Sept 30 - Oct 17, 2016
Issue 00291
The Neatest Little Paper Ever Read®
THE GEEKS
Computer Support
Come along with Tidbits as we go for a drive!
THE ORIGINAL MODEL
• The first Ford Model T left the Ford Motor Company factory in Detroit, Michigan, on September 27, 1908. Within ten years, over half of all cars sold in America were the Ford Model T. • By 1914, Ford’s mass production techniques allowed the company to turn out 300,000 cars per year using only 13,000 workers compared to 66,350 workers at all the other car companies who collectively turned out only 280,000 cars. • The Model T was the first car that the common man could own. It was low-priced, reliable, and easy to repair. It could be hitched up to pump water, saw wood, chop silage, or generate electricity. With a change of wheels, it could double as a tractor. It operated as a pick-up truck, hay wagon, taxi, or fire engine. • The Model T started out priced at $850 in 1908, then dropped to $360 and later went down to $290 in 1925 (equal to about $4000 today). • It had a 20-horsepower, four cylinder engine and could travel about 45 mph (72 kph), getting up to 20 (32 km) miles per gallon. From 1908 till the end of production in 1927, over 15 million Model T Fords were made.
FAST FACT • Chauncey Depew, a United States senator and orator, once told his nephew to forget about investing $5,000 in Henry Ford’s new business, saying, “Nothing has come along that can beat the horse and buggy!”
Q: What do you call a VW bus at the top of a hill? A: A miracle!
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1. COMICS: What is the name of Batman’s butler? 2. LITERATURE: Who is the leader of the wolves in “The Jungle Book”? 3. GEOGRAPHY: Which two islands in the Mediterranean Sea are governed by Italy? 4. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Who was president during World War I? 5. HISTORY: What was the name of the airship that exploded over New Jersey in 1937? 6. LANGUAGE: What is a baby’s pacifier called in Great Britain? 7. EXPLORERS: What was the name of Christopher Columbus’ flagship? 8. NICKNAMES: What U.S. city calls itself “The Biggest Little City in the World”?
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9. MEDICAL: What is the modern name for a disease once called “consumption”? 10. FAMOUS QUOTATIONS: What children’s author wrote, “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose”? Answers 1. Alfred Pennyworth 2. Akela 3. Sicily and Sardinia 4. Woodrow Wilson 5. Hindenburg 6. A dummy 7. Santa Maria 8. Reno, Nev. 9. Tuberculosis 10. Dr. Seuss
(c) 2016 King Features Synd., Inc.
CHOICE OF COLORS • Ford once said, “Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black.” Black paint was the only kind that would go through the spray nozzles easily and dry quickly. Finally, Pierre DuPont put his best scientists on the problem. DuPont’s scientists worked hard for months without success. • They were working in labs in New Jersey, where they shared a floor with other DuPont chemists who were trying to invent a better celluloid film. In the 1920s, movie films had a habit of disintegrating when they got hot. • One day, the celluloid researchers had just finished mixing a 55-gallon drum of cellulose when the electricity went off. The power stayed off for three days. The drum of cellulose was left outside in the hot sun, forgotten. The scientists, remembering the mixture later, called the paint people over to the drum. “Hey, you wanna see 55 gallons of cellulose goo?” But the paint scientists were intrigued to see that it had turned into a plastic syrup. They’d tried everything else in their paint guns— why not try this, too? It worked! Today you can have a car in any color you like because the lights went out in New Jersey.
FAST FACT • You can’t sell black cars in India, where black is an unlucky color. Red stands for Communism and can’t be used on cars in many anti-Communist countries. In Japan maroon is reserved for the emperor and can’t be used on cars used by the common people. Yellow is the color of mourning in Japan and that’s why only hearses are painted yellow.
Mr. RAND & Mr. McNALLY
• In 1856 William Rand founded a small printing shop in Chicago, specializing in publishing • It’s estimated that 4% of gasoline is consumed guidebooks, directories, and railroad schedules. during traffic jams. One minute of idling uses Shortly afterwards, Rand hired Andrew McNally, more gas than it takes to restart the engine and eventually made him a partner, naming
FAST FACT
®
Over 50% of all automobile trips taken in the U.S. involve distances of five miles or less. 70% of travel done in America is by car; 28% by plane; the rest by bus and train.
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1. What percent of land in a typical city is paved? 2. How many million miles of roads and streets are there in the U.S.? 3. What state has more miles of highway than any other state? 4. In what state is the busiest road in the U.S. located? 5. In a survey, what percent of Americans said they thought they could trust their auto mechanic?
the company Rand McNally. Their first maps showed railroad routes throughout the U.S. and Canada. They then branched out into globes and atlases of the world. • In 1917 Rand McNally published the first highway maps of the U.S. after inventing the system of naming the highways with numbers, a system that is still followed today. They later published “Goode’s World Atlas”, named after the editor of the book which became the standard geography text in schools. • Today, Rand McNally offers travel planning software, street atlas programs, a trucking route database, downloadable maps and directions, and GPS units. The company, headquartered in Skokie, Illinois, employs about 1,200 people.
FAST FACT • 50% of Americans surveyed reported that IT’S A FACT they keep maps in their glove compartments. 23% said they keep sunglasses in the glove • There are about 1 billion cars currently in use on Earth. About 165,000 new cars are produced compartment. Nobody said they keep gloves in every single day. the glove compartment. • There are more cars than people in Los Angeles. AN UNEXPECTED BEST SELLER • The average car has about 30,000 parts. • In German, “Volkswagen” means “people’s car.” In 1937 Adolf Hitler commissioned Ferdinand • In 1901, the price of a barrel of crude oil was five cents, equal to about $1.44 in today’s U.S. Porsche to engineer a car that could carry two currency. adults and three children, and that could get 62 mph (100km/h) while still being affordable • The very last car that included a cassette tape enough for common citizens to purchase. player was the Ford Crown Vic, which still had an optional player in 2011. THE INCREDIBLE VW Amazing Animals • World War II interrupted the VW project and all car-production facilities were used to produce SPIDERS vehicles for the war effort instead. • Some time ago, a spider was called a “cop” • After World War II, when American personnel and its web was called a “cop web.” Cobweb is were inspecting Germany, they examined considerably easier to pronounce. the plant where Volkswagens were made. The • A special oil on the body of a spider prevents the Germans offered the factory to help pay for spider from sticking to its own web. war damages. American officials scoffed at the ugly little Beetle car, saying it would never sell. • Some spider silks are able to stretch up to five times their length without breaking. The Germans kept their factory, and they kept producing VWs. By 1972 the Beetle was the bestselling single model ever manufactured. • The VW beetle was produced from 1938 until 2003. Over 21 million were produced, surpassing the number of Ford Model T’s and making it the most popular vehicle ever sold in the world. • Today VW is the largest automaker in Germany and Europe. • VW invented the first windshield washer in 1961. • In 1965 the six VW plants in Germany contained a total length of 135 miles (217 km) of continuous conveyor belts. • In 1962, the VW accounted for 60% of all imported car registrations in the U.S.
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ACIDCALL The name of the French adventurer who founded the city of Detroit.
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1. What percent of the total land mass in the U.S. is set aside for use by the automobile? 2. How many acres of land does a mile of four-lane highway cover?
• It would take 5,000 strands of spider web to made a ribbon one inch (2.5 cm) wide. • It would take 27,000 spider webs to produce a single pound (.45 kg) of spider silk. • The thinnest man-made thread is a gold filament four microns wide, but spider’s webs are as thin as one micron wide. • Some spider webs would reach for 300 miles (482 km) or more if their threads were straightened out. • One spider of the genus Nephila is the only spider in the world known to spin a goldencolored web. • Spiders typically build a web in about an hour. Once started on the job, they won’t stop until it is done. They build the web from the outside in. If you carefully remove the outside half of the web, the spider will continue to build the inside half and then will stop. • Experiments have been done on how amputating a spider’s legs affects its web. Not surprisingly, spiders with missing legs build webs that are smaller, have fewer radii, and contain fewer spiral turns. • Spiders produce a substance surprisingly similar to high-tech, high-strength polymers that humans been producing for just a few years. Spiders extrude a very strong polymer that is quite similar to today’s polypropylene. Spiders have developed a way of stretching the polymer before it dries so that it will gain even more durability. This is exactly the same process used in manufacturing polypropylene. • Spiders have from three to five kinds of silk glands. Some kinds of silk are dry, some stay sticky, some is made to wrap egg sacks or prey, some are used to build webs, and some are used as draglines. Many kinds of spider never build a web at all. They have found other uses for silk. • The bolas spider throws a line with a sticky ball
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at the end of it to trap insects. The purse-web spider builds a silk tube up the side of a tree, hides in it, and bites through it when an insect walks across it. The jumping spider will launch itself into space from a high place to jump on prey, then float to the ground on a dragline. Another kind of spider spits globs of sticky silk at potential victims. The silk arches over them and binds them to the ground. One type of spider builds a small web between its hind legs. It jumps on insects, spreading its legs and wrapping the bug up in the web as if in a blanket. The platform spider builds a silk sheet on top with a silk net underneath. Bugs hit the sheet and fall into the net. Another kind of spider lives in a waterproof silk bubble underwater and breathes with silk sacs of air attached to its body. A species of African spider whirls a string of silk above its head like a helicopter blade, waiting for an insect to fly into it. Balloon spiders, which throw silk strands into the air in order to be lofted by the wind, have been found floating in the air more than 200 miles (321 km) from land. Weather balloons have found them at 30,000 feet (9 km). The female crab spider will eat her mate if she gets a chance. Therefore male crab spiders are in the habit of tying the female’s legs to the ground with silk threads before mating.
never needing cleaning at all. • In 1838 he sold his first steel plow. By 1841 John was selling a hundred plows a year. Soon they were selling so quickly that John dropped the blacksmithing and went into the plow business full-time. By 1856 he was selling 10,000 plows per year. • His son Charles joined the company and the firm expanded by inventing and producing seed drills, cultivators, harrows, and wagons. They invented the first plow that allowed the farmer to ride on a seat instead of walking behind the horse. • Long after John died in 1886, the company expanded into gasoline powered tractors and other farm machinery. Today the company, named after John’s last name, employs over 50,000 people, manufacturing agricultural and construction equipment. It has a net worth of over $40 billion. The company produces over 600 agricultural machines including backhoes, tractors, loaders, and water carriers. What was John’s last name? (Answer below)
TRACTORS
• Born in Vermont in 1804, John was apprenticed to a blacksmith at the age of 17, later setting up his own shop. He had trouble paying his bills due to competition from other blacksmiths, so he moved to a town in Illinois that had no other blacksmiths. Work poured in and John’s reputation as a blacksmith spread. • Many customers were farmers bringing in their plows for repairs. Cast iron plows that easily turned the light soil of the eastern states were inefficient in the heavy sod of Illinois. John wondered if a plow made of steel would be better than a plow made of iron, so he began to experiment. The problem was that dirt clung to an iron plow and had to be cleaned off by hand every few steps. A polished steel plow, however, threw off dirt and was self-scouring,
At 60 mph (95 km/hr) it would take about six months to drive to the Moon.
info@TidbitsVernon.com The Neatest Little Paper Ever Read® Call Today (250) 832-3361 * October sales items include: appliances, automobiles (current year’s model on sale when new model is unveiled), school supplies, fishing gear, ladies’ outerwear and early fall and winter clothing sales. * Keep squirrels out of a pole-mounted birdfeeder and out of the birdseed! Just spray a cotton cloth liberally with WD-40 lubricating oil. Then wipe the pole with the cloth. Squirrels are good at climbing, but this is asking a little too much. Reapply every so often to keep it slippery. • Born in 1838 in Ohio, Daniel Best grew up to earn his living running a sawmill while doing some farming on the side. He was always interested in machinery and tinkered constantly, especially after he moved to California to work on his brother’s ranch. • In 1871 he patented a portable grain cleaner, and followed that with a machine that harvested, threshed, and cleaned all at the same time. Because the machine “combined” functions, it was called the “combine.” • Then Daniel became interested in the newly invented traction engine, whose name was shortened to “tractor.” Combines were still being pulled by horses, but Daniel thought it would be far more efficient if combines were towed by tractors. The problem was that the tractors were too large for a farmer to use in small fields. What the world needed was a small tractor for individuals to use. He designed a model that was smaller, more manageable, and easier to use. • Nearby, Benjamin Holt loved Daniel’s new tractor, but found the machine often got stuck in muddy fields. He improved the design by outfitting the tractor with treads similar to what tanks run on. This spread the weight out over a larger area and prevented the tractor from sinking into soft ground. • For years the companies were competitors, but the rival firms eventually merged. The new company was named for the distinctive crawl of the treads. It’s now the largest manufacturer of heavy equipment and farm machinery worldwide. Name it. (Answer below) IT’S A FACT • The Latin word “trahere” meaning “to pull” is the root of our “tractor.” “Traffic” comes from the Italian “traffic” meaning “to trade.” Answer: Deere: “Nothing Runs Like a Deere.” Answer: Caterpillar.
* “If your knuckles get chapped and dry during the cold season, try rubbing a little Chapstick into them. It works for me.” -- P.E. in Minnesota * Store spaghetti in an empty Pringles can that has been wiped out. It’s the perfect height, and you can take just what you need. The plastic top makes it easy to see when it’s time to restock the angel hair! * “If you use frozen fruits and veggies that come in bags, here’s a great tip to keep your freezer shelf organized. Use binder clips to reseal the bags, and hang them from the shelf itself. Binder clips easily clip over the metal grate, and secure the bag’s top underneath so that it hangs from the shelf.” -- T.L. in New York * For a more accurate reading of your refrigerator’s temperature, submerge your thermometer in a glass of water and read after an hour. Send your tips to Now Here’s a Tip, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803. (c) 2016 King Features Synd., Inc.
“Everything in life is somewhere else, and you get there in a car.” -E. B. White
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Who’s the Boss? DEAR PAW’S CORNER: I have a large male dog, and so does my mother-in-law. They have a history of fighting: Both dogs and my husband needed medical treatment after the last fight. We keep them separated, but would like to be able to put them and my mother-in-law’s two female dogs out at the same time. They are only aggressive with each other. We have been thinking of buying muzzles for the males and letting them get used to one another. What do you think? -- J.S., via email DEAR J.S.: What’s going on here is aggression used to gain dominance: Both dogs want to be the boss of the backyard. If the dogs only fight with one another, then this is a battle over territory. As long as they share the same space, even with muzzles on, they will fight. And if there are bitches in the area, they’ll fight even more. If neither dog will be used for breeding, seriously consider having them neutered; it will curb their aggression. If you choose not to have them neutered, or if they still show aggression after the procedure, you’ll have to keep them separated. When one male goes outside, the other must stay inside. Of course, the guy stuck inside will go nuts if he knows his arch-enemy is running around “his” territory, so draw the shades and close the doors. In the meantime, distract your dog’s attention by increasing the frequency of his training and play sessions. The truth is, you’re the boss, not him. He must learn to obey you and not leap forward into a fight. Your in-laws must do the same with their dog. Aggression of any kind should not be permitted. Send your questions or pet care tips to ask@pawscorner.com. (c) 2016 King Features Synd., Inc.
T I D B I T S Stuffed Spud Soup We’re starting to get an evening or two where there is a bit of chill in the air. Take the chill off with a bowl of potato soup.
1/2 cup chopped green onion 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom Soup 1 cup fat-free milk 1/2 cup fat-free half and half 3 cups frozen loose-packed shredded hash brown potatoes 1/2 cup diced Velveeta 2 percent milk processed cheese 1/4 cup bacon bits 1/8 teaspoon black pepper 1. In a medium saucepan sprayed with butterflavored cooking spray, saute onion for 5 minutes. Stir in mushroom soup, milk and half and half. Add hash browns, Velveeta cheese, bacon bits and black pepper. Mix well to combine. 2. Lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until mixture is heated through and potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally. Serves 4. TIP: You can use raw, shredded potatoes, rinsed and patted dry, in place of frozen potatoes. * Each serving equals: 181 calories, 5g fat, 10g protein, 24g carb., 816mg sodium, 235mg calcium, 1g fiber; Diabetic Exchanges: 1 1/2 Starch/Carbs, 1 Meat; Carb Choices: 1 1/2.
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by Samantha Weaver * It was the great Russian author Leo Tolstoy who made the following sage observation: “A man is like a fraction whose numerator is what he is and whose denominator is what he thinks of himself. The larger the denominator, the smaller the fraction.” * The earliest known brothel was located in Sumer (now southeastern Iraq), all the way back in 3300 B.C.E. * The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, which took place in Tombstone, Arizona, at about 3 p.m. on Oct. 26, 1881, is probably the most famous shootout in the history of the Old West. You might be surprised to learn, though, that the gunfight didn’t actually happen at the O.K. Corral, or even next to it -- the gunfight took place in an empty lot six doors down. * A futurist in the 1950s made the following prediction: “There will come a time when every country in the world will have a computer.” * Etymology -- the study of words’ history, their origins and how their form and meaning have changed over time -- is fascinating. For example, take the term “shilly-shally,” meaning to vacillate. In the 18th century, “shill” was another form of “shall,” and people trying to make a difficult decision might ask themselves “Shill I? Shall I?” Over time it was shortened to the form we use today. * If your scissors are getting dull, don’t waste time and effort with sharpening stones; all you have to do is cut up sheets of sandpaper to hone the cutting edges. * Those who study such things say that if you added up the body masses of all the people on the planet right now, it would amount to roughly 750 billion pounds. *** Thought for the Day: “In any free society, the conflict between social conformity and individual liberty is permanent, unresolvable and necessary.” -- Kathleen Norris (c) 2016 King Features Synd., Inc.
Are you retired and interested in contributing some time to our community? If so, the auxiliary could use your help. We are in need of someone who has both financial skills and background to serve as our treasurer. Good working skills in Excel and Sage 50 Accounting are required. For info contact: 250-503-1179 or vrtribes@gmail.com The October General meeting of the Auxiliary will be held on October 13 at 1:30 p.m. (Please note change of date). The meeting will be held in the hospital board rooms. Come to the gift shop and you will be directed to the meeting. Everyone is welcome (men also). All money raised by the auxiliary goes to the hospital of needed equipment and patient comfort. For Info Contact Joan at 250-542-4244 or joanls@telus.net
BOOK WAREHOUSE #35, Alpine Centre 100 Kal Lake Road OPEN on WEDNESDAYS, THURSDAYS and SATURDAYS 9 AM TO 1 PM Quality used books & more, most priced $1 or less. Supporting Special Olympics, Vernon & other local charities. Phone 250-275-2676
Yoga Teacher Training 200hr Yoga Alliance International Certification Starts Oct 14th Change Yourself… …To Change the world Namaste Yoga & Wellness Centre Salmon Arm, BC www.yogasalmonarm.com
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SPECIALITY SHARPENING
All your sharpening needs, and for your convenience, drop off and pickup at Vernon’s Water Store. 180, 4400 - 32 St (250)308-4866 Smartview Exteriors Providing Quality Service Since 2005 Special 20% Off Smart Energy Vinyl Windows and Doors Free Estimates Call Stan 250-317-4437 smartviewexteriors.ca
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Wanted: Purchasing old Canadian & American coin collections & accumulations. Old gold & sterling! Private, Prompt & confidential. 250-548-3670 (Shuswap)
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1. 20,000 2. Damp hands – by 1,000 times more than dry hands 3. 20 minutes 4. A cell phone 5. The kitchen
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1. About 60,000 square miles in the U.S., or 2% of our total land area, is for use by cars. In urban areas, half of all space is set aside for the auto, except in Los Angeles, where it’s two-thirds. 2. Each mile of four-lane highway covers 17 acres of land.
CADILLAC
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