February27 - March 12, 2018
Issue 00338
The Neatest Little Paper Ever Read®
• Armstrong • Cherryville • Coldstream • Fintry Please • Lavington Lumby454 • Spallumcheen • Vernon • www.tidbitsvancouver.com Westside Rd • Bold Medias Publishing For Advertising Call•(604) - 1387
TIDBITS® IS FASCINATED BY
FISH by Janet Spencer There are more species of fish than all other groups of vertebrates combined. Come along with Tidbits as we learn some fascinating facts about fish! FISH EYE • When it is young, a flounder looks like most other fish, swimming upright with one eye on each side of its head. But as it moves into adulthood, one of the eyes will migrate to the other side of the head over the course of about five days. With two eyes on the same side of its face, the flounder has remarkably acute binocular vision. The fish lies on the sandy bottom, waiting for a shrimp or small fish to wander by, and then uses its excellent vision and perfect depth perception to snatch the creature in a sudden ambush. • The four-eyed fish has fishy bifocals built into its eyeballs, so it can swim with the top half of its eyes out of the water watching the surface, while the bottom half of the eye is submerged under the water. • Many fish are able to change their coloration to blend into the background. When a flounder is placed on a checkerboard, it can perfectly render the pattern by rearranging the distribution of skin pigments. However, if one of the flounder’s eyes is blinded or covered with sand, the mimicry is harder for it to achieve. • Fish are able to use the calm surface of the water as a mirror to spot meals or prey that are located out of the line of direct sight. A bluegill might be able to see a predatory pike hiding on the far side of a rock by looking at the reflection on the surface of the water. • Birds that eat fish have a higher catch rate when conditions are windy rather than calm. This is because when the surface of the water is still, a fish underwater is able to see what’s happening above the water, and can take quick evasive
How do you keep a fish from smelling? Cut off his nose.
Want to run your own business? Publish a paper in your area, and become a part of the family. 1.866.859.0609
Make a difference in your community today. www.tidbitscanada.com • Advertising for Tidbits Vernon (250) 832-3361 •
THHC is a holistic medical cannabis centre that offers safe access to quality cannabis and education. Visit us in-store or online. 46 - 100 Kalamalka Lake Rd, Vernon 778.475.3398 | info@thhc.ca | thhc.ca
Page 2
info@TidbitsVernon.com
Call Today (250) 832-3361
“I Love that little paper!”
First thing on my Bucket List is to
FIll the Bucket wIth wIne! 6 boxes (23l) of Washington Riesling
150
or a French Cabernet for $
In three easy steps!
5 min to make wine. Wait four weeks
10 min to box wine. NEW CUSTOMERS RECEIVE AN EXTRA
$
20 OFF THEIR FIRST PURCHASE While Quantities Last.
Wood dispensing box also included.
www.armstrongwineandbrew.com 2545 Patterson Ave., Armstrong, BC
250-546-6954 •
See store for details. Fully automated facility.
action when it spots a bird. When the water is ruffled, the fish can’t see as well. • Will a fish fall for an optical illusion? In a study, redtail splitfins were trained that they would get rewarded with food if they chose the longer of two lines. When presented with an optical illusion, they chose the line that appeared to be longer. When trained to choose the circle that was larger, they chose the one that seemed to be bigger in the context of the optical illusion. FISH BRAINS • Common myth states that the memory of a goldfish is only three seconds long. However, research contradicts this. One experiment involved discerning how acute a goldfish’s sense of color was by training individual fish that they could find food inside a tube of a specific color. Tubes of many colors were then presented to the fish, including hues that were very subtly different from the tube they were supposed to go to. The fish demonstrated that they have a very acute sense of color. A year later, the
same fish used in this study were mixed with a bunch of fish that had never been through the experiment. When placed in a tank with many tubes of various colors, the experienced fish immediately sought out the exact color of tube they remembered, in spite of not having seen any tubes at all in the intervening year. • An experiment testing the memory of fish involved the crimson-spotted rainbowfish. Fish were placed in a large tank in groups of five at a time, and a net was slowly dragged from one end of the tank to the other. There was a hole in one part of the net that would allow the fish to escape, if they were able to find it. The net was dragged through the tank five different times. At first the fish panicked and hugged the edges of the glass, but by the fifth time, all of the fish had learned where the hole in the net was, and used it to escape. Eleven months later, the same fish were retested. In the intervening period they had not been in that tank and had not seen the net with the hole in it. Still, all of the fish remembered on the first try exactly where the hole in the net was located. Eleven months
info@TidbitsVernon.com The Neatest Little Paper Ever Read® Call Today (250) 832-3361
Page 3
Catherine Gardens offers many benets. Here are just a few: ; Modern décor with downtown living at the door ; A community of friends and neighbours ; Freedom to travel and explore new opportunities ; Safe, secure Life Lease nancial investment
A pot of this chili simmering on the range brings our children in from the cold mighty quickly. Little chunks of tender beef with onions and green peppers — but no beans — are simmered in a thick tomato sauce. 3½ pounds beef for stew 1/4 cup salad oil 2 medium onions, chopped 3 medium green peppers, diced 4 cloves garlic, crushed 2 cans (28-ounce) tomatoes 1 can (12-ounce) tomato paste 1/3 cup chili powder 1/4 cup sugar 2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves 3/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper 1. Cut beef for stew into 1/2-inch cubes. In 8-quart Dutch oven over high heat, in hot salad oil, cook onethird of meat at a time, until browned. With slotted spoon, remove meat cubes to bowl as they brown; set aside. 2. Reserve 1/2 cup onions; cover and set aside. Add green peppers, garlic and remaining onions to drippings in Dutch oven; over medium-high heat, cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 3. Return meat to Dutch oven; add tomatoes with their liquid, tomato paste, chili powder, sugar, salt, oregano leaves, cracked black pepper and 2 cups water; over high heat, heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until meat is fork-tender, stirring occasionally. 4. Spoon chili into large bowl. Pass reserved onion to sprinkle over each serving. Serves 12. • Each serving: 505 calories, 37g total fat, 97mg cholesterol, 710mg sodium. For thousands of triple-tested recipes, visit our Web site at www.goodhousekeeping.com/recipes/. © 2018 Hearst Communications, Inc. All rights reserved
King Features Weekly Service
• GOOD HOUSEKEEPING • Texas-Style Chili Texas-Style Chili
February 26, 2018
is equal to about a third of the rainbowfish’s lifespan. • Sharks learn to head directly to a fishing boat the moment the engine shuts down, because that indicates the fishermen on board have hooked a fish and have stopped the boat in order to reel it in. If the shark gets there first, it can steal the fish from the fishermen. • A group of cod were outfitted with tags attached to their dorsal fins which helped researchers identify individual fish in the tank. The tank was rigged with a self-feeder and the fish were trained to pull a looped string in order to open a door that would release fish food. The fish soon learned that if they caught their identity tag on the loop, they could open the door more quickly and efficiently and thereby feed themselves better. Researchers watched in astonishment as the fish practiced, over and over again, the specific move required to hook the loop on their plastic tags to hone the technique. IT’S A FACT • Hagfish produce large amounts of slime when threatened. The slime clogs the gills of predatory fish, threatening to suffocate them. FISH NOSE • A researcher working with minnows noticed that when he accidentally injured one, the other fish in the tank began darting around in panic. Further experiments showed that minnows release a pheromone when injured, which warns other fish in the vicinity. The
cells in the skin of the fish that release this chemical are so sensitive that they release the scent even when the fish is gently placed on a moist paper towel. The pheromones are so powerful that if a thousandth of a milligram of chopped minnow skin is dropped into a 4 gallon aquarium, the other fish can sense it. That’s equal to chopping a marshmallow into 20 million pieces and dropping one of those specks into a sink full of water, and still being able to taste the sweetness. Minnows can even pick up this scent when exposed to the poop of pike that has eaten minnows. The minnows do not react to the scent of pike poop when the pike have been eating swordtail fish, but only when they’ve been feeding on other minnows.
Page 4
info@TidbitsVernon.com
NUGGET OF KNOWLEDGE Like most fish, swordfish are coldblooded, but they do have the ability to heat up their eyeballs, raising the temperature to 82 F (28 C) even in water that is nearly freezing. Hot eyeballs are better at spotting prey than cold eyeballs.
• A sockeye salmon can smell shrimp extract even when diluted at one part shrimp to a hundred million parts water, equal to five teaspoons dissolved in an Olympic-size swimming pool. Other types of salmon can detect the scent of a seal even when diluted to one 80 billionth, equal to a drop in the same swimming pool. But the American eel takes the top prize for being able to pick up scents, able to pick up one ten millionth of a drop of a scent diluted in an Olympic pool. HUNTING BUDDIES • Groupers and moray eels often team up to
*
“The dishwasher in my new apartment smells bad. What should I do?” -- P.K. Check the bottom of the dishwasher for stuck food pieces and remove them if present, then add two cups of white vinegar to unit and run. When that cycle’s done, quick-scrub any gunky spots on the inside with baking soda, and then add a cup to the bottom; re-run dishwasher once more. * Is your place a mess? Here’s a no-fail cure to get it gussied up: Invite friends over, and ask them to bring their significant other or people you mostly know. You’ll be motivated to clean up rather than have them see your place a mess. * If you hate bending over to scrub the tub, use a broom as a scrub brush. (Just make sure it’s clean, or you’ll end up with MORE dirt!) And while we’re on the subject of brooms, clean yours regularly with soap and water, and trim off stray or fraying bristles to ensure a clean sweep. * Too-tight flats? Put on a thick pair of socks and grab your hair dryer. Run the hot air over the tight spots while wearing the socks and shoes. Keep them on until they’re cool and remove the socks. Problem solved! * “An open bowl of rolled oats can absorb strong odors from other foods in your fridge. My roommate always puts a small bowl in there when she brings home funky leftovers. It works for us.” -- R.E. in Massachusetts Send your tips to Now Here’s a Tip, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803. (c) 2018 King Features Synd., Inc.
“I Love that little paper!” go hunting together. The grouper is the more effective hunter in open water, but the moray eel can flush prey out of tight crevices. The grouper makes a shimmying motion in front of the eel to signal readiness to hunt, and will point out the specific location of prey by doing a headstand right above where a meal is hiding. Fabulous Food
SPAM • The canned luncheon meat called Spam was introduced by Hormel in 1937. Canning meat was a novel idea. In an era where preserving meat was difficult, Spam was an immediate hit. By 1940, it’s estimated that 70% of Americans had tried it. • Spam was created to make use of surplus pork shoulder, mixing it with ham, salt, sugar and sodium nitrite. It has the same basic ingredients as hot dogs. • The name was the invention of Ken Daigneau, who won $100 in a contest to come up with the best name for the new product. It probably didn’t hurt that Ken was the brother of a Hormel executive at the time. There is a lot of speculation about what the word “spam” stands for, including “spiced ham,” “special processed American meat,” “spare meat,” and “shoulders of pork and ham.” But the truth is that no one really knows. • Spam got a big boost in popularity at the onset of World War II when it was difficult to get fresh meat to soldiers. During the war, Hormel sold more than half of its output to the U.S. government, which supplied not only the armed forces of the U.S., but also the soldiers of the U.S.S.R. Over 100 million pounds of Spam were consumed by Russian forces during the
Call Today (250) 832-3361
info@TidbitsVernon.com The Neatest Little Paper Ever Read® Call Today (250) 832-3361
war. “Without Spam, we wouldn’t have been able to feed our army,” Russian Premier Nikita Krushchev later said. It was so prominent that Uncle Sam was nicknamed “Uncle Spam.” • Spam was also popular during the Korean War, and the natives developed a taste for it. Even today, South Koreans consume more Spam than any other country except the U.S. • Spam is hugely popular in the Philippines, leading Hormel to donate more than 30,000 pounds of it after the 2009 typhoon there.
• In the U.S., Hawaiians eat the most Spam per capita of any state in the U.S. with an average of 12 cans per year. It’s so popular that McDonald’s across the region have added it to the menus. Texas takes second place, followed by Alabama and Arkansas. It’s now sold in over 50 countries around the globe. • In the U.S., some 3.6 cans of Spam are consumed every second, making it the topselling canned meat. Over 44,000 cans of Spam, or 33,000 pounds, are produced every hour worldwide. In addition to the U.S., Spam is produced in seven other countries: Australia, Denmark, UK, Japan, Philippines, South Korea and Taiwan. • One can of Spam contains nearly 100 grams of fat, over 1,000 calories, 240 milligrams of cholesterol, and 4,696 milligrams of sodium, nearly double the USDA’s recommended daily allowance of sodium. • In a Monty Python sketch in 1970, Mr. and Mrs. Bun enter the Green Midget Café in Bromley, England, and ask what’s on the menu. The answer is Spam, Spam, Spam, more Spam, and nothing but Spam. A group of Vikings at the next table burst into song about Spam. When the technological age led to a flood of unsolicited emails, these unwanted emails became known as spam: “What’s in my email in-box? Spam, spam, spam, more spam, and nothing but spam.” • Today, there are 14 varieties of Spam available around the world, and you can visit the Spam Museum in Austin, Minnesota near the Spam packing plant. Take a tour led by a “Spambassador,” and try your hand at packing a can of Spam yourself. A MEAT PACKER • As a young man, George Hormel worked in his uncle’s slaughterhouse in Chicago for $10 per month. In 1891 he decided to start his own company, which he named after himself: Hormel. He wanted to be more than just another butcher; he was interested in the processing, packing, and marketing of the meat.
• He borrowed $500 and set up a plant in an old creamery on the edge of Austin, Minnesota. By the end of his first year in business, he’d slaughtered 600 cows and hired six employees. In 1893 the invention of refrigerated rail cars revolutionized the food distribution system. He brought his two brothers into the business and that year they slaughtered 1,500 hogs. By the turn of the century, he had opened additional plants across the U.S. • At that time, people were suspicious of canned food products, including canned meat recently introduced by Armour. George Hormel introduced a line of canned meat and advertised zealously. His canned hams caught on and business boomed, especially during the war years. By 1944, more than 90% of Hormel’s canned foods were shipped for government use. • In 1927 George turned the thriving company over to his son Jay, and in 1937 Jay invented a new product called Spam which achieved an 18% market share within the first year. In 1937 only 18% of Americans ate canned meat, but by 1940, 70% did. By 1959 the company had sold a billion cans of Spam. By 2012, over 7 billion cans had been sold. • In 1973 Hormel Foods became the first meatpacking company to include nutritional labels on meat products, as the company added bacon and sausages to its line. • Hormel established the Hormel Girls in 1946,
Page 5
Page 6
info@TidbitsVernon.com
“I Love that little paper!”
a traveling women’s drum-and-bugle corps, to promote Hormel. The group swelled to 60 women with a 16-piece orchestra, and they were even given a radio show which aired until the group disbanded in 1953. • In 1934 when the U.S. was in the midst of the Great Depression and ranchers were battling drought, the government underwrote a beef canning program. The government bought the cattle, and various meat processors produced steamed beef, packing it in tin cans which were distributed to destitute citizens. In 1935 the government ended this program, leaving meat companies with millions of stockpiled cans. • Hormel had half a million empty unused tin cans worth 4 cents each, and they needed to figure out what to do with them. Because the steamed beef they had been manufacturing was familiar to Americans, Hormel decided to produce beef stew, packed in the cans, but they needed a name for the product.
South of the Border Stuffed Toast If you like a little “heat” in your food, then you’ll enjoy this breakfast dish. It will warm you inside and out. 8 (3/4-ounce) slices Kraft reduced-fat Cheddar cheese 8 slices reduced-calorie bread 2 eggs, beaten or equivalent in egg substitute 1/4 cup fat-free milk 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes 1 cup chunky salsa (mild, medium or hot) 1/4 cup Land O Lakes no-fat sour cream 1. Place 2 slices Cheddar cheese between 2 slices of bread. In a medium bowl, combine eggs, milk and parsley flakes. Dip sandwiches into egg mixture on both sides. Place on hot griddle or large skillet sprayed with butterflavored cooking spray. Brown on both sides. For each serving, place 1 sandwich on a plate, spoon 1/4 cup salsa over top and garnish with 1 tablespoon sour cream. Serve at once. Serves 4. * Each serving: 270 calories, 10g fat, 22g protein, 23g carbs, 908mg sodium, 226mg calcium, 2g fiber; Diabetic Exchanges: 2 1/2 Meat, 1 Starch, 1/2 Vegetable; Carb Choices: 1 1/2. (c) 2018 King Features Synd., Inc.
• In 1913 an artist named George McManus began drawing a cartoon strip called “Bringing up Father.” In the cartoon, the character Jiggs often visited his favorite Irish tavern, whose name was based on the real name of a friend of McManus, who really did own a tavern by that name, which served Irish stew. With free advertising provided by the cartoon, the tavern owner opened more taverns across the country. This gave Hormel the idea for the name of their stew, so he acquired the rights to the name from McManus. The stew hit the market in 1936, selling for 15 cents. It was so popular that Hormel ended up buying all the surplus tin cans from other meat companies. The stew is still made today. It’s called Dinty Moore.
Call Today (250) 832-3361
Jealousy Disrupts Doggie Household DEAR PAW’S CORNER: My two dogs, “Jake” and “Albie,” are normally real sweethearts. But over the past few months they have been increasingly nasty to one another. Jake is five years older than Albie, who the shelter told me is about four years old. If Albie sees Jake lying in the sunny corner of the kitchen, he growls and barks. Jake will growl and bark right back. Last week they came very close to fighting. What can I do to stop this once and for all? -- Gerry in Las Cruces, New Mexico DEAR GERRY: Dust off your dog-training manual -- you’re going to need it. Basic commands like “sit,” “stay,” quiet” and “leave it” are very helpful in defusing a situation between two housemate dogs. Sometimes dogs exhibit jealous behavior for no apparent reason; other times something has changed in the household, and therefore the overall dynamic -- a new roommate, new pet or new baby; shifting the furniture around; or even decorating for the holidays. Whatever the cause, you must re-establish order. Your dogs need to know that no matter what else has changed, you’re still head of the house. Make sure that you show no favoritism. When it’s time for treats, both dogs get treats (and only if they’re both sitting calmly). When one is curled up in his doggie bed, the other should be, too. Take them for longer walks to burn off more energy, and work with them on basic commands. What if this doesn’t stop their behavior? You will need to separate them into different rooms if a verbal “leave it” command doesn’t work. If their behavior worsens, contact a pet trainer. Send your questions, tips or comments to ask@pawscorner.com. (c) 2018 King Features Synd., Inc.
*Expires March 31, 2018
info@TidbitsVernon.com The Neatest Little Paper Ever Read® Call Today (250) 832-3361
Page 7
by Samantha Weaver * It was Danish scholar and critic Georg Brandes who made the following sage observation: “Poor is the power of the lead that becomes bullets compared to the power of the hot metal that becomes types.” * You doubtless know who Thomas Edison was -- the American inventor of such things as the light bulb, the phonograph and the motion-picture camera. You never learned that he was blind, though, did you? Of course you didn’t -- he wasn’t blind. However, even though he could see, historians say that when he was reading, he preferred Braille to printed text. * Have you ever heard of a lipogram? It’s a work of writing that deliberately leaves out one or more letters of the alphabet. For instance, in 1939 a man named Ernest Vincent Wright published a 50,000-word novel titled “Gadsby,” in which the letter e was not used once -- the longest lipogram in English. * Those who study such things say that the trunk of an African elephant has more than 60,000 muscles. * You might be surprised to learn that the White House had a telephone installed before indoor plumbing was. * I have some bad news for lovers of the snooze button: Experts say that you’re better off not using it. Researchers have found that the last few minutes of sleep are more beneficial if they’re uninterrupted, so it’s better to go ahead and set your alarm for 10 minutes later to begin with. * A study of prison inmates’ medical files revealed this interesting tidbit: The higher the levels of testosterone in a male inmate, the younger that inmate was when he was first arrested. Thought for the Day: “I learned compassion from being discriminated against. Everything bad that’s ever happened to me has taught me compassion.” -- Ellen DeGeneres
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
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 : 250-541-1646 for more info. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
VJH Auxiliary will change the time of the General Meetings from 1:30 to 10:00 am in an attempt to facilitate better member attendance. This will be for a trial period only for Monday March 12th and April 9th.
NOTICE Build a Shaklee business online while keeping your present job, using your computer and phone. Go to www.naturalfreedom.net to learn more.
Any creditors that may be owed from the estate of Cary Allan Willison has until March 15 2018 to reply
BUYING GUNS OLD TIME SENIOR CITIZEN, WITH LIFE-TIME HOBBY OF SHOOTING, WILL PAY CASH FOR YOUR GUNS, INCLUDING ESTATES 250-832-2982 (Salmon Arm)
Kwillison1@hotmail.com
(c) 2018 King Features Synd., Inc.
Opening a new in business in 2018 or looking to increase your existing business and clientalÉ Why not join the Chamber of Commerce. Membership with the Lumby & District Chamber of Commerce can increase your marketing and networking capacities. Join our organization and watch your business grow. Looking for more details don’t hesitate to contact the Chamber office. 250.547.2300 or email lumbychamber@shaw.ca.
Visit our Winter Farmers’ Market at the Odd Fellows Hall on Bridge St, Saturdays from 9 – 1.
Vernon’s biggest business awards event is just around the corner. Come celebrate and network with Vernon’s best at the 2018 Greater Vernon Chamber Business Excellence Awards on March 9th at the Vernon Lodge. Tickets available at vernonchamber.ca or by contacting the Chamber 250-545-0771.
®
The longest name for a fish is a species with the Hawaiian name of humuhumunukunukuapua’a which means “the fish that sews with a needle and grunts like a pig.” It’s also known as the rectangular triggerfish.
1. The gestation period of a frilled shark is three and a half years. 2. A 15-inch channel catfish has about 680,000 taste buds located all over its entire body including the fins. That’s 100 times more taste buds than humans have. 3. Over 25% of all fish species that inhabit saltwater coral reefs are able to transition from male to female and back again. 4. About 25% of fish species stick around to provide at least some kind of parental caregiving to their young. 5. The pygmy goby has a maximum lifespan of 59 days, the shortest lifespan of any vertebrate.
Page 8 info@TidbitsVernon.com “I Love that little paper!”
1. “Piranha” comes from a native Brazilian word meaning “scissors.” 2. Sharks are the only fish that have eyelids SAILFISH
Call Today (250) 832-3361