watson and Tiger Woods.
June 20 marks the anniversary of the release of the movie Jaws, which debuted in 1975 on 464 screens across the continent. Follow along as Tidbits reviews the history of this blockbuster about a giant maneating shark. • The movie’s fictional Amity Island was actually filmed on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, beginning in May, 1974. Several of the local folks were hired as extras on the movie and were paid $64 to run across the beach screaming. • Three full-size sharks, each costing about $250,000, were created for the movie. The pneumatically-powered mechanical great whites were nicknamed Bruce after director Steven Spielberg’s lawyer Bruce Ramer. • Jaws was the first major film to be shot on the ocean, which created all kinds of trouble, causing the film to drastically exceed its budget and miss its scheduled completion by 104 days. The film’s budget was set at $4 million, but the final bottom line ballooned to $9 million. Problems with the mechanical sharks contributed to a huge increase in the special effects budget. The very first day the model shark was put in the water, it sank to the bottom of the ocean. Malfunctions continued with the pneumatic hoses filling up with salt water, and corrosion of the props’ skin. • Spielberg, just 28 years old, wanted moviegoers to feel as if they were treading water, and so filmed about 25% of the movie at water level. This presented the problem of unwanted watercraft drifting into view, as well as making actors seasick much of the time. • Although the movie opened in just 464 screens, after opening with a $7 million weekend, it was expanded to 700 theaters by July 25, and an additional 250 by August 15. Production costs were recovered within just two weeks after opening. After grossing $450 million worldwide, Jaws gained the status of “highest-grossing film of all time,” but only held on to the honor for two years until Star Wars was released in 1977. • The film frightened viewers to the point of generating fear of going into the ocean. A dramatic reduction in beach attendance was ascribed to the movie, and reported shark sightings surged. For all the terror the shark created, the beast actually had just four total minutes of screen time. • The ominous theme song, signaling the shark’s approach, was a simple alternating pattern of two notes, “E” and “F”, and was performed by tuba player Tommy Johnson. The American Film Institute has ranked composer John Williams’ soundtrack as #6 on their list of the 25 Greatest Film Scores. The Institute ranks Jaws as #48 on its list of the Top 100 Movies. • Nominated for four Academy Awards, Jaws took home three of them. Although nominated for Best Picture, it was edged out by One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. • Three Jaws sequels followed the original blockbuster, but none came even close to its success. In fact, the total gross generated by all three sequels combined amounted to just half of the original movie’s millions. • When released for home viewers, Jaws was the first LaserDisc marketed in North America.
* On June 13, 323 B.C., Alexander the Great, the young Macedonian military genius who forged an empire stretching from the eastern Mediterranean to India, dies in Babylon, in present-day Iraq, at the age of 33. Alexander had received a classical education from famed philosopher Aristotle. * On June 15, 1215, following a revolt by the English nobility against his rule, King John puts his royal seal on the Magna Carta, or “Great Charter.” It guaranteed the king would respect feudal rights and privileges, uphold the freedom of the church and maintain the nation’s laws. * On June 10, 1752, Benjamin Franklin flies a kite during a thunderstorm and collects a charge in a Leyden jar when the kite is struck by lightning, demonstrating the electrical nature of lightning. * On June 14, 1922, President Warren G. Harding, while dedicating a memorial site for the composer of “The Star Spangled Banner,” Francis Scott Key, becomes the first president to have his voice transmitted by radio. * On June 11, 1963, President John F. Kennedy issues presidential proclamation 3542, forcing Alabama Gov. George Wallace to comply with federal court orders allowing two black students to register at the University of Alabama. * On June 12, 1987, in his famous Cold War speech in West Berlin, President Ronald Reagan challenges Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down this wall.” The Berlin Wall was a symbol of the repressive Communist era in a divided Germany. Germany was officially reunited on Oct. 3, 1990. * On June 16, 1999, Kathleen Ann Soliah, a former member of the Symbionese Liberation Army, is arrested near her home in Minnesota after evading authorities for more than 20 years. The SLA, a small, radical American paramilitary group, made a name for itself in the 1970s with a series of murders, robberies and other violent acts. (c) 2019 Hearst Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved
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Sandpaper Art Reveal Will Surprise Kids Kids are always eager to draw pictures. They know firsthand the pleasure of putting crayon to paper (and to the occasional wall or two) to express what’s in their imagination. Enhance your children’s natural creativity and love of art by offering them new experiences using basic art supplies and unexpected items to challenge and surprise -- in this case, crayons in bright colors and sandpaper out of the toolbox. The texture of the sandpaper will create a beautiful picture made up of tiny dots that resemble pointillism, a painting technique used by postimpressionist painter Georges Seurat. He used thousands of dots of color that you can see up close but that blend into an image when you step back, away from the painting. Try these steps to create a wonderful piece of pointillist-like art in seconds. What’s the magic ingredient? A dot, your kids might say? Uh-uh. An iron! Here’s how: Pick out an array of bright crayons. Vibrant blues, greens, purples and reds are great. Create a drawing on a sheet of medium-grain sandpaper, pressing very hard as you color. Designs that use blocks of color rather than thick lines work best here. Again, press hard as you fill in the shapes with your crayons. When you’re done, turn the sandpaper over on top of a plain, white piece of drawing or construction paper. An adult should heat up an iron on low temperature and then iron the backside of the sandpaper as if ironing a hanky. Pass it over the back evenly and slowly for 15 to 20 seconds. Remove iron. Count to 20 with your kids, and then slowly pick up the sandpaper to reveal the picture on the paper in dot form. There it is. Sandpaper pointillism! Never mind French postimpressionists for the moment. You’ll have your own very “impressive” artist in residence. Encourage your child to look closely to see the dots, then step away and discover how they blend together. Note how crayon melted on the sandpaper, too, providing a “two for one” art project. “The grandkids are coming!” tip: Plan a follow-up activity and take your grandkids to an art museum in your area to see an exhibition of French impressionists. Or, visit your public library and find large art books with paintings of impressionists and postimpressionists. *** 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) 2019 Donna Erickson Distributed by King Features Synd.
Tidbits® of the River Region
1. Which British group released “Fox on the Run,” and when? 2. Name the singer who had a No. 1 hit with “Delta Dawn.” 3. Which artist put “Prove Your Love” on her debut album? 4. If a group plays “skiffle,” what does that means? 5. Name the song that contains this lyric: “I know that it must be the woman in you that brings out the man in me, I know I can’t help myself.” Answers 1. Sweet, in 1974. The song topped the charts in a number of countries and has been used in films such as “Dazed and Confused” and “When in Rome.” 2. Helen Reddy, in 1973. Reddy’s version came out two days before the single by Bette Midler, which required a fast PR adjustment to promote Midler’s b-side instead, “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.” 3. Taylor Dayne, in 1988. The song went to No. 1 on dance club charts. 4. They use items such as jugs, washboards and guitars and fiddles made out of cigar boxes. 5. “Feels Like the First Time,” by Foreigner in 1977 on their debut album. The song has been used in multiple films: “Magic Mike,” “Pitch Perfect” and “Anchorman 2.” (c) 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.