November 29, 2016
The Neatest Little Paper Ever Read®
Issue 00298
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Most folks alive in the 1960s remember the “big” events – the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Neil Armstrong walking on the moon, and the Cuban missile crisis. But how about those lesserknown events that occurred during this fascinating decade? This week, Tidbits focuses on occasions you might not know about that happened during the ‘60s. • An item purchased in 1960 for $100 would be equivalent to about $800 today. So consider that the average income in 1960 was $5,315. This would translate into today’s dollars at $42,520. A new house averaged $12,700, equivalent to $101,600 these days. By 1969, the income was $8,540 and the house cost was $15,500. A new car could be purchased for $2,600, a price that increased to $3,270 by 1969. • Chemist Leo Sternbach was responsible for calming the anxieties of millions of Americans with his invention of Valium in 1961, just one of his 241 drug patents. Valium decreases the rate of brain activity, tranquilizing those areas of the brain responsible for sensing fear. Although it was the biggest-selling drug in the nation from 1969 to 1980, it was found to be addictive, with some users dependent on it in just two weeks. Many users were found to depend on Valium for life’s everyday troubles, as well as difficulty experiencing joy. THE 1960s (continued): • The first James Bond movie “Dr. No” was released in 1962, starring Sean Connery in the first of his seven appearances as the British secret agent. Bond creator Ian Fleming didn’t want Connery in the role, and after viewing the film declared it was, “Dreadful. Simply dreadful.” The film’s budget was $1,000,000, and when costs exceeded that by $100,000, the
A joke from the 1960s: Q: How do you kill a blue elephant? A: With ablue elephant gun.
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producers wanted to halt production, fearing they would never make their money back. “Dr. No” went on to gross $59.6 million worldwide. In July of 1963, the U.S. Post Office introduced the Zone Improvement Plan, or ZIP for short, establishing five-digit codes to improve its mail sorting and delivery systems. The code’s first digit designated the geographical area of the U.S., with zero assigned to the Northeast, increasing up to nine in the far West. The next two digits narrowed the area down to sectional centers, with the final two digits specifying the post offices. This was also the time that the Post Office instituted two-letter state abbreviations. Some locations ended up with noteworthy ZIP codes, including General Electric’s world headquarters in Schenectady, New York, with ZIP 12345. Newton Falls, Ohio, has 44444 and Young America, Minnesota’s mail is addressed to ZIP 55555. In 1964, the U.S. Forest Service’s mascot Smokey Bear was so popular and received so much fan mail that he was given his own ZIP code, 20252. What were folks watching on TV during the 1960s? One of the most popular series was the prime-time soap opera “Peyton Place,” which aired from 1964 to 1969. Other dramas included “The Fugitive,” “77 Sunset Strip,” “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,” “Perry Mason,” and “Route 66.” On the lighter side, viewers enjoyed the 98 episodes of “Gilligan’s Island,” along with “Hogan’s Heroes,” and “The Monkees.” The space adventures of the starship Enterprise on the NBC series “Star Trek” began on September 8, 1966 and continued for 79 episodes, with the last airing on June 3, 1969. Despite a fans’ letter-writing campaign, NBC cancelled the series, which achieved a much larger viewer audience afterward, when it entered syndication. Fans who became known as “Trekkies” organized conventions to honor the cult classic, which eventually became the most popular syndicated series. A popular 1994 movie tried to convince us
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that Forrest Gump was responsible for the invention of the “smiley face” when he wiped his mud-splattered face on a yellow T-shirt. In reality, the image was the creation of American graphic artist Harvey Ross Ball. Ball was hired in 1963 to create an illustration to raise morale among the employees of an insurance company that had undergone several arduous mergers and acquisitions. He designed the image in less than 10 minutes, receiving $45 for his labors. The State Mutual Life Assurance Company issued posters, buttons, and signs embellished with the smiley face, trying to get their workers to smile more. • On January 15, 1967, the Green Bay Packers teamed up against the Kansas City Chiefs at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the very first Super Bowl. Forty million viewers crowded around their television to watch the inaugural sporting event. (Contrast this with the nearly 115 million viewers who watched Super Bowl XLIX in 2015, the most-viewed television broadcast of any kind in American history.) Halftime entertainment was provided by the marching bands from the University of Arizona and Grambling State University, trumpeter Al Hirt, and 300 pigeons, along with a release of 10,000 balloons. The Packers defeated the Chiefs by a score of 35 to 10. • There have been health warnings on cigarette packages since 1965, when the U.S. Congress passed the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act, requiring “Caution: Cigarette Smoking May Be Hazardous to Your Health” to be printed on every package. The act also banned cigarette ads on broadcast media.
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The world’s first WalMart opened in Rogers, Arkansas, on July 2, 1962. By 1967, the Walton family owned 24 stores, with annual sales of $12.7 million.
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1. Name the musical group who sang, “We’re the young generation, and we’ve got somethin’ to say.” 2. What’s unusual about Wayne, New Jersey’s ZIP code, 07470? 3. The world’s first non-dairy creamer hit grocer’s shelves in 1961. What was its name? 4. What artist first exhibited his Campbell’s Soup Cans exhibit in July, 1962? 5. What 1960s TV series featured the Martin family and their dog?
• Most likely, the name Douglas Engelbart is unfamiliar to you, yet you probably use his invention every single day. In 1967, Engelbart applied for a patent for an “X-Y position indicator for a display system,” which consisted of a wooden shell with two metal wheels. Its purpose was to link to a computer’s cursor, allowing the user to position the cursor on the screen. One of the wheels was horizontal, the other vertical. So what was the invention? The computer mouse! Prior to Engelbart’s device, computer operators had to type codes and commands to make things happen. Engelbart never received any royalties for his invention. • Musical artists have been pictured on the cover of the Rolling Stone since November 9, 1967, when the magazine first hit the newsstands. The inaugural issue featured John Lennon on the cover. Tina Turner graced the cover of the second issue. The magazine was founded in San Francisco by Jann Wenner, who is still the magazine’s publisher, along with a partner, music critic Ralph Gleason. Wenner borrowed $7,500 from his parents to establish the publication, and took the title from the 1950 blues song “Rollin’ Stone,” recorded by Muddy Waters, from the rock band The Rolling Stones, and from Bob Dylan’s hit “Like a Rolling Stone.” The first issue included stories about the Grateful Dead, David Crosby, The Who, Pink Floyd, and Donovan, and could be purchased for 25 cents.
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If you’ve ever seen the 1994 animated film The Lion King, you’ve seen a meerkat in the form of Timon, who sang “Hakuna matata,” the Swahili phrase that means “no worries.” This week, Tidbits has the real facts about this unusual creature, who really can’t sing at all! • Meerkats are members of the mongoose family with very long bodies and coats of gold, silver, orange, or brown. Unlike Timon, who walks on his hind legs, real meerkats can only stand on their hind legs, but walk on all fours. They use their tail for balancing when standing upright. • The omnivorous meerkats are small animals, only measuring up less than a foot (30 cm) from head to rump. Their tail does add another 9.5 inches (24 cm) to their length. They weigh about the same as a squirrel, around 2 lbs. (820 grams). When a meerkat is standing on all four feet, its height is only 6 inches (15 cm). • Meerkats are found in the deserts and grasslands of Africa, specifically in Angola, Namibia, Botswana, and Lesotho. Dark patches of fur around their eyes effectively reduce the glare of the desert sun, similar to the result achieved
by baseball players who paint dark lines under their eyes. In the mornings, they enjoy basking in the sun or grooming themselves. • The diet of a meerkat is quite varied, as they dine on lizards, birds, bugs, snakes, rodents, eggs, and fruit. Poisonous scorpions are a staple of the meerkat’s diet, and it can catch the scorpion, pull off its deadly stinger in a second, and swallow it. They have a unique immunity to the scorpion’s venom. • These animals have sharp claws that enable them to dig complex underground burrow systems, 6 to 8 feet (1.8 to 2.4 m) underground. A meerkat can dig through sand equal to its own weight in a matter of seconds. One burrow system might have as many as 70 different entrances and exits to keep them safe from predators, while providing a cool place out of the punishing heat of the desert sun. While digging, a membrane covers and protects the meerkat’s eyes, and the animal also has the ability to close its ears to keep the dirt out. • Meerkats have an elaborate “sentry” procedure that protects the clan and their domain. All the
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MUOTNCSAO The first to perform a space walk
adults have a turn at guard duty in an hour-long shift, watching for predators while the others forage for food throughout the day. When all is well, the sentry makes peeping sounds. If there is danger, the meerkat has six different alarm calls that indicate the level of urgency. There are more than 20 different calls with different meanings made by the meerkat, including lost calls, feeding calls, and a call to forage. . • Although they might seem friendly, even sharing their burrows with the yellow mongoose and ground squirrels, these animals can be quite aggressive, vicious fighters, sometimes killing the young members of their clan in order to improve their position in the hierarchy. • Thinking of a meerkat as a pet? In the United States, you need a special permit to keep one. They are aggressive toward anyone unfamiliar, are prone to bovine tuberculosis, and have been known to get rabies.
million people had fled to the west, depleting the east’s labor force and population. • On the morning of August 13, East Berliners found themselves trapped. The 60,000 laborers who lived in the East but worked in the West could not get to work. Family and friends could no longer cross the border to meet. East Berliners were no longer allowed to attend any type of artistic entertainment, such as the theater or concerts. • The Wall extended through the center of Berlin, then wrapped around West Berlin, for over 100 miles, completely restricting travel between the two areas • Within a very few days, the original concrete post and barbed-wire fence was replaced
“Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this Wall!” - Ronald Reagan, 1987
THE BERLIN WALL As Berliners slept on the night of August 12, 1961, soldiers and construction workers labored in East Berlin, tearing up streets that led into West Berlin, erecting concrete posts, and stringing barbed wire, creating a barrier between the two parts of the city. Phone wires between East and West were cut, severing communications out of East Berlin. • At the end of World War II, Germany had been divided between the Allied Powers and the Soviet Union. The Allied powers fostered democracy and a capitalist society in West Germany, with freedom to travel. The result was a rapid post-war economic recovery. The Soviet Union, however, viewing East Germany as a “spoil of war,” quickly moved factory equipment and valuable assets to their own country. East Germany was established as a communist society with few freedoms. • As East Germany’s living conditions became more and more oppressive and the economy deterioraed, by the late 1950s, many had packed up and moved to West Berlin. By 1961, 2.5
* To make quick work of avocados when making guacamole, use a potato masher. * If you suspect a slow air leak in your tire but can’t find an obvious puncture spot, do like the professionals: squirt the tire with soapy water, and the air escaping from the hole will begin to make a bubble. You can use this for any kind of tire, car or bicycle. * “Want that white wine chilled? Try freezing grapes to use as ice cubes. Keeps it cold, but won’t water it down. Plus, it’s a nice touch!” -- A.A. in Fla. * Recipe substitution: Need buttermilk? Add a teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to regular milk and let sit for 10 minutes. * Use rock salt to clean stuck-on bits from a cast iron pan. Never use soap. Always dry immediately and coat with oil before storing. * The richest chocolate cake and brownies have a secret: Replace water in your recipe with cooled coffee. Send your tips to Now Here’s a Tip, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803. (c) 2016 King Features Synd., Inc.
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1. What city is associated with the ZIP code 90210? 2. Who played Bond Girl Honey Ryder in the first 007 movie in 1962?
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with a permanent edifice of concrete blocks, topped with barbed wire. In 1965, steel girders and a concrete wall separated the two halves of the country. • A five-year-long upgrade began in 1975, made up of 12-ft x 4-ft. (3.6 m x 1.2 m) concrete slabs, and a large, slippery pipe around the top to deter any climbing. On the other side a 300-ft. (91.4-m) “No Man’s Land” was guarded by soldiers with dogs, electric fencing, watchtowers with giant spotlights, and minefields. • Thousands attempted escape from East Berlin. Some brave individuals tried jumping from upper-story windows of apartment buildings bordering the Wall. As the Wall became taller and stronger, elaborate tunnel systems from East German basements were dug. One resourceful group saved scraps of cloth and constructed a hot air balloon that sailed into West Germany. East German soldiers shot anyone who even came close to the Wall. An estimated 200 died in their escape attempts, while about 5,000 are believed to have crossed successfully. • In the late 1980s, political changes came about, as the Eastern Block’s authoritarian power began to weaken. In late 1989, several border checkpoints were opened to East Germans who wanted to escape to the West. The Wall was quickly flooded with people, with some wielding hammers and chisels at the
Does the name of Valentina Tereshkova ring a bell? This Soviet cosmonaut is famous for being the first woman in space, a feat accomplished in June of 1963, when Valentina was 26 years old. She traveled aboard Vostok 6, and completed 48 orbits in 71 hours, more time in space than all the U.S. astronauts combined to that date. She never entered space again, and three years later became a member of the USSR’s national Parliament.
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Picking the Perfect Cat DEAR PAW’S CORNER: I’m really excited -- my mom has decided we can get a kitten! We’re going to adopt one from the local shelter. Do you have any advice on picking the best cat? -- Jaynah and Sherar in Poughkeepsie, New York DEAR JAYNAH AND SHERAR: First of all, congratulations! It’s exciting to get your first pet. And I’m glad you’re choosing to adopt from a shelter. While I’ve always liked to say that we don’t pick cats, they pick us, that’s not entirely true. Sometimes it takes a little time to find that perfect fit. With kittens, it’s even harder, because they’re almost universally cute. When you visit the shelter, ask if you’re allowed to play with the kittens before choosing one, or to observe them in a play area outside of their cages. Note how they interact with each other and with humans. Are they confident or aggressive? Standoffish, or anxious and shy? Will they play with a toy or string that is dangled in front of them? Note the kittens’ general health. It’s easy to spot a potential problem if a cat is listless, won’t play, has visible sores, shakes its head frequently or has trouble walking. Most shelters are open about a cat’s known health problems. That way potential owners can decide if they want to take on the costs of bringing an adopted cat back to health. Again, take your time and don’t commit to one kitten immediately. If there are multiple shelters in the area, check them out as well. And of course, once you’ve found your new friend, be sure to schedule a checkup with a veterinarian to give it the healthiest start with your family. Send your questions, comments or tips to ask@pawscorner.com. (c) 2016 King Features Synd., Inc.
Holiday Brunch Scalloped Potatoes Something special for the breakfast brunch this holiday season! 3 cups (10 ounces) shredded loose-packe – Ronald Reagan, 1987 d frozen potatoes 1/2 cup finely chopped onion 1 full cup (6 ounces) diced Dubuque 97 percent fat-free ham or any extra-lean ham 3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Kraft reducedfat Cheddar cheese 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom Soup 1/4 cup fat-free milk 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes 2 hard-boiled eggs, diced 1. Heat oven to 350 F. Spray an 8-by-8-inch baking dish with butter-flavored cooking spray. 2. In a large bowl, combine potatoes, onion, ham and Cheddar cheese. Add mushroom soup, milk and parsley flakes. Mix well to combine. Fold in eggs. 3. Spread mixture into prepared baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes. Place baking dish on a wire rack and let set 5 minutes. Divide into 4 servings. HINT: Raw shredded potatoes, rinsed and patted dry, may be used in place of frozen potatoes. * Each serving equals: 250 calories, 10g fat, 18g protein, 22g carb., 631mg sodium, 2g fiber; Diabetic Exchanges: 2 Meat, 1 1/2 Starch/Carb. (c) 2016 King Features Synd., Inc.
barricade. • The official demolition of the Berlin Wall began on June 13, 1990, and was not completed until 1992. East and West Germany were reunified into a single German state in October of 1990.
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by Samantha Weaver * It was American science-fiction writer Hal Clement who made the following sage observation: “Speculation is perfectly all right, but if you stay there you’ve only founded a superstition. If you test it, you’ve started a science.” * Americans have more debt from student loans than credit cards and car loans combined. * For centuries, the month of June has been the most popular choice for weddings. One of the purported reasons was that some hundreds of years ago, this time was just after May’s annual bath, so the happy couple and the guests were about as clean as could be hoped. * It is the policy of the United States government to never insure federal buildings. The rationale? With such vast holdings, it’s best for the government to assume its own risks. * As Thanksgiving approaches, you might want to add to your vocabulary. In the Eurasian nation of Georgia, there is a term to describe the feeling of being full but unable to stop eating due to the deliciousness of the meal: “Shemomedjamo” means, literally, “I accidentally ate the whole thing.” * You’ve probably heard that classical Greek philosopher Socrates died after drinking hemlock, carrying out the death sentence imposed on him for impiety and for corrupting the minds of the youth of Athens. You might not realize, though, that the poison is not derived from the hemlock tree, but from a flowering plant known as poison hemlock, a relative of the carrot. * Oysters and worms, although unable to see images, are able to sense dark and light. Thought for the Day: “The door of a bigoted mind opens outwards so that the only result of the pressure of facts upon it is to close it more snugly.” -- Ogden Nash (c) 2016 King Features Synd., Inc.
The VJH Auxiliary Annual Christmas Bazaar will be in the Education Rooms at the Hospital on Thursday Dec. 1 from 9 to 5 and on Friday Dec. 2 from 9 to 3. The Auxiliary elves have been very busy making all kinds of handmade Christmas Treasures .There will be baking of course and Doggie Cookies. Knitting, Crocheting, Christmas Decorations, Wreaths, Gift baskets,Place mats, Runners and a Silent Auction will great items to bid on. FREE PARKING DURING BAZAAR HOURS. All proceeds go to the hospital for needed equipment and patient comfort.
Birch Firewood for sale 14”, 16” & 20” $200 per cord plus delivery. Free delivery in Cherryville. Or you can pick up. (Cherryville) 250-547-6747
BOOK WAREHOUSE #35, Alpine Centre 100 Kal Lake Road OPEN on WEDNESDAYS and SATURDAYS 9 AM TO NOON Quality used books & more, most priced $1 or less. Supporting Special Olympics, Vernon & other local charities. Phone 250-275-2676
THE HALINA CENTRE “GIFT SHOP” & “CAFE” (INSIDE THE VERNON RECREATION CENTRE) THE SMALLEST SHOP IN VERNON WITH THE LARGEST DISPLAY OF HANDMADE ITEMS. ( HATS, SCARVES, BABY, KITCHEN & MUCH MORE.) RUN BY VOLUNTEERS, SENIORS HELPING SENIORS. COME FIND US........
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Comparing the 1960s to now: Then: Long Hair Now: Longing for hair. Then: The perfect high. Now: The perfect high yield mutual fund. Then: Keg. Now: EKG. Then: Acid Rock. Now: Acid Reflux.
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1. The Monkees 2. It is a palindrome, (the same forward and backward) 3. Coffee-Mate 4. Andy Warhol 5. “Lassie”
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1. Beverly Hills, California 2. Ursula Andress
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