Tidbits of Grand Forks - December 17, 2020

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Of Grand Forks • East Grand Forks December 17, 2020

Published by: Wick Publications

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Issue # 1,199

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Come along with Tidbits as we visit the Arctic!

• Early astronomers plotted the circle of the Sun passing in orbit around Earth. The circle passed through the constellation of the Great Bear, whose name was Arktos, which is the Greek word for “bear.” That is how northern regions became known as the Arctic, and the southernmost region of the planet became the Antarctic, with the Greek prefix “ant” meaning “opposite” or “against.”

• The Arctic Circle (66°30′ N) is a line that circles the globe, marking the southernmost boundary of the Arctic region. The Arctic Circle is 1,650 miles south of the geographic North Pole. It encompasses parts of Alaska, Canada, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, and Greenland.

• Every place within the Arctic Circle has at least one 24-hour period during which the sun does not set and one period when it does not rise. At the North Pole, the sun doesn’t set for 187 days in the summer, and then it remains below the horizon for 178 days. However, even after the sun sets, the region experiences “twilight” for several weeks.

• The Arctic is also defined by temperature zones, tundra distribution, and political Turn the page for more! boundaries.

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6. What was the name of Norm Peterson’s unseen wife in the sitcom “Cheers”?

7. What is the best-selling Christmas movie of all time?

8. In Frosty the Snowman, what is the name of the magician?

9. In what state does A Christmas Story take place?

10. In the movie Elf, what is considered the first rule of The Code of Elves?

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THE ARCTIC (continued):

• The Arctic region is not a frozen wasteland. In fact, 60% of Arctic terrain is outside the zones of permanent ice. The Arctic consists of coastal wetlands, tundra, glaciers, mountains, rivers, and the sea.

• There is more than one North Pole. The northernmost point on the Earth’s surface is the geographic North Pole, also known as True North. South of that point lies the magnetic North Pole which is the focus of Earth’s magnetic field. This is where all compasses point. The magnetic North Pole is constantly changing position. Generally, the magnetic North Pole is about 250 miles south of the geographic North Pole.

• If you stand at the North Pole, you would be in every time zone at once because all the lines that demarcate time zones start at the North Pole. Every direction you travel would be south.

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• In 1958, a submarine called the USS Nautilus sailed beneath the frozen ice of the Arctic Ocean, proving that the enormous ice sheet is floating on water and not resting on land.

• Tundra is composed of large stretches of bare ground and rock with patches of low vegetation.

Approximately 1,700 species of plants live on the Arctic tundra, including flowering plants, dwarf shrubs, herbs, grasses, mosses, and lichens.

• Permafrost covers nearly 25% of the Earth’s surface. In some northern areas of Alaska and Canada, the permafrost is 800 to 1,500 feet deep but it’s even deeper in Siberia, where the deepest known permafrost exceeds 2,000 feet.

• At 5.4 million square miles, the Arctic Ocean is about 1.5 times as big as the U.S. but it’s the world’s smallest ocean, only 8% the size of the biggest ocean, the Pacific. Still, the Arctic Ocean supports more fish than any other place in the world. ...continued

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SPORTS QUIZ 1. “How about that!?” was the signature on-air catchphrase of what legendary New York Yankees broadcaster?

2. Of Ivan Lendl’s eight career Grand Slam tennis tournament wins, how many were at Wimbledon?

3. What basketball Hall of Famer is the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer with 3,667 points?

4. Name the former NFL quarterback who served in the U.S. House of Representatives for North Carolina’s 11th congressional district from 2007-13.

5. What St. Louis Cardinals outfielder was injured when Busch Stadium’s automatic tarpaulin rolled over his leg before a 1985 NL Championship Series game?

6. Name the first NFL team to play in 3 Super Bowls.

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THE ARCTIC (continued):

• The Arctic is mostly ocean surrounded by land, while Antarctica is mostly land surrounded by ocean. Because of this, the Arctic is much warmer than Antarctica. The average summer temperature at the North Pole is 32°F. But at the South Pole, the average summer temperature is -18°F. • The lowest temperature ever recorded at ground level on Earth is −128.6°F at the Soviet Vostok Station in Antarctica on July 21, 1983. By contrast, the lowest temperature ever recorded in the Arctic was −89.9°F in Verkhoyansk, Russia.

• In June of 2020, the same Russian town of Verkhoyansk soared to 100.4°F breaking an all-time record for the Arctic and alarming meteorologists worldwide.

• On February 6, 2020, weather stations recorded the hottest temperature on record for Antarctica.

Thermometers reached 64.9°F which was about the same temperature as Los Angeles that day.

• The Arctic ice contains 10% of the world’s fresh water. It plays an important role in keeping our climate and sea levels stable, especially because the white ice reflects the sun’s heat, while the dark ocean absorbs it. If all the Arctic ice melted, sea levels would rise by around 23 feet. However, if all the Antarctic ice melted, global sea levels would rise by 197 feet.

• In 2018, the Arctic Ocean experienced its second-biggest sea ice decline on record. Parts of Greenland were exposed to open ocean for the first time in a thousand years.

• 80% of the land surface of Greenland is covered by an ice sheet that ranges from one to two miles thick. It’s the world’s second largest body of ice.

Only the Antarctic ice sheet is larger. ...continued

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THE SANTA CLAUS GIRLS NEED YOUR HELP! For over 100 years the Santa Claus Girls have helped children — in Grand Forks & East Grand Forks — have a Merry Christmas who otherwise might not have the opportunity.

This year 1,200 children will receive a gift package & the cost of providing this small package to each child amounts to $40,000 per year. Your generous donations make this very For more information, Call 701-740-4900 successful program possible. Thank You!

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• On Dec. 23, 1620, one week after the Mayflower arrived at Plymouth harbor in present-day Massachusetts, construction of the first permanent European settlement in New England begins. The term "Pilgrim" was derived from a manuscript in which Gov. Bradford spoke of the "saints" who traveled to the New World as "pilgrimes."

• On Dec. 22, 1808, Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67 made its world premiere.

The Fifth Symphony is instantly recognizable by its powerful four-note opening motif -- three short Gs followed by a long E-flat.

• On Dec. 25, 1880, Layne Hall is born in Mississippi.

When he died in 1990, Hall was the oldest licensed driver in the U.S. In nearly 75 years on the road, Hall never got a speeding ticket or citation of any kind.

• On Dec. 26, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson announces the nationalization of a majority of the country's railroads under the Federal Possession and Control Act due to World War I. Two days later, the United States Railroad Administration seized control.

• On Dec. 24, 1923, President Calvin Coolidge touches a button and lights up the first national Christmas tree to grace the White House grounds. The tree was the first to be decorated with electric lights -- a strand of 2,500 red, white and green bulbs.

• On Dec. 27, 1932, at the height of the Great Depression, thousands turn out for the opening of Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Designed as a place where ordinary people could see quality entertainment, it remains the largest indoor theater in the world.

• On Dec. 21, 1975, in Vienna, Austria, Carlos the Jackal leads a raid on a meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, killing three people and taking 63 hostages. Carlos evaded capture until 1994, when French agents found him hiding in the Sudan.

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THE ARCTIC (continued):

• The largest iceberg ever recorded in the Arctic had an area of about 100 square miles which is four times bigger than Manhattan. It broke away from a glacier in northwest Greenland in 2010.

The last time such a large iceberg had been seen was in 1962. The first half of 2010 had seen the warmest average global temperatures since record-keeping began. Observers noted the crack in Greenland’s glacier and predicted it would calve.

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• The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, a storage facility run by the Norwegian government, lies 800 miles north of the Arctic Circle. The structure, which was built into the permafrost, holds seeds for more than 4,000 plant species, including lifesustaining food crops, keeping them safe in the event of natural or manmade disasters. The site is located in an area that is high in elevation to prevent flooding; it is geologically stable; and the area has low humidity. It is also the farthest north that scheduled airline flights go, making it very remote. If the electricity goes out or the refrigeration fails, the seeds will still stay cold due to their location. Each of the species stored here has about 500 seeds on hand, all carefully stored.

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• The Norwegian town of Longyearbyen on the island of Svalbard is the northernmost permanently inhabited settlement in the world, although there are outposts and research stations farther north than that. Longyearbyen is a coal mining town with a year-round population of about 2,400. The city was named after an American businessman named John Longyear who began coal mining operations here in 1906. Coal mining continued until the market for coal collapsed in 2017. Now the town is sustained by tourism, research, and maintenance of the nearby the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.

*Answer located further back in this issue.

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MERRY CHRISTMAS!

by Lucie Winbourne

• Pine cones have genders. Male pine cones shed pollen and female pine cones make seeds. When the wind blows pollen into the female cones, the seeds become pollinated.

• Cats are believed to be the only mammals that don't taste sweetness.

• In 1978, DC put out a "Superman vs. Muhammad Ali" comic book. While the plot deals with hostile aliens, the book's main highlight is the whooping Superman gets in a sparring match with "The Greatest"!

• The first-ever fashion magazine was sold in Germany in 1586.

• Early cosmetic surgeons used a procedure known as paraffin wax rhinoplasty, in which they would inject hot liquid wax into a patient's nose and mold it into the desired shape. Not only was this dangerous, but, no surprise, it really didn't work.

• Canada eats more macaroni and cheese than any other nation in the world.

• A French general, the Marquis de Lafayette, gave John Quincy Adams a pet alligator. Our sixth president not only kept it in a White House bathtub, but enjoyed showing it off to visitors.

• There is a town in India called Santa Claus.

• Ever wonder how the tradition of leaving hand and footprints in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood got started? By accident -- when silent film actress Norma Talmadge stepped on wet cement.

• Cellophane, invented in 1908, was originally intended to protect tablecloths from wine spills.

• Those old witch potions aren't quite as gross as you think: Eye of newt, toe of frog and wool of bat are actually archaic terms for mustard seed, buttercup and holly leaves.

• Selfies now cause more deaths than shark attacks. *** Thought for the Day: "My father always said, 'Never trust anyone whose TV is bigger than their bookshelf' -- so I make sure I read." -- Emilia Clarke © 2020 King Features Synd., Inc.

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• “Elf” is the story of Buddy the Elf, a baby in an orphanage who stowed away in Santa’s sack of toys and ended up at the North Pole, where he was raised

by Papa Elf. When Buddy learned of his adoption, he headed to New York City to find his biological father, who had no idea of Buddy’s existence. Buddy began his journey by hopping on an iceberg, and travelled through the seven levels of the Candy Cane Forest and through the sea of swirly-twirly gum drops before reaching Manhattan.

• The screenplay for “Elf” was written in 1993, created with Jim Carrey in mind as the cheery elf, but when it took nearly 10 years for the film to go into production, Carrey became involved in other projects and turned down the role. The role went to Will Ferrell, and became one of his most successful.

Likewise, Zooey Deschanel was not the first choice for Jovie, the department store worker who became Buddy’s love interest. She was the backup who stepped in when the first choice dropped out.

• The infant Buddy was originally slated to be played by a set of twin boys with blonde curly hair. But when the babies cried unceasingly, they were replaced by a set of happy and playful brunette triplet girls.

• Filming began in early December, 2002, and was completed three months later. The film was wildly successful, grossing $220 million on a $33 million budget.

• Although the setting was Gimbels Department Store in New York City, the interior retail scenes were actually shot at Macy’s. That’s because the Manhattan Gimbels store had been closed since 1987, 16 years earlier, after 77 years of operation in New York City. Today, Gimbels is the home of the Manhattan Mall.

• Much of the movie was shot on sound stages in Vancouver, Canada, because of the financial benefits of filming there. However, all of the Manhattan shots – Rockefeller Center, Central Park, and Central Park West, where Buddy’s dad lived – were shot on location. Filming in the city had its drawbacks. On the final day of New York filming, just three people were on the job – Ferrell, the director, and one cameraman. These were the scenes of Buddy skipping enthusiastically around the downtown, discovering all the attractions and busyness of the city. However, as Ferrell walked through traffic in the Lincoln Tunnel in his elf costume, distracted drivers were involved in several fender benders as they gawked at the actor.

• Two different sets had to be built for the North Pole scenes, a large-scale one for the small elf actors, and a small-scale set to make Buddy and Santa look big.

The film was then overlaid to combine the two.

• Will Ferrell endured several headaches and bouts of sleeplessness throughout the shoot, brought on by the massive amounts of sugar he was obliged to consume. As Buddy said, the four main elf food groups are “candy, candy canes, candy corn, and syrup,” and Ferrell ingested maple syrup-coated spaghetti, cotton balls made of cotton candy, pastries, and large amounts of candy. One of the candy scenes had to be shot twice, due to Ferrell’s vomiting the first time.

• Another famous Christmas classic actor, Peter Billingsley, who starred as Ralphie in “A Christmas Story,” was seen in “Elf” as Ming Ming, an elf master toy maker. Will Ferrell’s brother Patrick had a small role as a security guard at the Empire State Building.

• Although Ferrell was offered $29 million for a sequel to “Elf,” the actor turned down the offer.

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(Answers located further back)

December 7, 2020

• Inexpensive gift idea: On the front of an empty photo album or scrapbook, print out and arrange color photos of your recipient in a collage. Glue the photos to the front of the album and cover with a decoupage glaze, like Mod Podge. Let dry and glaze again.

You’ve just made a one-of-a-kind gift!

• If you are a re-gifter, always document from whom and in what year you received a gift. Then re-gift it to someone who will have little to no contact with that person. For example, if Aunt Emily from out of town sends you a lovely soap basket that you would never use, you could re-gift it for your office party.

• After-Christmas sales are a great time to buy not only gift wrap (look for solid colors that you can use all year long), holiday cards and decoration, but also next season’s winter wear.

Things like scarves and gloves can be great bargains. And even coats can go on sale. Take advantage — especially if you have kids — and buy up.

• “Recycle in the new year by using wrapping supplies to help store your holiday decorations. The cardboard tube from gift wrap can be cut into smaller pieces, which you can wrap strands of tree or house lights around.

Boxes can be put to use to hold ornaments or other decorations, and ribbon and bows that are still in good condition can be tucked away for re-use next year.” — E.F. in Oregon • “Resolutions are a great idea, and, like a lot of people, last year I resolved to exercise more often. I keep a stationary bike in my living room, and I use it while I watch my favorite programs on television. It has helped me lose 8 pounds, and I feel much better. This year, I am going to resolve to volunteer to help others.” — I.N. in Nebraska Send your tips to Now Here’s a Tip, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803.

by Matilda Charles

Pants on Fire!

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has put out a timely warning about fire safety, especially for seniors. The main statistic is grim: We seniors make up about 16% of the population, but account for a whopping 77% of all clothing fires.

Cooking heads the list of dangers, with fires from the stovetop and oven. Closely following are fires from smoking and being outside burning trash and debris.

Space heaters are on the list, of course.

The advice from the experts: -- Don't cook when you're wearing a bathrobe or anything with long, wide sleeves. Any loose clothing can catch fire if you're too close.

-- If you burn debris and trash outside, stay back from the fire. A better idea, however, is not to do any outdoor burning yourself, especially if you have any health conditions such as heart or lung disease. We're at a much higher risk from the air pollutants caused by burning.

-- Don't smoke in bed, ever, or when you feel tired.

-- Keep an eye on your space heater. It's far too easy to be too close to a space heater and not notice that your pants or robe are about to catch fire. Don't run it if you're feeling sleepy, and read the instructions to be sure it's far enough away from you at all times.

-- If the worst happens and your clothes catch fire, don't run! Drop to the floor and roll, and keep rolling until the fire is out. Grab a blanket if it's necessary to put the fire out. Call 911 and put cool water on your burns until help arrives.

-- Do you have a fire extinguisher? Did you know that the chemicals inside can expire? They will typically last from five to 15 years, so be sure to check yours.

Remember that during this virus pandemic the EMTs might be delayed getting to you. Stay safe!

by Freddy Groves

Where to Live After Leaving the Service?

A quarter of a million of us leave the service every year, and where do we go? If our last duty station was in a great place, we might just put down roots and stay. Some of us go home. And some of us have no idea where to go.

The Navy Federal Credit Union came out with another "best of" list recently, and this time it surveys the best place to live after transitioning to civilian life. While the focus of their survey was for newly transitioned veterans, it also applies to those of us who have been out for a while. Support is support.

They polled 1,000 veterans and civilians about the importance of crime rates, cost of living, housing costs, outdoor recreation and community diversity in any place they wanted to live, and then ranked over 400 cities. Here are the top 10: 1) Charleston, South Carolina; 2) Fort Myers, Florida; 3) Savannah, Georgia; 4) Daphne, Alabama; 5) Norwich, Connecticut; 6) San Diego; 7) Norfolk, Virginia; 8) Duluth, Minnesota; 9) Gulfport, Mississippi; 10) Fort Worth, Texas.

To see the descriptions and highlights for each of those cities, go online to www.navyfederal.org/resources/articles/news/2020-best-cities-after-service.php Personally, I think they should have made "good weather" as one of the criteria for a decent place to live. *** On another note, if you have a few extra dollars, go online to Operation Homefront (operation homefront. org) and scroll to the bottom. There you'll find the Urgent Needs listing of both active duty and veterans who've run into a snag and need cash donations. Click on See All Needs to find the filter to select by state, program or military branch. Read a few of the stories of veterans in trouble and see if any touch your heart. If you can't choose, click on Help Feed a Military Family. They'll get gift certificates and vouchers, plus food boxes. Then, open your wallet and help as much as you can. (c) 2020 King Features Synd., Inc.

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NAMES YOU NEVER KNEW

• The space between the eyebrows is called the “glabella” which is also the name of the bone that connects the brow ridges. It comes from the Latin “glaber” meaning “smooth, bald” along with the diminutive suffix “-ella.”

• The tingling sensation when your foot falls asleep is called “paresthesia” from the Greek “para” meaning “alongside” and “aesthesis” meaning “sensation,” which is also the root of “anesthesia” meaning “no sensation.”

• Illegible handwriting is called “griffonage” from the French “griff” meaning “claw” or “scrawl.”

• Silent letters in words are called “aphthongs” from the French meaning “no sound.” Also from French is “diphthong” meaning “two sounds” referring to a single vowel that is composed of two vowel sounds, as in the word “I” which is composed of “ah-ee” or “oh” which is made up of “oh-oo” or “A” which is “eh-ee.”

• The frothy foam on top of a beer is called barm, so a frothy beer would be a barmy beer, with “barm” referring to the presence of yeast.

• Mort Walker, creator of the comic strips Beetle Bailey and Hi and Lois, often used phrases such as @%#$!* in his comic strips. He was the first person to dub such words with the name “grawlix.”

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• “Acnestis” is the part of the body on a mammal in between the shoulder blades and the loins, that cannot be reached to be scratched. The word comes from a combination of two Greek words: “aknestis” which means “spine” and “knestos” which means “to scratch or scrape.”

• The cardboard sleeve around your coffee is a “zarf” from the Arabic word meaning “container.”

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NAMES OF THINGS (cont.)

• A palindrome is a word or phrase that reads the same forward and backwards. The word comes from the Greek phrase meaning “running backwards.” Examples include “Eva, Can I Stab Bats In A Cave?” and “Madam In Eden, I’m Adam.” But then there’s also “semordnilap” which denotes a word that means one thing forward and another thing backward, such as “stressed” and “desserts.” Other examples include diaper/repaid, parts/strap and semordnilap itself backwards spells palindromes.

• The metal piece at the end of the pencil that holds the eraser in place is a “ferrule,” though it’s not just for pencils. Ferrules are any thin bracelet that fastens or reinforces a tube or pole that might split. The word likely comes from the Latin word meaning “little bracelet.”

• “Kummerspeck” is the excess weight you gain from emotional eating. It’s German in origin and literally means “grief bacon.”

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Sports Answers 1. Mel Allen 2. Zero 3. Pete Maravich

4. Heath Shuler 5. Vince Coleman 6. Miami Dolphins

• The bump on the inside corner of the eye is the “caruncule,” though it also refers to things such as the wattle of a bird, the sprout of a seed, or any other sort of fleshy outgrowth. It comes from the same Latin word for “flesh” that gives us “carnal” and “carnivorous.” A similar word, “carbuncle,” denotes a red, swollen cluster of boils. But this word originates with the Latin “carbo” meaning “coal” because it is red and fiery.

• The fold of skin between your nose and upper lip is called the philtrum from the Latin phrase meaning “love charm” perhaps because the shape of the upper lip is the same as Cupid’s bow.

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answer

DIFFERENCES:: DIFFERENCES 1. Bandanna is backward. 2. Picture has been added.

3. Shade is lower. 4. Bucket has no water.

5. Boy's hat is different. 6. Broom handle is taller.

• “Zug zwang” is a term used in chess to denote the fact that any move you make screws you over. It comes from the German words meaning “compulsion to move.”

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Quiz Answers

7. The Grinch 1. Wellington 2. 2007 (2018) 8. Professor 3. Tundra 4. A jenny Hinkle 9. Indiana 5. “A Hard Day’s Night” 10. Treat every (1964) day like it’s 6. Vera Christmas.

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