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FE-FI-FO-FUM
by Janet Spencer Who isn’t familiar with the phrase “Fe-Fi-Fo-Fum,” from the children’s tale “Jack and the Beanstalk”? This week, Tidbits investigates the meaning of the phrase, along with some unusual facts about words that begin with the same letters. • An 1890 poem by Joseph Jacobs includes the rhyme, “Fe-fi-fo-fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman. Be he alive or be he dead, I’ll grind his bones to make my bread.” Yet Jacobs wasn’t the first to use the phrase. A written work by Englishman Thomas Nashe in 1596 incorporated a similar expression, and William Shakespeare wrote “Fie, foh, and fum, I smell the blood of a British man” in his 1603 play “King Lear.” “The History of Jack and the Giants” in 1711 also utilized the phrase. • Some historians believe the phrase has its origins in the ancient Gaelic language, translating “Fa!” as “behold,” “Fe” as “food,” “Fi,” as “good to eat,” “Fo,” meaning “sufficient,” and “Fum,” as “hunger.” Put it all together and it becomes, “Behold! Food, good to eat, sufficient for my hunger.” • In 1972, four male mice and one female mouse orbited the moon for six days and four hours aboard Apollo 17, along with the crew, Eugene Cernan, Harrison Schmitt, and Ronald Evans. (turn the page for more!)
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Vol 2 Issue 12
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Tidbits of The Pass Area
Vol. 2 Issue 12
FE-FI-FO-FUM (continued) • The five mice, named Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum, and Phooey, had alternate identification numbers A3326, A3400, A3305, A3356, and A3352, and were studied after the mission for possible effects on their bodies. One mouse died while on the journey. • A person whose job is to remove hair or wool from animal skins, particularly sheepskins, in preparation for tanning and leathermaking, is known as a fellmonger. The term was first used in the 1500s, when the process was much more difficult. Today, a chemical solution of sodium sulfide is applied to the animal skin. It soaks through the skin and destroys the wool follicles, making it easier to separate the wool from the skin. • Only birds have feathers, which, along with enabling flight, provide insulation, waterproofing, camouflage, and protection from the sun. Most birds’ feathers weigh more than their skeletons. A tiny hummingbird has about 1,000 feathers, while swans possess 25,000. Penguins have more than most birds – about 100 feathers per square inch. During cold weather, a typical bird will have 50% more feathers than it does in the summer. • Who knew there was a special term for the thin edge of a ruler? It’s known as the fiducial edge. • When a politician wants to prevent a bill from going to a vote, he or she utilizes a filibuster, a rule that permits senators to talk as long as they wish on any topic they choose. The practice dates clear back to ancient Rome when a Roman senator who opposed the political legislation of Julius Caesar spoke continuously until nightfall, since that Senate had a rule for all business to conclude by dusk. The senator, Cato the Younger, first used the filibuster to obstruct Caesar’s measures in 60 B.C. (continued next page)
Chocolate Pretzels
Making these pretzel-shaped treats is a perfect project for kids and parents. 3/4 cup margarine or butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened 3/4 cup sugar 1 large egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt Assorted sprinkles for garnish 1. Heat oven to 350 F. In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat margarine or butter with sugar until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla. At low speed, beat in flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt just until blended, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula. 2. Divide dough in half. Wrap 1 piece of dough with plastic wrap; set aside. Place sprinkles in pie plate. 3. Working with half of dough on an unfloured work surface, shape 1 tablespoon dough with hands into a 9-inch-long rope. Shape rope into a loop-shaped pretzel; press ends lightly to seal. Gently press pretzel, top side down, into sprinkles. Place pretzels, decorated side up, about 1/2 inch apart on ungreased large cookie sheet. 4. Bake pretzels 15 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Transfer pretzels to wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with other half of dough. Store pretzels in tightly covered container up to 3 weeks. • Each serving: 120 calories, 4g total fat (1g saturated), 6mg cholesterol, 95mg sodium, 10g total carbohydrate, 1g protein. For thousands of triple-tested recipes, visit our Web site at www.goodhousekeeping.com/recipes/. (c) 2019 Hearst Communications, Inc. All rights reserved
Week of April 14, 2019
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FE-FI-FO-FUM (continued) • In modern times, U.S. senators have even read from cookbooks and phone books in order to stonewall a bill. • America’s longest filibuster was given by South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond in 1957 in an attempt to delay the Civil Rights Act of 1957. Thurmond took the podium shortly before 9:00 PM on August 28, and stepped down at 9:12 the following evening after 24 hours and 18 minutes of talking. In preparation for his speech, Thurmond had a steam bath to rid his body of liquid so that he would not need to use the rest room. His filibuster included reading the voting laws of each of the 48 states, reading of the U.S. criminal code, and the Declaration of Independence. For all of Thurmond’s efforts to prevent the bill from passing, the bill passed successfully, without the change of a single vote. Legislation now allows a filibuster to be broken with a vote of threefifths of the Senators. • In addition to being the organ of sight for underwater creatures, a fish eye can be a look of suspicion cast upon a shady character. In the world of photography, a fish-eye is an extremely wide angle view, with the panorama reaching nearly 180 degrees. The image curves outward, thus creating a somewhat distorted image. The term was coined by an American physicist and inventor in 1906, based on how a fish might see an expansive view from beneath the water. • Babies are born with a soft spot on their skull between the cranial bones. The official name of this spot is fontanelle, and it allows for the stretching of the cranium as the brain expands faster than the bones can grow. (continued next page)
Stand Down Events for Homeless Veterans
As the weather warms up, the 2019 Stand Downs are getting underway.
Stand Downs are events held over one to three days for homeless veterans, usually at Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities. The list of services provided is long and includes clothing, health and dental screenings, personal care supplies, haircuts, legal assistance, food, information about shelter, as well as VA and Social Security benefits counseling.
In addition, veterans can get referrals to care and treatment for substance use and mental health counseling, as well as employment help, health care and housing information. Multiple agencies and service groups come together for these Stand Downs. To see the schedule of Stand Down events for this year, go online to www.va.gov/homeless/events.asp and scroll down. You'll find the dates and locations as well as name, phone number and email for the point of contact. If you don't see your location listed, keep checking back, or call the closest VA regional medical center. Ask early about whether they'll have transportation, and sign up. Be sure to bring your VA medical card and DD-214 if you have them.
If you're a homeless vet, there is another group you should contact: National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (www. nchv.org). If you're in trouble (about to become homeless) call them 24/7 at 1-877-424-3838 or at 800-VET-HELP for general questions. NCHV also keeps a list of Stand Downs, so keep an eye on its website. It can help with housing, legal, employment and health issues, and more. Explore their website … they do a lot. If you're a member of a veteran service organization and want to help with a Stand Down, contact them and ask what you can do or bring. Transportation for veterans in rural areas, food and personal care items might be high on the list.
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To Your Good Health By Keith Roach, M.D.
Medication Doesn't Stop Vertigo's Spinning DEAR DR. ROACH: I have a terrible case of vertigo. I'm not sure what causes it or what I can do to prevent it from happening to me again. I was given two medications, promethazine for nausea and meclizine for vertigo, but still the problem persists. Can you offer some kind of help? -- J.G.
Tidbits of The Pass Area
Most people get relief from an office treatment called the Epley maneuver. They can continue at home with other exercises. I would suggest that you ask your doctor about these procedures, and if he or she isn't familiar with them, it might be wise to consult with an expert. In any event, vertigo is a symptom that can arise from several distinct medical conditions. You should find out what your diagnosis is. DEAR DR. ROACH: I would like your opinion of taking a vitamin B complex capsule. A friend recommended it, but the dose of one to two capsules a day makes my urine turn bright-yellow. The daily values are from 3,000 to 8,000 percent, and that seems pretty high to me. I don't enjoy taking it, because it smells and tastes unpleasant, but I'm mostly concerned about getting too much of a "good" thing. -- R.W.
ANSWER: Vertigo is the sensation of movement when not moving. Although it is classically described as a spinning sensation, some people feel as if they or the world is moving in other ways.
ANSWER: Here's the good news: B vitamins are necessary, and your body is able to get rid of any excess. In fact, the yellow color of your urine is exactly that, your body spilling off the B vitamins you don't need. There are a few medical conditions that benefit from B vitamins.
There are many causes of vertigo, but we generally break them down into two groups: peripheral causes, from the vestibular nerve, which connects your brain with the organ of balance in the inner ear; and central causes, from the brain itself. Peripheral causes are much more common and generally are labelled "benign," even though they can be quite severe. Central causes are most commonly attributed to vestibular migraine and poor blood flow to the brainstem.
Here's the not-so-good news: You almost certainly don't need so much, and most people don't benefit from taking vitamins at all. A healthy diet with lots of fruits and vegetables gives you most of the B vitamins your body needs. (Vitamin B-12, by contrast, is found only in animal products, which is why vegans require supplementary B-12.) If you choose to keep taking a vitamin just for general health, I would change to a brand that has lower doses and isn't unpleasant to take.
Only a careful exam and, occasionally, more sophisticated tests can reveal the underlying cause of the vertigo. The most common cause is benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, and I suspect that is what you were being treated for, having received a nonspecific treatment for vertigo. Although it is commonplace, I disagree with this treatment if it is used for more than a day or two, and then only in people whose symptoms are severe.
I don't recommend stopping megadose multivitamins suddenly. This is particularly important for vitamin C, where symptoms of deficiency can show up temporarily in people who suddenly stop high doses.Dr. Roach regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but will incorporate them in the column whenever possible. Readers may email questions to ToYourGoodHealth@med.cornell.edu. (c) 2019 North America Synd., Inc. All Rights Reserved
Vol. 2 Issue 12
FE-FI-FO-FUM (continued) • Back in 1968, at the Summer Olympics in Mexico City, American athlete Dick Fosbury introduced a new method of high jumping he had perfected. Fosbury’s technique involved going over the bar backwards, back first, landing on the shoulders and back. Prior to this, high jumpers used the straddle technique, going over the bar face down, lifting the legs over the bar individually, or the scissors method, with the jumper running toward the bar facing forward, lifting the legs one at a time over bar. Fosbury’s technique, now known as the Fosbury Flop, requires the runner to sprint diagonally toward the bar, then curve and leap backwards. Dick Fosbury took the gold medal as well as setting a new Olympic record that year. • Football fans know that when a player fails to catch and hold onto the ball, it’s called a fumble. But how about a fumblerooski? That’s when the football is intentionally placed on the ground by the offense (usually the quarterback), and his teammates try to trick the defense by pretending that the ball carrier is running one direction, while another offensive player picks up the ball and runs in a different direction. The hope is to gain considerable yardage before the opposing team realizes who really has the football.
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will still be at least 85 percent effective four years after you get it.
New Shingles Vaccine Can be Hard to Find Ninety-nine percent of us over the age of 40 had chickenpox when we were kids. That virus is still in our bodies ... and it can reactivate at any time as shingles. Do you know someone who has had shingles? Did their experience make you want to rush to the doctor for the shingles vaccine? If you did get the vaccine years ago, do you feel confident knowing it offers a protection rate of only 50 percent, and only for a few years? Fear not, they say ... there's a new, more effective shingles vaccine, available since 2017. Shingrix offers protection at a 90 percent rate. It's taken in two doses, two to six months apart. Unlike the old vaccine, this one
Researchers say one in three of us will get shingles because our immune systems decline as we age. If we're over the age of 50, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we should have the Shingrix vaccine. If we had the old vaccine between the ages of 50 and 59, we might not be covered in later years. Finding the new vaccine, however, might be a problem. It's easy to find locations that give the shot, but whether they have it on hand is another matter. Start by calling your doctor's office to see if they have it in stock and if you should have it. (There might be reasons you shouldn't.) If you need it but the doctor doesn't have it, put your ZIP code in the search box on vaccinefinder.org and start making calls to local pharmacies. Be sure to specify Shingrix. You might be put on a wait list. And don't forget your Medicare or insurance card. Shingrix is expensive. (c) 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.
Week of April 14, 2019
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1 When was the last time before 2018 (Boston) that a major-league team won 105 or more 1. games in a season? 2. In 2017, Minnesota's Paul Molitor became the second Hall of Fame player to win a Manager of the Year award. Who was the first? • On April 23, 1014, Brian Boru, the high king of Ireland, is assassinated by retreating Norsemen shortly after his Irish forces defeated them. A small group of fleeing Norsemen stumbled on Brian's tent, overcame his bodyguards and murdered the elderly king. • On April 25, 1719, Daniel Defoe's "The Life and Strange Adventures of Robinson Crusoe," a fictional work about a shipwrecked sailor who spends 28 years on a deserted island, is published. It's based on the experiences of Alexander Selkirk, a Scottish sailor who spent four years on a small island off South America. • On April 26, 1865, John Wilkes Booth is killed when Union soldiers track him to a Virginia farm 12 days after he assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. Killing Lincoln was part of a conspiracy to simultaneously kill the vice president and secretary of state, neither of which happened.
3. In 2017, the Jacksonville Jaguars became the third NFL team to record 10 or more sacks in a game twice in a season. Name either of the first two teams to do it. 4. Name either of the two men's basketball players who were named Big Ten freshman of the year and Big Ten defensive player of the year in the same season.
5 Patrick Kane set the mark for the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2018-19 season for most consecutive games with an 5. assist (17). Who had held the record? 6 Josef Martinez set a Major League Soccer record in 2018 for most career hat tricks (six). Who had he been tied with? 6. 7 Who was the last undisputed boxing champion of the cruiserweight division before Oleksandr Usyk in 2018? 7. 1.The St. Louis Cardinals won 105 games in 2004. 2. Baltimore's Frank Robinson, in 1989. 3. The 1967 Oakland Raiders and the 1984 Chicago Bears. 4. Jaren Jackson of Michigan State in 2018 and Greg Oden of Ohio State in 2007. 5. Stan Mikita, who did it for 14 consecutive games in 1967. 6. Stern John and Diego Serna. 7. O'Neil Bell, in 2006.
• On April 22, 1915, German forces shock Allied soldiers along the Western Front by firing more than 150 tons of lethal chlorine. The Germans were perhaps as shocked as the Allies by the devastating effects of the poison gas.
by Jo Ann Derson
• On April 27, 1956, world heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano retires from boxing at age 31. He ended his career as the only heavyweight champ with a perfect record, 49-0. Marciano had started boxing in the Army to get out of kitchen duty.
• "Soak a cotton ball in vinegar to apply to bruises. It speeds healing. Apply for an hour." -- J., via e-mail
• On April 28, 1969, following the defeat of his proposals for constitutional reform, Charles de Gaulle resigns as president of France. He had first resigned in 1946, but was called back in 1958 when the Algerian War sent nearly a million Algerians into France.
• "For our kids' art and schoolwork, we purchased a scrapbook for each grade. As the year progresses, we put the standout papers in the book, and add photos and jot down notes about friends and teachers. It not only makes a lovely keepsake, but you know when a drawing was done, and it makes it easy to limit what we keep." -- R.W. in Indiana
• On April 24, 1996, the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Washington Capitals, 3-2, in 139 minutes of game play, making it the fifth-longest match in NHL history. Playoff games aren't allowed to end in a tie. (c) 2019 Hearst Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved
• Taking a pill? Sip of water, pill, sip of water. It's easier to take even larger pills after a small sip of liquid. • Secure small stuffed animals to a length of sturdy rope, then hang the rope from the ceiling or across a wall like art. It gets them up off the floor during that period when kids want to keep them all but don't regularly play with them. • Rinse your hands with lemon juice to remove berry stains. This also works on marker stains. • You know how happy you feel when you get to the bottom of the bag of chips and find all the extra-flavory ones? How's this for a mindblowing hack: Flip the bag over and open up from the bottom. The saturated chippies will be on the top. • Denture tablets are great for cleaning tough stains in the toilet bowl. Just drop them in the bowl and let it sit overnight.
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Vol. 2 Issue 12
1. Is the book of Hosea in the Old or New Testament or neither? 2. How many Old Testament (KJV) books are named for a woman? There are none in the New Testament. 0, 1, 2, 3 3. From Judges 16, what had Samson been to God from his mother's womb? Nazarite, Philistine, Reubenite, Protestant 4. In Exodus 4, who had a staff or rod that turned into a snake? Noah, Aaron, Adam, Moses 5. What biblical name means "peace"? Salome, Jacob, Abraham, Adam 6. Of these, who died on Mount Hor? Paul, Noah, Aaron, Solomon 1) Old; 2) 2 (Ruth and Esther); 3) Nazarite; 4) Moses; 5) Salome; 6) Aaron Visit Wilson Casey’s Trivia Fan Siteat www.patreon.com/triviaguy. Š 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.
Week of April 14, 2019
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Is That Special Diet Killing Your Dog? DEAR PAW'S CORNER: I read that stray dogs from foreign countries are being put up for adoption here and bringing new diseases with them. My family wants to adopt a dog, but now we're uncertain about doing so. How can we make sure we're getting a healthy dog? -- Julie in Alexandria, Louisiana DEAR JULIE: You should certainly do some research before taking that super-cute puppy home from a shelter. Rescue shelters have gone through some dramatic changes in the past decade, and perhaps the most notable change is that dogs eligible for adoption are often shipped from a shelter in one region of the country to another region. Dogs from overseas also are being acquired by some shelters as demand for rescue dogs -- particularly the "adorable" one or popular breeds -- outstrips supply. There is little federal regulation -- the USDA doesn't track how many dogs are imported from other countries, for example -- and states are only just beginning to tighten rules to ensure the health of dogs shipped across state lines. There are reports of newly adopted dogs developing severe illnesses, including a new strain of canine distemper virus -- a highly contagious disease that closely resembles rabies. Here are some important questions you should ask: — Where did the dog come from? Was it surrendered locally, sent from another state or unknown? — Ask for copies of health records. Has the dog been given vaccinations yet? — If the dog comes from another state or country, was it quarantined after arriving (at least 48 hours in some states)? Take the dog you adopt to a veterinarian as soon as possible for a health check and to get any needed vaccines. Send your questions or pet care tips to ask@pawscorner.com. (c) 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.
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